About UPSC CSE

The UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE) which is popularly known as the IAS exam is conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) every year. It is regarded as one of the toughest and most prestigious exams in the country. The Indian Administrative Service (IAS) is one of the 20+ services for which candidates are recruited by the UPSC via this exam. 

IAS Exam Pattern

The exam consist of 3 stages

1. Stage I: Preliminary Examination
2. Stage II: Mains Examination
3. Stage III: Personality Test/Interview

• The questions in the Prelims are of the objective type or Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs).
• There is ‘Negative Marking’ in the Prelims stage. The negative marking for incorrect answers will be 1/3rd (0.66) of the allotted marks of that question.
•  The GS Paper II (CSAT) in IAS exam is qualifying in nature and candidates should score a minimum of 33 per cent in this paper to qualify to the next stage of the exam.
•  It is mandatory for the candidates to appear in both the papers of civil services prelims exam for the evaluation. 
•  Prelims is only a screening test where candidates scoring less than the cut-off marks are eliminated. The marks scored by the candidates in the prelims are not counted for the final score after the personality test.     
  
   Stage II: Mains The second stage of the Exam is called the Mains Exam. It comprises of 9 subjective/descriptive papers.
  

• The candidates can select their medium of writing the Mains Exam as Hindi or English or any other language listed in the 8th Schedule of the Indian Constitution.
• The candidates who score above the cut-off marks in the Mains exam will be eligible for the Personality Test (3^rd stage).
• The final ranking of the candidates is on the basis of the marks obtained by them in the Main Examination and Personality Test/Interview.
  
   Stage III: Interview/Personality Test Candidates who clear the Mains with the required cut-off marks qualify for the 3^rd and final stage of the exam , the Personality Test /Interview. It is a face-to-face discussion round with the UPSC board members. The board assesses the personality of the candidates and questions will be asked on their hobbies, current affairs, general knowledge, situation questions, etc. to evaluate if they are fit for a career in the civil services or not.
  Note: Details regarding the Eligibility criteria, Age limit and number of attempts can be accessed on the official website of the UPSC.