MPSC Group C 2026 (Including Talathi): Exam Date, Pattern, Syllabus and 60-Day Plan

The MPSC Group C Services Combined Preliminary Examination 2026 (Advertisement No. 017/2026) is now one of the biggest state exams in Maharashtra. A corrigendum added the Talathi post, now called Gram Mahsul Adhikari (ग्राम महसूल अधिकारी), to the same exam. News reports put the total at 5,707 posts. The Prelims, first set for 25 October 2026, has been moved to 3 January 2027. This guide covers the pattern, the syllabus section by section, a 60-day plan for the time left, and where MPSC's planned move to computer-based tests stands.

MPSC Group C 2026 at a glance

Note: the post count, the Talathi number and the new date come from news reports of the MPSC corrigendum. Some early reports mentioned a computer-based test. Always confirm the final details in the corrigendum and your admit card on mpsc.gov.in.

Which posts are in Group C 2026?

As reported from the advertisement and its corrigendum, the combined exam fills these posts:

• Clerk-Typist (लिपिक-टंकलेखक) in Marathi and English, the largest group of posts
• Tax Assistant (कर सहायक)
• Assistant Motor Vehicle Inspector (AMVI)
• Industry Inspector (उद्योग निरीक्षक)
• Technical Assistant
• Gram Mahsul Adhikari (Talathi) in the Revenue Department, added by the corrigendum

Post-wise numbers differ between news sites, so read the corrigendum PDF on mpsc.gov.in for the exact count in your category and department. For most posts the base qualification is a degree in any subject, plus knowledge of Marathi. AMVI and Industry Inspector need specific engineering or science qualifications. News reports give the open-category age limit as 18 or 19 (depending on the post) to 38 years, and up to 43 years for reserved categories. Check your own case in the notice.

What happened to the Talathi exam?

The last Talathi recruitment in 2023 had 4,644 posts. The Revenue Department ran it through TCS, and it drew more than 10 lakh applications. That exam had its own pattern: 100 questions for 200 marks in 2 hours, with Marathi, English, GK and reasoning-arithmetic at 25 questions each.

That pattern no longer applies. From 2026 the Talathi post, renamed Gram Mahsul Adhikari, is filled through the MPSC Group C combined exam. If you are a Talathi aspirant, your exam is the Group C Prelims on 3 January 2027, followed by the Group C Mains. Old TCS Talathi papers are still useful for Marathi and GK practice. They do not show you the MPSC paper style, though. Use MPSC's own past Group C papers for that.

MPSC Group C Prelims exam pattern

The hard part is the speed: 100 questions in 60 minutes is 36 seconds a question. With a quarter mark lost per wrong answer, guessing blindly costs you. If you can rule out two of the four options, a guess is usually worth it. If you cannot rule out any, leave the question.

Mains pattern (for planning)

The Mains is also objective. Its exact paper-wise scheme for each post is in the advertisement. Do not wait for Prelims results to start Marathi grammar, because it helps in both stages.

MPSC Group C Prelims syllabus, section by section

MPSC lists the Prelims syllabus as broad headings. Here is what each heading means in practice, based on the official topic list and past Group C papers.

1. Current affairs (चालू घडामोडी)

• Maharashtra, national and international events of roughly the last 12 months
• State government schemes, appointments, awards, sports, reports and indices
• Budget highlights (Union and Maharashtra), big court judgements, new laws

Tip: keep one notebook. Each week write 15 to 20 one-line facts. Revise the whole notebook every Sunday.

