Full Form of PCS

PCS full form is Provincial Civil Service. Each state in India conducts its own PCS exam through its respective State Public Service Commission (SPSC). There’s no single national exam for PCS. For example – the Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPSC) conducts the PCS exam for Uttar Pradesh.PCS officers belong to Group A and Group B of the state government services.

In this article, You will get to know about the PCS full form, what is the PCS officer, Exam Eligibility, Syllabus, and Key differences between the IAS and PCS officer.

PCS Full form and What is PCS officer?

PCS stands for Provincial Civil Service. It refers to an officer post in the administrative civil service of a particular state government in India.

• Level: Group A and B officers of the state administrative branch
• Selection: Through state-level civil service exams conducted by the state public service commission

Responsibilities can depend upon the designation but generally involve:

• Revenue management
• Maintaining law and order
• Holding various posts at district, sub-divisional, state and division levels

Compared to IAS Officers:

• PCS officers serve at the state level, while IAS officers work for the central government or a state other than their home state.
• IAS officers typically hold higher positions.

PCS Full Form in UPSC

The Union Public Service Commission is the central government organization in India that is in charge of conducting exams for recruiting civil servants for different national administrative posts.

It’s important to remember that the UPSC framework designates the civil services of states other than Uttar Pradesh as “PCS”. The PCS exam is conducted by the State Service Public Commissions in each state of India and It is different from the UPSC exam.

PCS ( Provincial Civil Service ) Exam Eligibility

• A bachelor’s degree from a government-authorised institution or an equivalent qualification is required for PCS.

• The minimum age limit is 21 years.

• The maximum age limit is 40 years, with relaxation for reserved categories (OBC, SC ST and others) as per the government rules. The age limit can be extended up to 5 years for these categories.

• Candidate must have to be a citizen of India.

• Physical fitness qualifications are also necessary to qualify for the PCS exam for particular posts since the candidate must have passed the medical exam after the interview.

• Post that required physical fitness tests is District Commandant Home Guards, Exercise Inspector, Assistant Conservator of Forest, Range Forest Officer, Superintendent of Jail and Deputy Superintendent of Police.

PCS Full Form Syllabus

Every State of India conducts its own PCS exam and they can have minor syllabus differences but the majority syllabus will be the same as the one given below :

Subject	Topics
General Studies	Indian History ( Ancient, Medival and Modern ) Indian Polity and Governance Geography of India and the world Indian Economy and Economic Development Science and Technology Environment and Ecology Current Affairs (National and International Importance )
General Knowledge	Current Events (National and International) Sports and Games Award and Honors Books and Authors Important Days and Dates Important Personalities Indian and World Heritage Sites
Optional Subjects	History Geography Political Science Economics Sociology Public Administration Mathematics Physics Chemistry Botany Zoology Literature (Various Languages )

IAS vs PCS – Key Differences

IAS officer	PCS officer
The full form of IAS is the Indian Administrative Service	The full form of PCS is Provincial Civil Service
Recruitment for an IAS officer : Through the Civil Service Exam Through the promotion of State Civil Service officer to IAS Through the selection of non-state civil service officer 66% are recruited through the direct exams and the remaining are meant for promotion quota.	Modes of Recruitment for a PCS OfficerCommission: Through the Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission Recruitment (UPPSC PCS Exam) Through promotions from Uttar Pradesh Lower Provincial Civil Service to PCS officer The maximum officers are recruited through the direct exam while the remaining are through promotions.
Roles and Responsibilities : Maintain Low and Order Collection of revenue and function as courts in revenue matters To oversee the Implementation of Policies Make Contributions at various levels in the process of policy formulation and decision-making.	Roles and Responsibilities : To collect land revenue and function as courts in matters of revenue and crime. To maintain law and order to implement Union and State government policies at the grassroots level. To handle the administration and daily proceedings of the government.
Designations held by IAS officer : SDO/SDM/Joint Collector /Chief Development Officer (CDO) District Magistrate /District Collector /Deputy Commissioner Divisional Commissoner Member Board of Revenue Chairman Board of Revenue	Designations held by PCS officer : Deputy Collector Sub – Divisional Magistrate Additional City Magistrate City Magistrate Additional District Magistrate Additional Divisional Commissioner
Salary : The basic per-month salary of an IAS officer starts at Rs 56,100 (TA/DA and HRA are extra ) and can go on to reach Rs 2,50,000 for a Cabinet Secretary.	Salary : As per the 7th pay commission, Rs 56,100 to Rs 1,32,000 (pay level 10) is an Entry level salary for a PCS officer.
The President of India appoints the IAS officer irrespective of their mode of recruitment.	The government of Uttar Pradesh appoints the PCS officer irrespective of the mode of recruitment.

Conclusion

PCS full form is Provincial Civil Service. It is a state-level exam that is conducted by the State Public Service Commission (SPSC) for each state for example UPPSC (Uttar Pradesh Provincial Service Commsion )and MPPSC (Madhya Pradesh Provincial Service Commsion ).

Posts under PCS generally follow pay scales recommended by the 7th Central Pay Commission.PCS officers belong to Group A and Group B of the state services. Some of the Posts under PCS are Deputy Collector, Block Development Officer and Superintendent of Police.

PCS Full Form – FAQs

What is a PCS officer?

PCS stands for Provincial Services .It is an administrative civil service that comes under Group A and B of the goverment administrative branch of Uttar Pradesh .A PC officer can hold several posts at district , sub-divisional ,state and division level.

What is PCS’s salary?

UPSC PCS salary 2024 : The salry of a UPPSC PCS officer includes basic pay and in hand salary .The selected PCS officer will get paid from Rs- 9300 to 34800, Grade pay Rs -4600 to Rs -15,600 to 39,000.

Who is higher PCS or IAS?

The designations of IAS officers are more prestigious than those of PCS officers. IAS officers hold the rank of secretary, additional secretary, joint secretary or deputy secretary whereas PCS officers hold the rank of deputy collector, sub-divisional magistrate or district magistrate.

Is PCS equal to IAS?

The Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and the Provincial Civil Service (PCS) are both civil services but one works directly under the centre/state government, while the other is a state service of the executive branch of the Government of Uttar Pradesh.

Can PCS become DM?

PCS officers may be promoted to Additional Divisional Commissioners (ADC) at the divisional level. A PCS officer can advance to the highest rank of department secretary. In addition – each state reserves three district magistrate (DM) positions for PCS officer.