UPSC Exam Eligibility, Exam Pattern And Syllabus

The Civil Service Examination is an annual competitive exam for hiring civil service officers. The Union Public Service Commission holds this examination in three phases – The Preliminary Exam – Objective type, Mains Exam – Subjective and lastly an interview.

The exam is inspired by British era Imperial Civil Service tests. It is the most difficult exam in the country. Every year more than 5,00,000 candidates appear for this exam. The prelims usually take place in October with final results coming out in may end.

About UPSC

The recruitment of civil employees for different central government jobs in India is the responsibility of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), an independent constitutional agency. It was first created as the Public Service Commission on October 1, 1926, and was then reorganised as the Federal Public Service Commission in 1935. The panel was called the Union Public Service panel when India attained independence in 1947.

The Indian Forest Service Examination (IFSE), the Combined Defence Services Examination (CDSE), the Engineering Services Examination (ESE), and other important exams are all administered by the UPSC. The Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS), and other elite services are all recruited through these exams, which are extremely difficult. The selection of skilled and qualified people to represent the nation and hold prominent positions in various government agencies is crucially influenced by the UPSC.

Eligibility for UPSC Exams

Nationality for UPSC Exam

• For IAS and IPS, the candidate has to be an Indian citizen.
• For other exams, candidates can be –

1. 1. A citizen of Nepal or Bhutan,
   2. Tibetan refugee settled in India before 1962,
   3. A person of Indian origin who has migrated from Pakistan, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Zaire, Ethiopia or Vietnam.

Education

• A graduation degree from a registered Institution.
• Candidates have to provide a proof of this in order to appear for the exam.

Age Limit for UPSC Exam

• General Category – 21 years to 32 years
• SC/ST – 21 years to 37 years
• OBC – 21 years to 35 years
• Public works department – 21 years to 35 years
• Disabled Defence Services Personnel – 21 years to 40 years
• Domiciles of JK – 21 years to 32 years

Number of Attempts

• General Category – 6 attempts
• SC/ST – Unlimited
• OBC – 9 attempts

UPSC Exams Pattern

UPSC Preliminary Exam

• It consists of Multiple Choice Questions.
• There is negative marking in only this exam. It is ⅓ of allotted marks to particular questions.
• It has 2 papers – General Ability Test I and General Ability Test II with a time limit of 2 hours each.
• The first one has 100 questions revolving around General Knowledge topics with total 200 marks.
• The second paper is more towards logical reasoning and communication skills.
• The minimum score should be 33% to qualify for the next exam.

UPSC Mains Exam

• It has 9 papers in total of descriptive type with a time limit of 3 hours each.
• The first two are of 300 marks and the rest are of 250 marks.
• The papers are:

1. 1. Indian language Paper
   2. English
   3. Essay
   4. General Studies I – Indian history and heritage with geography of the world.
   5. General Studies II – Indian Polity and international relations
   6. General Studies III – Technology and Science
   7. General Studies IV – Aptitude and Ethics
   8. Optional Paper I
   9. Optional Paper II

• The last two papers are selected by the candidate according to their subject choice.
• The candidate who passes this exam will go for the final interview.

Personality Test – Interview

• Only 1 -2 % of the total candidates reach till here.
• It takes place in UPSC Bhawan, Delhi.
• The questions are asked about the candidate’s interests, current affairs, general knowledge, and situation based questions.
• This is to evaluate a candidate’s personality and critical thinking.
• The final score only looks at the mains exam and the personality test. The prelims are only for screening.

UPSC Exam Application Process

• Visit the official UPSC website
• Go on Register Now
• Pay the Application Fees
• Choose your nearest Center
• Upload your Photograph and Signature
• Agree to Declaration

List of All Government Service Exams

All India Services

• Indian Administrative Service
• Indian Police Service

Central Services – Group A

• Indian Foreign Service
• Indian Audit and Accounts Service
• Indian Civil Accounts Service
• Indian Corporate Law Service
• Indian Defence Accounts Service
• Indian Defence Estates Service
• Indian Information Service
• Indian Ordnance Factories Service
• Indian Postal Service
• Indian P&T Accounts and Finance Service
• Indian Railway Accounts Service
• Indian Railway Personnel Service
• Indian Railway Protection Force Service
• Indian Railway Traffic Service
• Indian Revenue Service
• Indian Revenue Service
• Indian Trade Service

Group B Services

• Armed Forces Headquarters Civil Services
• Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands Civil Service
• Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands Police Service
• Pondicherry Civil Service
• Pondicherry Police Service

Conclusion

This article will brief you completely about UPSC exams of 2021. It covers the eligibility, application process, exam pattern and the names of other government exams. In order to appear for this exam, it is important to know the basic structure of it.

If you are someone who is planning to appear for this exam then this article will definitely help you make the decision.