What is UPSC?
UPSC, India’s central agency which conducts exam to hire deserving people for the position into top central government services like IPS, IAS, IFS, IRS & Group A Services etc. UPSC recruits candidates to both Civil and Defense services.
Full form of UPSC and CSE?
UPSC (Union Public Service Commission) & CSE (Civil Services Examination).
What is UPSC Exam?
UPSC (Union Public Service Commission) conducts multiple examinations at all India level yearly.
CSE (Civil Services Examination) is one of the most competitive & popular exams conducted by the UPSC, established under Article 315 of the Indian Constitution.
Around 40,00,000+ applicants appear for the examination annually and according to recent year’s merit, around 950 applicants got selected.
UPSC Civil Services Exam (CSE) consists of below 3 stages.
- Preliminary Exam, consist of two objective type papers : Aptitude test & General studies.
- Main written Exam, consist of 9 papers of conventional essay type.
- Interview, personality test.
Normally, Civil Services Preliminary Exam are conducted by UPSC in the month of June. The exam duration is around 10-12 months, from June to June month of next year by when the results are announced.
The Main written Exam is usually conducted in the month of September.
The CSE interview (or personality test) conducted by UPSC in the months of Feb.-Apr. This Personality test takes almost 3 months to get over.
What are the exams conducted by UPSC for selection into civil services?
- Civil Services Examination (CSE)
- Engineering Services Examination (ESE).
- Indian Forestry Services Examination (IFoS).
- Central Armed Police Forces Examination (CAPF).
- Indian Economic Service and Indian Statistical Service (IES/ISS).
- Combined Geo-Scientist and Geologist Examination.
- Combined Medical Services (CMS).
- Special Class Railway Apprentices Exam (SCRA).
- Limited Departmental Competitive Examination for selection of Assistant Commandant. (Executive) in CISF.
What are the exams conducted by UPSC for selection into defense services?
- National Defense Academy and Naval Academy Examination – NDA and NA (I).
- National Defense Academy and Naval Academy Examination – NDA and NA (II).
- Combined Defense Services Exam – CDS (I).
- Combined Defense Services Exam – CDS (II).
What are the UPSC Posts?
3 Types of Civil Services :
- All India Civil Services
1. Indian Administrative Service (IAS)
2. Indian Police Service (IPS)
3. Indian Forest Service (IFoS)
- Group ‘A’ Civil Services
1. Indian Foreign Service (IFS)
2. Indian Audit and Accounts Service (IAAS)
3. Indian Civil Accounts Service (ICAS)
4. Indian Corporate Law Service (ICLS)
5. Indian Defence Accounts Service (IDAS)
6. Indian Defence Estates Service (IDES)
7. Indian Information Service (IIS)
8. Indian Ordnance Factories Service (IOFS)
9. Indian Communication Finance Services (ICFS)
10. Indian Postal Service (IPoS)
11. Indian Railway Accounts Service (IRAS)
12. Indian Railway Personnel Service (IRPS)
13. Indian Railway Traffic Service (IRTS)
14. Indian Revenue Service (IRS)
15. Indian Trade Service (ITS)
16. Railway Protection Force (RPF)
- Group ‘B’ Civil Services
1. Armed Forces Headquarters Civil Service
2. DANICS
3. DANIPS
4. Pondicherry Civil Service
5. Pondicherry Police Service
What is the UPSC Syllabus for Civil Services Exam?
There are 3 stages in the UPSC Civil Services Exam – (1) Preliminary Exam (Objective Test) (2) Main Exam (Written Test) (3) Personality Test (Interview).
Prelims – The Preliminary exam includes 2 papers of each 200 marks (General Studies Paper I & General Studies Paper II). The questions will be of objective type, multiple-choice. The marks in Preliminary exam will not be considered for final ranking, However it is to qualify for the next main exam.
Mains – The main (written) examination includes 9 papers, However only 7 papers will be considered for the final merit ranking. For the remaining 2 papers, the applicant should score minimum marks advised by the commission every year.
Interview – The applicant will be interviewed by the board, who will have record of applicant’s career. They will be asked queries related to general interest.
As mentioned earlier, The Preliminary Exam marks will not be considered for the final ranking. It is a screening test to qualify the applicants for the next exam i.e. Main Exam. An applicant’s final rank will be considered in the Civil Service Exam which depends only on the marks secured in the Main exam as well as the Interview. Total marks is 2025, calculated as The main exam is 1750 marks of paper, and the interview has 275 marks.
It is not easy to pass the Prelims without adequate preparation. For your information, Out of 100 applicants, only top 3 gets selected by the UPSC to qualify for Main exam.
What is the UPSC Eligibility Criteria?
To register the UPSC exam, the applicant must be minimum 21 years old. There are little variations in the further-up age limit on the basis of different categories.
- Upper UPSC Age Limit for general category – 32 years
- Upper UPSC Age Limit for OBC – 35 years
- Maximum age limit for IAS for SC/ST – 37 years
The age eligibility details for UPSC CSE is also highlighted in the official notification released by the organizing body. Applicants should clearly go through the same once before registering for the exam.
