IAS Course

UPSC CIVIL SERVICES EXAMINATIONS

Civil Services Examination (CSE) is conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) annually.

UPSC (CSE) is one of the most competitive examinations in India. It is the gateway to a career in the Indian Administrative Service, the Indian Foreign Service, and other civil services. It is a long and challenging journey, but it is possible to succeed if you are willing to put in the hard work and dedication.

UPSC (CSE) is held in three phases :

• Preliminary Examination
• Main Examination
• Personality Test

Those who clear all the three stages of the exam can join the prestigious civil services of the country, and become officers in the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS) and other allied services. Although regarded as one of the toughest exams in the country, with the right approach and strategy, an aspirant can crack it. It is essential for the aspirants to know and understand the requirements of the exam such as the syllabus (Prelims and Mains), pattern, eligibility criteria, application procedure and other such significant details before starting the preparations. All the relevant details related to the exam. that is needed for aspirants to know are provided here.

Pattern of Examination

The UPSC CSE pattern is:

• Stage I: Preliminary Examination (Multiple Choice Questions)
• Stage II: Main Examination (Written Examination)
• Stage III: Personality Test (Interview)

For Updated Exam Syllabus PDF:Click here

Stage I: Preliminary Examination

Sl.No.	Papers	Nature of Paper	Duration of the Exam.	No. of Questions	Marks
1	Paper - I: General Studies	Merit Ranking Nature	2 Hours	100	200 Marks
2	Paper - II: General Studies (CSAT)	Qualifying Nature	2 Hours	80	200 Marks

• The questions in Preliminary are of objective type or Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)
• Negative marking is there in prelims. In both GS Paper-I & Paper-II, one-third of the marks are deducted for every wrong answer. The GS Paper-II (CSAT) is of qualifying nature and candidates are required to score a minimum of 33 percent in this paper to qualify for the next stage of the exam i.e. the Mains.
• Appearing for both Papers (GS Paper-I & Paper-II) is mandatory for the students.
• The marks scored by the candidates in the preliminary examinations are not counted in the final score. It is only a screening test where candidates are meant to make it to the cutoff and be eligible for appearing the Mains.

Stage II: Main Examinations

The second stage of the UPSC (CSE) is called the Main Exam, which is a written descriptive examination and comprises of nine papers. They are as follows.

Sl. No.	UPSC CSE	Name of the Paper	Nature of the Paper	Duration of the Exam	Marks
1	Paper - A	Compulsory Indian Language	QUALIFYING NATURE	3 Hours	300 Marks
2	Paper - B	English	QUALIFYING NATURE	3 Hours	300 Marks
3	Paper - I	ESSAY	MERIT RANKING NATURE	3 Hours	250 Marks
4	Paper - II	General Studies I	MERIT RANKING NATURE	3 Hours	250 Marks
5	Paper - III	General Studies II	MERIT RANKING NATURE	3 Hours	250 Marks
6	Paper - IV	General Studies III	MERIT RANKING NATURE	3 Hours	250 Marks
7	Paper - V	General Studies IV	MERIT RANKING NATURE	3 Hours	250 Marks
8	Paper - VI	Optional Paper I	MERIT RANKING NATURE	3 Hours	250 Marks
9	Paper - VII	Optional Paper II	MERIT RANKING NATURE	3 Hours	250 Marks
TOTAL					1750 Marks
Interview or Personality Test					275 Marks
GRAND TOTAL					2025 Marks

NOTE:

• Paper-A (Compulsory Indian Language); Paper -B (English) which are qualifying in nature, while the other papers like Essay, General Studies Papers I, II, III, and IV, and Optional Papers I and II are considered for the final ranking.
• The candidates can select their medium of writing the UPSC Civil Services Mains Exam as Hindi or English or any other language listed in the 8th Schedule of the Indian Constitution.
• The Indian Languages included in the exam are as per languages listed in the 8th Schedule of the Indian Constitution.
• The candidates who score above the prescribed cut-off marks in the UPSC (CSE) (Main) will be called for the Personality Test.
• The final ranking of the candidates is made on the basis of the marks obtained by them in the Main Examination and Personality Test/Interview Round of the exam.

Stage III: Personality Test

Candidates who clear the Mains with the required cut-off marks qualify for the final stage i.e., Personality Test which carries 275 marks.In this round, the board assesses the personality traits of the candidates, basedon their knowledge on hobbies, current affairs, profession and assess their quick thinking skills to evaluate if they are fit for a career in civil services. The interview board is also prone to asking situation based questions to the candidates.

FAQ

Parameter	Details
Exam Conducting Body	UPSC
Educational Qualification	Graduation
Mode of Exam	Offline
Number of Times Conducted	Once every year
Prescribed Age Limit	21 - 32 years (upper age relaxation for reserved candidates)
No. of Attempts	6
Notification for UPSC (CSE)-2025	22.01.2025
Last Date of Submission of Form	11.02.2025
UPSC (CSE) Exam - Preliminary 2025	25.05.2025 (Sunday)
UPSC (CSE) Exam - Main 2025	22.08.2025 (for 5 Days)

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Preparation Strategy

Preparing for the UPSC Civil Services Exam can be a challenging task, but with the right approach, dedication and strategic planning, it is possible to achieve your goal of becoming a civil servant. UPSC preparation involves forming a well-structured study plan, consistent effort and a focused approach to succeed in the Civil Services Examinations.

Preparation at LISAS'IAS

LISAS'IAS has been the most preferred destination for civil services aspirants in Odisha. The institute imparts comprehensive guidance programmes for UPSC Civil Services Examinations. The institute is committed to provide the mentorship and structured methodology to help the aspirants achieve their goal.