2. History (इतिहास), with a Maharashtra focus

• Modern Indian history: arrival of Europeans, 1857, the national movement, Gandhian phase
• Social reformers of Maharashtra: Mahatma Phule, Savitribai Phule, Shahu Maharaj, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, Gopal Ganesh Agarkar, Maharshi Karve, Lokmanya Tilak, Gopal Krishna Gokhale
• Samyukta Maharashtra movement and the formation of the state in 1960
• Newspapers, organisations and their founders (a frequent question type)

3. Geography (भूगोल): Maharashtra and India

• Maharashtra's physical divisions, rivers and dams, soils, climate, forests
• Districts and administrative divisions, hill stations, wildlife sanctuaries
• Crops, minerals, industries, transport and power projects
• Indian geography basics: mountains, river systems, monsoon, census facts

4. Polity (राज्यशास्त्र)

• Indian Constitution: Preamble, Fundamental Rights and Duties, DPSP, Parliament, President, Governor, judiciary
• Panchayati Raj: 73rd and 74th amendments, Gram Panchayat, Panchayat Samiti, Zilla Parishad, municipal bodies
• District administration: Collector, Tahsildar and the Talathi's role in land revenue records (useful for Gram Mahsul Adhikari aspirants)

5. Economy (अर्थशास्त्र)

• Indian economy basics: GDP, inflation, RBI and monetary policy, banking
• Government finance: budget, taxes, GST, deficits, audit (CAG)
• Poverty, employment and the main welfare schemes

6. General science (सामान्य विज्ञान)

• Physics: units, motion, light, sound, electricity, simple machines
• Chemistry: elements, acids and bases, metals, everyday chemicals
• Biology: human body systems, diseases and vitamins, nutrition, plants
• Health and hygiene, which MPSC lists separately

Most science questions are at the Class 8 to 10 level. The Maharashtra state board (Balbharati) science books cover nearly all of it.

7. Arithmetic and reasoning (अंकगणित व बुद्धिमत्ता)

• Arithmetic: percentage, ratio and proportion, average, profit and loss, simple and compound interest, time and work, time, speed and distance, number system
• Reasoning: number and letter series, coding-decoding, blood relations, analogy, directions, order and ranking, classification (odd one out)

This is the scoring section, because the answers are certain once you know the method. Practise it daily with timed topic tests: Number system, Profit, loss and discount, Simple and compound interest, Time and work, Time, speed and distance, Series, Analogy and Direction.

A 60-day plan for the 3 January 2027 Prelims

From early November there are about 60 days left. The plan assumes 4 to 5 hours a day. If you work or are in college, keep the same order and stretch each phase a little.

Days 1 to 20: cover the syllabus once

• Daily: 1 hour of arithmetic or reasoning (one topic a day, then a 20-question topic test), 45 minutes of current affairs.
• Days 1 to 7: Maharashtra history and social reformers, then modern India.
• Days 8 to 13: Maharashtra geography first, then Indian geography basics.
• Days 14 to 20: Polity and Panchayati Raj, then economy basics.
• Make short notes as you go. Notes you write yourself are easier to revise later.

Days 21 to 40: science, past papers and gaps

• Days 21 to 27: General science from state board books, with health and hygiene.
• Days 28 to 40: Solve MPSC's past Group C Prelims papers (on mpsc.gov.in) topic-wise. Mark every question you got wrong and find the chapter it came from.
• Keep the daily arithmetic and reasoning test going. By day 40 every topic in Section 7 should have been tested at least twice.

Days 41 to 60: full tests and revision

• Take a full 100-question, 60-minute test every second day, in the same time slot as the real exam, on paper with an OMR-style answer sheet.
• On the other days, revise your notes and the current-affairs notebook.
• Last 5 days: no new topics. Revise reformers, Panchayati Raj, rivers and dams, and the last 6 months of current affairs.

How to attempt the paper in 60 minutes

1. First pass (35 minutes): answer every question you are sure of. Skip anything that needs long working.
2. Second pass (15 minutes): do the arithmetic you skipped and the questions where you can rule out two options.
3. Last 10 minutes: check that every answer is filled in the right row of the OMR sheet. Bubbling mistakes cost more marks than students think.

A realistic aim is about 75 to 85 attempts with high accuracy rather than 100 attempts with many guesses. Cut-offs change every year and by category, so use MPSC's published cut-offs for the last Group C exam as a guide rather than any number on social media.

