Ask any Gujarat government job aspirant which one exam opens the door to becoming a Mamlatdar, a DySP or a Section Officer, and they'll all say the same thing: GPSC Class 1-2. It's a single combined exam that fills a whole range of gazetted posts across the state's administration, police and municipal services. One prelims paper, one gate, dozens of different careers on the other side.
This piece is built around the Prelims stage specifically, since that's the part most aspirants are stuck on right now, either preparing for the next cycle or waiting on their mains call. We'll walk through where things stand for the 2026 cycle, then cover eligibility, pattern, syllabus, salary and a real prep plan for Mamlatdar, DySP and Section Officer hopefuls.
Quick Answer
GPSC Class 1-2 Prelims 2026 (Advt. 05/2026-27) was held on 7 June 2026, and the result came out on 30 July 2026 with 6,099 candidates qualifying for mains. The cycle covers about 213 posts across Deputy Collector, DySP, Mamlatdar, Section Officer, Deputy Section Officer and Municipal Chief Officer. If you missed this cycle, the next Class 1-2 notification typically comes 10-14 months later, so start preparing now rather than wait for the ad.
Latest Notification and Important Dates
The current cycle, Advertisement 05/2026-27, has already crossed the prelims stage as of early August 2026. The mains schedule is still pending.
| Event | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Notification released | 2 April 2026 | Confirmed |
| Online application window | 2 to 16 April 2026 | Confirmed |
| Prelims exam | 7 June 2026 (12 pm to 3 pm) | Confirmed |
| Prelims answer key | Within a week of the exam | Confirmed |
| Prelims result | 30 July 2026 (6,099 qualified) | Confirmed |
| Detailed Application Form (DAF) for mains | Expected soon | Tentative |
| Mains exam | Around October 2026 | Tentative |
| Interview | Early-mid 2027 | Tentative |
| Final result | Mid-late 2027 | Tentative |
GPSC usually links the mains date announcement with the DAF, so keep an eye on pareeksha.in's exam news for the update rather than guessing a date yourself.
What the Job Actually Is
A Mamlatdar runs the day-to-day administration of a taluka: land records, revenue collection, disaster relief, welfare scheme rollout and public grievance hearings. A DySP heads a police sub-division, supervising law and order, investigation quality and staff discipline across several police stations. A Section Officer, on the other hand, usually sits in Gandhinagar or a district office drafting policy notes, processing files and coordinating between departments, which is far more desk-bound than the other two.
All three posts involve public dealing every single day. People walk in with land disputes, ration card issues, FIR complaints or scheme applications, and you're the one signing off on them. Postings rotate across districts, work gets heavier during elections and monsoon season, and yes, transfers happen whether you like the district or not.
Vacancy Details / Post Breakdown
Advt 05/2026-27 carries roughly 213 posts in total across Gujarat Administrative Service Class-1, Gujarat Civil Services Class-1 and Class-2, and Municipal Chief Officer Service Class-2.
| Category | Approx. Vacancies |
|---|---|
| General (Unreserved) | 98 |
| SEBC | 51 |
| ST | 28 |
| EWS | 22 |
| SC | 14 |
| Total | ~213 |
This basket covers Deputy Collector, DySP, Assistant Commissioner of State Tax, Mamlatdar, Section Officer, Deputy Section Officer and Chief Officer of Municipality, among others. GPSC usually issues a corrigendum closer to the DAF stage that firms up the exact post-wise split, so treat the numbers above as a working estimate.
Eligibility
Age limit: you need to be between 20 and 35 years old for the General and EWS categories, calculated as on the cut-off date fixed in the notification.
| Category | Age Relaxation | Upper Age Limit |
|---|---|---|
| General / EWS | — | 35 years |
| SEBC (Gujarat) | +5 years | 40 years |
| SC / ST (Gujarat) | +5 years | 40 years |
| Ex-servicemen | As per Gujarat govt rules | Varies by post |
| Persons with disability | +10 years | Varies by post |
Education: a bachelor's degree in any stream from a recognised university is enough for most posts, including Mamlatdar and Section Officer. Domicile: the SEBC/SC/ST relaxation applies only to candidates who belong to Gujarat. Physical standards: only the DySP post carries height, chest and physical fitness requirements, so check the annexure in the notification if you're aiming for that specific post.
