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The UPSC Exam Pattern is designed by the Union Public Service Commission to test the candidate's expertise and knowledge in the subject. In this article, we will explain the UPSC Exam Pattern for the Prelims, Mains and Interview Stages. Since 2013, the paper pattern of IAS has remained unchanged. The IAS Exam is considered one of the toughest exams in the country so understanding the comprehensive details of the UPSC CSE Exam Pattern will help candidates to plan their preparations accordingly. Additionally, the Exam Pattern of UPSC will also let the candidates understand the number of questions and the negative marking in the IAS prelims and mains exam.
Candidates can also check UPSC Syllabus here!
As per the IAS Selection Process, the UPSC Exam Pattern is divided into three major stages - The Prelims, Mains, and Interview stages. Each stage of the examination carries a weightage of different marks. To Become an IAS officer, candidates need to clear all three stages starting with the Prelims stage. Once the Prelims stage is cleared, candidates become eligible for Mains and later for the Interview stage.
You can get a quick overview of the UPSC Exam Pattern in the below table.
Stages | Name | No. Of Papers | Type Of Exam | Marks |
Stage 1 | UPSC Prelims Exam Pattern | 2 Papers (GS 1 & CSAT Papers) | Objective | 400 |
Stage 2 | UPSC Mains Exam Pattern | 9 Papers | Descriptive | 1750 |
Stage 3 | IAS Interview | – | Personality Test | 275 |
Total Marks | UPSC Mains + Interview Marks = 2025 Marks |
Enroll today in UPSC Online Coaching here!
UPSC Exam Pattern For Prelims Stage: The Prelims exam is conducted in order to filter out the deserving candidates for the mains exam. That means the candidates who clear the prelims stage will be considered for the next stage, which will be the mains examination stage.
Candidates can check the detailed UPSC Prelims Exam Pattern below.
UPSC Prelims Exam Pattern | |||||
Subject | Nature Of Paper | Exam Type | No. of Questions | Exam Duration | Marks |
Paper I - General Studies | Merit Ranking (Marks not counted in Final merit) | Objective | 100 | 2 Hours | 200 |
Paper II - Aptitude Test (CSAT) | Qualifying | Objective | 80 | 2 Hours | 200 |
UPSC Prelims Total Marks | 400 |
Candidates can also check out UPSC Prelims Syllabus in the linked article.
UPSC Mains Exam Pattern: Candidates who have scored the declared cut-off marks in IAS Prelims GS-1 Paper and 33% in the Prelims GS-2 Paper (CSAT) will be called to appear for the IAS Mains exam.
Candidates can now take a look at the table below to understand the UPSC Mains paper pattern easily.
UPSC Mains Exam Pattern | ||||
Paper | Subject | Nature Of Paper | Time Allotted | Total marks |
Paper A | Compulsory Indian language | Qualifying (75 Marks required. ie. 25%) | 3 hours | 300 |
Paper B | English | 3 hours | 300 | |
Paper I | Essay | Final Merit (Marks will be counted in the final merit list) | 3 hours | 250 |
Paper-II | General Studies I | 3 hours | 250 | |
Paper III | General Studies II | 3 hours | 250 | |
Paper IV | General Studies III | 3 hours | 250 | |
Paper V | General Studies IV | 3 hours | 250 | |
Paper VI | Optional I | 3 hours | 250 | |
Paper VII | Optional II | 3 hours | 250 | |
UPSC Mains Total Marks | 1750 |
Candidates can check UPSC Mains Syllabus on the linked article.
As discussed above, the UPSC Mains Exam Pattern consists of two optional papers and each paper carry 250 marks. Candidates are allowed to select their preferred optional subject for Paper VI & Paper VII of the mains exam. The optional subject should be anyone from the list of 48 optional subjects provided in the table below:
UPSC Mains Paper Pattern (Optional Subjects List) | ||||
Agriculture | Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science | Anthropology | Botany | Chemistry |
Civil Engineering | Commerce and Accountancy | Economics | Electrical Engineering | Geography |
Geology | History | Law | Management | Mathematics |
Mechanical Engineering | Medical Science | Philosophy | Physics | Political Science and International Relations |
Psychology | Public Administration | Sociology | Statistics | Zoology |
Anyone literature in the following languages: Assamese, Bengali, Bodo, Dogri, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Maithili, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Odia, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Santhali, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu and English (As per the languages listed in the 8th Schedule of the Constitution). |
Also, read - Which is the best optional subject for UPSC?
