Bihar's Five-Attempt Limit: Two Different Rules, and How Your Attempts Get Counted
Sarkari Naukri Khabar • Bihar
Two separate five-attempt rules run in Bihar recruitment, they apply to different people, and most candidates have never heard of either. The school teacher rules cap any candidate at five attempts at that examination. Separately, a serving Bihar government employee gets at most five attempts across every BPSC competitive examination in their whole career, counted from 12 December 2022. Running out is not a rejection you can appeal. This guide explains both, who each applies to, and the date each one starts counting from.
Rule one: five attempts at the teacher examination
Under the Bihar State School Teacher (appointment, transfer, disciplinary action and service conditions) amendment rules of 2024, a candidate may sit the school teacher recruitment examination a maximum of five times. BPSC states this in Advertisement 14/2026 for TRE 4.0.
This applies to every candidate, not only to government servants. It is a limit on the examination itself.
Rule two: five attempts for a serving Bihar government servant, across everything
This is the rule that surprises people, and it is much wider. Under General Administration Department resolution 22218 dated 12 December 2022, a regularly appointed Bihar government servant gets a five-year relaxation in the upper age limit for competitive examinations. But that relaxation comes with a condition attached.
Across their entire service, a Bihar government servant is allowed a maximum of five attempts in all competitive examinations conducted by the Bihar Public Service Commission, the combined competitive examination and every other examination counted together. Not five per examination. Five in total.
The counting starts on 12 December 2022
The resolution is explicit that the five attempts are counted from the date it was issued, 12 December 2022, and that attempts used before that date are disregarded.
So a government servant who sat four BPSC examinations in 2019 and 2020 starts from zero. One who has sat three since December 2022 has two left, across every BPSC examination there is.
The age relaxation and the attempt limit are one package
This is the part worth reading twice. The five-year age relaxation for a Bihar government servant is only available while they still have attempts left. Once the five are used, the relaxation goes with them.
A candidate claiming that relaxation must submit a certificate issued by the competent authority. Claiming the relaxation without one does not work, and claiming it after the five attempts are gone does not work either.
Only one age relaxation, whichever applies
Separately from attempts, the advertisements are clear that a candidate receives only one age relaxation, not several added together. A disabled ex-serviceman takes the larger of the two, not both.
The BTSC advertisements say the same thing in the same words, so this is a general rule in Bihar recruitment rather than something particular to one commission.
What to do about it
Two practical things. If you are a serving Bihar government employee, count your BPSC attempts since December 2022 before you apply for anything, because the number is smaller than most people assume and it is spent across all BPSC examinations, not per examination.
If you are not a government servant, only rule one applies to you, and only to the examination it names. But keep your own record of which examinations you have sat, because the Commission keeps one.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many times can I sit the Bihar school teacher examination?
Five. The Bihar State School Teacher amendment rules of 2024 cap a candidate at five attempts, and BPSC states this in Advertisement 14/2026.
I work for the Bihar government. How many BPSC attempts do I get?
Five in total across every BPSC competitive examination, for your whole service, not five per examination. Counted from 12 December 2022.
Do my BPSC attempts before December 2022 count?
No. The resolution says attempts used before 12 December 2022 are disregarded, so counting starts from that date.
What happens to my age relaxation when my five attempts are used?
It goes with them. The five-year relaxation for a Bihar government servant is available only while attempts remain.
Can I add two age relaxations together?
No. The advertisements state that only one relaxation is given, whichever applies.
ℹ️ Government rules, fees and processing times can change. Always confirm the current position on the official portal or at your block office before acting.
Last updated: 29 Sep 2026