General FAQs
UPSC IAS Exam Pattern
The two stages of the Civil Services Exam (IAS Exam) are:
1. Stage I - Civil Services Preliminary Examination
2. Stage II – Civil Services Main Examination
2. Stage III – Final Interview
The Preliminary examination is an elimination round to filter out the large no. of comparatively weak candidates. This is held just to land the candidate in the Main exam. The marks you get here will NOT be added in the final score of this exam.
This exam comprises of two compulsory papers of 200 marks each and the question pattern will be of multiple choice questions and four alternatives will be there for each of the question to answer. The duration shall be of 2 hrs. for each of the paper.
The Main examination is conducted to judge the overall aptitude and in-depth understanding of the candidates in various subjects. The marks obtained in this main examination will be counted for determining the candidate’s final order of merit. The main exam is of 1750 marks. If the candidate qualifies the preliminary exam, then only he/she will be called once again to appear this Main exam.
From the total of 9 papers in the Main exam, only 7 papers will be counted for final merit ranking. For the rest two papers (Qualifying Paper), the candidate should secure minimum marks prescribed by UPSC each year.
Interview/Personality Test is the last round if this exam. This test carries 275 marks and there is no minimum qualifying marks. Then total marks secured by the candidates both from Main Examination as well as interview (Total of 1725+275=2025 Marks) would determine their final score.
Candidates will be posted to different posts according to their final scores in the examination and the preferences set by them for various Services and Posts.
For IAS and IPS, the candidate must be an Indian citizen.
Apart from IAS and IPS, for other service positions, candidates must be a citizen of India, or a subject of Nepal, or a subject of Bhutan, or a Tibetan refugee who came over to India before 1st January, 1962.
Or a person of Indian origin who has migrated from Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka, East African countries of Kenya, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Zaire, Ethiopia and Vietnam with the intention of permanently settling in India.
Certificate of eligibility must have been issued by the Government of India for the Non-Indians.
Candidates who are subject of Nepal, subject of Bhutan, Tibetan refugee will not be eligible for appointment to the Indian Foreign Service.
Those who are educationally qualified must check their age limit before applying for this examination. Though there is generalized age limit vary from 21-32 years but there is some age relaxation for all other category of candidates except the General category.
21-32 years for General Candidates
21-37 years for SC/ST
21-35 years for OBC
21-37 years for ex-servicemen including Commissioned Officers and ECOs/ SSCOs.
21-42 years for blind, deaf-mute and orthopedically handicapped candidates.
The number of attempts to appear for this exam varies for different categories. These are
6 for General
9 for OBC
No restrictions for the SC/ST candidates. So they can attempt till the eligible age limit.
A physically handicapped candidate will get as many attempts as are available to other non-physically handicapped candidates of his or her community, subject to the condition that a physically handicapped candidate belonging to the General Category shall be eligible for nine attempts.
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