HCS Personality Test (Viva-Voce)
About this stage
The Personality Test (Viva-voce) is the third and last stage of the HCS (Executive Branch) and Allied Services Examination, after the Preliminary Examination and the Main Written Examination. It carries 75 marks, which are added to the 600 marks of the Main Written Examination: the final merit is out of 675.
| Stage | Marks | Counted for merit |
|---|---|---|
| Main Written Examination (six papers) | 600 | Yes |
| Personality Test (Viva-voce) | 75 | Yes |
| Total for the merit list | 675 | Final merit |
Who is called
- Candidates three times the number of advertised posts (including bracketed candidates, if any), in order of merit in the Main Written Examination.
- A candidate must have at least 45% marks in the aggregate of all the written papers, and at least 33% each in English and Hindi. Where enough candidates with benchmark disabilities are not available, the Commission may lower the 45% limit to 35%.
What the official scheme says
Haryana Civil Service (Executive Branch) Amendment Rules, 2025:
(III) Personality Test : 75 marks
… Similarly, the total number of candidates to be called for personality test shall be three times, including bracketed candidates, if any, of the advertised vacancies. …
No candidate shall be called for Personality/Viva-voce test unless he attains forty-five percent marks in the aggregate of all the written papers and a score of minimum thirty-three percent (33%) marks each in English and Hindi Language. However, where sufficient numbers of candidates being persons with benchmark disabilities are not available, the Commission may lower the said limit of 45% marks upto 35 % marks. The final selection shall be based on the merit list to be prepared on the basis of total marks obtained by the candidate in the Main Written Examination and Personality / Viva-voce Test i.e. out of 675 marks and keeping in view the preference of services exercised by the candidates.
What the interview assesses
HPSC Advertisement No. 22/2026 describes the test as follows:
The interview test is not intended to be a test either of the specialized or general knowledge of the candidates which has been already tested through their written papers. Candidates are expected to have taken an intelligent interest not only in their special subjects of academic study but also in the events which are happening around them, both within and outside their own State or country, as well as in modern currents of thought and in new discoveries which should rouse the curiosity of well educated youth.
…
(ii) The candidate will be interviewed by a Board. He / She will be asked questions on matters of general interest. The object of the interview is to assess the suitability of the candidate for a career in public service, by a board of competent and unbiased observers. The test is intended to judge the mental caliber of a candidate. In broad terms, this is really an assessment of not only his intellectual qualities but also social traits and his interest in current affairs. Some of the qualities to be judged are mental alertness, critical powers of assimilation, clear and logical exposition, balance of judgment, variety and depth of interest, ability for social cohesion and leadership, intellectual and moral integrity.
(iii) The technique of the interview is not that of a strict cross-examination but of a natural though directed and purposive conversation which is intended to reveal the mental qualities of the candidate.
Qualities named by the Commission
- Mental alertness
- Critical powers of assimilation
- Clear and logical exposition
- Balance of judgment
- Variety and depth of interest
- Ability for social cohesion and leadership
- Intellectual and moral integrity
How to read this stage
- The Board's questions are on matters of general interest, so the areas the advertisement names are the ones to be ready on: one's own subjects of academic study, events within and outside Haryana and India, modern currents of thought and new discoveries.
- Haryana's society, economy, administration and current issues are matters within the candidate's own State, and also run through the Mains papers as "Related issues of Haryana".
- Since the test is a conversation, not a cross-examination, clear and honest answers matter more than memorised ones; saying so plainly when one does not know something is part of integrity.
- Values and attitudes discussed in General Studies IV (Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude) and communication skills from the CSAT syllabus are relevant here.
- The 33% minimum in English and Hindi decides eligibility for this stage, whatever the General Studies scores.
Merit and ties
The merit list is prepared on the total marks of the Main Written Examination and the Personality Test (out of 675), keeping in view the preference of services exercised by the candidates. If two or more candidates have equal totals, the one with higher marks in the papers of the Main Written Examination ranks higher; if those are also equal, the older candidate ranks higher.
Source: Haryana Civil Service (Executive Branch) Amendment Rules, 2025, notified 29 December 2025, PDF; HPSC Advertisement No. 22/2026, PDF. Last checked 11 November 2026.