Civil Services Exam – Eligibility, Exam Pattern, Syllabus of UPSC CSE 2023

What is Civil Services Exam?

Popularly known as the ‘IAS Exam’, the Civil Services Examination is one of the toughest exams in India. Union Public Service Commission(UPSC) conducts the Civil Services Exam every year to recruit candidates for 24 civil services in India. Some of the popular services include IAS, IPS, IFS, and IRS.

More than 5 lakh candidates appear for Civil Service Examination. This exam is conducted in three phases, and those who clear all three stages get recruited in civil services in India based on their UPSC Ranks. The Civil Service Exam in India lasts over a year as it starts from the May-June month of the year to the May-June month of the next year.

History of UPSC Civil Services Exam in India

The History of Civil Service in India started during British rule. British Empire introduced civil service in India in 1858, and it was known as the Indian Civil Service(ICS) until 1947. It was one of the positive impacts of British Rule in India. The Civil Service Exam was divided into three parts during the era of British East India era namely covenanted, uncovenanted, and special civil services. Indian Civil Service was divided during the partition of India in 1947 when the British left. Pakistan Administrative Service was handed over to Pakistan, and India was left with Indian Administrative Service. This is how the era of Civil Services in India started.

Civil Services Exam 2023

Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) is a constitutional body, and it is responsible for conducting the Civil Services Exam. Every year, the UPSC releases a notification on its official website about the CSE. The UPSC Notification 2023 was released on 1st February by the commission. This notification includes all the information to be known by the aspirants.

Civil Services Exam 2023
Name of the Examination	Civil Services Exam
Exam Level	All India / National Level
Conducting Body	Union Public Service Commission
Exam mode	Offline / Pen and paper mode
Civil Service Exam Dates 2022	Prelims – 28 May 2023, Mains – September 15, 2022, onward

Types of Civil Services in India

Civil Services is divided into two groups – Group ‘A’ and Group ‘B’. All India Services include IAS, IPS, IFoS, and 18 other services that come under UPSC Post List for Group A services. Group ‘B’ services include five services under it. Most of the candidates appear for the Civil Service Exam to become a part of All India Services. Only those who clear the CSE with higher ranks get the opportunity to be a part of All India Services.

All Indian Services

• Indian Administrative Service (IAS)
• Indian Police Service (IPS)
• Indian Forest Service (IFoS)

Group A Civil Services

• Indian Foreign Service (IFS)
• Indian Audit and Accounts Service (IAAS)
• Indian Communication Finance Services (ICFS)
• Indian Postal Service (IPoS)
• Indian Railway Traffic Service (IRTS)
• Indian Revenue Service (IRS)
• Railway Protection Force (RPF)
• Indian Civil Accounts Service (ICAS)
• Indian Railway Accounts Service (IRAS)
• Indian Railway Personnel Service (IRPS)
• Indian Trade Service (ITS)
• Indian Corporate Law Service (ICLS)
• Indian Defence Accounts Service (IDAS)
• Indian Defence Estates Service (IDES)
• Indian Information Service (IIS)
• Indian Ordnance Factories Service (IOFS)

Group B Civil Services

• Armed Forces Headquarters Civil Service
• DANICS
• Pondicherry Civil Service
• Pondicherry Police Service
• DANIPS

Civil Services Exam Timeline

Every year the Civil Services Exam is almost conducted in the same time period. CSE notification is released in the month of February, and the Prelims exam is conducted in the month of June. Those who clear the Prelims then get to appear for the Civil Services Mains Exam that is conducted on the month of October, and then the Interview is scheduled for the selected candidates in the month of February/March of the following year. The Final result of the Civil Services Exam is declared in the month of April/May of the following year. The complete process of the CSE, from notification to the declaration of the final result, takes a year.

