Comprehensive Guide to UPSC: Full Form, Syllabus, Exam Pattern, and Qualifying Marks

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 The UPSC (Union Public Service Commission) is India's premier central recruiting agency. The full form of UPSC is the Union Public Service Commission. The UPSC conducts various examinations, the most prestigious of which is the Civil Services Examination (CSE). This examination recruits officers for the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS), Indian Police Service (IPS), and other central services.



UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE) Overview

Examination Pattern

  1. Preliminary Examination (Prelims)

    • Paper I: General Studies (GS)
      • Total Marks: 200
      • Duration: 2 hours
      • Questions: 100 (Objective Type)
    • Paper II: Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT)
      • Total Marks: 200
      • Duration: 2 hours
      • Questions: 80 (Objective Type)
      • Note: CSAT is qualifying in nature and candidates must score a minimum of 33% (66 marks) to qualify.

  2. Main Examination (Mains)

    • Qualifying Papers

      • Paper A: Indian Language
        • Total Marks: 300
        • Duration: 3 hours
        • Note: Candidates can choose any one of the languages included in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution.
      • Paper B: English
        • Total Marks: 300
        • Duration: 3 hours

    • Papers to be Counted for Merit

      • Paper I: Essay
        • Total Marks: 250
        • Duration: 3 hours
      • Paper II: General Studies I
        • Total Marks: 250
        • Duration: 3 hours
      • Paper III: General Studies II
        • Total Marks: 250
        • Duration: 3 hours
      • Paper IV: General Studies III
        • Total Marks: 250
        • Duration: 3 hours
      • Paper V: General Studies IV
        • Total Marks: 250
        • Duration: 3 hours
      • Paper VI: Optional Subject Paper 1
        • Total Marks: 250
        • Duration: 3 hours
      • Paper VII: Optional Subject Paper 2
        • Total Marks: 250
        • Duration: 3 hours

  3. Personality Test (Interview)

    • Total Marks: 275

Syllabus

Preliminary Examination

  • General Studies (Paper I)

    • Current events of national and international importance
    • History of India and Indian National Movement
    • Indian and World Geography - Physical, Social, Economic Geography of India and the World
    • Indian Polity and Governance - Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues, etc.
    • Economic and Social Development - Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector initiatives, etc.
    • General issues on Environmental Ecology, Biodiversity, and Climate Change - that do not require subject specialization
    • General Science

  • CSAT (Paper II)

    • Comprehension
    • Interpersonal skills including communication skills
    • Logical reasoning and analytical ability
    • Decision-making and problem-solving
    • General mental ability
    • Basic numeracy (numbers and their relations, orders of magnitude, etc.) (Class X level)
    • Data interpretation (charts, graphs, tables, data sufficiency, etc. - Class X level)

Main Examination

  • Essay Paper

    • Candidates may be required to write essays on multiple topics. They will be expected to keep closely to the subject of the essay, arrange their ideas in an orderly fashion, and write concisely. Credit will be given for effective and exact expression.

  • General Studies Papers

    • Paper II (GS I)
      • Indian Heritage and Culture, History, and Geography of the World and Society
    • Paper III (GS II)
      • Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice, and International relations
    • Paper IV (GS III)
      • Technology, Economic Development, Bio-diversity, Environment, Security, and Disaster Management
    • Paper V (GS IV)
      • Ethics, Integrity, and Aptitude

  • Optional Subject Papers

    • Candidates have to choose one optional subject from a list of subjects provided by the UPSC. Each subject has two papers.

Qualifying Marks

  1. Preliminary Examination

    • The cutoff marks vary each year and are different for different categories (General, OBC, SC, ST, etc.). Typically, the cutoff for General category candidates is around 95-105 marks out of 200 in GS Paper I.
    • CSAT Paper II requires a minimum of 33% (66 marks out of 200) to qualify.

  2. Main Examination

    • The total marks of the Main Examination and Interview are considered for the final merit list. The cutoff for Mains again varies each year and by category.

  3. Interview

    • There is no specific cutoff for the interview. The marks obtained are added to the Mains marks to create a final ranking.

For more detailed information, including the list of optional subjects and their respective syllabi, candidates are advised to visit the official UPSC website or refer to the official notification for the respective year's examination.

Location: India

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