OPSC APP Exam Date and Pattern 2026: Full Details

The OPSC APP exam date and pattern 2026 centre on one Preliminary Examination: a single objective paper of 100 marks for 2 hours, at LLB standard, with 0.25 marks deducted for every wrong answer. The Odisha Public Service Commission (OPSC) is conducting this Preliminary Examination for 172 posts of Assistant Public Prosecutor under Advertisement No. 09 of 2026-27. The Preliminary Examination was originally notified for 1 November 2026, and several coaching portals and job-alert sites are now reporting a revised date of Sunday, 22 November 2026, to avoid a clash with the OCS Main (Written) Examination 2025. Lexfolio could not independently confirm this revised date from a directly fetched OPSC notification or corrigendum, so treat 22 November 2026 as a reported date, not an official one, and check opsc.gov.in before finalising your plans.

OPSC APP exam date 2026: what is confirmed and what is not

OPSC opened applications for this recruitment from 28 August to 28 September 2026, and that window has already closed. The Preliminary Examination was first notified for 1 November 2026. Secondary reporting, including coaching portals and government-jobs aggregators, now says OPSC has pushed this to 22 November 2026 because the original date clashed with the OCS Main (Written) Examination 2025. Two or more independent secondary sources carry this revised date, but this page has not been able to fetch the OPSC corrigendum directly, so it is reported here as unconfirmed. Keep checking the “What’s New” section of opsc.gov.in and your registered email or SMS for the final word before you plan your last weeks of study around either date.

Whichever date holds, the exam pattern itself is OPSC’s own stated design: one objective paper, 100 marks, 2 hours, pitched at LLB standard.

OPSC APP exam pattern 2026: marking and what the prelims paper tests

The Preliminary Examination is objective (MCQ), carries 100 marks and runs for 2 hours. Every wrong answer costs you 0.25 marks, so guessing at random on questions you cannot narrow down at all works against you over a full paper. OPSC has confirmed three subject areas for this paper: Criminal Procedure (the CrPC 1973 and the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, BNSS 2023), Criminal Law (the IPC 1860 and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, BNS 2023), and the Law of Evidence (the Evidence Act 1872 and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, BSA 2023). OPSC has not published a question count or a subject-wise weightage for this paper, so any site quoting an exact number of questions per subject is estimating, not quoting OPSC. Read our OPSC APP syllabus and subjects to study guide for how these three subjects map onto the actual bare Acts.

Why the prelims is only the first hurdle

Clearing the Preliminary Examination does not carry any marks forward. It only screens candidates for the Main Written Examination, which is 600 marks across four descriptive papers, followed by a 50-mark Personality Test. Final merit is decided out of a combined 650 marks from the Main Examination and the Personality Test. Read the complete flow in our OPSC APP selection process and interview explained guide.

Common mistakes candidates make

• Treating the 22 November 2026 date as officially confirmed instead of checking opsc.gov.in directly before the exam.
• Assuming prelims marks count toward the final merit. They do not; prelims is screening only.
• Ignoring the 0.25 negative marking while guessing on unfamiliar questions. See our OPSC APP negative marking explained guide.
• Preparing from an invented “detailed syllabus” instead of the three subjects OPSC has actually named.

Frequently asked questions

What is the OPSC APP exam date and pattern for 2026?

The OPSC Assistant Public Prosecutor Preliminary Examination is a single objective paper of 100 marks for 2 hours, with 0.25 marks deducted per wrong answer. Secondary sources report the date as revised to 22 November 2026, but this is not officially confirmed; check opsc.gov.in for the final date.

Is the 22 November 2026 OPSC APP prelims date confirmed?

No. It is reported by coaching portals and job-alert sites as a revision from the originally notified 1 November 2026 date, to avoid clashing with the OCS Main (Written) Examination 2025. This page could not independently verify it from an OPSC notification, so treat it as provisional.

How many questions are in the OPSC APP prelims paper?

OPSC has not published the exact number of questions or a subject-wise split. The paper is 100 marks for 2 hours at LLB standard.

Does the OPSC APP prelims score count toward the final result?

No. The Preliminary Examination is used only to screen candidates for the Main Examination; its marks are not added to the final merit, which is based on the Main Examination and Personality Test out of 650.

This page is for education and general information, not legal advice for a specific case. Law as on 2 November 2026.

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