UPSC Exam Pattern: The UPSC Exam Pattern is set by the Union Public Service Commission. It has a few stages like the Preliminary, Main, and Interview rounds. In the Preliminary stage, there are two papers: General Studies Paper-I and General Studies Paper-II (CSAT). To move to the Main exam, candidates need to pass the Prelims.
The Main exam is a written test with nine papers, checking how well candidates understand different subjects.
After that, candidates who do well go to the Interview round. There, the commission checks their personality and if they’re good for civil services. The UPSC Exam Pattern makes sure only the best candidates become civil servants.
UPSC Exam Pattern 2024
The UPSC civil services exam pattern has two official stages: Preliminary and Main Examination, with the third being the Personality Test/Interview.
Stage 1: UPSC CSE Prelims Exam Pattern
In the Preliminary stage, which is conducted on June 16, 2024, candidates face two papers on the same day. Both papers contain objective-type questions with multiple-choice answers.
This stage acts as a qualifying round for the mains exam, and the marks obtained here don’t count towards the final merit list. However, candidates must perform well as cut-offs can vary each year. The details of the UPSC prelims pattern are as follows:
| Paper | Type | No. of questions | UPSC Total Marks | Duration | Negative Marks |
| General Studies I | Objective | 100 | 200 | 2 hours | Yes |
| General Studies II (CSAT) | Objective | 80 | 200 | 2 hours | Yes |
| Total UPSC marks for Prelims | 400 | ||||
| (GS Paper II is qualifying in nature with minimum qualifying marks fixed at 33%) |
Stage 2: UPSC CSE Mains Exam Pattern
The UPSC Mains stage of the Civil Services Examination entails a detailed evaluation through nine papers conducted over a duration of 5-7 days. To qualify for this phase, candidates must meet the stipulated cutoff marks in General Studies I and achieve a minimum of 33% in General Studies II in the Preliminary Examination.
This phase is characterized by descriptive answer type questions across all papers, demanding in-depth understanding and analytical skills. With the total marks obtained in UPSC mains directly influencing final scores, this phase holds significant importance in the merit declaration process. Each paper covers various subjects outlined in the UPSC syllabus, contributing to the overall assessment of candidates’ knowledge and aptitude.
The details of UPSC syllabus with marks are given below:
| Paper | Subject | Duration | IAS 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 |
In the UPSC Mains Examination, all papers except for the language papers A and B contribute to the merit ranking. Papers A and B are of a qualifying nature, requiring candidates to score at least 25% in each to have the marks from their subsequent papers (Paper I to Paper VII) considered for weightage.
Candidates from certain states and those with hearing impairment may be exempted from Paper A, provided they can demonstrate exemption from second or third language courses by their respective educational boards or universities. The Indian Language paper covers any language included in the 8th Schedule of the Constitution.
The subjects covered by the General Studies Papers in the Mains Exam include:
| General Studies I | General Studies II | General Studies III | General Studies IV |
| Indian Heritage and Culture | Governance | Technology | Ethics |
| History and Geography of the World | Constitution | Economic Development | Integrity |
| Society | Polity | Bio-diversity | Aptitude |
| Social Justice | Environment | ||
| International relations | Security and Disaster Management |
Here is the list of optional subjects for Paper VI and VII of the mains examination:
| Optional for Paper VI and VII |
| 1. Agriculture |
| 2. Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science |
| 3. Anthropology |
| 4. Botany |
| 5. Chemistry |
| 6. Civil Engineering |
| 7. Commerce and Accountancy |
| 8. Economics |
| 9. Electrical Engineering |
| 10. Geography |
| 11. Geology |
| 12. History |
| 13. Law |
| 14. Management |
| 15. Mathematics |
| 16. Mechanical Engineering |
| 17. Medical Science |
| 18. Philosophy |
| 19. Physics |
| 20. Political Science and International Relations |
| 21. Psychology |
| 22. Public Administration |
| 23. Sociology |
| 24. Statistics |
| 25. Zoology |
| 26. Literature of any language listed in the 8th Schedule of the Constitution of India
The literature of any one of the following languages: Assamese, Bengali, Bodo, Dogri, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Maithili, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Odia, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Santhali, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu and English. |
| Papers | Language Options |
| Compulsory Indian Language (Paper A) | Any language listed in the 8th Schedule of the Constitution of India (except English) |
| English (Paper B) | English only |
| All other papers (I to VII) | English or any language listed in the 8th Schedule of the Constitution of India |
| Optional papers (Paper VI and VII) | English or any language listed in the 8th Schedule of the Constitution of India |
Stage 3: UPSC CSE Pattern for Interview
IAS Exam Interview/Personality Test:
- Description: Final stage of the IAS Exam before the final results are declared.
- Official Status: Counted as part of the Mains Examination for merit ranking.
- Preparation Stage: Considered the third stage with different strategies from the written stages.
- Assessment Process: Conducted by the UPSC board to evaluate candidates’ suitability for civil services and associated responsibilities.
- Board Composition: Consists of competent and unbiased observers familiar with candidates’ careers.
- Qualities Assessed: Mental alertness, critical thinking, clarity in expression, judgement, variety and depth of interests, social cohesion, leadership, and moral integrity.
- UPSC Interview Total Marks: 275, contributing to the total marks for merit list consideration.
Competition and Preparation:
- Overview: The UPSC IAS examination has a comprehensive exam pattern with intense competition.
- Preparation Recommendation: Start preparing in-depth as the examination process lasts almost a year, and failure to qualify means starting from scratch the following year.