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UPSC & State PSC

MPSC preparation

Maharashtra's state civil services — Deputy Collector, DySP, Tahsildar and more.

24 free guides·Conducted by Maharashtra Public Service CommissionOfficial website

About the MPSC exam

Rajyaseva is the Maharashtra Public Service Commission's State Services Examination, the route to posts such as Deputy Collector, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Tahsildar and Block Development Officer. It is for graduates who want to serve in Maharashtra, and it expects you to know the state closely: its history from the Satavahanas to the Samyukta Maharashtra movement, and its geography, economy and administration.

The exam moved to a descriptive, UPSC-style Mains from 2025. An objective Prelims screens candidates. In Mains, Marathi and English (300 marks each) are qualifying, while the Essay and four General Studies papers of 250 marks each build your merit, along with two optional papers in the 2025–26 cycles. In June 2026 MPSC announced that the optional goes from the 2027 cycle and that Prelims moves towards computer-based testing. Reports of the new interview marks differ, so read the official notification before you plan.

Begin with “Start here”: the pattern, the syllabus, the State Board textbooks, a 12-month plan, and the guides to Prelims and the descriptive Mains. Then work subject by subject. Every subject page pairs the national topic with its Maharashtra layer, which is where much of the Rajyaseva syllabus sits. Write answers from the first month, in the medium you will use in the exam.

MPSC exam pattern at a glance
StagesPrelims → descriptive Mains → Interview
Mains language papersMarathi 300 + English 300, qualifying
Mains merit papersEssay + GS I–IV, 250 marks each
Optional2 papers × 250 in 2025–26; removed from 2027 (announced June 2026)
Interview marksReported differently for 2027; check the latest notification

Patterns change. Confirm details in the latest notification on the official website.

Start here

New to MPSC? Read these first, in this order.

  1. 1The MPSC Rajyaseva exam, stage by stage (and the 2027 changes)MPSC Rajyaseva has changed more in the last few years than in the previous two decades — from objective to descriptive Mains, and now towards a Mains without optional subjects. What each stage involves today and what is changing next.
  2. 2Reading the MPSC syllabus: what is Maharashtra-specificThe MPSC syllabus looks a lot like UPSC's until you read it closely. The phrases "with special reference to Maharashtra" and the state-specific topics are where your preparation must go deeper. A practical way to map the syllabus.
  3. 3Maharashtra State Board textbooks: the MPSC foundationFor UPSC, the foundation is NCERT. For MPSC, it is NCERT plus the Maharashtra State Board textbooks — the most accessible source for the state's history, geography and civics. Which books matter and how to read them.
  4. 4A 12-month plan for MPSC RajyasevaTwelve months is enough to prepare seriously for MPSC Rajyaseva — if the months are used in the right order. A phase-by-phase plan that builds the foundation, the Maharashtra layer, answer writing and revision, with room for real life.
  5. 5MPSC Prelims: strategy for the GS paperThe MPSC Prelims GS paper rewards two things above all — Maharashtra-specific accuracy and disciplined guessing. How to read, revise and attempt the paper, and how to use mock tests without letting them use you.
  6. 6MPSC's descriptive Mains: adapting to written answersFor years, MPSC aspirants trained for objective Mains papers. The descriptive Mains asks for a different skill entirely — explaining, arguing and concluding in limited time. How to make the switch, what good answers look like, and a practice routine that works.
  7. 7Writing MPSC in Marathi or EnglishMPSC lets you write the Mains in Marathi or English, and aspirants agonise over the choice. There is no "better" medium — only the one in which you can think fastest and write most precisely. How to decide, and how to make either choice work.
  8. 8Maharashtra current affairs: sources and methodMPSC tests current affairs of India and of Maharashtra, and it is the second — the state's schemes, budgets, projects and institutions — that aspirants most often neglect. Where to find it, what to note, and how to connect it to the syllabus.

Subject by subject

Strategy

The pattern and the 2027 changes, the syllabus, State Board textbooks, a 12-month plan, Prelims and descriptive Mains strategy, choosing a medium and preparing alongside UPSC. Read these first so every later subject guide fits into a plan.

All 10 Strategy guides

Maharashtra History

From the Satavahanas, Vakatakas and Deccan dynasties through Shivaji Maharaj, the Peshwas and the social reformers to the Samyukta Maharashtra movement. Prelims tests names, places and events; the descriptive Mains asks you to explain movements and their legacy.

All 14 Maharashtra History guides

Latest MPSC guides

MPSCMaharashtra HistoryRanade, Agarkar, Karve and the reform movementNineteenth-century Maharashtra produced an extraordinary generation of reformers — judges, journalists, teachers and women writers who argued about caste, widowhood, education and reason. The key figures, their organisations and their ideas, with a table you can revise from. 5 min read·28 Sept 2026MPSCMaharashtra HistoryDr Ambedkar's movements: Mahad to KalaramBefore he chaired the Drafting Committee of the Constitution, Dr B. R. Ambedkar led movements in Maharashtra that asserted the right of the untouched castes to water, to temples and to dignity. Mahad, Kalaram, Yeola and Nagpur — what happened and why it mattered. 5 min read·27 Sept 2026MPSCMaharashtra HistoryRajarshi Shahu Maharaj's reformsIn 1902, the ruler of a princely state reserved half the posts in his administration for the backward classes — decades before the Constitution. Rajarshi Shahu Maharaj of Kolhapur and the reforms that made him a pioneer of social justice. 4 min read·26 Sept 2026MPSCMaharashtra HistorySavitribai Phule and the education of girlsShe walked to school every day carrying a spare sari because people threw mud and stones at her. Savitribai Phule — teacher, poet, reformer and relief worker — and the story behind India's first schools for girls run by Indians. 4 min read·25 Sept 2026MPSCMaharashtra HistoryMahatma Jyotirao Phule and the Satyashodhak SamajA gardener's son from Pune who opened a school for girls in 1848, challenged caste in print and founded a movement for the "seekers of truth". Jyotirao Phule's life, writings and ideas — and why he remains at the centre of Maharashtra's social history. 5 min read·25 Sept 2026MPSCMaharashtra History1857 in MaharashtraThe great revolt of 1857 is usually told as a north Indian story, but several of its leaders had Maharashtra roots, and the region saw its own risings, conspiracies and tribal uprisings — before, during and after 1857. What happened, and why the revolt did not spread more widely here. 5 min read·25 Sept 2026