UPSC Exam Pattern

 UPSC Exam Pattern

Every year the UPSC conducts Civil Services Examination (CSE) to various key Civil Services of the Government of India, including the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and Indian Police Service (IPS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS), etc. A candidate planning to prepare for CSE must get himself acquainted with the examination plan/pattern and its syllabus which would help him in getting an edge over others and in planning his preparation in a manner best suitable for him. Following are the complete details:

Plan/Pattern of Civil Services Examination:

The Civil Services Examination comprises three successive stages:

• Civil Services Preliminary Examination-Objective Type, for the selection of candidates for Main Examination.
• Civil Services Main Examination-Written, for the selection of candidates for Interview.
• Interview or Personality Test for the selection of candidates for the various Services and posts.

Overview of IAS Exam Pattern

Name of the exam	Civil Services Exam- IAS
Conducting authority	Union Public Service Commission
Mode of exam	Offline
Number of Stages	Prelims Mains Exam Interview
Number of papers	Prelims: 2 Mains :9
Prelims marking scheme	Paper 1: +2 marks per question Paper 2: +2.5 marks per question Negative marking: One-third of marks allotted to each question
Duration	Prelims: 2 hours (Each paper) Mains: 3hours (Each paper)
Type of Questions	Prelims: Objective type Mains: Subjective type

 

IAS Exam pattern of Prelims

• Firstly, this stage consists of 2 compulsory papers - General Studies paper and CSAT (Civil service aptitude test). Moreover, it will test the analytical skills of the candidate.
• Secondly, all questions are objective.
• On the other hand, questions are in both Hindi and English language. However, comprehension questions in the English language in the CSAT paper are without Hindi translations.
• Also, prelims is a qualifying paper. The cut off of paper I is decided by UPSC every year. The CSAT paper requires the candidates to score at least 33% i.e. 66 marks to qualify and to be able to sit for the Mains exam.

IAS Exam Pattern for Prelims

 

Exam Mode	Offline
Number of Papers	2- General Studies and Civil Service Aptitude Test (CSAT)
Number of Questions	Paper 1- 100 Paper 2- 80
Question Paper Type	Objective Type Questions
IAS Prelims Total Marks	400(Paper 1- 200 and paper 2- 200)
Nature of Exam	Qualifying
Exam Duration	2 hours each, +20 minutes for blind students
Exam Language	English and Hindi

 

Negative Marking

The IAS Exam pattern is very different from other exams. Also, the candidates can easily get negative marking in the UPSC Exam. In short, the candidate will get a 1/3 mark deducted for incorrect answers. Also, there is no negative marking for blank answers. Read everything about UPSC on its official website.

Paper	Type	No. of questions	Marks
General Studies I	Objective	100	2*100 = 200
General Studies II(CSAT)	Objective	80	2.5*80 = 200

  

IAS Exam Pattern for Mains

 

Paper	Subject	Duration	Total marks
Paper A	Compulsory Indian language	3 hours	300
Paper B	English	3 hours	300
Paper I	Essay	3 hours	250
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 I	3 hours	250
Paper VII	Optional II	3 hours	250
-	Sub Total in the written Test	-	1750
-	Personal Interview	-	275
-	Grand Total ( for merit calculation)	-	2025

 

• Firstly, IAS mains is an offline exam. There are a total of 9 papers in the Mains exam.
• Secondly, every paper is of 3 hours and extra 30 minutes extra is given to blind students.
• Thirdly, Paper A and Paper B are of 300 marks each and the remaining papers are of 250 marks each.
• On the other hand, the main exam is divided into 2 parts qualifying and merit exam. And it is compulsory to sit in for all the exams to go into the stage.
• Moreover, questions will be subjective. And you can write in either Hindi or English language
• So, the candidate will be tested on the basis of knowledge and understanding of the subject. You have to answer touching the basic and relevant aspects. You will also be marked upon whether you are able to provide valuable and constructive way forwards.

Qualifying Paper

1. Paper A - Either of the Indian languages can be selected from the 8th schedule of the constitution. Also, it carries 300 marks.
2. Paper B - The 2nd exam is an English paper. And it also carries 300 marks.

You can choose any one of the Optional subjects from 26 subjects provided by the UPSC. You can download the syllabus from the official website of UPSC for free.

IAS Exam pattern for Personality Test

• The students who qualified Mains will go further towards the Personality test.
• Also, this will include testing of the candidate's psychology.
• On the other hand, the objective of the interview is to judge the suitability of the candidate for the Civil Service Position. Also, the candidate is asked questions on general interest.
• However, the test reflects the mental calibre of the candidate.
• Moreover, this is the assessment of intellectual qualities, social traits, and interest in current affairs. So, a candidate must make sure that they read the newspaper daily till the Interview day.
• Also, the qualities that they look for are alertness, logical thinking, balance of judgment, interest, the ability of leadership, and moral integrity.
• Most importantly, the test is conducted in a candidate's preferred choice.
• Further, the interview is for 275 marks.
• To sum up, the candidate will be ranked by a grand total and will be called for the final interview.

The total marks that will be counted for ranking is 2025. (1750 + 275 = 2025 marks).

The whole exam pattern of the UPSC IAS examination is comprehensive, and the competition is intense. One should start preparing in-depth as the examination process lasts for almost a year and not making the cut means starting from scratch the following year.