Patna: Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) preliminary examination will take place on Sunday at 91 centres in Patna. Altogether 44,063 candidates will appear for the exam in the state. The exam will be held in two shifts – morning from 9.30am and afternoon from 2.30pm.Candidates are required to reach their examination centres at least 30 minutes before the start of the test.A preparatory meeting was held on Friday by Patna divisional commissioner Mayank Warwade and district magistrate Chandrashekhar Singh with local inspection officers, magistrates, police personnel and centre superintendents to ensure the smooth conduct of the exam.“Ensuring a clean, malpractice-free and peaceful environment for the civil services (preliminary) examination 2025 is the top priority of the administration. All officials concerned and magistrates must remain alert, prepared and committed to this end,” the commissioner said.Local inspection officers, static magistrates-cum-assistant supervisors, zonal magistrates-cum-assistant coordination supervisors, reserve magistrates and police officers have been deployed sub-centre-wise. The district has been divided into 30 zones for the 91 examination centres. In total, 91 local inspection officers and assistant supervisors-cum-static magistrates, 30 zonal magistrates, 18 reserve magistrates, and adequate police forces will be on duty.Alok Kumar, city magistrate-cum-officer-in-charge of the district control room, Patna, has been appointed as the nodal officer for the examination.According to UPSC guidelines, candidates must carry only a printed admit card, a valid photo ID, a recent photograph and a ballpoint pen into the examination hall. The use of barred items such as cellphones, smartwatches, digital watches, Bluetooth devices and other electronic gadgets is strictly prohibited.