Civil Services Exam Application Form

The application form for Civil Services Exam is out of the official website of UPSC. Candidates need to apply for the exam before the last date of the application process. The CSE has three phases- Prelims, Mains, and Interviews. Candidates need to fill up the form separately for these three phases. To apply online for UPSC candidates can follow these steps:

• Step-1: Open the UPSC official site, and register yourself by giving the required details on the official website of UPSC
• Step-2: Fill up the application form for Civil Services Exam by providing the required UPSC documents, and paying the application fee.
• Step-3: verify all the details, and press on ‘I Agree’ button after reading the declaration.
• Step 4: The last step of teh Civil Services Exam application process is to choose the exam center. Remember that changes are not allowed once you submit the application for the IAS Exam.

Civil Services Exam Eligibility

To appear for the Civil Services Exam, candidates need to meet the Eligibility criteria such as age, educational qualification, and nationality. The minimum age to apply for the CSE is 21 years, and the maximum age is 32 years. Age relaxation can be applied to the candidates from OBS, SC/ST categories. The candidates must have completed graduation from a recognized university. Final year students can also apply for UPSC CSE, however, they must submit a copy of passing the final year exam during Mains.

Exam Pattern for Civil Services Examination

The Civil Service Exam or IAS Exam includes three stages, and candidates need to clear each stage to appear for the next one. The exam pattern is different for each stage, and it is imperative that the aspirants are acquainted with the pattern for effective preparation.

IAS Exam Pattern
Civil Services Exam Stages	Number of Papers	Total Marks	Nature of the Exam
IAS Prelims Exam Pattern	2 Papers – GS Paper 1 & CSAT	400	Objective Type
IAS Mains Exam Pattern	9 Papers	1750	Descriptive Test
IAS Interview	–	275	Personality Test
UPSC Total Marks	Mains Marks + Interview Marks = 2025 Marks

UPSC Civil Services Exam Syllabus

UPSC Civil Services Exam syllabus covers a wide range of topics, and candidates need to know all the topics covered in the syllabus before beginning their preparation. Having an idea about the CSE syllabus would help the candidates to take their preparation in the right direction. Candidates can check out Civil Services Exam syllabus for both Prelims and Mains in the given link below.

Civil Services Prelims Exam Syllabus

The Prelims paper consists of two papers – General Studies 1, and CSAT. Below we have provided the Prelims syllabus for UPSC Civil Services Exam that candidates need to follow.

IAS Prelims GS Paper 1 Syllabus
General Studies 1	Constitution of India, Political System, Panchayati Raj, General issues on Environmental ecology, Bio-diversity, and Climate Change, General Science.
CSAT Syllabus	Comprehension; Interpersonal skills, including communication skills, Logical reasoning and analytical ability, Decision-making and problem-solving, and General mental ability

Civil Services Exam Mains Syllabus

The UPSC CSE Mains has a total of 9 papers including two language papers. The Civil Services Mains Exam tests the writing ability, and thinking abilities of the candidates. Below we have provided the UPSC Mains Syllabus that candidates must follow.

Civil Services Exam Mains Syllabus
Paper	Subject
Paper 1	Essay
Paper 2	Indian Heritage & Culture, History & Geography of the World & Society
Paper 3	Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice & International Relations
Paper 4	(Technology, Economic Development, Biodiversity, Security & Disaster Management)
Paper 5	Ethics, Integrity & Aptitude
Paper 6	Optional Subject – Paper 1
Paper 7	Optional Subject – Paper 2

Stages of Civil Services Exam

The UPSC Civil Services Exam is divided into three stages- Prelims, Mains, and Interview. Exam patterns and mark distribution at every stage are different. Below we have mentioned all the stages of the exam in brief so that candidates would be able to prepare accordingly.

Civil Services Prelims Exam

The Prelims or Preliminary test is the first stage of the Civil Services Exam. Prelims is a screening test to find the eligible candidates for the next stage, i.e. Mains. The Prelims exam includes two objective-type papers, each carrying 200 marks. Candidates who clear the cut-off marks of that particular year can appear for the next level of UPSC CSE.

