MPSC Group B syllabus 2026 for PSI, STI and ASO: a 100-question, 60-minute prelims with 0.25 negative marking, then Mains Paper 1 (Marathi and English, no GK) plus a post-specific Paper 2. 552 posts.
The MPSC Group B syllabus 2026 is one common recruitment for three posts: PSI (Police Sub Inspector), STI (State Tax Inspector) and ASO (Assistant Section Officer). You sit a screening Prelims of 100 questions in 60 minutes with 0.25 negative marking, then a two-paper Mains where Paper 1 is Marathi and English and Paper 2 is post-specific. This cycle carries 552 posts (PSI 310, STI 236, ASO 6).
This guide gives the exact pattern, the negative marking rule, the post-wise Paper 2 syllabus and our first-party topic weightages, grounded in the real 2021, 2023 and 2025 MPSC papers we analysed while building the Quiz4Exam MPSC Group B test series. As of July 2026 the Prelims were held on 14 June 2026, the result is expected around August 2026, and Mains is expected later in 2026, announced with the Prelims result.
| Post | Full form | Vacancies |
|---|---|---|
| PSI | Police Sub Inspector | 310 |
| STI | State Tax Inspector | 236 |
| ASO | Assistant Section Officer | 6 |
| Total | 552 |
The MPSC Group B exam pattern 2026 has three stages: Prelims, Mains and, for PSI only, a Physical Test plus Interview. Prelims is one common paper of 100 questions, 100 marks, 60 minutes, of degree level. Every question is printed in both Marathi and English. Prelims is only a qualifying screen: its marks are not counted in the final merit.
Mains has two papers of 100 questions and 200 marks each. The final merit is built on the Mains 400 marks. For PSI alone, a Physical Test of 100 marks and an Interview of 40 marks are added after Mains; STI and ASO merit rests on the Mains 400 marks alone.
| Stage | Questions | Marks | Duration | Negative marking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prelims (common, bilingual) | 100 | 100 | 60 minutes | 0.25 per wrong |
| Mains Paper 1 (Marathi + English) | 100 | 200 | 60 minutes | 0.5 per wrong |
| Mains Paper 2 (post-specific) | 100 | 200 | 60 minutes | 0.5 per wrong |
The MPSC Group B Prelims is a General Studies dominant paper: current affairs, general science, polity, economy, history and geography, plus a small arithmetic and reasoning block. There is no separate language section in Prelims. From our analysis of the real 2021 to 2025 MPSC Group B papers, the marks split per 100 settles close to the table below, with about 20% of the General Studies carrying a Maharashtra-specific tilt.
| Prelims area | Approx. marks per 100 |
|---|---|
| Current affairs | 17 |
| General science | 15 |
| Polity | 14 |
| Economy | 13 |
| History | 12 |
| Geography | 11 |
| Arithmetic | 10 |
| Reasoning | 8 |
A practical warning: about 40% of the General Studies questions are multi-statement "which of the statements are correct" items and about 15% are match-the-pairs, so revise for precision.
No. MPSC Group B Mains Paper 1 is only Marathi and English: 50 questions and 100 marks of Marathi plus 50 questions and 100 marks of English, for 100 questions and 200 marks in 60 minutes, with 0.5 negative marking. Many prep websites wrongly print a "100 plus 60 plus 40 with GK" split for this paper.
We can correct this with confidence: we checked the actual 2023 and 2025 Paper 1 question papers, and their header reads "Marathi va English" with no GK block anywhere. General Studies content lives entirely in Paper 2, not Paper 1.
| Mains Paper 1 block | Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Marathi | 50 | 100 |
| English | 50 | 100 |
| Total | 100 | 200 |
In the English 50-question block, our analysis finds grammar 13, fill in the blanks 6, idioms and phrases 5, error spotting 5, comprehension 5, synonyms 4 and voice or narration 4. In the Marathi 50-question block: comprehension 6, shabdanchya jati 6, vakya-rachana 6, samas 5, prayog 4 and kaal 4. Marathi grammar rewards early, steady revision.
Mains Paper 2 is where the PSI, STI and ASO syllabus splits apart. Each is 100 questions, 200 marks, 60 minutes, with 0.5 negative marking, but the content core differs by post. Plan around this section once you know which post you are chasing.
