Civil Services Examination
The Civil Services Examination (CSE) conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) is one of India's prestigious and not suprisingly one of the toughest examinations. Aspirants who clear all three stages of this exam (Prelims, Mains and Interview) can become Civil Servants by joining the - IAS, IFS, IPS, IRS and more than 20 other services.
1. Eligibility Criteria
Education : Any graduate degree (distance education as well) recognised by UGC/ AICTE
Age Limit & Number of Attempts
| CATEGORY | ASPIRANT AGE | # ATTEMPTS |
|---|---|---|
| General | 21 to 32 | 6 |
| OBC | 21 to 35 | 9 |
| SC / ST | 21 to 37 | Unlimited |
2. Examination Schedule
| February | Notification |
| June | Prelims (Hurdle 1) |
| July / August | Result of the Prelims |
| October | Mains (Hurdle 2) |
| January | Result of the Mains |
| February / March | Personality Test/ Interview (Hurdle 3) |
| April / May | FINAL Result and Selection |
| Post 1 Year | Training at LBSNAA |
3. Stages of the Examination - The Marathon
| STAGE | # PAPERS | PAPERS PATTERN | TOTAL MARKS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stage 1 - Prelims | 1 + 1* | Objective | 200 |
| Stage 2 - Mains | 2* + 7 | Descriptive | 1750 |
| Stage 3 - Personality Test | NA | Oral | 275 |
4. Details of the Examination - The Stragery
| S.No | SUBJECTS | MARKS | DURATION | PAPERS PATTERN | ATTENTION ASPIRANT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PRELIMS EXMAINATION | |||||
| 1 | Paper I General Studies | 200 (100 Questions) |
2 hours | Objective | Negative marks (0.67) |
| 2 | Paper II CSAT (Qualifying) | 200 (80 Questions) |
2 hours | Objective | Negative marks (0.83) |
| MAINS EXMAINATION | |||||
| 1 | Paper I Indian Language (Qualifying) | 300 | 3 hours | Descriptive | Minimum 25% |
| 2 | Paper II English (Qualifying) | 300 | 3 hours | Descriptive | Minimum 25% |
| 1 | Paper I Essay | 250 | 3 hours | Descriptive | Deciding paper |
| 2 | Paper II General Studies I | 250 | 3 hours | Descriptive | Minimum 25% |
| 3 | Paper III General Studies II | 250 | 3 hours | Descriptive | Minimum 25% |
| 4 | Paper IV General Studies III | 250 | 3 hours | Descriptive | Minimum 25% |
| 5 | Paper V General Studies IV | 250 | 3 hours | Descriptive | |
| 6 | Paper VI Optional Paper I | 250 | 3 hours | Descriptive | Minimum 25% |
| 7 | Paper VII Optional Paper II | 250 | 3 hours | Descriptive | Minimum 25% |
| PERSONALITY TEST / INTERVIEW | |||||
| 1 | Personality Test | 250 | 15 to 45 minutes | Oral | Compulsory |
Civil Services Preliminary Examination
- Current Events
- History of India
- Indian & World Geography
- Indian Polity & Governance
- Economics & Social Development
- General Issues on Environment
- General Science
- List of Indian Year Book
- Previous Year Question Paper
- G.S. (CSAT) PAPER - 1 Syllabus
- Comprehension
- Interpersonal Skills
- Logical Reasoning & Analytical Ability
- Decision Making & Problem Solving
- General Mental Ability
- Basic Numeracy
- Data Interpretation
- English Language Comprehension Skills
- Previous Year Question Paper
- G.S. (CSAT) PAPER - 2 Syllabus
UPSC (CSE) - MAIN SYLLABUS
General Studies-I 250 Marks
(Indian Heritage and Culture, History and Geography of the World and Society)
General Studies-II 250 Marks
(Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice and International relations)
General Studies-III 250 Marks
(Technology, Economics Development, Bio-Diversity, Environment, Security and Disaster Management)
General Studies-IV 250 Marks
(Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude)
Marks carried by General Studies was 4*250=1000
Optional papers: Tamil Literature, Agriculture, Geography, History, Psychology, Sociology.
