BSSC Inter Level Open Book Exam: Rules, Allowed Books and Strategy
BSSC Inter Level Open Book Exam: Rules, Allowed Books and Strategy
The BSSC Inter Level prelims is conducted with books. You walk into the hall carrying three textbooks, and you are allowed to consult them during the paper. Almost no other government recruitment in India works this way, and it is the single most misunderstood thing about this exam.
The misunderstanding runs in both directions. Some candidates hear "open book" and cut their preparation in half. Others assume there must be a catch and ignore the provision entirely. Both lose marks. This page sets out the rule exactly as the notification states it, then explains what it actually means for how you prepare.
The rule, as written
Under clause 12 of the Bihar Staff Selection Commission Examination Conduct Rules 2010, the preliminary examination is taken with books. Candidates may carry three books, that is one book for each section:
- One book for the General Studies section
- One book for the Mathematics section
- One book for the General Science section
Note what the third one says. The book is for General Science, and the syllabus places geography inside that section. Plan accordingly.
Which books are allowed
The word the notification uses is Text Book. A Lucent, an Arihant, a coaching module or a printout is not a textbook, and none of them will get past the invigilator. Neither will a photocopy of an NCERT chapter, even though the original NCERT is allowed.
Rules you can be disqualified for breaking
- You must write your name and roll number on every book you carry.
- Apart from your name and roll number, nothing else may be written in the book. No underlining notes in the margin, no formulas on the inside cover, no page references added in pen.
- Exchanging books with another candidate during the exam is completely prohibited.
- If anything beyond your name and roll number is found written in your book, or you carry material other than a textbook, your candidature is cancelled and legal action follows.
That second rule deserves emphasis because it defeats the obvious trick. You cannot write a homemade index inside the cover. You cannot pencil in "percentage, page 84". The book has to go in clean.
Why open book does not mean easy
Do the arithmetic. The paper has 150 questions and 135 minutes. That is 54 seconds per question including reading the question, deciding on an answer and marking it.
Look at row three. Two lookups where you do not know the page cost you the time of five questions. Twenty marks gone, to find four. The book only pays when you already know where the answer lives.
There is a second point people miss. The Mental Ability section cannot be looked up at all. Reasoning questions are solved, not found, so a third of your paper is effectively a closed book exam no matter what you carry. That quietly makes reasoning the highest value section in the paper.
How to choose your three books
Pick books you will keep for the whole preparation. Changing your book in the last month throws away the only advantage this rule gives you.
For General Studies
NCERT history, civics and geography from Class 6 to 10 covers most of the India and neighbouring countries block. Since you can only carry one book, pick the one that covers the widest part of the syllabus you are weakest in, and for Bihar content prefer the Bihar Board Class 9 and 10 social science textbook. Remember that the syllabus explicitly names Bihar's contribution to the national movement.
For Mathematics
The maths syllabus stops at arithmetic: number system, computation of whole numbers, decimals and fractions, relationship between numbers, fundamental arithmetical operations, percentage, ratio and proportion, average, interest, and profit and loss. A Class 8 to 10 NCERT or BSEB maths textbook covers all of it.
Honest advice on this one. Maths is the section where the book helps least, because formulas are quick to memorise and a worked example takes too long to find and adapt under the clock. Carry the book, but plan to not use it.
For General Science
Physics, chemistry, biology and geography, all at matric level. This is the hardest of the three choices, because a single Class 10 science textbook will not carry geography. Decide in advance whether your geography questions get answered from the science book or the General Studies book, and pick the pair that leaves no gap.
Practising for an open book paper
This is a skill, and it responds to training like any other.
Build the index in your head, not in the book. You cannot write inside the cover, so make a separate index sheet at home listing topic against page number. Use it while studying. Revise it. By exam day the page numbers should come to you without the sheet, because the sheet cannot come with you.
Give yourself a lookup budget. Eight to ten lookups in the whole paper, no more. Decide the limit before you sit down and count them as you go. Candidates who do not set a limit discover in the last twenty minutes that they have thirty questions unread.
Only look up when you are already at two options. If you have eliminated two choices, the book converts a coin flip into four marks. If you are staring at four options with no idea, the book is a search, not a lookup, and searches lose.
Practise with the actual books. Not a PDF, not a different edition. Your physical copy, the same one you will carry, so your fingers learn its thickness and where the chapters fall.
ExamAtlas has free bilingual BSSC Inter Level mock tests on the exact 150 question, 135 minute pattern. Take them with your three books open beside you and a stopwatch on your lookups, because that is the only way to find your real limit before the exam finds it for you.
What to do on exam day
- Write your name and roll number clearly on the cover of each of the three books before leaving home.
- Flip through every page to check that no old note, marginal scribble or loose paper is inside. An underline you made two years ago can cost you the exam.
- Carry your printed admit card and an original photo identity document.
- Leave phones, smartwatches and calculators outside. They are not allowed.
- Do not hand your book to anyone, even briefly. Exchange is treated as a violation.
Full paper structure, marking and selection stages are on the exam pattern page, and the section-wise topic list is on the syllabus page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the BSSC Inter Level prelims really an open book exam?
Yes. Under clause 12 of the Commission's Examination Conduct Rules 2010, the preliminary examination is conducted with books, and candidates may carry three textbooks, one for each section.
How many books can I take into the exam?
Three. One for General Studies, one for Mathematics and one for General Science.
Which books are allowed in the BSSC Inter Level exam?
Only NCERT, BSEB, ICSE and other recognised board textbooks. Guides, photocopies, handwritten paper, notes and electronic devices are not allowed.
Can I write notes or page numbers in my book?
No. Apart from your name and roll number, nothing may be written in the book. Anything else found written in it can lead to cancellation of your candidature.
Can I use a photocopy of an NCERT chapter?
No. Photocopies of books are specifically not allowed, even where the original textbook would be acceptable.
Does open book mean the exam is easy?
No. With 150 questions in 135 minutes you have about 54 seconds per question, and a lookup where you do not know the page takes two to three minutes. The book helps only for the few facts you blank on, and the Mental Ability section cannot be looked up at all.
Final word
The open book rule is the most generous thing BSSC does for candidates in this exam, and the number of people who will waste it is going to be large. They will carry an unfamiliar book, open it for the first time in the hall, lose six minutes on two questions, and finish thirty questions short.
The counter is dull and it works. Choose three books this month. Read them. Learn where things are. Then practise full papers with those exact copies and a hard limit on lookups. By the time the date is announced, your books should feel like a room you can walk through in the dark.
Everything about this recruitment in one place: BSSC Inter Level complete guide.