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January 6, 2025 2025-01-31 16:03ABC
IAS

About UPSC
- The UPSC Civil Services Exam (CSE) is a prestigious examination conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC)in India.
- It consists of three stages: Preliminary Exam(MCQs), Main Exam (written), and Interview. Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS), and Indian Foreign Service (IFS) are three of the most preferable services under this.
- Apart from these Indian Revenue Service (IRS), Indian Audit and Accounts Service (IA&AS), Indian Railway Traffic Service (IRTS), Indian Railway Accounts Service (IRAS), Indian Defence Accounts Service (IDAS), Indian Defence Estates Service (IDES), Indian Information Service (IIS), Indian Postal Service (IPoS), Indian Civil Accounts Service (ICAS), Indian Railway Protection Force (IRPF), Indian Trade Service (ITrS), Indian Corporate Law Service (ICLS), Indian Economic Service (IES), Indian Statistical Service (ISS), Indian Revenue Service (Customs and Central Excise) and Indian Cost Accounts Service (ICAS) are the other Civil Services.
- Application Form Availability: Mid- Feb to 1st week of March
- Preliminary Exam Date: May
- Main Exam Date: September
- Personality Test: Typically conducted from February to April of the following year
- Frequency: The UPSC CSE is held once a year.
Overview
The UPSC Civil Services Exam (CSE) consists of three stages:
1. Preliminary Exam (Objective Test) |
Conducted on a single day, it includes two papers: General Studies I (with 100 questions) and General Studies II (CSAT, with 80 questions). Only candidates who clear the Prelims’ cut-offs in General Studies I and score at least 33% in General Studies II are eligible for the Mains. |
2. Main Exam (Subjective Test)
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· It is the subjective stage of the UPSC Exam. It has nine theory papers. · 4 General Studies Papers · 2 Optional Papers · 2 Language Papers · 1 Essay Paper · Out of these nine papers, language papers are of qualifying nature. · The candidate has to select one optional subject from the list of 48 subjects. · One can select any one official language of India as the medium of writing this exam. |
3. Personality Test (Interview) |
“Final rank of a candidate in merit list is depends upon the marks scored in second stage only i.e. written and Interview.”
Eligibility Criteria and Age Limit
Minimum Age Requirements |
21 |
Maximum Age Limit |
General – 32 OBC – 35 SC/ST – 37 |
Number of Attempts
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General – 6 OBC – 9 SC/ST- Unlimited upto the age limit |
Educational Qualification |
Graduation |
Nationality |
Indian Citizen Only |
Selection Process
The UPSC IAS Examination comprises two stages:
- Stage-I Preliminary Examination (Prelims):
This stage consists of two objective-type papers – General Studies Paper-I and General Studies Paper-II (CSAT). The marks obtained in this stage are qualifying in nature and are not counted for the final merit.
- Stage-II Main Examination (Written and Interview):
This stage is further divided into two stages, i.e., the written descriptive examination and the personality test.
The Written Exam consists of nine subjective papers, including a qualifying paper in any Indian language and English, followed by seven papers on various subjects. Marks obtained in the Mains and the Interview are considered for the final selection.
UPSC CSE Mains (Interview): Candidates who qualify for the Mains are called for an interview, which assesses the candidate’s personality, communication skills, and suitability for the civil service.
Exam Pattern
There will be a prelim examination to select the most qualified candidates for the main exam. Candidates who pass the preliminary examination will be considered for the main examination.
Preliminary Examination
- Both the question papers will be of the objective type (multiple choice questions), and each will be of two hours duration.
- The General Studies Paper-II of the Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination will be a qualifying paper with minimum qualifying marks fixed at 33%.
- The question papers will be set both in Hindi and English.
- There will be a negative marking of ⅓ marks for each wrong answer.
Subject |
No. of Questions |
Marks |
Exam Duration |
Paper I – General Studies |
100 |
200 |
2 Hours |
Paper II – Aptitude Test (CSAT) |
80 |
200 |
2 Hours |
Total |
180 |
200 |
Main Examination
- The UPSC mains test will be of the descriptive variety.
- Each paper will last three hours. Candidates applying for scribe will be allowed an additional 30 minutes.
- The language papers (Mains Paper A and Paper B) are of the qualifying variety.
- Candidates may select one optional subject from a list of 48 options provided by UPSC.
Paper |
Subject |
Marks |
Exam Duration |
Qualifying Papers |
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Paper-A |
Compulsory Indian language |
300 |
3 hours |
Paper-B |
English |
300 |
3 hours |
Papers to be counted for merit |
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Paper-I |
Essay |
250 Marks |
3 hours |
Paper-II |
General Studies-I |
250 Marks |
3 hours |
Paper-III |
General Studies-II |
250 Marks |
3 hours |
Paper-IV |
General Studies-III |
250 Marks |
3 hours |
Paper-V |
General Studies-IV |
250 Marks |
3 hours |
Paper-VI |
Optional Subject – Paper 1 |
250 Marks |
3 hours |
Paper-VII |
Optional Subject – Paper 1I |
250 Marks |
3 hours |
Total |
1750 |
Optional Subjects
(i) Agriculture |
(xiv) Management |
(ii) Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science |
(xv) Mathematics |
(iii) Anthropology |
(xvi) Mechanical Engineering |
(iv) Botany |
(xvii) Medical Science |
(v) Chemistry |
(xviii) Philosophy |
(vi) Civil Engineering |
(xix) Physics |
(vii) Commerce and Accountancy |
(xx) Political Science and International Relations |
(viii) Economics |
(xxi) Psychology |
(ix) Electrical Engineering |
(xxii) Public Administration |
(x) Geography |
(xxiii) Sociology |
(xi) Geology |
(xxiv) Statistics |
(xii) History |
(xxv) Zoology |
(xiii) Law |
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(xxvi) Literature in any one of the following languages: Assamese, Bengali, Bodo, Dogri, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Maithili, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Odia, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Santhali, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu and English. |
Best Books
History
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Geography |
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Indian Polity |
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Economics |
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Disaster Management |
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Security |
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International Relations |
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Ethics |
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Current Affairs |
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CSAT |
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Why to join us?
- Experienced Faculty: Teachers with in-depth knowledge and teaching experience.
- Comprehensive Study Material: Well researched and regularly updated study resources.
- Structured Course Plan: A well-planned curriculum covering all aspects of the syllabus.
- Regular Classes: Consistent and punctual classes with sufficient time for doubt clearance.
- Practice Tests and Mock Exams: Regular assessments to simulate the actual exam experience.
- Personalized Attention: Small batch sizes or individual focus for better understanding.
- Technology Integration: Utilization of digital tools and resources for enhanced learning.
- Doubt Clearance Sessions: Separate sessions for clarifying doubts and reinforcing concepts.
- Performance Tracking: Regular evaluation and feedback to monitor progress.
- Results-Oriented Approach: A focus on achieving high scores and selection in top institutions of India.
Syllabus
Detailed UPSC Syllabus |
Corresponding Links |
Prelims Syllabus |
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Mains Syllabus |
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Optional Subject (List and Syllabus) |
Updated Soon!
UPSC Civil Services Previous Year Question Papers
UPSC Prelims Question Papers |
UPSC Mains Question Papers |
UPSC Optional Subject Question Papers |
UPSC CSAT Question Papers |
₹ 86,000