Civil service aspirants are disturbed over the little gap between Bihar Public Service Commission's (BPSC's) mains exam and the Union Public Service Commission's (UPSC's) preliminary exams and are divided over changing the date.

Some want the BPSC's mains examination date (July 8-30) changed to get more time to prepare for Union Public Service Commission's (UPSC's) preliminary exams on August 7. But another group feels there should be no change, as BPSC doesn't follow any fixed calendar and postponement would cause unnecessary delay.

Those demanding postponement of exam are planning a stir in front of BPSC's Bailey road office on Tuesday. Supporting them is Jan Adhikar Party (Loktantrik) national convener Rajesh Rajan, better known as Pappu Yadav, who will join the agitation.

"The exam pattern of both tests are different," said Manish Kumar, a graduate in history from Magadh University. "As candidates for both tests will get very little time for a second test, we want BPSC exam dates changed."

Rajiv Kumar, a graduate in history, agreed. "UPSC can't extend its examination date. So BPSC, in the larger interest of Bihar students, should delaythe mains exam," he said.

But, N.K. Rajan, another examinee, was against date change. "Postponement will delay the process," he said.

Rajan, a section officer in the ministry of culture, New Delhi, has taken three months' leave to prepare for the mains.

Aditya Singh, a postgraduate in zoology, said there was a lot of confusion. "Going by the public mood, BSPC should delay the main exam," he said.

Pravin Kumar, a physics graduate who works for the railways in Mumbai, has taken three months' leave for BPSC's mains test. "If the exam is delayed, it will inconvenience us," he said.

He need not worry. BPSC has no plans to change exam dates. "The examination will be held as per schedule," BPSC chairman Alok Kumar Sinha told The Telegraph.

BPSC's mains test comprises of 1,300 marks. A candidate can write four papers from two subjects as optional papers of 200 marks each. Then there are two 200-mark general studies papers and another 100 marks come from Hindi, which is qualifying.

The UPSC's preliminary test comprises a 200-mark general studies paper and a 200-mark paper to test aptitude. The second paper is qualifying, but the candidate must score at least 33 per cent.

"The BPSC examination calendar is irregular, unlike UPSC or civil service examinations conducted by Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh," Brij Bihari Saran, a candidate, said. Unlike civil service exam bodies in other states, Bihar has the most irregular exam pattern. But BPSC has decided to streamline its exam calendar. The irregularity set in during the Lalu-Rabri era when the exam was conducted only six times in 15 years.

Nitish Kumar tried to streamline the process by conducting many years' examinations at one go.

For instance, the 48th to 52nd BPSC exams were held in 2010, while the 53rd and 55th tests were held in 2013. As a rule, BPSC has to conduct recruitment tests every year.