Odisha Judicial Service · OPSC
Odisha’s Odia-language gate ends careers before merit is ever counted.
Clear the language gate and the 25% negative marking, and seventeen papers of pattern open up. We map where the marks sit subject-by-subject across nine prelims and eight mains papers and the shift to the new criminal codes.
- Conducting body OPSC, Cuttack
- Post Civil Judge (Junior Division)
- Eligibility Law graduate of a recognised university
- Age 23–35 (+5 yrs SC/ST/SEBC/Women)
- Stages Prelims → Mains → Interview
- Language Must read, write & speak Odia fluently
Three stages, and only two of them count toward your rank.
Prelims is a pure filter. Your entire merit is built in the Mains and the interview — plan your time accordingly.
Stage 1 · Screening
Preliminary Exam
Objective · OMR
A single 100-mark paper. Marks count only for short-listing — they are NOT added to your Mains total.
- One paper — 100 MCQs
- 100 marks · 1 hr 30 min
- Negative marking
- 25% (0.25) per wrong answer
- Cut-off to clear
- 40% general · 35% SC/ST
Stage 2 · Selection
Main (Written) Exam
Descriptive · 5 papers
Two compulsory papers plus three optionals you choose from five. Aggregate 45% and at least 33% in each paper to reach the interview.
- 2 compulsory papers
- 150 each · English + Procedural
- 3 optional papers
- 150 each · choose 3 of 5
- Total written marks
- 750 (5 × 150)
Stage 3 · Final
Interview / Viva
Personality + law
Carries 100 marks; a minimum of 40% is needed to enter the merit list. Covers law plus broad national/international and Arts/Science matters.
- Interview marks
- 100
- Minimum to qualify
- 40%
- Prelims weight in merit
- Zero (screening only)
Can you apply? Check this before anything else.
Qualification
A degree in Law of a recognised university or institution, held by the last date of application.
Age
23–35 years (as on 01.08.2023). Relaxed by 5 years for SC/ST/SEBC/women/ex-servicemen and by 10 years for persons with benchmark disabilities.
Bar enrolment
Not required for direct candidates — fresh law graduates may apply; you need not be an enrolled advocate.
Nationality
Indian citizen.
Odia language
Must speak, read and write Odia fluently and have passed Odia at Middle English School (Class VII) standard — a hard eligibility gate.
Attempts
No attempt limit specified in the notification — only the age ceiling applies.
The full syllabus, paper by paper.
A single objective paper screens you; Mains tests two compulsory papers plus three optionals you choose from five.
Prelims
Constitution of India · CPC · CrPC · Evidence Act · IPC · Limitation Act · Transfer of Property Act · Contract Act · Law of Succession (Indian & Hindu Succession Acts) · Specific Relief Act · Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005.
100 MCQs of one mark each in 1½ hours, with 25% (0.25) negative marking per wrong answer. Qualify with 40% (35% for SC/ST) — these marks do NOT count toward final merit.
Mains — 5 papers (2 + 3)
- Compulsory — General English150
- Compulsory — Procedural Laws (CrPC, CPC, Evidence Act)150
- Optional 1 of 3 chosen150
- Optional 2 of 3 chosen150
- Optional 3 of 3 chosen150
- Choose any 3 optionals from 5 →—
- Law of Crime & Law of Tortsopt
- Personal Law (Hindu, Mohammedan)opt
- Law of Property (TPA, Specific Relief, Limitation)opt
- Law of Contract (Contract, Sale of Goods, Partnership, NI)opt
- Jurisprudence & Constitution of Indiaopt
Ten subjects, almost perfectly level — ranked by raw question count.
Share of the 900 classified prelims questions across 2012–2021. Odisha runs the flattest paper of any state — every subject sits near 10% — so the spreads are tiny and the message is simple: prepare all ten, leave no gaps.
Transfer of Property Act
10.3%Marginally heaviest
Kinds of mortgage & “redeem up, foreclose down”, lis pendens, part performance (s.53A), election, actionable claims, conditions restraining alienation, leases, gifts.
Indian Penal Code
10.1%Most-asked by raw count
General exceptions (private defence, insanity, intoxication, necessity), culpable homicide vs murder, theft/robbery/dacoity, hurt vs grievous hurt, abetment vs conspiracy, s.34 vs s.149.
Constitution of India
10%Exactly 10 every year
Fundamental rights, DPSP, amendment power & basic structure, President/Governor, emergency, judiciary, landmark cases (Kesavananda, Golaknath, S.R. Bommai, R.C. Cooper).
Indian Evidence Act
10%Exactly 10 every year
Relevancy, admissions/confessions, dying declaration, burden of proof, expert opinion, documentary/secondary evidence, examination of witnesses, presumptions.
