Candidates preparing for the Odisha Civil Services (OCS) examination will now be able to appear for the recruitment test without a restriction on the number of attempts, following the Odisha Cabinet's approval of an amendment to the state's civil services recruitment rules on Monday. The decision removes the category-wise attempt limits, allowing candidates to take the examination as many times as they wish, provided they meet the prescribed age and other eligibility conditions.
The Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, approved amendments to the Odisha Civil Services (Combined Competitive Recruitment Examination) Rules, 1991, based on a proposal from the General Administration and Public Grievance Department.
Under the earlier provisions, general category candidates were permitted six attempts, while candidates belonging to the Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBC) could appear nine times. Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) candidates were already exempt from the attempt restrictions.
With the latest amendment, candidates across all categories will be eligible to appear for the examination without a fixed attempt ceiling. The applicable upper age limit and other recruitment conditions, however, remain unchanged.
Odisha Chief Secretary Anu Garg said the amendment was intended to provide wider and fairer opportunities to candidates and strengthen the merit-based selection process.
The decision fulfils an announcement made by CM Majhi during his Independence Day address on August 15, 2026. The Chief Minister had then announced that the six-attempt restriction would be removed, allowing eligible aspirants to continue appearing for the examination until they reached the maximum permissible age.
The state government had earlier increased the upper age limit for entry into government services from 32 to 42 years. The revised age limit was introduced to provide candidates with a longer window to compete for government positions.
The removal of the attempt ceiling is expected to benefit candidates who exhausted their permitted attempts under the previous rules but continue to satisfy the age and other eligibility requirements. It will also allow aspirants to reappear after improving their preparation without having to account for a fixed number of attempts.
The OCS examination is conducted by the Odisha Public Service Commission (OPSC) to recruit candidates for various state government services. The selection process generally comprises a preliminary examination, a main written examination and a personality test.
The Cabinet's approval concerns the amendment to the recruitment rules. Candidates will need to follow subsequent government notifications and OPSC examination advertisements for details on its formal implementation and applicable eligibility conditions.