How many attempts are there for the IAS exam?
A general category/EWS category applicants have maximum of 6 attempts. OBC applicants have maximum of 9 attempts; SC/ST have no limit on the attempts, they may attempt the exam until they reach their maximum age limit. EWS category with disability has 9 attempts, general and OBC physically disabled applicants also have 9 attempts and again SC/ST disabled applicants have no limit.
What is the educational requirement to attempt the UPSC exam?
Any graduate of any stream can apply the UPSC Civil Services Exam. Also, It can be a regular degree or distance education for anyone.
Is there a minimum percentage required in graduation for UPSC exam?
No, There is no minimum percentage criteria for attempting UPSC examination. Applicant only have to be graduates.
Is there any reservation for ex-servicemen in the UPSC exam?
Yes, The ex-servicemen have age relaxations of up to 5 yrs. in the case of ECOs/SSCOs who have done an initial period of assignment of 5 yrs. Military Service.
What are the best books recommended for UPSC preparation?
- Indian Polity – by M. Laxmikanth
- Indian Art and Culture – by Nitin Singhania
- Important Acts that Transformed India – by Alex Andrews George
- Science and Technology – by Ravi P. Agrahari
- Environment and Ecology –by Vaishali Anand
- Important Judgments that Transformed India – by Alex Andrews George
- Lexicon for Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude – by Niraj Kumar
- Ancient and Medieval India – by Poonam Dalal Dahiya
- Modern Indian History – by Sonali Bansal and Snehil Tripathi
- Certificate Physical And Human Geography – by Goh Cheng Leong
- Geography of India – by Majid Husain
- Oxford Student Atlas for India
- Indian Economy – by Ramesh Singh
- Indian Economy – by Nitin Singhania
- International Relations – by Pavneet Singh
How to apply for UPSC Exam?
Lets look at the process of UPSC online registration, application, and preparation for UPSC Exams.
UPSC Online Registration
While Civil Services Examination is still conducted the ‘paper and pen’ way, the exams registration and fees payment are online. There are two main online portal for UPSC:
- upsc.gov.in– on which, UPSC provide important notifications regarding its multiple exams.
- upsconline.nic.in – on which, UPSC invites applications for different different exams.
Applicants should know that all the applications to UPSC Civil Services Exam must be filed only online on upsconline.nic.in, this is the official UPSC website, which hosts UPSC exam online forms, admit cards, and other exam related information.
The application process is very simple. The step-by-step process for finishing the UPSC Online Registration is given below:
Steps to fill the Part I of the UPSC CSE 2021 application form
- Browse the UPSC official website i.e. upsconline.nic.in
- Click on Exam Notifications tab.
- Click on Apply Online link.
- Click on the link available for Civil Services Part-I registration.
- Read the application form instructions clearly and click on Yes.
- Fill in all basic information in the part-I application such as Name, Date of birth, Gender, Marital status, Parent’s names, Category, Email ID, Permanent address, Contact number, Community, and academic qualification etc.
- Once these details are filled, click on Continue. verify all details in the online form clearly & press Submit.
Steps to fill Part II of the UPSC CSE 2021 application form
- Pay UPSC application fee through one of the available payment mode. You can make the payment Online through SBI Net Banking or credit/debit card or by cash through SBI bank challan. Fee amount for Female/ SC/ ST/ PwBD is Nil, however for all other candidates it is 100 Rs.
- Upload scanned copy of your photograph, signature and photo ID card as per the specifications.
- Fill the information related to fee payment details and examination center.
- Press ‘I Agree’ button after reading the declaration.
- Once done, a page with a registration number will be generated. Note down the registration number. Take the printout of the page for your reference.
Specification of Applicant’s Photo & Signature in UPSC Application
Photo: Size 3 KB – 40 KB
Signature: Size 1 KB – 40 KB
UPSC Helpdesk contact numbers
In case of any information/guidance/clarification related to applications, process etc. Applicants may connect in person by visiting UPSC’s Facilitation Counter near gate C of the UPSC campus or you may also connect them over telephone number 011-23385271/ 011-23381125/ 011-23098543 on working days between 10.00 hrs and 17.00 hrs.
How to get UPSC e-admit Card Online?
UPSC now issues the e-admit cards, Instead of manual paper hall tickets. Once applied, applicants may get an e-admit card 1 month early to the exam. Applicants need to take a printout of it and bring it to the exam center.
Number of candidates who apply for the UPSC Civil Services Exam
- Prelims – Around 10 lakh applicants apply every year. However, only around 5 lakh applicants appear on the exam day.
- Mains – Around 10,300 applicants who qualify for the UPSC preliminary exam apply for UPSC Main exam.
- Interview – Around 2200 applicants who qualify for the UPSC Main exam apply for UPSC Interview.
UPSC Notification
UPSC Exam notification publishes online on the website, upsc.gov.in.