UPSC Civil Service Exam Overview

The Civil Service exams are conducted by UPSC (Union Public Service Commission), towards fulfilling the vacancies across various positions in the government of India like

(i) Indian Administrative Service.

(ii) Indian Foreign Service.

(iii) Indian Police Service.
(iv) Indian Revenue Service.

(vii) Indian Defense Accounts Service.

(x) Indian Postal Service.

(xi) Indian Civil Accounts Service.

The UPSC Civil Service Exam comprises of the following stages:

UPSC Civil Service Preliminary and Main Exam Overview

The Preliminary Examination will consist of two papers of Objective type (multiple choice questions) and carry a maximum of 400 marks. This examination is meant to serve as a screening test only; the marks obtained in the Preliminary Examination by the candidates who are declared qualified for admission to the Main Examination will not be counted for determining their final order of merit.

UPSC Civil Service Interview Overview

The candidate will be interviewed by a Board who will have before them a record of his/her career. He/she will be asked questions on matters of general interest. The object of the interview is to assess the personal suitability of the candidate for a career in public service by a Board of competent and unbiased observers.

The test is intended to judge the mental caliber of a candidate. In broad terms this is really an assessment of not only his/her intellectual qualities but also social traits and his/her interest in current affairs. Some of the qualities to be judged are mental alertness, critical powers of assimilation, clear and logical exposition, balance of judgment, variety and depth of interest, ability for social cohesion and leadership, intellectual and moral integrity.

UPSC Civil Service Exam Eligibility

Any candidate aspiring to take up the Civil Service examination should ensure that he is eligible as per the below eligibility criteria’s.

UPSC Civil Service Exam Registration

Candidates are required to apply Online by using the website http://www.upsconline.nic.in Detailed instructions for filling up online applications are available on the above- mentioned website.

The eligible candidates shall be issued an e-Admission Certificate three weeks before the commencement of the examination. The e- Admission Certificate will be made available in the UPSC website [www.upsc.gov.in] for downloading by candidates. No Admission Certificate will be sent by post.

For both writing and marking answers in the OMR sheet [Answer Sheet], candidates must use black ball pen only. Pens with any other colors are prohibited. Do not use Pencil or Ink pen. Candidates are further advised to read carefully the "Special Instructions" contained in Appendix-III of the Notice.

Last date for receipt of Applications:

UPSC Civil Service Preliminary Exam Syllabus

The UPSC Civil Service Preliminary Exam, is the first stage of selection which will be follows by the Main Exam and an Interview with the board, before the candidate is finally selected. 

The Preliminary Exam shall comprise two compulsory papers of 200 marks each. The following is the syllabus / pattern for the 2 papers

UPSC Civil Service Main Exam Syllabus

The UPSC Civil Service Main Exam follows the Prelim exams, the number of candidates to be admitted to the Main Examination will be about twelve to thirteen times the total approximate number of vacancies to be filled in the year in the various Services and Posts. Only those candidates who are declared by the Commission to have qualified in the Preliminary Examination in the year will be eligible for admission to the Main Examination

The Main Exam  will consist of the following papers: