Career

Best guide to the Loksewa (Civil Service) exam

If you are a young adult looking for a job, you might have considered working for the government. The government is a great field to work in if you want security and are willing to sacrifice some money for it. As beneficial and attractive a government job is, getting one isn’t that easy. Lok Sewa or PSC examinations are basically the entrance exams for any kind of government jobs and you will have to sit through it for one.

Loksewa exams can be quite competitive and for many, the subject matter isn’t that easy to cover. You will need acute knowledge of social studies, General knowledge as well as your preferred service field. Below, we have put together basic information about the exam to help you while you prepare for the exam. This guide is relevant to the Civil service-related examinations only.

Qualifications required

Qualifications vary according to the post you are applying to. You can sit examinations for Khardar, Nayab Subba, and third-class officers. You will need to pass SEE to wit the exam for Khardar, and plus two for Nayab Subba. For a third-class officer, you will need an undergraduate degree corresponding to the service field that you are going to choose. This means that if you want to sit the judicial exam then you will need a B.L. or an L.L.B. For accounts you will need a related degree or course in +2 (for Nayab Subba) and so on.

Service Sectors

There are a total of 5 service sectors in the civil service sector of the government. Consequently, these are the sectors you will need to choose from while giving the Loksewa exam. They are as follows:

Administrative: This deals with the overall administrative procedures of the country. Associated ministries may be the ministry of home affairs, ministry of communications, and so on. This sector is further divided into Administration, Revenue, and Accounts.
Foreign Affairs: This sector mostly deals with the ministry of foreign affairs and its associated bodies. Only personnel who have passed from this service sector can work in the Ministry of foreign affairs.
Judicial: This sector is related to the courts of Nepal and their associated bodies. These bodies may include the District Attorney’s office, the Ministry of Law, and so on.
Parliamentary: This sector is for people willing to work in the Legislature body of the government and its related offices.
Accounts and Auditing: This sector is for people specializing in accounts and who will work in the sectors of the government related to accounts.

Structure of Loksewa Exam

Loksewa civil service exam is essentially divided into two written phases and one practical/ interview phase. These phases will test your mental ability, your knowledge, your computer skills, and your social skills. You will have to perform well in each section to have a shot at getting in.

First Phase- Paper 1

This is the General Knowledge and General Mental Ability Test. It is graded out of 100 and is a multiple-choice question test. You will answer a total of 50 MCQs each worth 2 points. The time given is 45 minutes and you will need 40 marks to pass the exam. The paper is divided into Level 1 GK questions, level 2 GK questions, and GMAT questions. You will need to pass this section in order to move on to the second phase.

Second Phase- Paper 2 & 3

This phase will test your knowledge of general public affairs and your preferred specialization. There are two papers in this phase each of which is graded on full marks of 100 and pass marks of 40. You will be able to proceed into the practical/ interview portion only if you are selected from this phase.

Paper 2

This is the Contemporary Studies & Public Service Management Loksewa paper. It will deal with general affairs of the country, social issues, subjects of public concern, and so on. It is not dependent on your specialization and is required regardless of what service sector you choose. There will be a mix of 14 short questions (5 marks each) and 3 long questions (10 marks each). You will be given 2 hours and 30 minutes to sit through this paper.

Paper 3

This is the service-group related Loksewa paper. There are five sections of government that you can choose from Judicial, foreign affairs, parliamentary, administrative, and accounts. You will be asked subjective questions relevant to these sectors in this paper. It is graded on a total of 100 and pass marks is 40. However, since there is competition, you will need to score much more than the pass marks to be selected.

Registering for Loksewa

If you are thinking of giving a Loksewa exam, you can find the online form at the PSC website here. Decide on a date first, Loksewa exams are usually held near the end of the Nepali calendar. You will need to create an account and navigate through the web page. Sign up after creating the account and fill relevant forms. Your qualifications as well as relevant training will be asked by the form. After registering, you should start preparing right away so that you can beat the competition.

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