PPSC Passing Marks in Punjab: 40% in MCQs, 0.25 Negative Marking and 5 Candidates per Post

You pass a PPSC MCQ test with 40 per cent, and PPSC cuts 0.25 marks for every wrong answer. Passing is not the same as getting an interview, though. PPSC calls the top scorers at 5 candidates for each post, so the real cut-off is usually higher than 40. For a written examination with several papers, you need 40 per cent in each paper and 50 per cent overall.

These rules are in the Punjab Public Service Commission's "Important Instructions to Candidates", English version of 8 October 2026, which we read on ppsc.gop.pk on 4 November 2026. Below are the pass marks, how negative marking changes your score, how many people reach the interview, and the small mistakes that cancel a paper.

PPSC passing marks for each kind of test

PPSC runs two kinds of written assessment. A written test is one paper, usually MCQs. A written examination has several papers, such as the Combined Competitive Examination (CCE) for PMS posts.

A blank answer costs nothing. Only a wrong answer loses a quarter mark. PPSC also decides whether to hold a written test at all for posts where the rules do not require one.

How negative marking changes a PPSC score

Take a 100 question MCQ paper with one mark for each question. Here are three candidates. The arithmetic is ours, using PPSC's 0.25 rule.

Candidates A and B knew the same 45 answers. A guessed 40 more and failed. B left most of them blank and passed. Four wrong guesses cancel one right answer, so guess only when you can rule out at least two options.

PPSC calls 5 candidates per post for interview

Passing with 40 per cent puts you in the qualified pool. The interview list is drawn from the top of that pool. PPSC calls 5 candidates for each post, and the same ratio applies to the women, specially abled and minority quotas.

• Standard posts: 1 to 5. Ten posts means 50 candidates called, highest marks first.
• Technical or professional posts with experience: documents may be called at 1 to 15 for scrutiny, with the Chairman's approval, but the interview ratio stays 1 to 5.
• Posts with shorthand or typing: 20 candidates per vacancy go to the typing and proficiency test, then 5 per post to interview.
• Ties: everyone with the same marks as the last candidate on the list is called, even above the ratio.

The Chairman can increase the number called. If everyone called fails the interview, stays away or is rejected, the next candidates on merit can be called with the Chairman's approval. The 1 to 5 rule does not apply to the CCE. PPSC says shorthand, typing and proficiency tests are held only in Lahore.

Mistakes that cancel a PPSC paper

Some errors cost more than marks. PPSC's instructions list these, and each one can end your application.

1. Write the paper code and fill its bubble on the MCQ answer sheet. If you do not, the sheet is not marked and your candidature is cancelled.
2. Bring your original valid CNIC. Without it, the venue in-charge may let you sit only on an original passport, an original computerised domicile with your photo, or a CNIC that expired no more than six months earlier, plus a written undertaking.
3. Use blue or black ink, and bring your own pen or pointer.
4. Raise any objection about a wrong question or answer key in writing, during the test or later the same day. PPSC will not accept it after that.
5. If you need a reader or writer because of a disability, ask in the online application. PPSC will not arrange one on test day.

A specially abled candidate with a reader or writer gets extra time at 10 minutes an hour: 15 minutes on a 90 minute MCQ paper and 30 minutes on a 180 minute subjective paper. The reader or writer must hold a qualification one step lower than the post requires.

When PPSC tells you the test date

PPSC does not send individual admission letters. It uploads them together on its website. The tentative schedule goes up at least 7 days before the test. An SMS and email follow about 5 days before, and a reminder comes 3 days before.

If nothing reaches you, call the PPSC UAN, 042-111-988-722, at least 3 days before the test. You sit the test provisionally, without scrutiny of your papers. PPSC checks eligibility at the interview, so passing the test does not prove you are eligible.

The current test list is in our page on PPSC MCQ tests on 14 and 15 November. After a test you can download your PPSC marks certificate. For federal tests, compare the FPSC test pattern and negative marking.

Common questions

What are the passing marks in a PPSC MCQ test?

40 per cent. PPSC deducts 0.25 marks for each wrong answer, and blank answers lose nothing.

Is there negative marking in PPSC tests?

Yes. In every MCQ paper, 0.25 marks are deducted for each incorrect answer.

How many candidates does PPSC call for interview per post?

Five for each post, from the highest marks down. Candidates tied with the last one on the list are also called.

What are the passing marks for a PPSC written examination such as the CCE?

40 per cent in each paper and 50 per cent in aggregate.

Can I challenge a wrong MCQ answer in a PPSC test?

Yes, but only in writing during the test or later the same day. PPSC will not take objections after that.

How we verified this

What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.

Last checked 4 November 2026. We read the PPSC "Important Instructions to Candidates", English version dated 8 October 2026, linked from the Instructions page of the PPSC website: paragraph 26 on written tests, pass marks, negative marking, provisional admission, CNIC and paper code rules and objections; paragraph 28 on readers and writers; paragraphs 29 to 31 on shortlisting ratios and ties; and paragraph 32 on how test dates are announced. The Lahore-only rule for shorthand and typing tests is read in PPSC Advertisement No. 11/2026. The three example scores are our own arithmetic.