Contract Act (incl. Sale of Goods)
10%Reliable scorer
Offer/acceptance, consideration, free consent, quasi-contracts, guarantee/indemnity, bailment, damages (Hadley v. Baxendale) · a “bill of lading” / commercial touch in 2015.
CPC · CrPC · Limitation · Succession · Specific Relief
9.7%The rest of the flat field
Each sits ~9.3–9.9%: res judicata & execution, bail/FIR/s.125, condonation of delay (s.5), Class I/II heirs & s.6 (2005 amendment), specific performance & injunctions.
What to study first, and what gives the most marks per hour.
- Do first Prepare all ten near-equally
Prelims is the flattest paper in the country — ten subjects at ~10 marks each. There is no dominant subject to over-weight; gaps cost you more than depth wins you.
- Most secure Evidence + Constitution
The only two subjects that hit exactly 10 questions in every one of the nine papers. Lock these in as your guaranteed blocks.
- Heaviest by count TPA · IPC
The two marginally largest pools (93 and 91 of 900). Mortgages and IPC general exceptions repeat — high-certainty marks.
- Emerging Domestic Violence Act, 2005
New 5-question block from 2021 and a notification subject. Small but live — learn definitions, reliefs and procedure once.
- Mains-decisive Jurisprudence & Constitution + problem-solving
The cleanest, most stable Mains optional (96 Qs, essay-style). Contract, Property and Procedural Laws lean on “Decide / Advise” fact-patterns — practise application.
The state-specific edge most all-India material skips.
Odia is a hard eligibility gate
You must be able to read, write and speak Odia fluently and have passed Odia at Middle English School standard (Class VII). General English (Compulsory Paper 1) tests translation and retranslation between English and Odia — there is no way around the regional language here.
Study the new codes — BNS, BNSS, BSA
Every available Odisha PYQ (2012–2021) uses IPC / CrPC / Evidence Act. The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (2023) are now in force — concepts (bail, dying declaration, mens rea, charge) carry over, but re-map every section number.
Everything you need to practise Odisha Judiciary — free.
Past Odisha prelims papers (2012–2021), solved and arranged like the real exam.
Open Mains Mains Questions & SolutionsOdisha mains papers (2012–2021) with model answers for the compulsory and optional papers.
Open Notes Free Notes & LecturesSubject-wise notes — CPC, Constitution, Evidence, Hindu & Muslim Law and more.
OpenRead the actual Odisha papers this analysis is built on.
Start with the distribution files for the big picture, then solve full papers in timed blocks.
Method: every question in nine prelims papers (900 total, all law) and eight mains papers (576 total) was read and classified by legal subject — not inferred from headings. All nine prelims files are complete and clean; in the Mains, 2015’s “Procedural Laws” section is actually Personal Law and 2017’s Contract / Crime headings are scrambled, so treat those two years with care.
Odisha Judiciary — quick answers.
Who conducts the Odisha Judiciary exam?
The Odisha Public Service Commission (OPSC) recruits for Civil Judge (Junior Division) in the Odisha Judicial Service, under the Odisha Judicial Service Rules, 2007.
What is the eligibility for Odisha Judiciary?
A law degree from a recognised university and age between 23 and 35 years (as on 01.08.2023), relaxable by 5 years for SC/ST/SEBC/women. Fresh law graduates can apply — bar enrolment is not required.
Is Odia language compulsory for Odisha Judiciary?
Yes. You must speak, read and write Odia fluently and have passed Odia at Middle English School (Class VII) standard; the General English compulsory paper also tests English–Odia translation.
Is there negative marking in the Odisha prelims?
Yes. The single 100-mark objective prelims carries 25% (0.25 mark) negative marking for every wrong answer.
Does the prelims score count in the final merit?
No. The Preliminary Examination is only a screening test — you qualify with 40% (35% for SC/ST). Final merit is built from the Mains written papers and the interview.
How many papers are in the Odisha Mains?
Five papers of 150 marks each: two compulsory (General English and Procedural Laws) plus three optionals you choose from a list of five.
What is the Mains qualifying cut-off?
You must score at least 45% in aggregate and a minimum of 33% in each paper to be called for the interview, where 40% is the minimum to enter the merit list.
Should I study IPC/CrPC or the new criminal codes?
Every available Odisha PYQ still uses IPC, CrPC and the Evidence Act, but the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA), 2023 are now in force — study the new codes and re-map old section numbers.
Practise on questions built to this exact weightage.
Free mock series modelled on the OPSC pattern — the flat ten-subject prelims with 25% negative marking, the compulsory + optional Mains papers, and BNS/BNSS/BSA-mapped questions.