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RPSC RAS guidance: how the paper is cracked, from your own numbers

Rajasthan Administrative Services Combined Competitive Examination. Conducted by Rajasthan Public Service Commission (RPSC). Vikram knows this paper from the site's own pattern pages — and reads your scores, your mocks and what you haven't touched before saying a word.

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On the table

Carries the marks · Indian EconomyHow to Write GS3 Mains AnswersMarks ~11 Open the chapter

The paper · RPSC RAS200 marksWrong answers cost marks

Vikram“Before we plan anything: when do you sit RPSC RAS, and how many hours a day do you really have?”

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Ends in a plan

Stages

First paper

200 marks

Marking

Wrong answers cost marks

Your guide

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How it's decided

RPSC RAS, stage by stage

Annual in intent, though cycles overlap: the 2024 recruitment ran its Prelims in February 2025 and Mains in mid-2025 (rescheduled amid protests, as reported) with results in October 2025 and interviews into January 2026, while a new 2026 recruitment was reported notified in May 2026 for about 600 posts, with Prelims scheduled for 29 November 2026 on published schedules. Confirm the live calendar on the Commission's site.. Prelims: OMR-based objective, 150 questions, 200 marks, 3 hours. Mains: pen-and-paper descriptive, four papers of 3 hours each, in Hindi or English (Paper IV in both languages). Interview: in-person personality and viva test..

Prelims — one General Studies paper (150 questions, 200 marks)Screening gate only

A single objective paper on the revised Prelims syllabus, covering Rajasthan and Indian history, geography, polity, economy, science, reasoning, numerical ability and current events. Marks screen candidates into Mains and do not count toward the final merit list.

Mains — 4 written papers, 800 marksThe real scoring stage

General Studies I, II and III (200 each) plus Paper IV: General Hindi, General English and an essay (200). All four count toward merit.

Personality Test (Interview)Final 100 marks

A board interview on administrative aptitude, knowledge of Rajasthan and general personality. Final merit is Mains 800 plus Interview 100, or 900 marks.

The papers

3 papers, and how each is marked

Prelims — General Studies (single paper)

200 marks3 hoursNegative marking

Screening — marks do not count toward the final merit list

Marking: −1/3 of the marks for each wrong answer.

History & CultureGeographyPolity & GovernanceEconomyEnvironment & EcologyScience & TechnologyLogical Reasoning & Mental AbilityBasic Numerical Ability

150 objective questions, 200 marks. The syllabus lists twelve sections, from Rajasthan history, art and culture to Indian history, geography, polity, economy, science, reasoning, numerical ability and current events, with Rajasthan-specific sections for history, geography, polity, administration and economy.

Mains — General Studies I, II and III

600 marks3 hours per paper

Merit — 600 of your 800 Mains marks

GS Paper I — History, Economics, Sociology, Management, Accounting200 marks · 180 minGS Paper II — Ethics, Science & Technology, Earth Science200 marks · 180 minGS Paper III — Polity, Public Administration, Behaviour & Law200 marks · 180 min

Each paper has three units. Paper I: History (Rajasthan, India, world), Economics (India, world, Rajasthan) and Sociology, Management, Accounting and Auditing. Paper II: Administrative Ethics, General Science and Technology, and Earth Science.

Mains — Paper IV: General Hindi, General English & Essay

200 marks3 hours

Language paper — 200 marks, all counting toward merit

General Hindi (not modelled here)90 marks · 80 minGeneral English (not modelled here)70 marks · 60 minEssay (not modelled here)40 marks · 40 min

General Hindi (90 marks), General English (70) and an essay (40, about 600 words on six themes) in the revised pattern. These are language-skill papers, outside this hub's chapter format. They still carry a quarter of the Mains marks, so practise them separately from the General Studies chapters.

Where the marks come from

Where your RAS score comes from

Prelims (150 objective questions, 200 marks) screens candidates into Mains and its marks do not count toward the final merit list. Mains is the scoring stage: four papers of 200 marks each and three hours each, all counting. Paper I covers History (Rajasthan, India and the world), Economics (India, the world and Rajasthan) and Sociology, Management, and Accounting and Auditing.

General Studies I-III600 marks · 66.7%

Two-thirds of the total, and the papers where the 13 state chapters of this hub carry the most weight: each paper has a Rajasthan strand and several subjects, such as management, accounting and law, that UPSC does not test.

Paper IV — Hindi, English & Essay200 marks · 22.2%

Language-skill papers outside this hub's chapter format. They count fully toward merit, so give them dedicated practice throughout preparation.

Interview100 marks · 11.1%

A board assessing administrative aptitude and knowledge of Rajasthan, which draws directly on the state chapters here.

What changed this cycle

Things last year's advice gets wrong

RPSC revised the RAS syllabus and pattern in January 2026, the first major overhaul since 2013, with around a quarter of the syllabus changing. Units are now defined (Unit I, II, III) in each paper, Sports and Yoga was dropped as a syllabus section, the Rajasthan Examination Act, 2022 was added, and law and management-related content was widened.
Mains questions are now reported to be 5-mark (about 50 words) and 10-mark (about 150 words), with 2-mark questions removed. Paper IV was restructured as General Hindi (90 marks), General English (70) and an essay (40) on six themes.
Paper III's law strand now names the new criminal codes (BNS and BNSS, in force from 1 July 2024), the Rajasthan Tenancy Act 1955 and Land Revenue Act 1956, and central statutes such as RTI, the IT Act and the protective Acts for women, children and seniors.
Rajasthan's district map has changed twice in two years: 33 districts became 50 in 2023, and about 41 districts and seven divisions after nine new districts and three new divisions were dissolved in December 2024. Always quote the number with its year.

The chapters that carry the marks

Where a plan for RPSC RAS usually starts

The highest-weight chapters in each subject, linked to their notes. Weights are estimates from previous papers where the conducting body publishes none. Your guide weighs these against your own scores.

Indian EconomyAll chapters

Paper I Unit II Parts A-B (~40 of 200 marks)

Science & TechnologyAll chapters

Paper II Unit II (~50 of 200 marks)

Science, Technology & Indigenous InnovationMarks ~50

Environment & EcologyAll chapters

Paper II Unit III (part of ~65 marks)

Environment, Conservation & Climate PolicyMarks ~10

Optional — Public AdministrationAll chapters

Paper III Unit II (~30 of 200 marks)

History & CultureAll chapters