How negative marking works in Lok Sewa (PSC) exams
Objective (multiple-choice) papers of the Public Service Commission (लोक सेवा आयोग) use negative marking. The note printed in PSC syllabi (पाठ्यक्रम) says, in substance: “वस्तुगत बहुवैकल्पिक प्रश्नको गलत उत्तर दिएमा प्रत्येक गलत उत्तर बापत २० प्रतिशत अङ्क कट्टा गरिनेछ। तर उत्तर नदिएमा अङ्क दिइने छैन र अङ्क कट्टा पनि गरिने छैन।” In plain English: every wrong answer loses 20% of that question's marks, and a question you leave blank gives zero but costs nothing.
The rule is applied per question, so the deduction depends on how many marks each question carries:
| Paper pattern | Correct answer | Wrong answer | Not attempted |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50 questions × 2 marks | +2 | −0.4 | 0 |
| 100 questions × 1 mark | +1 | −0.2 | 0 |
Always confirm the marking scheme for your own post. It is written in the exam scheme (परीक्षा योजना) section of the syllabus published on the PSC website; you can browse syllabi on our syllabus page.
Lok Sewa marks calculation formula
Score = (correct × marks per question) − (wrong × marks per question × 0.20)
Example 1: 50 × 2 paper
You answer 30 correctly, 10 wrong and leave 10 blank. Correct = 30 × 2 = 60. Negative = 10 × 2 × 0.2 = 4. Score = 60 − 4 = 56 out of 100.
Example 2: 100 × 1 paper
You answer 35 correctly, 20 wrong and leave 45 blank. Correct = 35. Negative = 20 × 0.2 = 4. Score = 35 − 4 = 31 out of 100 – nine more correct answers would bring it to a 40% mark.
A useful shortcut: with 20% negative marking, five wrong answers cancel one correct answer.
नेगेटिभ मार्किङ: should I guess in Lok Sewa?
Guessing is a maths question. With 4 options and a 20% penalty, a pure blind guess has a 1 in 4 chance of earning full marks and a 3 in 4 chance of losing 20%. The expected value is 0.25 − (0.75 × 0.2) = 0.25 − 0.15 = +0.10 of the question's marks – that is +0.1 marks on a 1-mark question and +0.2 marks on a 2-mark question. If you can rule out wrong options, it improves quickly:
| Situation (4-option question) | Chance right | Expected marks, 1-mark question | Expected marks, 2-mark question |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blind guess | 25% | +0.10 | +0.20 |
| One option eliminated | 33% | +0.20 | +0.40 |
| Two options eliminated | 50% | +0.40 | +0.80 |
The break-even point is a 16.7% chance of being right (penalty ÷ (1 + penalty) = 0.2 ÷ 1.2). Any guess better than 1 in 6 is worth it on average. So with 20% negative marking:
- Eliminated one or two options? Answer. The expected gain is large and the risk is small.
- No idea at all? A blind guess is still slightly positive on average, but it is close to zero and adds luck to your result. Skip these unless you need marks to reach the cut-off.
- Trap questions where two options look right are where most negative marks come from. If you keep switching between two answers, your chance is about 50% – answer the one you trust more.
Common mistakes with negative marking
- Treating 20% as 20 marks or a whole question. It is 20% of one question's marks (0.4 on a 2-mark question), not 1 full mark.
- Leaving too many blanks out of fear. If you are reasonably sure (better than 1 in 6), skipping throws away expected marks.
- Careless OMR bubbling. Two bubbles, overwriting or a wrongly shaded roll number can make an answer invalid. Practise with timed mock exams so the process is automatic.
- Assuming “pass” means selection. The first-phase objective paper is competitive. Passing the minimum mark does not guarantee a place in the next phase; the merit cut-off is usually higher.
लोक सेवा अङ्क गणना – quick answers
सही उत्तरमा पूरा अङ्क, गलत उत्तरमा सो प्रश्नको २० प्रतिशत अङ्क कट्टा, उत्तर नदिएमा शून्य। ५० प्रश्न × २ अङ्कको पत्रमा प्रत्येक गलत उत्तरले ०.४ अङ्क घटाउँछ।
Use the score to plan your preparation
Track your mock test scores here after every practice paper. If negative marks keep costing you more than 5–6 marks, slow down on tricky questions and revise weak topics in the practice section. Keep an eye on exam dates with the Lok Sewa calendar and build a daily routine with the study timer. For complete mock tests with instant results, see our plans.
Sources
- Public Service Commission, Nepal – syllabi and exam schemes (psc.gov.np), note on negative marking under each objective paper.
- Edusanjal – Nayab Subba exam pattern summarising the PSC rule (edusanjal.com/exam/loksewa-subba).
