Cuttack, July 7: Three years have passed since the last Odisha Civil Service (OCS) examination took place and this time, the Odisha Public Service Commission (OPSC) has invited only online applications for the examination.

OPSC secretary Krushna Prasad Pati said: "Candidates are invited to apply through the Proforma Application Form on www.opsconline.gov.in from July 10 to August 10."

This invitation for applications has come after a directive from the high court on January 16. "The state government and the OPSC should make all endeavours to conduct the examination every year keeping the large number of vacancies in mind," the court had said in its order.

The examination will be held for filling up 670 Category-I and Category-II posts for state administrative service (69), police service (24), co-operative service (9), revenue service (400), and taxation and accounts service (168). Of the 670 posts, 341 have been left unreserved. The service commission had last invited applications for the examination on November 17, 2011, to fill up 364 posts.

The preliminary round was held on January 19, 2014. Of the around 35,200 candidates who had taken the test, 5,823 had qualified for the main examination. The main exam was held in September 2014 and around 5,320 candidates took the test.

However, the answer scripts have not been checked till date as the evaluation process for the preliminary exam has been caught in a legal tangle.

Before 2011, the OCS exams was held in 2006. The preliminary and main exams were held in 2007 and 2008. After the selection process, OPSC recommended 378 candidates in June 2010. The government had issued a notification in August 2010 on their appointment.