Government · Central · Union Public Service Commission (UPSC)
UPSC Civil Services Examination
Three stages over 13 months. 9.4 lakh applicants, 958 selected. Prelims marks don't count.
What this exam is
One exam fills the IAS, IPS, IFS and around twenty other central services. The 2025 funnel: 9,37,876 applied, 5,76,793 sat Prelims, 14,161 reached Mains, 2,736 were interviewed, 958 made the list — 0.17% of those who appeared. The cycle runs long: notification in January or February, Prelims in late May, Mains in late August, final result the following March. Thirteen months, three stages, one rank list.
Prelims is elimination by negative marking. One-third of a question's marks per wrong answer, and the cutoff is computed on GS Paper-I alone — 87.98 out of 200 in 2024, roughly 55 net-correct of 100. CSAT is qualifying at 33%, but it fails people: its maths load has nearly doubled since 2014. In 2025, 67 of the 100 GS questions were multi-statement. Elimination beats recall. A blank costs nothing; a guess costs 0.66.
Mains is where ranks are made. GS scores compress — well-prepared candidates cluster at 90–110 out of 250 — so the Optional's 500 marks and the Essay's 250 create the separation. The whole exam scores low: the 2024 topper finished at 51.5% of 2,025 marks. Serious preparation runs 10 to 18 months, integrates Prelims and Mains study, and lives on timed full-length mocks — because how many of the 100 to attempt at −0.66 is only learnable by simulating it.
Who can sit it
- Any bachelor's degree from a recognised university. Final-year candidates may sit the exam but must prove passing before the Interview stage.
- Age 21–32 on 1 Aug of the exam year (CSE 2026: born 2 Aug 1994 – 1 Aug 2005). Upper-limit relaxation: OBC +3, SC/ST +5, PwBD +10, cumulative where categories combine. EWS gets no age relaxation.
- Attempts: 6 for General and EWS, 9 for OBC, unlimited for SC/ST within the age limit. Appearing in even one Prelims paper burns an attempt.
- Indian citizenship required for IAS, IFS and IPS; certain other services open to Nepal/Bhutan subjects and specified migrants with an eligibility certificate.
- Fee: Rs 100 at Prelims, Rs 200 more at Mains. Women, SC, ST and PwBD candidates are fully exempt.
The paper, stage by stage
| Stage | Section | Questions | Marks | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prelims | GS Paper-I (cutoff computed on this paper alone) | 100 | 200 | 2 hours |
| Prelims | GS Paper-II — CSAT (qualifying at 33%, i.e. 66.67/200) | 80 | 200 | 2 hours |
| Mains | Paper A — Indian Language (qualifying at 25%; exemptions for some NE states, certain PwBD) | — | 300 | 3 hours |
| Mains | Paper B — English (qualifying at 25%) | — | 300 | 3 hours |
| Mains | Essay (two essays, one from each section) | 2 | 250 | 3 hours |
| Mains | GS-I to GS-IV (Heritage/History/Geography; Polity/Governance/IR; Economy/Environment/Security; Ethics) | — | 250 each (1,000 total) | 3 hours each |
| Mains | Optional Papers 1 & 2 (one subject from 48 choices) | — | 250 each (500 total) | 3 hours each |
| Interview | Personality Test (no minimum qualifying marks) | — | 275 | — |
| Final merit | Mains written (1,750) + Interview (275); Prelims marks not counted | — | 2,025 | — |
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Original items in this exam's style — a timer armed the moment you saw them. Your answer and your seconds produce the diagnosis.
Consider the following statements regarding the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC): 1. It is a six-member body, of whom three are appointed by the Central Government. 2. The RBI Governor has a casting vote in the event of a tie. 3. The RBI Act requires it to meet at least six times a year. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
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Common questions
UPSC CSE — frequently asked
Who conducts UPSC CSE?
UPSC Civil Services Examination is conducted by Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).
When is the next UPSC CSE exam?
CSE 2027: notification 13 Jan 2027, Prelims 23 May 2027, Mains from 20 Aug 2027 — all announced via the official UPSC Annual Calendar 2027 (released 20 May 2026).
How many vacancies or seats does UPSC CSE have?
933 notified (2026); 979 notified, 1,087 at final result (2025).
What is the UPSC CSE exam pattern?
The paper is Prelims: 180 MCQs (GS-I 100 + CSAT 80). Mains: 9 descriptive papers. Interview: 275 marks. Timing: Prelims: two 2-hour papers, one day. Mains: nine 3-hour papers over 5 days.
Is there negative marking in UPSC CSE?
One-third of question marks per wrong MCQ: −0.66 in GS-I, −0.83 in CSAT. None in Mains.
What is the eligibility for UPSC CSE?
Any bachelor's degree from a recognised university. Final-year candidates may sit the exam but must prove passing before the Interview stage. Age 21–32 on 1 Aug of the exam year (CSE 2026: born 2 Aug 1994 – 1 Aug 2005). Upper-limit relaxation: OBC +3, SC/ST +5, PwBD +10, cumulative where categories combine. EWS gets no age relaxation. Attempts: 6 for General and EWS, 9 for OBC, unlimited for SC/ST within the age limit. Appearing in even one Prelims paper burns an attempt. Indian citizenship required for IAS, IFS and IPS; certain other services open to Nepal/Bhutan subjects and specified migrants with an eligibility certificate. Fee: Rs 100 at Prelims, Rs 200 more at Mains. Women, SC, ST and PwBD candidates are fully exempt.
How many candidates appear for UPSC CSE?
9,37,876 applied, 5,76,793 appeared (2025); 2026 figures not yet published.
Which languages is UPSC CSE available in?
Question papers in Hindi and English; Mains answerable in English or any Eighth Schedule language.
What is the UPSC CSE syllabus?
The paper covers Indian Polity & Governance, Modern Indian History & National Movement, Ancient & Medieval History, Art & Culture, Indian & World Geography, Economy & Social Development, Environment, Ecology & Climate Change, Science & Technology, Current Affairs (12–18 months of it), International Relations, Internal Security & Disaster Management, Ethics, Integrity & Aptitude (GS-IV), Essay writing, CSAT: comprehension, reasoning, Class-X numeracy and data interpretation, Optional subject (one of 48: 25 disciplines + 23 literatures).
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Honesty note: Adversarial verify pass pending (agent budget) — both sample-question keys manually re-solved and confirmed against the RBI Act and Arts 109/111/117. CSE 2026 applied/appeared counts are not yet published by UPSC — applicant figures shown are from the completed 2025 cycle (PIB). CSE 2026 vacancy count is 933 per the official notification; secondary sources reported 1,016 at the prelims-result stage, unverified against any UPSC revision notice, so 933 is used. One secondary source claims the 2026 application deadline was extended to 27 Feb; the notification and most sources say 24 Feb — 24 Feb is used. The questions researcher dated the 2026 notification 14 Jan; that was the calendared date — actual release was 4 Feb 2026 (used here). CSE 2026 Mains result, interview and final result dates are pattern-based estimates, labelled expected. CSE 2024 final vacancy total conflicts across sources (1,129 vs 1,132). Prelims subject weightages, CSAT failure rates and Mains score-clustering figures are coaching-community tallies (Vision IAS, StudyIQ, EduTap), not official UPSC data — UPSC publishes no weightage or CSAT pass statistics. 2026 cutoffs release only with the final result (~Apr 2027).
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