The UPSC Exam
IAS as a Career
The IAS (Indian Administrative Service) is considered one of the most prestigious job profile in the country. There are 24 services offered through the Civil Services Exam, such as IAS (Indian Administrative Service), IPS (Indian Police Service), IFS (Indian Foreign Service), IRS (Indian Revenue Service), among others.
What is the UPSC?
Union Public Service Commission is a body created under the Constitution of India, which conducts Civil Services Examination (CSE). This constitutional body is entrusted with selecting the topmost bureaucrats in India.
Eligibility for UPSC Exam
The educational qualification needed to appear in UPSC Civil Services Exam is a Graduation Degree in any subject recognized by UGC.
Age Limit for UPSC Exam
The Minimum Age to appear in UPSC Civil Services Exam is 21 years as on 1st August of that year. Upper Age limit for General Category is 32 Years, for OBC it is 35 Years while for SC/ST it is 37 years.
UPSC Exam Pattern
The UPSC exam is divided into 3 stages – Prelims, Mains Examination & Personality Test (Interview).
UPSC Exam Scheme
Preliminary Examination
| Compulsory | Topic/Subjects | No. of Questions | Duration of the Test | Maximum Marks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Studies I | Geography, Polity, Economy, History, Environmental Ecology, General Science and Current Affairs | 100 | 2 Hrs | 200 |
| General Studies II (CSAT) | Comprehension, Logical Reasoning and General Mental Ability | 80 | 2 Hrs | 200* |
Main Examination
| Serial Number | Paper | Subject | Duration of the Test | Maximum Marks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paper I | Essay Writing | Essay Writing | 3 Hrs | 250 |
| Paper II | General Studies I | Indian Heritage & Culture, History & Geography of the World & Society | 3 Hrs | 250 |
| Paper III | General Studies II | Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice & International Relations | 3 Hrs | 250 |
| Paper IV | General Studies III | Technology, Economic Development, Bio-Diversity, Environment, Security & Disaster Management | 3 Hrs | 250 |
| Paper V | General Studies IV | Ethics, Integrity & Aptitude | 3 Hrs | 250 |
| Paper VI | Optional Subject Paper I | 3 Hrs | 250 | |
| Paper VII | Optional Subject Paper II | 3 Hrs | 250 | |
| Paper VIII | English | Qualifying | 3 Hrs | 300* |
| Paper IX | Scheduled Language | Qualifying | 3 Hrs | 300* |
Interview
| Personality Test | 275 |
|---|---|
| Note: | |
| 25 Subjects and 23 languages are offered by UPSC as Optional Subjects. | |
| Final Selection is done on the basis of merit list calculated out of 2025 Marks from Mains + Personality Test. | |
| Marks of Qualifying Papers are not counted for final selection. | |
Rank List of UPSC
Rank List is prepared based on total marks obtained in the Seven Papers of Main Exam and the Marks of the Personality Test. (i.e. 1750 Marks from 7 Papers + 275 Marks for Personality Test = 2025 Total Marks)
Attempts
Number of attempts permissible for a general category candidate in UPSC Civil Services Exam is 6, for OBC candidates the number of attempts permitted is 9, SC/ST category will have unlimited attempts till they attain the upper age limit to appear for UPSC Civil Service Exam.
Important Dates for UPSC Exam
| Notification and Form filling for Prelim Exam with UPSC - February/March | |
| Date of Prelim Exam - May/June | Declaration of Main Results - January/February |
| Result of Prelim Exam - August/September | Personality Test - March/April |
| Commencement of Exam - October | Declaration of Final Merit List - May |
List of Services - UPSC Posts
The 3 Types of Civil Services
1. Indian Administrative Service (IAS)
2. India Police Service (IPS)
3. Indian Forest Service (IFoS)
01. Indian Foreign Service (IFS)
02. Indian Audit and Accounts Service (IAAS)
03. Indian Civil Accounts Service (ICAS)
04. Indian Corporate Law Service (ICLS)
05. Indian Defence Accounts Service (IDAS)
06. Indian Defence Estates Service (IDES)
07. Indian Information Service (IIS)
08. Indian Ordnance Factories Service (IOFS)
09. Indian Communication Finance Services (ICFS)
10. Indian Postal Service (IPoS)
11. Indian Railway Accounts Service (IRAS)
12. Indian Railway Personnel Service (IRPS)
13. Indian Railway Traffic Service (IRTS)
14. Indian Revenue Service (IRS)
15. Indian Trade Service (ITS)
16. Railway Protection Force (RPF)
01. Armed Forces Headquarters Civil Service
02. DANICS
03. DANIPS
04. Pondicherry Civil Service
05. Pondicherry Police Service
Centres for UPSC Exam
| (A)(i) Centres for Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination: The Examination will be held at the following Centres: | ||
| Agartala | Gorakhpur | Patna |
| Agra | Gurugram | Port Blair |
| Ajmer | Gwalior | Prayagraj (Allahabad) |
| Ahmedabad | Hyderabad | Puducherry |
| Aizawal | Imphal | Pune |
| Aligarh | Indore | Raipur |
| Anantpur (Andhra Pradesh) | Itanagar | Rajkot |
| Aurangabad | Jabalpur | Ranchi |
| Bengaluru | Jaipur | Sambalpur |
| Barelly | Jammu | Shillong |
| Bhopal | Jodhpur | Shimpla |
| Bilaspur | Jorhat | Siligudi |
| Chandigarh | Kochi | Srinagar |
| Chennai | Kohima | Thane |
| Coimnbatore | Kolkata | Thiruvananthapuram |
| Cuttack | Kozhikode (Calicut) | Tiruchirapalli |
| Dehradun | Leh | Tirupati |
| Delhi | Lucknow | Udaipur |
| Dharwad | Ludhiana | Varanasi |
| Dispur | Madurai | Vellore |
| Faridabad | Mumbai | Vijayavada |
| Gangtok | Mysore | Vishakhapatnam |
| Gaya | Nagpur | Warangal |
| Gautam Buddh Nagar | Navi Mumbai | |
| Ghazibad | Panaji (Goa) | |
| (A)(ii) Centres for Civil Services (Main) Examination: | ||
| Ahmedabad | Delhi | Patna |
| Aizawal | Dispur (Guwahati) | Prayagraj (Allahabad) |
| Bengaluru | Hyderabad | Raipur |
| Bhopal | Jaipur | Ranchi |
| Chandigarh | Jammu | Shillong |
| Chennai | Kolkata | Shimla |
| Cuttack | Lucknow | Thiruvananthapuram |
| Dehradun | Mumbai | Vijayawada |
