MPPSC prelims today, candidates face 3-layer security:Candidates must report 90 minutes early; 1.35 lakh candidates appear, negative marking debuts

The Madhya Pradesh Public Service Commission’s State Service and State Forest Service Preliminary Examination is being held today. Several major changes have been introduced this year. Candidates have been mandatorily asked to reach the examination centre 90 minutes before the exam begins, while entry gates will close 30 minutes before the start. For the first time, negative marking has been introduced, under which one-third marks will be deducted for every wrong answer. Three-layer security will be enforced at all centres, including QR code scanning, biometric verification and frisking. Around 1.35 lakh candidates will appear for the examination at centres set up across 54 districts of the state. The exam will be held in two shifts — General Studies in the morning and General Aptitude in the afternoon. The new rules aim to strengthen transparency and security in the examination process. The exam will be conducted at 365 centres in 54 districts, from 10 am to 12 noon and 2:15 pm to 4:15 pm. 155 posts in State Service, 36 in Forest Service Under the recruitment process, there are 155 posts for the State Service Examination and 36 posts for the State Forest Service Examination. Around 1.35 lakh candidates have registered for the process. Officials said a uniform security and screening system will be implemented at all centres. 1/3 marks will be deducted for wrong answers MPPSC has introduced negative marking for the first time in the 2026 preliminary examination. Now, one-third marks will be deducted for each wrong answer. This means three wrong answers will cancel out the marks earned from one correct answer (3 marks). The change has been introduced in the prelims stage under the 3R-W model (3 marks for correct answer, 1 mark deduction for wrong answer). Exam experts say negative marking is increasingly being introduced in competitive exams in recent years. The objective is not merely to reduce the number of candidates, but to identify serious aspirants who are better prepared. Key rules for candidates