UPSC Civil Service Exam | Notification, Eligibility,

UPSC Exam 2024: UPSC 2024 Exam Date has been released by UPSC. The UPSC 2024 Prelims Date is 26th May and UPSC Mains 2024 is scheduled to take place on 20th September, Check all the information related UPSC Exam 2024 in the given article.

UPSC Civil Service Exam Recruitment

The UPSC Civil Service Exam is one of the most prestigious and competitive examinations in India. It opens doors to a career in the esteemed Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS), and other Group A and Group B services. Aspiring candidates must be well-prepared and equipped with the necessary information to tackle this challenging exam. In this blog post, we will provide an overview of the UPSC Civil Service Exam 2024, including the notification, important dates, eligibility criteria, syllabus, and exam pattern.

UPSC Civil Service Exam 2024 Notification

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) releases the official notification for the Civil Service Exam every year. The notification for the UPSC Civil Service Exam 2024 was released in the month of  March 2024. The notification contains detailed information about the exam, including eligibility criteria, application process, examination dates, and other relevant instructions.

UPSC Civil Service Exam 2024 Overview

Candidates who will be appearing for the UPSC Civil Service exam can check the highlights of the exam below.

Organization	Union Public Service Commission (UPSC)
Notification	UPSC IAS Prelims 2024
City	New Delhi
State	Delhi
Country	India
Functional	Administration

UPSC Civil Service Exam Important Dates

The important dates for the UPSC Civil Service 2024 exam are given below in a tabular form.

Events	Dates
Exam name	IAS Exam 2024
Exam Level	Union Public Service Commission (UPSC)
Exam Purpose	To recruit the candidates for All India Services and Central Civil Services
Notification Date	14-Feb-2024
Last Date to Apply Online	05-Mar-2024
IAS 2024 Application Correction Dates	06-Mar-2024 to 12-Mar-2024
IAS Admit Card Release Date	01-May-2023 (tentative)
Vacancies	1056
No. of applicants	Approximately 10 lakh
No. of applicants who appeared in the exam	Approximately 6.5 lakh
Exam frequency	Once a year
Exam Date	26-May-2024
Exam mode	Offline – pen and paper mode
Exam stages	Prelims (Qualifying Only) – 400 MarksMains (written) – 1750  MarksMains (Personality Test) – 275 Marks
Exam Duration	Prelims – 2 hours for each paper mains – 3 hours for each paper Personality Test  – not fixed (25 to 45 minutes)
Application fee(Prelims)	INR 100
Official website	https://www.upsc.gov.in/

UPSC Civil Service 2023 Exam History

Check out the complete schedule of the UPSC 2023-24 recruitment process here:

Event	Dates
Official Notification Release Date	01 February 2023
Last Date of Application Form Submission	21 February 2023
UPSC CSE Exam Date – Preliminary Examination	28 May 2023
The Main Result Declared on	12 June 2023
UPSC CSE Main Examination	15 to 24 September 2023
Mains Result Declared on	08 December 2023
Interview/Personality Test	Phase 1 – 02 January to 16 February 2024 Phase 2 – 19 February to 15 March 2024 Phase 3 – 18 March to 09 April 2024
UPSC Final Result Release Date	16 April 2024
Final Result Download PDF	Click Here

UPSC Civil Service Exam Application Fee

To apply online for the UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE) 2024, an individual will have to pay the application fee of 100 rupees using a debit card, credit card, NET banking, or UPI. 

UPSC Civil Service Exam Eligibility Criteria

• Nationality: The candidate must be a citizen of India.

• Age Limit: The candidate must be between 21 and 32 years of age, with relaxation for certain categories.

• Educational Qualification: A bachelor’s degree in any discipline from a recognized university.

• Number of Attempts: General category candidates can attempt the exam six times, with relaxations for reserved category candidates.

UPSC Civil Service Exam Selection Process

The selection process for the Combined Civil Services 2024 consists of three stages, which are Prelims, Mains, and Interviews.

Prelims

• Mode: Offline 
• Question Type: Objective
• Papers:
  1. General Studies Paper I
  2. General Studies Paper II (CSAT)
• Number of Questions:
  1. General Studies Paper I: 100 questions
  2. General Studies Paper II: 80 questions
• Total Marks: 400 marks
• Duration: 2 hours each for both papers
• Negative Marking: Yes (For every incorrect answer)

Note: For the Prelims, it’s important to note that the General Studies Paper II is qualifying in nature with a minimum qualifying mark fixed at 33%. Those who score in Paper I will meet or exceed the cut-off will be called for Mains.

Main:

• Mode: Offline 
• Question Type: Descriptive
• Papers:
  1. Compulsory Indian language
  2. English
  3. Essay
  4. General Studies I (Indian Heritage & Culture, History & Geography of the World & Society)
  5. General Studies II (Governance, Constitution, Welfare Initiatives, Social Justice & International Relations)
  6. General Studies III (Technology, Economic Development, Agriculture, Biodiversity, Security & Disaster Management)
  7. General Studies IV (Ethics, Integrity & Aptitude)
  8. Optional Subject – Paper I
  9. Optional Subject – Paper II
• Total Marks: 2025 marks (1750 for Mains papers + 275 for Interview)
• Duration: 3 hours for each paper
• Negative Marking: No (Since it’s a descriptive exam)

Interview 

• It is also known as the Personality Test, it carries 275 marks.

