Education Qualification
- Candidate must hold a degree from Government recognised Universities or equivalent qualification.
- Final year Candidate or those awaiting results can appear for UPSC preliminary Exam. All such candidates who must produce proof of having passed the examination along with the application for the main IAS examination.
- Any Candidates with professional and technical qualifications which is recognised by the Government as equivalent to professional and technical degrees are eligible.
- MBBS student who have passed final year exam but did not complete their internship are also eligible for UPSC exam. But they will have to submit a certificate of course completion from the concerned authority of the University/Institution along with their Mains Exam application.
Exam Name
The IAS exam officially known as the “Civil Services Examination” is conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).
For IAS, IPS and IFS:
- Must be a Citizen of India
For All Other Services:
- A citizen of India, or
- A subject of Nepal, or
- A subject of Bhutan, or
- A Tibetan refugee who came to India before 1st January 1962 intending to settle in India permanently, or
- Person of Indian origin (PIO) who has migrated from Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka, East African countries of Kenya, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Ethiopia, Zaire, and Vietnam intends to permanently settle in India.
- Other than citizens of India, all other candidates (for services other than IAS and IPS) must furnish a certificate of eligibility issued by the Government of India, even though they can take the exam before getting the said certificate of eligibility.
Category | Minimum Age Limit | Maximum Age Limit |
General Category | 21 | 32 |
EWS | 21 | 32 |
SC/ST | 21 | 37 |
OBC | 21 | 35 |
Disabled Defence Services Personnel | 21 | 35 |
Ex-Servicemen | 21 | 37 |
Persons with Benchmark Disability – EWS
| 21 | 42 |
- Candidates will have to apply online. No other mode for submission of applications is allowed. Candidates are required to apply Online by using the website http://www.upsconline.nic.in.
- Candidates will be issued an e-Admission Certificate which will be available on www.upsc.gov.in for downloading. Admission Certificate will not be sent by post to the applicants.
- Candidates in Government Service or in private employment need to submit their applications direct to the Commission. Persons already in Government Service other than casual or daily rated employees or those serving under the Public Enterprises are, required to submit an undertaking that they have informed in writing to their Head of Office/Department that they have applied for the Examination. If the commission receives a communication from their employer that the employer is withholding permission to the candidates from applying for examination then their application will be rejected.
- The application will be accepted till 11.59 pm of the closing date.
Structure of Exam
Stage 1 - Preliminary Examination
Stage 2 - Main Examination
Stage 3 - Personality Test – Interview
Stage 1 – UPSC Preliminary Examination
- Objective of the Preliminary Examination is to select candidates for the Main Examination. Preliminary stage consists of two papers. Both the papers have objective type questions and is a qualifying stage to filter candidates for the mains exam.
- The marks obtained in the preliminary exam are not counted towards the final merit list
- Mandatory to attend both the Exam.
- Preliminary exam score will not be added to Mains exam.
- Negative marking of 1/3rd for every incorrect answer.
Name of the Paper
| No of Questions
| Total Marks
| Time Allotted
| Nature of Paper |
General Studies I | 100 | 200 | 2 Hours | Marks considered of merit |
General Studies II (CSAT) | 80 | 200 | 2 Hours | 33% marks required to qualify for CSAT. |
Stage 2 – UPSC Main Examination
- Mains stage consists of 9 papers out of which 2 are of qualifying nature where are 7 papers are considered for merit.
- Total Maks of Mains Exam will be 1750
- Mandatory to obtain 25% in each paper for final selection.
- Paper A is not compulsory for candidates from the States of Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Sikkim as well as candidates with hearing impairment. Candidate will have to prove that they have been exempted from such 2nd or 3rd language courses by their board or university.
- Indian Language paper covers languages included in the 8th Schedule of the Constitution.
Paper | Subject | Duration | Total Marks |
Paper A | 3 hours | 300 | |
Paper B | 3 hours | 300 | |
Paper I | 3 hours | 250 | |
Paper-II | 3 hours | 250 | |
Paper III | 3 hours | 250 | |
Paper IV | 3 hours | 250 | |
Paper V | 3 hours | 250 | |
Paper VI | 3 hours | 250 | |
Paper VII | 3 hours | 250 |
Stage 3 – UPSC Interview / Personality Test
- Total marks of the Interview stage is 275
- Interview process is the last and final stage of the selection process
Total Marks for the merit list consideration is 2025 ( Mains – 1750 + Interview – 275 )
Number of Attempts
Category
Number of Attempts
General Category
6
EWS
6
SC/ST
Unlimited (Up to age limit)
OBC
9
Disabled Defence Services Personnel
9
Ex-Servicemen
9
Persons with
Benchmark Disability – EWS
9
List of Services
There are total 24 different Civil Services posts filled by the Civil Services Exam conducted by UPSC. Candidates are allotted services according to the rank obtained in the exam.
All India Civil Services
- Indian Administrative Service (IAS)
- Indian Police Service (IPS)
- Indian Forest Service (IFoS)
Group ‘A’ Civil Services
- Indian Foreign Service (IFS)
- Indian Audit and Accounts Service (IAAS)
- Indian Civil Accounts Service (ICAS)
- Indian Corporate Law Service (ICLS)
- Indian Defence Accounts Service (IDAS)
- Indian Defence Estates Service (IDES)
- Indian Information Service (IIS)
- Indian Ordnance Factories Service (IOFS)
- Indian Communication Finance Services (ICFS)
- Indian Postal Service (IPoS)
- Indian Railway Accounts Service (IRAS)
- Indian Railway Personnel Service (IRPS)
- Indian Railway Traffic Service (IRTS)
- Indian Revenue Service (IRS)
- Indian Trade Service (ITS)
- Railway Protection Force (RPF)
Group ‘B’ Civil Services
1. Armed Forces Headquarters Civil Service
2. DANICS
3. DANIPS
4. Pondicherry Civil Service
5. Pondicherry Police Service