UPSC

UPSC

UPSC Exam Pattern for IAS Preliminary Examination

UPSC CSE Prelims consists of two papers namely General Studies I and CSAT (General Studies Paper-II). While CSAT is qualifying in nature, the marks obtained in the General Studies paper determine your selection for UPSC Mains. It means your score in the General Studies Paper will be considered for the Prelims cut-off.

Additionally, there is negative marking for the wrong answers. 1/3rd of the marks allotted for the question would be deducted as a penalty for marking the wrong answer. However, if you do not attempt the question, there will be no deductions. Hence, you should take only calculated risks when it comes to marking doubtful questions
Now, let us look at the UPSC Exam pattern for Prelims:
Name of the Paper No of Questions Marks Allotted Time Allotted Nature of Exam
Paper I: General Studies (Objective-type) 100 200 2 hours The score will be considered for Cut-off
Paper-II: General Studies-II (CSAT) (Objective-Type) 80 200 2 hours Qualifying Nature- Candidates will have to score 33% to qualify CSAT.
In reference to the UPSC Exam Pattern, the following points should be kept in mind while appearing for IAS Exam:
  • It is mandatory for all the candidates to appear for both the exams viz General Studies and CSAT to qualify for the Mains.
  • The score obtained in the Prelims will not be added to the final score. UPSC CSE Prelims will be just for screening purposes.
  • The question paper of Prelims will be bilingual. It will have questions written both in Hindi and English Language.
  • There is a negative marking of 1/3rd for every incorrect answer in both papers.

UPSC Exam Pattern For IAS Main Examination

The UPSC Exam Pattern for the Mains Exam is tabulated below. The IAS Mains Exam consists of two types of papers viz qualifying and merit-ranking. Paper A and Paper B namely the Language paper and English paper will be qualifying in nature. The marks obtained in these papers will not be added to marks that may determine your rank. All the other papers will be evaluated for merit purposes.
Paper Subject Duration Total marks Time Allotted Nature of paper Type of Paper
Paper A Compulsory Indian language 3 hours 300 3 hours Qualifying Descriptive
Paper B English 3 hours 300 3 hours Qualifying Descriptive
Paper I Essay 3 hours 250 3 hours Merit Descriptive
Paper-II General Studies I 3 hours 250 3 hours Merit Descriptive
Paper III General Studies II 3 hours 250 3 hours Merit Descriptive
Paper IV General Studies III 3 hours 250 3 hours Merit Descriptive
Paper V General Studies IV 3 hours 250 3 hours Merit Descriptive
Paper VI Optional I 3 hours 250 3 hours Merit Descriptive
Paper VII Optional II 3 hours 250 3 hours Merit Descriptive

The following points should be kept in mind while preparing for UPSC CSE Mains :

  • The following points should be kept in mind while preparing for UPSC CSE Mains :
  • Hence, your score will be out of a total of 1750 marks.
  • It is mandatory to score at least 25% in each paper to be evaluated during the final selection.
  • Candidates will be required to write the answers in the answer sheets provided by the UPSC. No extra sheets will be provided.
  • The subjects which are covered in different General Studies Paper in the Mains

Exam are mentioned as under:

General Studies I

Indian Heritage and Culture, History n Geography, Society

General Studies II

Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice, International Relations

General Studies III

Technology, Economic Development, Biodiversity, Environment, Security and Disaster Management

General Studies IV

Ethics, Aptitude, Integrity

List of Optional Subjects for UPSC Mains

Here’s the list of optional subjects that can be opted for UPSC Mains:

  • Agriculture
  • Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science
  • Anthropology
  • Botany
  • Chemistry
  • Civil Engineering
  • Commerce and Accountancy
  • Economics
  • Electrical Engineering
  • Geography
  • Geology
  • Economics
  • History
  • Law
  • Management
  • Mathematics
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Philosophy
  • Physics
  • Political Science and International Relations
  • Psychology
  • Public Administration
  • Sociology
  • Statistics
  • Zoology
The options for literature subjects are:
  • Assamese
  • Hindi
  • Malayalam
  • Punjabi
  • Telugu
  • Bengali
  • Kannada
  • Manipuri
  • Sanskrit
  • Urdu
  • Bodo
  • Kashmiri
  • Marathi
  • Santhali
  • English
  • Dogri
  • Konkani
  • Nepali
  • Sindhi
  • Gujarati
  • Maithili
  • Odia
  • Tamil

The interview process is the last and final stage of the selection process of the UPSC Exam Pattern. The interview consists of 275 marks which makes the grand total of maximum marks 2025. Some of the qualities that the board assess in a candidate are:

  • Mental acuity
  • Critical thinking
  • Analytical thinking
  • Risk assessment skills
  • Crisis management skills
  • Ability to become a leader
  • Intellectual and moral integrity

This was a brief overview of the UPSC Exam Pattern .

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