UPSC Exams

20 exams are conducted by UPSC, the notable exams conducted by UPSC includes UPSC CDS II, UPSC IFS Mains Exam, UPSC IFS Prelims Exam, UPSC Civil Services Mains Exam, UPSC Civil Services Prelims Exam, UPSC Statistical Officer and Superintendent Exam, UPSC Assistant Director and Specialists Recruitment, UPSC IAS, UPSC CAPF, UPSC NDA, UPSC EPFO, UPSC SCRA, UPSC IFS Exam, UPSC CGGE, UPSC CMS, UPSC CDS, UPSC IES Exam, UPSC CGS, NDA & NA Exam (I) and NDA & NA II Exam. Upcoming UPSC exams includes UPSC CDS II, UPSC IFS Mains Exam, UPSC IFS Prelims Exam, UPSC Civil Services Mains Exam, UPSC Civil Services Prelims Exam, UPSC Statistical Officer and Superintendent Exam, UPSC Assistant Director and Specialists Recruitment, UPSC IAS, UPSC CAPF, UPSC NDA, UPSC EPFO, UPSC SCRA, UPSC IFS Exam, UPSC CGGE, UPSC CMS, UPSC CDS, UPSC IES Exam, UPSC CGS, NDA & NA Exam (I) and NDA & NA II Exam

UPSC Overview

UPSC stands for Union Public Service Commission and all major competitive examinations in India mainly the Civil Service Examinations are conducted by UPSC. UPSC organizes recruitment drives for various Civil Services Examinations like IAS (Indian Administrative Services), IFS (Indian Foreign Services), IPS (Indian Police Services) and IRS (Indian Revenue Services. Recruitment through UPSC is done by three methods- Direct Recruitment, Promotion and Transfer (Deputation) basis. UPSC works directly under the Department of Personnel and Training, Government of India.

Exams Conducted by UPSC

UPSC is India's central agency that is responsible for recruiting candidates to various ministerial department services and posts under the Union. The following are the prominent exams conducted by UPSC:

1. India Administrative Services (IAS)

2. Indian Police Services (IPS)

3. Engineering Services Examination (ESE)

4. Combined Medical Services Examination (CMS)

5. Combined Defence Services Examination (CDS)

6. National Defence Academy (NDA)

7. Naval Academy (NA)

8. Special Class Railway Apprentice (SCRA)

9. Indian Forest Service (IFS)

10.  Indian Economic Service (IES)

11.  Indian Statistical Service (ISS)

12.  Combined Geologist 

13. Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF)

UPSC Exams Calendar

The exam dates for various UPSC examinations are released in the UPSC calendar. UPSC releases an official notification every year with all the details and specifications related to the examinations. The dates might undergo changes hence, candidates should keep visiting the official portal to get the latest updates. 

UPSC Exam Dates

The important dates for various UPSC examinations are as follows:

1. The UPSC IAS Prelims exam for 2020 is scheduled to be held on 4th October 2020 and the Mains exam is expected to be held on 8th January 2021.

2. The UPSC Engineering Services Prelims and Mains exam for 2020 are scheduled to take place on 5th January 2020 and 18th Oct 2020, respectively. For 2021, the Prelims and Mains are tentative to be held on 18th July 2021 and 10th October 2021.

3. The UPSC Combined Medical Services exam for 2020 is scheduled to be held on 22nd October 2020. For 2021, the tentative exam date is 29th August 2021.

4. The UPSC Combined Defence Services exam for 2020 is scheduled to be held on 8th November 2020. For 2021, the tentative exam date is 7th February 2021.

5. The UPSC National Defence Academy and Naval Academy exam for 2020 is scheduled to be held on 19th April 2020. For 2021, the exams are expected to be held on 18th April 2021.

6. The UPSC Indian Forest Service Exam for 2020 is scheduled to be held on 31st May 2020. For 2021, the tentative exam date is 27th June 2021.

7. The UPSC Indian Police Services Prelims and Mains exam for 2020 are scheduled to be held on 31st May 2020 and 18th September 2020. 

8. The UPSC Indian Economic Service and Indian Statistical Service exam for 2020 is scheduled to be held between 16th to 18th October 2020. For 2021, the tentative exam dates can fall between 16th to 18th July 2021.

9. The UPSC Combined Geoscientist and Geologist Prelims exam for 2020 is scheduled to be held on 19th January 2020 and the Mains exam is scheduled on 18th October 2020. For 2021, the tentative exam dates for Prelims and Mains are 21st February and 18th July 2021, respectively.

10. The UPSC Central Armed Police Forces exam for 2020 is scheduled to be held on 20th December 2020. For 2021, the tentative exam date is 8th August 2021.

