UPSC Exam Pattern, Eligibility and Jobs: Civil Services Guide

The UPSC exam pattern for civil services has three stages: a Preliminary exam with two objective papers, a Main exam with nine written papers, and a Personality Test (interview). Only the Mains and interview marks, 2,025 in total, decide your final rank. This one exam fills the IAS, IPS, Indian Foreign Service and about 20 other central services. Below I explain each stage, the eligibility, the posts and pay, and how my students plan their preparation.

What is the UPSC exam

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) is the central body that recruits officers for the Government of India. Its best known test is the Civil Services Examination (CSE), often just called "the UPSC exam" or the civil service exam. It is held once every year. The commission publishes the notification on its website, and you apply online on the UPSC portal.

A UPSC career gives you a senior post from day one: you may run a sub-division, lead police in a district, serve in an embassy or manage taxes, railways or audit. That is why lakhs of graduates apply each cycle, and why it sits on our toughest exams in India list.

UPSC jobs list: services filled through civil services

Read the detail of the top three on our pages for IAS officer, IPS officer and IFS officer. UPSC also runs other exams that are not part of civil services, such as the UPSC EPFO exam, the Engineering Services exam, the Combined Medical Services (CMS) exam for doctors, CDS and CAPF Assistant Commandant. Each has its own pattern. For the UPSC EPFO exam pattern, see the EPFO page.

UPSC exam eligibility and age limit

Appearing in either prelims paper counts as one attempt. For the IAS and Indian Foreign Service you must be an Indian citizen. Other services allow a few more categories, listed in the notification. The right age for the UPSC exam is a common worry: you can start preparing in graduation and give the first attempt at 21 or 22. Check where you stand with the tool below, and read our age limit for govt jobs guide.

UPSC exam pattern: prelims, mains and interview

Stage 1: Preliminary exam

Both papers are objective (multiple choice) and are usually held on the same day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Each wrong answer costs one-third of the marks of that question, and a blank answer costs nothing. UPSC preliminary exam marks are not added to the final merit.

Stage 2: Main exam

You must get at least 25 percent in each language paper, or the other papers are not checked. Mains papers are descriptive, 3 hours each, spread over several days.

Stage 3: Personality test

The interview carries 275 marks with no minimum. A board tests your awareness, balance of judgement and honesty, not bookish facts. Final merit is out of 2,025.

UPSC exam syllabus and subjects

The UPSC exam syllabus is broad but stable. Prelims Paper I covers current events, Indian history and the national movement, Indian and world geography, polity and governance, economic and social development, environment and general science. CSAT tests comprehension, reasoning, decision making and class 10 level maths and data reading.

For the mains optional, UPSC offers 25 subjects (from Agriculture, Anthropology and Geography to Law, Management, Public Administration and Sociology) plus the literature of one language from the list. Choose based on your interest and the subject you studied, since you will write 500 marks on it. The full civil services exam syllabus is printed in the notification, so download it and keep it with you.

UPSC salary and posts

Group A services through civil services start at Level 10 of the 7th CPC matrix with a basic pay of ₹56,100 per month. On top come DA (revised every six months), HRA by city class X, Y or Z, transport allowance and service benefits, with NPS and income tax deducted. Senior officers reach Level 14 to 17, and the IAS can reach Level 18 (₹2,50,000) for the Cabinet Secretary. The Group B services in the list are paid at their own lower levels.

The UPSC salary per month in hand moves with DA, so check the estimate in the salary summary near the top of this page, or use the calculator:

The UPSC posts list and salary for other exams, like CMS and EPFO, are different, so see those exam pages. Also see our highest paying govt jobs.

Application fee and training

The UPSC exam fee in the latest notification is ₹100 for prelims and ₹200 more for those who reach mains. Women, SC, ST and PwBD candidates do not pay. The UPSC exam form is filled online only, and you choose your exam centre and optional subject in it.

After the final result, officers of many services do a common foundation course together, mostly at the academy in Mussoorie. Then each service trains at its own academy: police in Hyderabad, forest officers in Dehradun, and others in their departments. Probation is usually about two years.

UPSC civil services exam preparation

• Time needed: 12 to 24 months of steady work for a first serious attempt. Plan for two to three attempts.
• Base first: school NCERT books for history, geography, polity, economy and science, then one standard book per subject.
• News daily: one national newspaper and a monthly summary. Make short notes you can revise.
• Write early: start answer writing and essay practice within the first three months.
• Old papers: civil service exam questions from past years are on the UPSC website. They are the best sample papers.
• Coaching is optional. A good foundation course can give structure, but many toppers studied at home with a clear plan.
• Backup: prepare for state PCS and other jobs after graduation side by side.

If you are in class 12 now, pick a degree you enjoy. A BA in history, political science or geography overlaps a lot with the syllabus, but no stream is required.

Official website

Use upsc.gov.in for the notification, syllabus, admit card, results and previous papers, and upsconline.gov.in for the online form. Exam dates, the number of vacancies and cut-offs are announced each cycle on these sites only. See the full government exams list for other options.