UPSC Course

The Civil Services Examination comprises two successive stages:
(i) Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination (Objective Type) for the selection of candidates for the Civil Services (Main) Examination; and
(ii) Civil Services (Main) Examination (Written and Interview/Personality Test) for the selection of candidates for the various Services and posts.

Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination:

• Format: Two Objective-type papers (multiple-choice questions).
• Language: Question papers are available in both Hindi and English.
• Marks: Maximum of 400 marks (200 marks each paper).
• Purpose: Screening test only; marks do not count towards final merit.
• Selection Ratio: Approximately 12-13 times the number of vacancies will be admitted to the Main Examination.

Qualification Criteria for Mains Exam Only candidates declared qualified in the Preliminary Exam are eligible for the Main Exam. Below are the qualification criteria for the Mains Exam, provided they meet all other eligibility criteria set by the Commission.

• Total Qualifying Marks for Paper-I: The marks obtained in Paper-I (General Studies) are considered for the final selection of candidates for the Mains Examination. The Commission sets the minimum qualifying marks for Paper-I, which can vary each year based on the difficulty level of the exam and the number of candidates.
• Minimum 33% in Paper-II: Candidates must obtain at least 33% in Paper-II (CSAT - Civil Services Aptitude Test) to be eligible for consideration in the final merit list. The marks obtained in Paper-II are only qualifying and do not count towards the final selection.

Negative Marking

• Incorrect Answer: If a candidate selects an incorrect answer, one-third (0.33) of the marks assigned to that question are deducted.
• Multiple Answers: If a candidate provides more than one answer for a question, it is treated as a wrong answer, and the same penalty of one-third (0.33) of the marks is applied.
• Blank Answer: No penalty is imposed for leaving a question unanswered.