UPSC Civil Services Examination Structure
The Civil Services Examination consists of three successive stages:
Preliminary Examination
The first stage of the Civil Services Examination consisting of two compulsory objective-type papers.
Main Examination
The written examination consisting of qualifying papers, Essay, General Studies and Optional Subject papers.
Personality Test
Candidates who qualify in the written Main Examination are called for the Personality Test.
Preliminary Examination
The Preliminary Examination consists of two compulsory papers, carrying 200 marks each.
| Paper | Subject | Marks | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper I | General Studies Paper I | 200 | 2 Hours |
| Paper II | General Studies Paper II (CSAT) | 200 | 2 Hours |
Important points
- • Both papers consist of objective-type multiple-choice questions.
- • Each paper is of two hours duration.
- • General Studies Paper-II (CSAT) is a qualifying paper with a minimum qualifying requirement of 33%.
- • Candidates must appear in both papers.
- • Marks obtained in the Preliminary Examination are not counted towards the final merit list.
Main Examination
The Main Examination consists of qualifying papers and papers counted for merit.
Papers counted for merit
| Paper | Subject | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Paper I | Essay | 250 |
| Paper II | General Studies I | 250 |
| Paper III | General Studies II | 250 |
| Paper IV | General Studies III | 250 |
| Paper V | General Studies IV | 250 |
| Paper VI | Optional Subject - Paper I | 250 |
| Paper VII | Optional Subject - Paper II | 250 |
Sub Total — Written Examination
1750 Marks
Personality Test / Interview
Candidates who qualify in the written Main Examination are called for the Personality Test, commonly referred to as the UPSC Interview.
Personality Test
275 Marks
Grand Total
2025 Marks