Bhubaneswar, Aug 19: The examination pattern and syllabus for recruitment to posts under the Odisha Education Service (School Education) have been released. The Odisha Public Service Commission (OPSC) will conduct the recruitment examination in two stages for a total of 675 marks.

The first stage will consist of a 600-mark written examination, while the second stage will include a 75-mark personality test and interview.

The written examination will have two papers of 300 marks each. Paper-I will consist of objective-type questions covering General Awareness, Odia and General English. A total of 150 questions will be asked, with each question carrying two marks.

Paper-II will be subject-based and descriptive in nature, focusing on education-related subjects. Negative marking will apply, with 0.5 marks deducted for every incorrect answer.

Both papers will have a duration of two and a half hours. The examination may be conducted through Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) or a Computer-Based Test (CBT), as decided by OPSC.

OPSC will determine the number of questions from different sections of each paper as well as the qualifying marks required for candidates. Those securing the prescribed minimum qualifying marks will be shortlisted for the personality test in a ratio of approximately 1:2 against the number of vacancies in each category, subject to a minimum of five candidates.

The final merit list for recommendation of candidates for appointment will be prepared based on the combined marks secured in the written examination and personality test.

In case two or more candidates secure equal marks, preference will be given to the candidate who obtains higher marks in the written examination. If the written examination marks are also equal, the merit ranking will be decided based on the candidate’s highest marks in any postgraduate examination.