Our per-100 weightage from the real papers is below. Treat it as where marks cluster, not a fixed blueprint.
| Post | Biggest blocks (approx. marks per 100) |
|---|---|
| PSI | Police-law 24, current affairs 15, polity 14, geography 11 |
| STI | Economy 24, current affairs 17, tax-law 6, accounting 4 |
| ASO | Polity 25, current affairs 11, history 11 |
MPSC Group B negative marking is a real differentiator from Talathi and Police Constable, which carry no negative marking. Every wrong answer costs you: 0.25 marks in Prelims (1 mark per question) and 0.5 marks in each Mains paper (2 marks per question). Unanswered questions lose nothing, so four wrong Prelims guesses wipe out one correct answer and two wrong Mains guesses do the same. Attempt only where you can eliminate to a genuine 50-50 or better, and guard accuracy harder in Mains where the penalty is double.
Anchor your MPSC Group B 2026 preparation to a small, proven stack: Laxmikanth for polity, Spectrum for modern history, Kolambe guides for Maharashtra General Studies, Walimbe Sugam Marathi Vyakaran for Marathi grammar, Wren and Martin for English grammar, and RS Aggarwal for aptitude and reasoning. Pair the books with timed full-length practice under real conditions, negative marking applied.
For a full plan across Prelims and both Mains papers, read our MPSC Group B 2026 strategy guide, and if you are comparing Maharashtra clerical options, see how the entry-level exam differs in our MPSC Group C syllabus and exam pattern guide.
No. Paper 1 is only Marathi and English: 50 Marathi questions for 100 marks plus 50 English questions for 100 marks, 100 questions and 200 marks in 60 minutes. We verified the real 2023 and 2025 papers, whose header reads "Marathi va English" with no GK block. Prep sites showing a 100 plus 60 plus 40 GK split are wrong; General Studies lives in Paper 2.
Prelims deducts 0.25 marks per wrong answer, and each Mains paper deducts 0.5 marks per wrong answer. Unanswered questions lose nothing. In effect, four wrong Prelims guesses cancel one correct answer, and two wrong Mains guesses do the same. This is unlike Talathi and Police Constable, which have no negative marking, so guessing discipline matters more here.
No. Prelims is a qualifying screen only; its marks are not counted in the final merit. The merit is built on the Mains 400 marks (Paper 1 plus Paper 2). For PSI, a Physical Test of 100 marks and an Interview of 40 marks are added after Mains, while STI and ASO merit rests on the Mains 400 marks alone.
Paper 2 is post-specific. PSI Paper 2 leads with a law and order block (IPC to BNS, CrPC to BNSS, Evidence Act to BSA, Maharashtra Police Act 1951, PHRA 1993, RTI 2005) plus General Studies. STI Paper 2 is taxation and economy dominant, led by the GST framework. ASO Paper 2 is polity-dominant General Studies with a reasoning tail, not secretariat office procedure.
The merit is decided on the Mains 400 marks, that is Paper 1 (200 marks) plus Paper 2 (200 marks). Prelims marks do not count. For PSI only, add a Physical Test of 100 marks and an Interview of 40 marks on top of the Mains 400. This cycle the Prelims were held on 14 June 2026, with the result expected around August 2026 and Mains expected later in 2026.
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No. Paper 1 is only Marathi and English: 50 Marathi questions for 100 marks plus 50 English questions for 100 marks, 100 questions and 200 marks in 60 minutes. We verified the real 2023 and 2025 papers, whose header reads Marathi va English with no GK block. Prep sites showing a 100 plus 60 plus 40 GK split are wrong; General Studies lives in Paper 2, not Paper 1.
Prelims deducts 0.25 marks per wrong answer, and each Mains paper deducts 0.5 marks per wrong answer. Unanswered questions lose nothing. In effect, four wrong Prelims guesses cancel one correct answer, and two wrong Mains guesses do the same. This is unlike Talathi and Police Constable, which have no negative marking, so guessing discipline matters far more here.
No. Prelims is a qualifying screen only; its marks are not counted in the final merit. The merit is built on the Mains 400 marks, that is Paper 1 plus Paper 2. For PSI, a Physical Test of 100 marks and an Interview of 40 marks are added after Mains, while STI and ASO merit rests on the Mains 400 marks alone.
Paper 2 is post-specific. PSI Paper 2 leads with a law and order block (IPC to BNS, CrPC to BNSS, Evidence Act to BSA, Maharashtra Police Act 1951, PHRA 1993, RTI 2005) plus General Studies. STI Paper 2 is taxation and economy dominant, led by the GST framework. ASO Paper 2 is polity-dominant General Studies with a reasoning tail, not secretariat office procedure.
The merit is decided on the Mains 400 marks, that is Paper 1 (200 marks) plus Paper 2 (200 marks). Prelims marks do not count. For PSI only, add a Physical Test of 100 marks and an Interview of 40 marks on top of the Mains 400. This cycle the Prelims were held on 14 June 2026, with the result expected around August 2026 and Mains later in 2026.