Note: Candidates who will clear the Second stage of the selection process will be called for it and then the final selection list will be prepared as per their performance in Prelims, Mains, and Interviews (Personality Test).

UPSC Civil Service Exam Exam Pattern

• Preliminary Examination: It consists of two objective-type papers: General Studies Paper I and General Studies Paper II (popularly known as CSAT). Both papers are conducted on the same day. Paper I covers subjects like History, Geography, Polity, Economy, and Current Affairs. Paper II assesses the candidate’s comprehension, analytical ability, and decision-making skills.

• Main Examination: It is a written examination consisting of nine papers, including one qualifying paper on Indian languages and one on English. The other papers cover subjects like Essays, General Studies (I, II, III, and IV), and optional subjects chosen by the candidate.

• Personality Test (Interview): Candidates who clear the Main Examination are called for the Personality Test, which assesses their personality traits, communication skills, and overall suitability for a career in civil services.

Preliminary Exam Pattern

Paper	No. of Questions	Total Marks	Duration
General Studies Paper I	100	200	2 hours
General Studies Paper II (CSAT)	80	200

Mains Exam Pattern

Name of the Paper	Subject	Total Marks
Paper A	Indian Language	300
Paper B	English	300
Paper I	Essay	250
Paper II	General Studies I	250
Paper III	General Studies II	250
Paper IV	General Studies III	250
Paper V	General Studies IV	250
Paper VI	Optional I	250
Paper VII	Optional II	250

You can also check the UPSC CMS Exam Pattern from here.

UPSC Syllabus For IAS Prelims Exam

The UPSC Prelims exam is the first stage of the civil services examination, and clearing this stage will make you eligible for the mains exam stage. So, first, you must understand the UPSC Civil Services Syllabus for the Prelims exam so that you can crack and become eligible for the main stage.

The prelims stage includes two papers, namely, GS 1 and GS 2 (also known as CSAT). Both these papers are objective in nature and are conducted on the same day. Both papers are qualifying in nature, ie. The marks obtained in these prelims papers are not counted in the final merit.

• GS Paper 1
  • ​It is the first paper of the preliminary exam stage.
  • It is conducted to test candidates’ general awareness of a wide range of subjects like History, Indian Economy, Geography, Indian Polity, Sci & Technology, Environment & Ecology, International Relations, and Current Affairs.
• GS Paper 2 (CSAT)
  • ​It is the second paper of the preliminary exam stage.
  • It is conducted to assess the candidate’s general aptitude, reasoning ability, and decision-making skills.
  • Candidates need to score a minimum qualifying mark of 33% in this paper.

Now, we will look at the UPSC Exam Syllabus for Prelims which includes Prelims GS Paper 1 syllabus and CSAT Syllabus.

Also, check out the UPSC CAPF Syllabus on the linked article.

UPSC CSE Syllabus for Prelims – GS Paper 1

The UPSC IAS Syllabus for Prelims GS Paper 1 includes topics from mixed subjects. There will be 100 objective questions in this paper, and the marks of this paper will be counted in the merit. In the table below, you can have a look at the latest IAS Syllabus for Prelims GS Paper 1 as per the official notification. 

• Current events of national and international importance.
• History of India and Indian National Movement.
• World and Indian Geography – Social, Physical, and Economic Geography of India and the World.
• Indian Polity and Governance – Political System, Constitution, Public Policy, Panchayati Raj, Rights Issues, etc.
• Economic and Social Development- Social Sector Initiatives, Poverty, Inclusion, Sustainable Development, Demographics, etc.
• General issues on Environmental ecology, Biodiversity, and Climate Change
• Subject specialization.
• General Science.

Also, check out the Ancient History Syllabus for UPSC Prelims here.

UPSC CSE Syllabus for Prelims – GS Paper 2 (CSAT)

As explained above, the IAS Prelims GS Paper 2 is also known as the CSAT paper. There are 80 objective questions and the marks are not counted in the Merit. Have a look at the UPSC CSAT Syllabus mentioned in the table below.

• Comprehension
• Interpersonal skills including communication skills
• Logical reasoning and analytical ability
• Decision-making and problem-solving
• General mental ability
• Basic numeracy
• Interpretation

Candidates preparing for the exam must know the subject-wise weightage of all the topics of the UPSC Exam Syllabus. Understanding this will help candidates know which topics are more important. Have a look at the topic-wise weightage for the prelims exam by clicking on the links given in the table below.

UPSC Civil Service Exam 2024 Answer Key

The answer key for the exam will be published after the completion of the exams. Candidates can check websites for further details.

UPSC Civil Service Exam 2024 Result

The results of the UPSC Civil Service Exam will be published very soon. Candidates must refer to the official website for further details.

UPSC Civil Service Exam 2024 Books

Book Name	Link
UPSC IAS Prelims Topic-Wise Book	Book View
UPSC Vyakaran Evam Sahitya Textbook in hindi	Book View
UPSC IAS Prelims Topic-Wise Book in English	Book View
UPSC IAS Prelims Solved Papers	Book View

UPSC Civil Service Exam 2024 FAQs