Exam Pattern for Prelims	Type	Nature of Paper	No. of questions	Total Marks
General Studies 1	Objective	Merit Ranking	100	200
CSAT	Objective	Qualifying	80	200

UPSC Civil Service Mains Exam

The second stage of the Civil Services Exam is known as Mains or UPSC Mains, and it includes 9 descriptive papers- 2 optional papers, 4 general studies, 1 Essay, and 2 compulsory language papers. Candidates get an option to choose the optional subject as per their interest. The language papers are qualifying in nature, and one has to score at least 25% in order to qualify.

Civil Services Interview

The last stage of the UPSC Civil Service Exam is known as Personality Test. Candidates around 2-2.5 times the number of total UPSC vacancies get called for the interview round, based on the result of Mains. The IAS Interview Questions access the personality, and knowledge of the candidate to evaluate if he/she is suitable to become a civil servant. The total mark of the UPSC CSE interview is 275.

Civil Services Exam Question Papers

Candidates preparing for the Civil Service exam need to know about the types of questions asked in the previous years of USPC CSE and their difficulty level. It would help the candidates to prepare accordingly, and they can come up with the best possible strategy to ace the UPSC Civil Services Exam. We have linked the CSE Previous Year’s question papers below that would help aid the preparation of the candidates.

• Civil Services Exam Question Paper Prelims 2022
• Civil Services Exam Question Paper Mains 2022
• Civil Services Exam Question Paper Prelims 2021
• UPSC Civil Services Exam Question Paper Mains 2021
• UPSC Civil Services Exam Question Paper Prelims 2020
• Civil Services Exam Question Paper Mains 2020
• UPSC Civil Services Exam Question Paper 2019
• Civil Services Exam Question Paper 2018
• UPSC Civil Services Exam Question Paper 2017
• Civil Services Exam Question Paper 2016
• Civil Services Exam Question Paper 2015

How to Prepare for the Civil Services Exam?

The UPSC Civil Services Exam is highly competitive, and without a solid preparation strategy, it is impossible to crack this exam. The approch for the preparation of the IAS Exam may vary from candidate to candidate. However, everyone should stick to a basic preparation strategy for fruitful results that we have mentioned below.

• First candidates need to create a solid Time Table for UPSC Preparation that can help them cover the syllabus efficiently. You can come up with your own timetable or refer to time table recommended by UPSC Toppers.
• It is highly recommended to go through the complete Syllabus. Candidates need to know the exact topics to be covered so that they can make the best use of their time.
• Start with covering the basic NCERT Books and slowly build their foundation. After that, candidates can refer to advanced books and study materials that would help them to gain in-depth knowledge on topics mentioned in the IAS Exam Syllabus.
• During the Civil Services Exam preparation candidates need to make their own hand-written notes or refer to NCERT Notes that would be beneficial during the revision period. They must create a mind map of the UPSC Syllabus to make the best use of their preparation time.
• Practice the UPSC Previous Year Question Papers that would help the candidates to analyze the types of questions asked previously in the IAS exam, and they can prepare accordingly.

Best Books to Prepare for UPSC Civil Services Exam

Those who are beginning their preparation for the upcoming UPSC Civil Services Exam may find it difficult to choose the right books for their preparation. There is a wide range of books available in the market that may make you feel confused, and you can feel overwhelmed. That’s why it is crucial to make the right Books selection. You will need a huge collection of books, however, some of the must-have books for the IAS Exam are:

• Indian Polity by M. Laxmikant
• India After Gandhi by Ramachandra Guha
• Indian Economy by Ramesh Singh
• Introduction to the Constitution of India by D.D. Basu
• India’s Struggle for Independence by Bipan Chandra
• 2nd ARC Reports
• Majid Hussain – Indian Geography
• NCERT Books: The Complete Package

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