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UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE) 2025: Comprehensive Guide

Overview

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) conducts the Civil Services Examination (CSE) annually to recruit candidates for prestigious services like the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS), among others. The examination is conducted in three stages:

  1. Preliminary Examination (Prelims) – Objective type for screening purposes.
  2. Main Examination (Mains) – Descriptive type for merit ranking.
  3. Personality Test (Interview) – Assessment of personality traits.

Exam Pattern

Preliminary Examination

  • Mode: Offline (Pen and Paper)
  • Papers:
    • General Studies Paper I (GS I):
      • Questions: 100
      • Marks: 200
      • Duration: 2 hours
      • Negative Marking: -0.66 per incorrect answer
    • General Studies Paper II (CSAT):
      • Questions: 80
      • Marks: 200
      • Duration: 2 hours
      • Negative Marking: -0.83 per incorrect answer
      • Qualifying Marks: 33%

Note: Only the marks obtained in GS Paper I are considered for merit ranking in Prelims.

Main Examination

  • Mode: Offline (Pen and Paper)
  • Papers: 9 (Descriptive)
    • Compulsory Papers:
      • Paper A: Indian Language (Qualifying) – 300 marks
      • Paper B: English (Qualifying) – 300 marks
    • Merit Papers:
      • Essay: 250 marks
      • General Studies I-IV: 4 papers × 250 marks = 1000 marks
      • Optional Subject Papers I & II: 2 papers × 250 marks = 500 marks
  • Total Marks for Merit: 1750
  • Duration: 3 hours per paper

Personality Test (Interview)

  • Marks: 275
  • Total Marks (Mains + Interview): 2025

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
  • General Science

General Studies Paper II (CSAT)

  • 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

  • Candidates are required to write essays on multiple topics. Emphasis is on clarity of thought and coherence.

General Studies Papers I-IV

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

Optional Subject Papers I & II

  • Candidates choose one optional subject from a list provided by UPSC. Each subject has two papers.

Marking Scheme

Preliminary Examination

  • GS Paper I:
    • Correct Answer: +2 marks
    • Incorrect Answer: -0.66 marks
  • CSAT:
    • Correct Answer: +2.5 marks
    • Incorrect Answer: -0.83 marks

Note: Unanswered questions do not attract negative marking.

Main Examination

  • Qualifying Papers (Paper A & B): Minimum 25% marks required to qualify.
  • Merit Papers: Marks obtained are counted for final ranking.

Preparation Cheat Sheet

General Tips

  • Understand the exam pattern and syllabus thoroughly.
  • Read newspapers daily for current affairs (e.g., The Hindu, Indian Express).
  • Refer to NCERT books for basic concepts.
  • Practice previous years' question papers and take mock tests regularly.

Subject-wise Focus

  • History: Emphasize modern Indian history and freedom struggle.
  • Geography: Focus on physical geography and map-based questions.
  • Polity: Understand the Constitution, governance, and political system.
  • Economy: Stay updated with economic surveys and budget.
  • Environment: Study environmental ecology