UPSC conducts many examinations. The most popular one is Civil Services Examination, which is conducted every year to recommend candidates for various posts like Indian Administrative Service, Indian Foreign Service, Indian Police service and so on. The selection for Indian Forest Service at preliminary level also is done through Civil Services Examination every year.

The scheme of this competitive examination is explained here.

The Examination is held in two successive stages – Preliminary and Main.

Main Examination has two stages – Written and Interview.

1. The Scheme of Civil Services Preliminary Examination

• The Preliminary Examination consist of two papers of Objective type (multiple choice questions)

• It carries a maximum of 400 marks

• This examination is meant to serve as a screening test only;

• The marks obtained in Preliminary Examination are not counted to determine final order of Merit

2. Civil Services Main Written Examination

• The Mains written examination consists of Nine Papers in all including two qualifying papers – Compulsory English and Indian Language

• Total maximum marks are 2025 ( Written +  Interview )

• Candidate who qualify Preliminary Examination can appear in Main examination

What UPSC Demands from Candidate?

• The main Examination is intended to assess the overall intellectual traits and depth of understanding of candidates rather than merely the range of their information and memory.

• To test a candidate’s general awareness of a variety of subjects, which will have relevance for a career in Civil Services.

•  To test the candidate’s basic understanding of all relevant issues, and ability to analyze, and take a view on conflicting socioeconomic goals, objectives and demands.

• The nature and standard of questions in the General Studies papers (Paper II to Paper V) will be such that a well-educated person will be able to answer them without any specialized study.

• Candidates must give relevant, meaningful and succinct answers.
  

Scheme of the Main Written Exam [ TOTAL 2025 MARKS ]  

3. Civil Services Main Examination – Personality Test    

• Candidates who clear the main written examination cutoff score become eligible for Interview.  Interview is held at the UPSC, Dholpur House, New Delhi.

• Maximum Marks : 275

• The UPSC has given following details about Interview: 

• The candidate will be interviewed by a Board who will have before them a record of his career.

• He will be asked questions on matters of general interest.

• The object of the interview is to assess the personal suitability of the candidate for a career in public service by a Board of competent and unbiased observers.

• The test is intended to judge the mental caliber of a candidate.

• In broad terms this is really an assessment of not only his intellectual qualities but also social traits and his interest in current affairs.

• Some of the qualities to be judged are mental alertness, critical powers of assimilation, clear and logical exposition, balance of judgement, variety and depth of interest, ability for social cohesion and leadership, intellectual and moral integrity.

• The technique of the interview is not that of a strict cross-examination but of a natural, though directed and purpose conversation which is intended to reveal the mental qualities of the candidate. The interview test is not intended to be a test either of the specialized or general knowledge of the candidates which has been already tested through their written papers.

•  Candidates are expected to have taken an intelligent interest not only in their special subjects of academic study but also in the events which are happening around them both within and outside their own State or Country as well as in modern currents of thought and in new discoveries which should rouse the curiosity of well-educated youth.