Computer-based tests: what was announced and what is on hold

On 26 June 2026 MPSC said it would hold its preliminary exams as computer-based tests (CBT), with normalisation of scores across sessions, as reported by Careers360. One news report (Pune Pulse) also said that from 2027 the Group A and B, Group B and Group C Prelims could be held up to three times a year, with the Mains still once a year. We have not found this three-sittings plan in a second source or in an MPSC notice, so treat it as reported only.

After student protests, the Chief Minister on 16 July 2026 asked MPSC to defer computer-based exams until August 2027, to bring them in phases from then, and to keep conducting exams in the existing pattern until then (PTI report, carried by ThePrint and Careers360).

What this means for you:

• The 3 January 2027 sitting is offline, on OMR sheets, as reported. Prepare for it on paper.
• CBT is not expected before August 2027, and MPSC has not published detailed CBT rules. Whether Prelims will really be held up to three times a year is not confirmed.
• For any later CBT sitting, practise on screen too. Reading questions on a monitor and using the "mark for review" button feels different from paper. Online topic tests like those on Doubtly help you get used to it.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Skipping Maharashtra-specific topics. Reformers, Samyukta Maharashtra, state geography and Panchayati Raj appear in every Group C paper.
• Reading current affairs without revising it. One notebook revised every week works better than five apps.
• Guessing every unknown question. At −1/4 per wrong answer, random guesses lower your score.
• Using the old Talathi (TCS) pattern. The 2026 Talathi selection uses the MPSC pattern, not the 200-mark TCS paper.
• Not practising under time. Knowing the answer is not enough if it takes you two minutes.
• Trusting dates from forwarded messages. Check every update on mpsc.gov.in.

Frequently asked questions

When is the MPSC Group C Prelims 2026 exam?

As per news reports of the MPSC corrigendum, the Prelims for Advertisement 017/2026 will be held on 3 January 2027. It was earlier scheduled for 25 October 2026. Confirm the date and your centre on your admit card from mpsc.gov.in.

Is the Talathi exam part of MPSC Group C now?

Yes. From 2026 the Talathi post, renamed Gram Mahsul Adhikari, is filled through the MPSC Group C combined exam. Talathi aspirants sit the Group C Prelims and then the Group C Mains.

How many posts are there in MPSC Group C 2026?

The original advertisement had 2,619 posts. News reports say a corrigendum raised this to 5,707, with about 1,539 Gram Mahsul Adhikari posts. Read the corrigendum on mpsc.gov.in for post-wise numbers.

Is there negative marking in MPSC Group C Prelims?

Yes. One quarter of a mark is cut for each wrong answer. Unattempted questions get zero.

Can I write the MPSC Group C exam in English?

Yes. The Prelims question paper is in both Marathi and English. The Mains includes separate Marathi and English language sections.

Will the MPSC Group C exam become computer-based?

MPSC announced in June 2026 that its Prelims would move to computer-based tests. After protests, the state government asked it in July 2026 to defer this until August 2027 and to bring it in phases (as per PTI reports). The 3 January 2027 sitting is on OMR sheets, as reported. Detailed CBT rules are awaited.

Where can I find MPSC Group C previous year papers?

MPSC publishes question papers and answer keys on mpsc.gov.in. Solve them topic-wise first, then as full timed tests.

Sources

• Maharashtra Public Service Commission, official website (advertisements, corrigenda, past papers): https://mpsc.gov.in
• Adda247, report on the Group C Prelims postponement to 3 January 2027: adda247.com
• Free Press Journal, MPSC Group C 2026 notification for 2,619 posts: freepressjournal.in
• Physics Wallah, MPSC Group C 2026 revised vacancies and posts: pw.live
• Careers360 (PTI), 10 lakh+ applications for 4,644 Talathi posts in 2023: careers360.com
• Pune Pulse, MPSC reforms reported on 26 June 2026 (CBT, up to three Prelims a year; single source): mypunepulse.com
• Careers360, MPSC to conduct preliminary exams in CBT mode (26 June 2026): careers360.com
• ThePrint (PTI), CM asks MPSC to defer computer-based exams till August 2027 (16 July 2026): theprint.in