If you're a GNM or B.Sc Nursing graduate in Bihar looking at a stable government-linked health job, Bihar CHO is probably already on your radar. It's one of the few posts where a nursing background gets you a proper salary, government-style perks, and a real shot at serving your own state's health system.
This post walks you through everything about the Bihar CHO post: the last recruitment cycle's numbers, what the job actually involves, eligibility, exam pattern, syllabus, salary and how to prepare if a fresh notification comes out. We'll also flag clearly wherever a 2026 notification hasn't landed yet, so you're not chasing a rumour.
Quick Answer
Is a new Bihar CHO notification out in 2026? Not yet, as of early August 2026. The last cycle (Advertisement No. 02/2025) filled 4,500 Community Health Officer posts under the National Health Mission (NHM), Bihar. The CBT was held on 10 July 2025 and the final merit list came out on 18 September 2025. There's no confirmed date for the next Bihar CHO notification, so treat all figures below as reference from the last cycle until State Health Society, Bihar (SHSB) announces fresh vacancies.
Latest Notification and Important Dates
The table below shows the 2025 cycle dates. Use it as your reference point for what a future cycle is likely to look like.
| Event | Date (2025 cycle) |
|---|---|
| Advertisement number | 02/2025 |
| Online registration starts | 5 May 2025 |
| Online registration closes | 26 May 2025 |
| Computer-Based Test (CBT) | 10 July 2025 |
| Result declared | 9 August 2025 |
| Final merit list | 18 September 2025 |
| Next cycle dates | Not announced (tentative, watch SHSB site) |
Bihar tends to run CHO recruitment roughly once a year when vacancies pile up, so a fresh round in late 2026 or early 2027 isn't out of the question, but there's no official word yet. Keep checking Pareeksha's exam news page so you don't miss the notification when it drops.
What the Job Actually Is
A Community Health Officer runs a Health and Wellness Centre (HWC) at the sub-centre level, acting as the first point of contact for villagers needing basic healthcare. You're not a doctor, but you're the person people in a panchayat see first when they're sick, pregnant, or need a check-up.
Day to day, you'll handle OPD consultations for common illnesses, run screening camps for diabetes, hypertension and cancer, manage maternal and child health services, give vaccinations, counsel families on family planning, and keep health records updated through the e-Sanjeevani and other NHM digital systems. You'll also connect patients to the nearest Primary Health Centre when a case needs a doctor. It's fieldwork-heavy, and postings are usually in rural or semi-rural Bihar, so be ready to travel and stay close to your assigned centre.
The post is contractual, typically for 18 months at a stretch, renewed based on performance, not a permanent government job in the classic sense. That's worth knowing before you sign the surety bond.
Vacancy Details
The 2025 cycle had 4,500 total posts, broken down by category as follows.
| Category | Vacancies |
|---|---|
| Unreserved (UR) | 979 |
| EWS | 245 |
| SC | 1,243 |
| ST | 55 |
| EBC | 1,170 |
| BC | 640 |
| WBC | 168 |
| Total | 4,500 |
That's a big number, one of the largest health-sector recruitment drives in Bihar in recent years. SC and EBC candidates got the largest share of seats, so competition within those categories was still tough given how many aspirants applied.
Eligibility
Age Limit
You need to be between 21 and 37 years old as on 1 April of the recruitment year, with relaxation for reserved categories.
| Category | Maximum Age |
|---|---|
| UR/EWS (Male) | 37 years |
| UR/EWS (Female) | 40 years |
| BC/EBC | 40 years |
| SC/ST | 42 years |
| Persons with Disability | 47 years |
| SHSB departmental candidates | 42 years |
Education Qualification
You need a B.Sc Nursing degree along with a 6-month integrated Certificate in Community Health (CCH), or a Post Basic B.Sc Nursing with the same certification. GNM diploma holders who've completed the CCH course also qualify. This CCH requirement trips up a lot of aspirants who assume plain GNM or B.Sc Nursing is enough, it isn't, you need the community health certification on top.
Domicile
Preference and reservation benefits under SC/ST/EBC/BC categories apply only to candidates domiciled in Bihar. Non-domicile candidates can apply under the general category but pay a higher fee.
Application Process and Fee
Applications go through the SHSB portal (shs.bihar.gov.in) only, there's no offline route. You register with basic details, upload scanned documents (photo, signature, nursing certificates, CCH certificate, category proof), pay the fee online, and submit.
| Category | Application Fee |
|---|---|
| UR/BC/EBC/EWS and non-Bihar domicile | Rs 500 |
| SC/ST (Bihar domicile), all female candidates, PwD | Rs 125 |
Steps to apply once a notification is live:
- Go to the official SHSB recruitment portal and find the CHO advertisement link.
- Register with your mobile number and email, then log in.
- Fill in personal, educational and category details carefully, this can't be edited easily later.
- Upload documents in the specified size and format.
- Pay the fee through net banking, debit card or UPI.
- Download and save the confirmation page for your records.
Don't wait for the last day to apply. The SHSB server tends to slow down badly in the final 48 hours of any recruitment window.
Exam Pattern
Selection happens through a Computer-Based Test (CBT) followed by document verification.
| Section | Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| General Knowledge | 20 | 20 |
| Reasoning / Knowledge Application | 20 | 20 |
| Numerical Ability | 20 | 20 |
| Technical Subject (Nursing/Community Health) | 20 | 40 (2 marks each) |
| Total | 80 | 100 |
The test runs for 2 hours. There's no negative marking, so attempt every question. Minimum qualifying marks are 30% across categories, though actual selection happens by merit rank, not just clearing the cutoff.
After the CBT, candidates are shortlisted for document verification at roughly 1:2.5 ratio against total vacancies, and the final merit list is prepared after verification.
Detailed Syllabus
General Knowledge: Current affairs of national and Bihar-specific importance, static GK (history, geography, polity, Bihar government schemes), sports, awards, and recent appointments. Keep an eye on Pareeksha's current affairs section for a running update.
Reasoning: Analogy, classification, series completion, coding-decoding, blood relations, direction sense, syllogism, and puzzle-based questions. This section rewards practice more than raw talent, so drill it daily using Pareeksha's reasoning guide.
Numerical Ability: Percentage, ratio and proportion, simple and compound interest, average, time and work, profit and loss, data interpretation, and basic algebra. Nursing students often go rusty on maths after their diploma years, so budget extra time here using the quantitative aptitude guide.
Technical Subject (the real scoring section): This carries double marks per question, so don't skip it.
- Child health: growth monitoring, common childhood illnesses, immunization schedule, malnutrition management
- Adolescent health: reproductive health education, anaemia, menstrual hygiene, substance abuse awareness
- Maternal health: antenatal and postnatal care, safe delivery practices, danger signs in pregnancy, breastfeeding counselling
- Communicable diseases: TB, malaria, dengue, leprosy, prevention and reporting protocols
- Non-communicable diseases: diabetes, hypertension, cancer screening under NHM guidelines
- Family planning: contraceptive methods, government schemes (like PMSMA, JSY), counselling techniques
- National health programmes and NHM structure, HWC functioning, e-Sanjeevani basics
If your nursing college covered Community Health Nursing properly, this section should feel familiar. If not, spend real time on your CCH course material, it's directly tested.
Salary, Pay Scale and Career Growth
A Bihar CHO earns Rs 40,000 per month total, split as Rs 32,000 fixed pay and Rs 8,000 performance-linked incentive. The incentive depends on hitting targets around institutional deliveries, immunization coverage, and screening numbers at your HWC, so it's not automatic.
There's no formal pay-scale ladder like a permanent government post, since this is a contractual role renewed every 18 months. But performing CHOs get preference in renewal, and the field experience counts heavily if you later apply for staff nurse posts, ANM supervisory roles, or other NHM positions that do carry permanent pay scales. Some CHOs also use this posting as a stepping stone while preparing for Bihar Staff Nurse or BPSC-linked health department exams.
Do note the surety bond of Rs 2,40,000 that selected candidates sign, this is standard for the post and protects the department if you leave before completing your contract term. Read the bond conditions carefully before joining.