11. The UPSC Special Class Railway Apprentice exam is scheduled to be held in January 2021.

Vacancies for Various UPSC Exams

The vacancies are decided by the recruiting body, based on the number of posts available in various departments. The vacancies for various UPSC exams are mentioned as follows:

1. Total number of vacancies released for UPSC IAS exam 2020 was 796.

2. Total number of vacancies for UPSC ESE exam 2020 is 495.

3. Total number of vacancies for UPSC CMS exam 2020 is 559.

4. Total number of vacancies for UPSC CDS exam 2020 is 345.

5. Total number of vacancies for UPSC NDA and NA exam 2020 is 370 and 43, respectively. 

6. Total number of vacancies for UPSC IFS exam 2020 is 90.

7. Total number of vacancies for UPSC ISS exam 2020 is 47.

8. Total number of vacancies for the UPSC Combined Geologist and Geoscientist exam 2020 is 102.

9. Total number of vacancies for UPSC CAPF exam 2020 is 209.

10.  Total number of vacancies for UPSC SCRA exam 2020 is 42.

UPSC Exams Eligibility

It is very important for the aspiring candidates to check the eligibility criteria. The major areas to check for eligibility are age, nationality, educational qualification and experience. Candidates should check if they fall under the eligible group so that the application has no chance of getting rejected afterwards. 

For all UPSC exams, the candidate should be a citizen of India in order to be eligible to sit for the exams. For other groups of eligibility, check the table below:

UPSC Exams Pattern

The exam pattern gives a complete idea to the candidates about the syllabus and types of questions that are expected to be tested in the examination.

1. UPSC IAS/IFS/IPS Exam:

• Prelims exam with two papers-General Studies and Aptitude Test

• Mains exam with nine papers

• Interview

2. UPSC ESE Exam:

• Stage 1 exam with 2 objective tests

• Stage 2 exam with 2 descriptive tests

• Stage 3- Interview

3. UPSC CMS:

• Written examination

• Personal interview

4. UPSC CDS:

• Objective test

• Personal interview

5. UPSC NDA/NA Exam:

• Written examination

• Extensive interview

6. UPSC SCRA Exam:

• Written examination

• Personal interview

7. UPSC India Forest Service Exam:

• Prelims exam 

• Mains exam 

• Personal interview

8. UPSC IES/ISS Exam:

• Written examination

• Personal interview

UPSC Exams Syllabus

The UPSC syllabus for various exams is fixed by the regulatory authority and generally does not change every year.

1. UPSC IAS Exam:

• Civil Services Aptitude Test

• Essay writing

• General Studies – I (Indian Heritage & Culture, History & Geography of the World & Society)

• General Studies – II (Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice & International Relations) 

• General Studies – III (Technology, Economic Development, Biodiversity, Security & Disaster Management)

• General Studies – IV (Ethics, Integrity & Aptitude)

2. UPSC ESE Exam:

• General Studies and Engineering Aptitude

• Civil engineering

• Mechanical engineering

• Electronics and telecommunication engineering

3. UPSC CMS Exam:

• General Medicine including Cardiology, Neurology, Dermatology and Psychiatry

• Surgery including ENT, Ophthalmology, Traumatology and Orthopedics

• Gynaecology & Obstetrics

• Preventive & Social Medicine

4. UPSC CDS Exam:

• General knowledge

• Elementary mathematics

5. UPSC NDA/NA Exam:

• General ability

• Mathematics

6. UPSC SCRA Exam:

• General Ability Test (English, General Knowledge, and Psychological test)

• Physical Science (Physics and Chemistry)

• Mathematics

7. UPSC IES/ISS Exam:

• General English

• General studies

• General economics

• Indian economics

8. UPSC Combined Geologist/Geoscientist Exam:

• General English

• Geology

• Geophysics

• Hydrogeology

• Chemistry

9. UPSC IFS Exam:

• General English

• General knowledge

10.  UPSC CAPF Exam:

• General ability

• Essay writing

• Comprehension

• General studies

FAQ’s

Q1. If a candidate hesitates to speak in English, is it possible that he takes the Civil Services Main Exam in English and appear for the interview in Hindi language?

A candidate should not be afraid of such things, because UPSC has already formulated certain rules in this regard. If you choose to take the Civil Services Main Exam in English language, you may either choose English as the medium for interview or Hindi or any other Indian language. 

Q2. If a candidate appears in the OBC list of states but not in the Central list of OBCs, will he be eligible for age relaxation or other reservations as applicable?

No, only candidates who belong to communities that are included in the Central list of OBCs are eligible for such reservations and relaxations.

Q3. Is it really helpful to study the last 10 years question papers of the General Studies (Prelims) exam as they give a fair idea as to how the questions are framed?

Yes, previous year question papers help the candidates to a greater extent to know the exam pattern and the types of questions asked.

Q4. How tough is the competition in UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE)?

You can get an idea of the level of competition from the following data:

• No. of vacancies advertised every year is between 1000 to 1200.

• No. of candidates who fill up the application form is more than 9,00,000

• No. of applicants who appear in the Preliminary exam is 4,50,000-5,00,000

• No. of Candidates who qualify Mains to appear in the Interview is 2.5 times the number of vacancies in the CSE. This also makes CSE one of the toughest exams.

Q5. Is there any negative marking for Preliminary Questions?

Yes, there is negative marking for incorrect answers attempted by the candidates except where the negative marking is inbuilt in the form of different marks that are granted for the most appropriate answer.