UPSC Civil Services Examination
India's premier examination for recruitment to the IAS, IPS, IFS and other central civil services.
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UPSC Civil Services Examination — Highlights
- Conducting Body
- Union Public Service Commission (UPSC)
- Level
- National
- Mode
- Offline (Prelims OMR, Mains descriptive)
- Category
- Civil Services
- Country
- India
- Held
- Once a year
- Stages
- Prelims → Mains → Interview
- Recruits to
- IAS, IPS, IFS & allied services
- Prelims role
- Screening only (not counted in final rank)
Eligibility
Candidates must hold a Bachelor's degree from a recognised university. Nationality, age limits and the permitted number of attempts vary by category — verify the current notification. Age is typically counted as on 1 August of the exam year.
Exam Pattern
Three stages: (1) Preliminary — two objective papers (General Studies and CSAT), used only as a screening test; (2) Mains — nine descriptive papers including essay, general studies and an optional subject; (3) Personality Test (Interview). Prelims marks are not counted in the final ranking.
Syllabus
Prelims: current affairs, history, geography, polity, economy, environment, science, and CSAT aptitude. Mains: essay, four General Studies papers (covering governance, international relations, economy, ethics and more), one optional subject (two papers) and two qualifying language papers.
Selection Process
Prelims screens candidates for Mains; Mains + Interview marks decide the final merit list and service allocation. A candidate must clear each stage to proceed to the next.
Overview
The Civil Services Examination (CSE) conducted by the UPSC is the recruitment gateway to the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS) and a range of other Group A and Group B central services. It is a three-stage examination held once a year and is widely regarded as one of the toughest competitive exams in the country.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Prelims is only a screening stage; the final merit is based on Mains and the Interview.
Any Bachelor's degree from a recognised university makes you eligible to apply.
How to prepare
- Read the official notification first — confirm eligibility, exam pattern and the marking scheme.
- Get the latest official syllabus and map it topic by topic.
- Build a realistic weekly timetable and study consistently, not in bursts.
- Learn each concept properly first, then practise questions on it — avoid blind memorisation.
- Take full-length mock tests regularly under timed, exam-like conditions.
- Analyse every mock: fix weak topics and note the silly mistakes you keep making.
- In the final weeks, revise with short notes and previous-year question papers.
Foundation
Cover the entire syllabus once, concept by concept. Focus on understanding, not speed.
Practice
Do topic-wise question practice and solve previous-year papers. Start timing yourself.
Revision
Full-length mock tests, quick-revision notes, and targeted work on your weak areas.