Previous Year Cut-off
Official category-wise cutoff marks for the 2025 cycle were not released publicly by SHSB. Based on aggregator estimates from candidates who cleared the exam, rough cutoff ranges looked like this.
| Category | Approximate Cutoff (out of 100) |
|---|---|
| General/UR | 70-80 |
| BC/EBC | 65-75 |
| SC/ST | 60-70 |
| PwD | 55-65 |
These are estimates, not official figures, so treat them as a rough benchmark rather than a hard target. Given how large the vacancy pool was, scoring above 70 gave you a comfortable safety margin regardless of category.
Best Books and Preparation Strategy
For General Knowledge and current affairs, stick to a monthly current affairs digest plus a static GK book that covers Bihar-specific facts. For Numerical Ability and Reasoning, any standard SSC-level book works fine since the difficulty here isn't very high, use free topic-wise practice sets to build speed.
For the technical section, your actual nursing and CCH textbooks are your best resource, don't switch to random online PDFs unless you've verified they match the NHM syllabus. Cross-check topics against the National Health Mission's official guidelines wherever possible.
A simple month-wise plan if you have 2 months before an exam:
- Weeks 1-3: Cover technical subject topics thoroughly, this is your highest-scoring section.
- Weeks 4-5: Build numerical and reasoning speed with daily practice sets.
- Weeks 6-7: Revise current affairs and static GK, take at least two full-length mock tests a week.
- Final week: Only revision and mocks, no new topics. Use free mock tests to simulate the real 2-hour CBT under time pressure.
Common Mistakes and Honest Advice
A lot of candidates lose marks not because they don't know nursing, but because they ignore GK and reasoning entirely, assuming their technical knowledge will carry them. It won't, those two sections together are 40 marks, almost half the paper.
Another common mistake: applying without the CCH certificate in hand. If your certificate is still pending or under processing when the form closes, you'll either miss out or face rejection at verification stage. Get your paperwork sorted well before any notification.
Also, don't underestimate the physical demands of the job while chasing the salary number. HWC postings can be in remote areas with limited connectivity. Talk to a serving CHO if you can, before you commit to the surety bond.
FAQ
Is Bihar CHO recruitment 2026 notification out? No, as of early August 2026 there's no fresh Bihar CHO notification. The last cycle (4,500 posts) finished with a final merit list on 18 September 2025.
What is the qualification required for Bihar CHO? You need B.Sc Nursing or Post Basic B.Sc Nursing or GNM, along with a 6-month Certificate in Community Health (CCH).
What is the salary of a CHO in Bihar? Rs 40,000 per month total, made up of Rs 32,000 fixed pay and Rs 8,000 performance-based incentive.
Is Bihar CHO a permanent government job? No, it's a contractual post under NHM, typically renewed every 18 months based on performance.
What is the age limit for Bihar CHO? 21 to 37 years for general category, with relaxation up to 42 years for SC/ST and 47 years for PwD candidates.
How many questions are asked in the Bihar CHO exam? 80 questions for 100 marks, covering GK, reasoning, numerical ability and the technical nursing/community health subject.
Is there negative marking in the Bihar CHO exam? No, there's no negative marking, so attempt every question in the paper.
What is the application fee for Bihar CHO? Rs 500 for UR/BC/EBC/EWS and non-domicile candidates, Rs 125 for SC/ST Bihar domicile, all female candidates, and PwD candidates.
Do I need to sign a bond for Bihar CHO? Yes, selected candidates sign a surety bond of Rs 2,40,000 as a condition of joining.
Where can I check the latest Bihar CHO updates? Keep checking the official SHSB site at shs.bihar.gov.in and Pareeksha's exam news page for the next notification.
Related reads on Pareeksha
- Bihar Police Constable recruitment guide
- BPSC 72nd CCE complete guide
- Bihar exam calendar and guides
- SSC CGL preparation guide
Final word
Bihar CHO is a solid option if you already have your nursing degree and CCH certificate ready. The pay isn't huge, but Rs 40,000 a month with genuine field responsibility is a fair start, and it builds real experience for bigger health department roles later. The catch is timing, there's no active notification right now, so use this waiting period to fix your paperwork, brush up on GK and reasoning, and keep your CCH certificate updated.
For official updates, bookmark State Health Society, Bihar and the Bihar Technical Service Commission site, since health recruitment notices sometimes route through both. Build your general prep meanwhile with Pareeksha's free reading room and a proper study plan so you're not starting from zero when the next notification finally drops.
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