CIVIL SERVICES EXAMINATION SCHEME

The Civil Services Examination is conducted in 3 stages.

Stage 1PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION
  • Objective Type Test with Multiple Choice Questions
  • Negative marking of one-third marks for each wrong answer.
  • OMR Sheet Based
  • Two Papers: 200 Marks each (Total: 400 Marks)
  • General Studies: 100 Questions (One Right Answer = 2 Marks, One Wrong Answer = –0.67 Marks)
  • CSAT: 80 Questions (One Right Answer = 2.5 Marks, One Wrong Answer = –0.83 Marks)
  • Marks of the Prelims will not be counted for final merit.
  • Clearing the Prelims makes a candidate eligible for the next stage of the exam.
Stage 2MAINS EXAMINATION
  • Descriptive/Written Format
  • Total: 9 Papers
  • Two Qualifying Papers: (Minimum 75 Marks required in each)
    • English Language Paper: 300 Marks
    • Any Indian Language Paper: 300 Marks
  • Seven Papers Counted for Merit:
PAPERSUBJECTMARKS
Paper-1Essay250 Marks
Paper-2General Studies – I
(Indian Heritage & Culture, History & Geography of the World & Society)		250 Marks
Paper-3General Studies – II
(Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice & International Relations)		250 Marks
Paper-4General Studies – III
(Technology, Economic Development, Biodiversity, Environment, Security & Disaster Management)		250 Marks
Paper-5General Studies – IV
(Ethics, Integrity & Aptitude)		250 Marks
Paper-6Optional Subject – Paper 1250 Marks
Paper-7Optional Subject – Paper 2250 Marks
Total Marks for Mains Examination: 1750 Marks
Stage 3PERSONALITY TEST (INTERVIEW)
Conducted by a Board to assess the candidate’s personality, general interest & suitability for public service.

Final Merit Calculation
Mains (1750) + Personality Test (275) = 2025 Marks

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ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

  1. Nationality:
    • For IAS & IPS: Must be a citizen of India.
    • For other services: Citizens of certain other countries may also be eligible under specific conditions.

2. Age Limit:

  • Must be between 21 and 32 years as of 1st August of the exam year.
  • Age Relaxation:
    • SC/ST: 5 years
    • OBC: 3 years
    • Other relaxations for Ex-Defence personnel and candidates with certain disabilities.

3. Educational Qualification:

  • A university degree or equivalent qualification.
  • Candidates in their final year of graduation can apply but must submit proof before Mains Examination.

4. Restrictions:

  • Candidates already appointed as IAS or IFS officers are not eligible.
  • Candidates appointed to IPS cannot opt for IPS in subsequent exams

UPSC SYLLABUS

PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION

PAPER I: GENERAL STUDIES (100 x 2 = 200 marks) [Duration: 2 Hrs]
  • Current events of national and international importance.
  • History of India and Indian National Movement
  • Indian and World Geography Physical, Social, Economic Geography of India and the World.
  • Indian Polity and Governance – Constitution, Political System, Panchayat Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues, etc.
  • Economic and Social Development, Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector initiatives, etc.
  • General issues on Environmental Ecology, Biodiversity and Climate Change -that do not require subject specialization.
PAPER II: CSAT (80 x 2.5 = 200 marks) [Duration: 2 Hrs]
    • Reading Comprehension
    • Interpersonal skills including communication skills,
    • Logical reasoning and analytical ability
    • Decision making and problem solving
    • General mental ability
    • Basic numeracy (numbers and their relations, orders of magnitude etc.) (Class X level)
    • Data interpretation (charts, graphs, tables, data sufficiency etc. Class X level)
    • English Language Comprehension skills (Class X level).

Common Points to be remembered:

  • Paper-II of the Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination will be a qualifying paper with minimum Qualifying Marks fixed at 33.33%.
  • The Questions will be of Multiple Choices, objective type the appearance of questions will be set in HINDI and ENGLISH.
  • Each paper will be of TWO Hours duration. Blind candidates will however be allowed an extra time of 20 minutes at each paper. And even Physically Challenged people will get extra time of 40 minutes.
  • It is mandatory for the candidate to appear in both the Papers of Civil Services (Prelims) Examination for the purpose of evaluation.
  • If the candidate has qualified in Paper – II (CSAT) then only their Paper-1 (GS) paper will be evaluated.
  • There will be a cut off marks to qualify for the next level i.e. Mains Examination. That will be determined according to the number of posts, number of candidates who appeared for the exam, and the average of the candidates who appeared for the exam, and the level of difficulty of the question paper in average. The marks scored by the candidates in the preliminary examination are not counted for the final score