For the Language-based/ literature of languages, the scripts to be used by the candidates will be as under:
S.No | Language | Script |
1 | Assamese | Assamese |
2 | Bengali | Bengali |
3 | Gujarati | Gujarati |
4 | Hindi | Devanagari |
5 | Kannada | Kannada |
6 | Kashmiri | Persian |
7 | Konkani | Devanagari |
8 | Malayalam | Malayalam |
9 | Manipuri | Bengali |
10 | Marathi | Devanagari |
11 | Nepali | Devanagari |
12 | Oriya | Oriya |
13 | Punjabi | Gurumukhi |
14 | Sanskrit | Devanagari |
15 | Sindhi | Devanagari or Arabic |
16 | Tamil | Tamil |
17 | Telugu | Telugu |
18 | Urdu | Persian |
19 | Bodo | Devanagari |
20 | Dogri | Devanagari |
21 | Maithili | Devanagari |
22 | Santhali | Devanagari or Olchiki |
Note: For the Santhali language, the question paper will be printed in the Devanagari script; but the candidates are allowed to answer either in the Devanagari script or in Olchiki.
You can also attempt UPSC Mock Test Series on this attached link.
You must have a complete idea by now of the UPSC Exam Pattern. Now, to stand ahead in the competition, you should make sure to prepare and practice according to the UPSC Exam Paper Pattern as given above. The UPSC CSE Exam is difficult and the intensity increases every year.
The direct link to download the UPSC Exam Pattern PDF is mentioned below. It is highly recommended that you download the PDF of the IAS Exam Pattern and read it carefully before starting your IAS Preparation journey.
Download IAS Exam Pattern PDF Here | |
UPSC Exam Pattern PDF | Download PDF |
As discussed above, both GS Paper 1 & GS Paper 2 will have a negative marking scheme. 1/3rd mark of each question will be deducted if you provide a wrong answer. According to the UPSC Paper Pattern for the Prelims stage, each question of GS Paper 1 will carry 2 marks, while each question of GS Paper 2 (CSAT) will carry 2.5 marks.
Have a look at the negative marking scheme for the Prelims exam stage in the table below.
Negative Marking Scheme in UPSC | ||||
Prelims Paper | No. of Questions | Total Marks | Negative Marking Scheme | |
General Studies-1 | 100 | 2*100=200 | 0.66 | |
General Studies-2 (CSAT) | 80 | 2.5*80=200 | 0.83 |
Have a detailed look at Negative Marking in UPSC here.
Refer to the important books for UPSC by clicking on the links attached in the table below:
Books link for UPSC Preparation | ||
Books For UPSC | NCERT Books For UPSC |
We hope you found this article on the UPSC Exam Pattern informative and helpful. Feel free to contact us for any queries or doubts regarding the recruitment by dropping your comments below. You can also start preparing yourself for all types of government exams or competitive exams and get quicker access to any required information through our Testbook Application.
Check Other UPSC Related Exams Links: | |||
UPSC AE | UPSC CAPF AC | UPSC EPFO | UPSC IES/ISS |
UPSC IES | UPSC NDA | UPSC CMS | UPSC Combined Geo-Scientist |
Last updated: Apr 25, 2024
-> UPSC Civil Services 2025 Exam Dates have been announced.
-> The UPSC CSE 2025 Prelims Exam is scheduled to be conducted on 25th May 2025 while the Mains Exam will be conducted on 22nd August 2025.
-> For the 2024 cycle, the UPSC Civil Services Prelims 2024 will be held on 16th June 2024.
-> UPSC Civil Services Notification 2024 was released for 1056 vacancies.
-> Candidates who have completed graduation are eligible for the exam.
-> The candidates are required to go through a 3 stage selection process - Prelims, Main and Interview.
-> Go through the UPSC Previous Year Papers and UPSC Civil Services Test Series to enhance your preparation.
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