Confused about the UPSC Civil Services exam pattern? Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) conducts Civil Services Exam to recruit eligible and interested candidates to various prestigious posts such as IAS, IFS, IPS, and other Group 'A' posts. This exam is highly competitive and candidates should ensure that they have clarity about the exam pattern before starting their preparation. It is Popularly known as the ‘IAS exam’.As per many analysis, this is the toughest exam in the world. The exam is attempted by around 5 Lakh candidates each year.
- UPSC Civil Services exam pattern is a must for candidates to know as the first step towards their preparation.
- This exam is conducted in two stages- Preliminary Exam, Mains Exam, and Interview.
- UPSC Preliminary Exam is objective and qualifying in nature while Mains Exam is descriptive and the Interview list is prepared on the basis on the scores on Mains Exam.
- The duration of the Preliminary Exam is 4 hours- 2 hours for Paper I and 2 hours for Paper-II.
- The application process for the exam to be held on 5 th of June will soon begin ib the month of February.
Candidates have to qualify for each stage to be finally selected in the services. The examination process itself goes on for a year. Read this article to know all about the UPSC Civil Services exam pattern and other details. If you are preparing for competitive exams and are looking for expert guidance, you can check out our daily FREE Current Affairs.
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IAS Exam Pattern
There are two stages in UPSC Civil Services Exam:
- Stage 1- Preliminary Exam
- Stage 2- Mains Exam (which includes the Interview round)
IAS Exam Pattern: Preliminary Examination
The UPSC Exam pattern for the preliminary exam consists of two papers:
- Paper 1 is - General Studies I
- Paper 2 is - CSAT (General Studies Paper-II).
- Both these papers are objective in nature.
- Preliminary exam is conducted to select the candidates who will appear for the Mains Examination.
- A total of 100 questions are asked in Paper I and 80 questions in Paper II.
- There is negative marking and 1/3 marks are deducted for every incorrect answer.
|
Paper Name |
Time Duration |
No. of Questions |
Total Marks |
Nature of Paper |
|
GS Paper I |
2 hours |
100 |
200 |
Marks considered for Preliminary Exam Merit |
|
GS Paper II (CSAT) |
2 hours |
80 |
200 |
Qualifying in nature |
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IAS Exam Pattern: Mains Examination
Candidates who qualify the preliminary examination appear for Mains Examination. Knowing UPSC Exam Pattern for mains examination is essential for all the UPSC Aspiants. There are 9 papers in Mains out of which 2 are qualifying in nature and the other 7 papers and interview are considered for preparing the merit list. All these papers are descriptive in nature. It is mandatory for candidates to score atleast 25% in each paper to be considered for final selection.
|
Paper Name |
Time Duration |
Total Marks |
Nature of Paper |
|
Paper A – Compulsory Indian Language Paper |
3 hours |
300 |
Qualifying in nature |
|
Paper B – English Language Paper |
3 hours |
300 |
|
|
Paper I – Essay |
3 hours |
250 |
Considered for Merit |
|
Paper II – General Studies I |
3 hours |
250 |
|
|
Paper III – General Studies II |
3 hours |
250 |
|
|
Paper IV – General Studies III |
3 hours |
250 |
|
|
Paper V – General Studies IV |
3 hours |
250 |
|
|
Paper VI – Optional Paper I |
3 hours |
250 |
|
|
Paper VII – Optional Paper II |
3 hours |
250 |
|
|
Total |
|
1750 |
|
|
Interview/ Personality Test |
|
275 |
|
|
Grand Total |
|
2025 |
To know more read here.
How many stages are there in UPSC Civil Services Exam?
There are two stages in the UPSC Civil Services Exam- Preliminary Examination and Mains Examination (inclusive of interview round).
What is the duration of the UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination?
The duration of UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination is 4 hours- 2 hours for each paper.
Is there a negative marking in UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination?
Yes, there is a negative marking in UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination. 1/3 marks are deducted for every incorrect answer.
How many papers are there in UPSC Civil Services Mains Examination?
There are 9 papers in UPSC Civil Services Mains Examination out of which 2 papers are qualifying in nature while the other 7 are considered for merit.
How many marks does the Interview round carry in UPSC Civil Services Exam carry?
Interview round carries a total of 275 marks in UPSC Civil Services Exam.