Application Process, Fee, How to Apply
Applications are accepted only online through the OJAS portal.
| Category | Application Fee |
|---|---|
| General / Unreserved | ₹100 (plus payment gateway charges) |
| SC / ST / SEBC / EWS (Gujarat origin) | Exempted |
| Persons with disability | Exempted |
| Ex-servicemen | Exempted |
Steps to apply: register on OJAS with your mobile number and email, fill in personal, educational and category details carefully (small errors here cause avoidable rejections), upload your photo and signature in the specified size, pay the fee if applicable, submit, and download the confirmation slip. Don't wait for the last two days, since the server slows down badly when thousands try to submit at once.
Exam Pattern
GPSC Class 1-2 has three stages: prelims, mains and interview.
Preliminary Exam (screening only, marks don't count toward final merit)
| Paper | Subject | Questions | Marks | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 1 | General Studies-1 | 100 | 200 | 3 hours |
| Paper 2 | General Studies-2 | 100 | 200 | 3 hours |
| Total | 200 | 400 |
Both papers use negative marking of roughly one-third mark per wrong answer, so guessing blindly can hurt you more than it helps. Confirm the exact marking scheme from the current notification, since GPSC has tweaked this in the past.
Mains Exam (descriptive, written by hand)
| Paper | Marks | Nature |
|---|---|---|
| Gujarati Language | 150 | Qualifying |
| English Language | 150 | Qualifying |
| Essay | 150 | Counted for merit |
| General Studies-1 | 150 | Counted for merit |
| General Studies-2 | 150 | Counted for merit |
| General Studies-3 | 150 | Counted for merit |
| Merit total | 900 | |
| Interview | 100 | Counted for merit |
Only mains and interview marks decide your final rank; prelims just filters roughly 12-15 times the vacancy count through to mains. Practice full-length prelims mocks on pareeksha.in's online test series so the three-hour stretch feels normal on exam day.
Detailed Syllabus
GS Paper 1: Indian and Gujarat history, freedom struggle, art, architecture and cultural heritage, Indian polity and constitution, social justice, international relations, and general mental ability.
GS Paper 2: Indian economy and planning, physical and human geography of India and Gujarat (Rann of Kutch, Gir forest, Gulf of Khambhat), science and technology, environment and disaster management, and current events of the past 12 months, national as well as Gujarat-specific.
Mains additions: GS-3 in mains leans on Gujarat's administrative structure (Collector-Mamlatdar-TDO chain), panchayati raj, urban local bodies, economic policy and welfare schemes. Essay expects two balanced compositions, usually one national/social theme and one Gujarat-focused issue. The Gujarati and English papers test grammar, comprehension, translation and précis writing; they're qualifying only, but a lot of aspirants lose their whole attempt by scoring below the cut-off here.
For structured practice by topic, use pareeksha.in's topic-wise practice sets and the General Awareness guide to tie static GK and current affairs together in one place.
Salary, Pay Scale, Allowances
Pay depends on which post you land, since Class-1 and Class-2 sit on different pay levels.
| Grade | Typical Posts | Pay Level | Pay Scale (₹) | Approx In-hand |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Class-1 | Deputy Collector, DySP | Level 10 | 56,100 – 1,77,500 | 65,000 – 75,000 |
| Class-2 | Mamlatdar, Section Officer, Deputy Section Officer, Chief Officer | Level 8 | 44,900 – 1,42,400 | 48,000 – 55,000 |
On top of basic pay you get DA, HRA, travel allowance and pension benefits, plus government quarters and an official vehicle for Class-1 officers. Growth is steady though not fast: a Mamlatdar can rise to Deputy Collector and beyond over 15-20 years, and a DySP moves up toward Superintendent of Police with time and good service record.
Previous Cut-off
The 2026 prelims cut-off, out of 400 total marks, has already been declared.
| Category | Prelims 2026 Cut-off (out of 400) |
|---|---|
| General (Male) | 95.98 |
| General (Female) | 93.87 |
| ST (Common) | 80.75 |
| ST (Female) | 73.03 |
| Ex-servicemen | 67.85 |
| PwD Group A | 53.47 |
| PwD Group B | 21.21 |
For reference, mains cut-offs in recent Class 1-2 cycles have landed somewhere around 540-600 out of 900 merit marks for General/EWS candidates, and lower for reserved categories, but treat old numbers as a rough benchmark, not a fixed target, since they move with vacancy count and paper difficulty every year.
Best Books and Preparation Strategy
Start with NCERT-level basics if your foundation is weak, then shift most of your time to Gujarat-specific material, since that's where the paper differs from a plain UPSC-style GS test.
An eight-month plan before prelims:
- Months 1-2: Build history, geography and polity basics. Start a daily current affairs habit right away, don't leave it for later.
- Months 3-4: Go deep on Gujarat-specific static content (state history, geography, schemes, administrative setup) alongside daily news.
- Months 5-6: Shift to weekly full-length mocks, review every wrong answer properly, and work on both speed and essay writing for mains.
- Months 7-8: Pure revision. More mocks, fix your weak sections, stop adding new sources this late.
For the reasoning and data-handling questions that sneak into GS-2, the Reasoning guide and Quantitative Aptitude guide cover the basics well. Build a proper study plan around your work or college schedule instead of studying whenever you feel like it.
Common Mistakes and Honest Advice
The biggest one: candidates ignore the Gujarati and English qualifying papers because they don't add to merit marks, then fail the 30% cut-off and lose the whole attempt after clearing prelims and writing four other papers. Spend at least a couple of hours a week on language practice, even if it feels like a waste of time now.
Second mistake: studying purely from national-level UPSC material and skipping Gujarat-specific content. GPSC papers lean hard on state history, geography, administrative structure and schemes, and generic prep leaves a real gap there that shows up in every paper.
Third: skipping mock tests because you want to "finish reading first." That never works. Free mock tests tell you where you're actually weak far faster than passive reading ever will.
FAQ
Is GPSC Class 1-2 Prelims 2026 result out? Yes, the result was declared on 30 July 2026, and 6,099 candidates qualified for the mains exam.
When was GPSC Class 1-2 Prelims 2026 held? It was held on 7 June 2026, from 12 pm to 3 pm, for Advertisement 05/2026-27.
How many posts does GPSC Class 1-2 cover? Around 213 posts in the current cycle, spread across Deputy Collector, DySP, Mamlatdar, Section Officer, Deputy Section Officer and Municipal Chief Officer.
What is the GPSC Class 1-2 prelims exam pattern? Two papers of General Studies, 200 marks each, 400 marks total, 3 hours per paper, with negative marking for wrong answers. It's a screening test only, marks aren't added to final merit.
When is GPSC Class 1-2 mains 2026? Not officially announced yet as of early August 2026. It's expected around October 2026, but GPSC will confirm this along with the DAF release, so this date is tentative.
What is the age limit for GPSC Class 1-2, Mamlatdar and DySP posts? General candidates need to be 20 to 35 years old. SEBC, SC and ST candidates from Gujarat get a 5-year relaxation, taking the limit up to 40 years.
Is Mamlatdar Class-1 or Class-2 post? Mamlatdar is a Class-2 gazetted post, recruited through the same GPSC Class 1-2 combined exam as Class-1 posts like Deputy Collector and DySP.
What is the salary of a DySP in Gujarat? DySP is a Class-1 post on Pay Level 10, with a pay scale of ₹56,100 to ₹1,77,500 and in-hand pay of roughly ₹65,000 to ₹75,000 including allowances.
What was the GPSC Class 1-2 prelims 2026 cut-off? 95.98 out of 400 for General male candidates and 93.87 for General female candidates, with lower cut-offs for ST, PwD and ex-servicemen categories.
Where can I apply for GPSC Class 1-2 exam? Only online, through the OJAS portal linked from the official GPSC website, and only when a fresh notification is live.
Related reads on Pareeksha
If you're building out a full Gujarat government exam plan, these guides connect well with this one:
- GPSC Mamlatdar & Nayab Mamlatdar recruitment guide
- Gujarat Police Constable exam guide
- GSSSB Talati cum Mantri exam guide
- GSSSB Junior Clerk exam guide
You'll also find the wider set of state-level opportunities in the Gujarat exam guides section on pareeksha.in.
Final Word
GPSC Class 1-2 Prelims is only the entry gate, not the finish line. Clearing it gets you into a much harder mains exam and then an interview, and the whole process from notification to final result can run well over a year. If you're one of the 6,099 who qualified this cycle, don't relax now, mains is where most people actually lose the race.
If you missed this cycle or are starting fresh, use the wait productively. Build your Gujarat-specific base, get comfortable with three-hour papers through the online test series, and follow current affairs daily instead of cramming it later. The free Reading Room is a good place to start if you don't know where to begin.
Official sources: GPSC official website | OJAS recruitment portal
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