UPSC 2025 – Exam Date, Calendar, Syllabus, Eligibility

UPSC 2025

On 22 January 2025, the official UPSC notification for the 2025 CSE exam will be out. This is an important document for the IAS exam aspirants because it gives all the important details about the exam including the application dates, application process, UPSC syllabus, exam pattern, exam centres, etc. We will provide the UPSC Notification PDF here once it is released by the commission. Meanwhile, you can go through the details of the UPSC 2025 exam we are providing here based on the current pattern. It is expected that the pattern and syllabus will largely remain the same.

Candidates can download the UPSC notification 2024 here and check the details.

UPSC 2024 Exam Details

Candidates should have complete knowledge of the UPSC 2025 exam highlights. All the important details related to the exam are presented in the table provided.

Particulars	Details
Exam Name	UPSC 2025
Conducting Body	Union Public Service Commission (UPSC)
Exam Level	National
Exam Frequency	Once a year
Stages	UPSC Recruitment includes three stages: Preliminary, Main, and Interview
Eligibility	Bachelor’s Degree from a recognized university
Mode of Exam	Offline
UPSC 2024 Application	Online
Exam Duration	Preliminary – 2 hours per paper Main – 3 hours per paper
Type of Questions	Preliminary – Objective Main – Descriptive
Total Marks	Preliminary – 400 (200 per paper) Main – 1750
Negative Marking	Yes
Language	English and Hindi (except for language papers)
Exam Frequency	Once a year
UPSC 2024 Official website	upsc.gov.in

UPSC 2025 Notification

The UPSC notification for the IAS 2025 exam will be released on 22 January 2025. It is a PDF document that can be downloaded for free from the official website of the UPSC. We will also provide the UPSC notification PDF on this page once it is uploaded on the UPSC website. The notification will be available in both English and Hindi. For now, aspirants can download the previous year’s UPSC notification and get an idea about the exam.

• UPSC Notification PDF
• UPSC Notification in Hindi

Candidates should peruse the notification in detail. This is the first step towards clearing the IAS exam.

UPSC Exam Date 2025

The UPSC Prelims exam is scheduled for 25 May 2025. The UPSC Mains exam is scheduled for five days from 22 August 2025. The UPSC Notification will be out on 22 January 2025 from which date the application process will commence. The following table gives all the important dates with respect to the UPSC 2025 exam.

Event	Date
UPSC Exam Calendar 2025	April 25, 2024
UPSC 2025 exam notification	22 January 2025
UPSC 2025 exam application form (Acceptance dates)	22 January 2025 to 11 February 2025
UPSC 2025 admit card	To be released
UPSC 2025 Civil Services Prelims exam	25 May 2025
UPSC 2025 Civil Services Mains exam	From 22 August 2025 (Five days)

UPSC 2025 Eligibility

The UPSC 2025 eligibility criteria refer to the set of requirements that candidates must fulfill to be eligible to apply for and take the various exams conducted by the Union Public Service Commission. The eligibility criteria include nationality, age limit, educational qualification, and the number of attempts. Aspirants must ensure that they fulfill all the requirements before applying for the exam. People wishing to take the UPSC 2025 exam may check the detailed eligibility criteria below.

UPSC 2025 Age Limit

The age limit for UPSC exam is an essential eligibility criterion that candidates need to fulfill to apply for UPSC 2025.

To be eligible for taking the IAS prelims 2025 exam, applicants must have completed the age of 21 years on 1st August 2025.

The upper age limit (maximum permissible age) for general category candidates is 32 years. But, there is a relaxation in the upper age limit for candidates belonging to reserved categories, such as OBC, SC, ST, and physically disabled (PH).

Candidates can check the minimum and maximum age limit for UPSC 2025 in the table below.

Category	Minimum Age Limit	Maximum Age Limit
General	21 years	32 years
OBC	21 years	35 years
SC/ST	21 years	37 years
Physically Disabled	21 years	42 years

UPSC Age Relaxation

The age relaxation in number of years is mentioned in the table below.

Category	Age Relaxation
OBC	3 years
SC/ST	5 years
Physically Disabled	10 years
Defense Services personnel	3 years
Ex-servicemen	5 years

UPSC 2025 Qualification

Candidates taking the UPSC prelims 2025 should be at least a graduate from a recognised university. Candidates in the final year of their undergraduate course and awaiting results can also apply for the exam.

Educational qualification necessary for the UPSC exam: Bachelor’s Degree

Nationality for UPSC 2024

The nationality criteria for candidates who want to take the UPSC 2025 examination are as follows:

• A candidate must be an Indian national, or
• A subject of Nepal, or
• A subject of Bhutan, or
• A Tibetan refugee who came to India before January 1, 1962, with the intention of permanently settling in India, or
• A person of Indian descent who has moved from Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Burma, Kenya, Uganda, Zambia, Zaire, Malawi, Ethiopia, or Vietnam with the aim of permanently residing in India.

How many Attempts for UPSC 2025?

The number of attempts allowed for the UPSC 2025 varies depending on the category of the candidate. The UPSC attempts for each category are as follows:

Category	Number of Attempts
OBC	9
General Category	6
SC	No Limit
ST	No Limit

UPSC 2025 Online Application

Candidates must follow the steps mentioned below to complete the UPSC 2025 application form.

• Step 1: Visit the official website and select the “Apply Online” option..
• Step 2: Candidates need to register themselves on the UPSC website by creating a profile. To register, candidates need to provide their basic information such as name, date of birth, email ID, and mobile number.
• Step 3: Fill out the online application form with personal information, educational qualifications, and other relevant details. Also, upload scanned copies of their photograph and signature as per the specifications.
• Step 4: Preview the application form to check for any errors or omissions. Verify all the information provided in the application form before submission.
• Step 5: Pay the application fee online using a credit card, debit card, or internet banking. The application fee varies depending on the exam and the category of the candidate.
• Step 6: Candidates can submit the application form. They will receive a confirmation message and a registration number.
• Step 7: Take a printout of the application form and keep it safe for future reference.

UPSC Posts 2025

The UPSC 2025 selection process for the Civil Services Examination is a three-stage process i.e. Preliminary Examination, Mains Examination, and Interview. Each stage has its own challenges and candidates must have a unique preparation strategy for each stage to clear them.

1. Preliminary Examination: The first stage of the UPSC selection process is the Preliminary examination (UPSC IAS Prelims), which is an objective type exam. The exam consists of two papers: GS Paper 1 and GS Paper 2 (CSAT). It is a screening test and candidates who clear the Prelims exam are eligible to appear for the Mains exam.
2. Mains Examination: The second stage of the selection process is the Mains examination, which is a descriptive type exam. The Mains exam consists of 9 papers, out of which 7 papers are compulsory subjects and 2 papers are of the optional subjects, chosen by the candidate from a list of subjects provided by the commission. Candidates who clear the Mains exam are eligible for the third stage of the selection process, i.e., the Interview.
3. Personality Test/Interview: The final stage of the selection process is conducted by UPSC Board to assess the candidate’s overall personality, communication skills, knowledge, and suitability for the Civil Services. Candidates who clear the Interview round are selected for various services based on their ranks and preferences.

UPSC 2025 Exam Pattern

The UPSC exam pattern includes three stages namely, Prelims exam, Mains exam, and Interview. Provided below is a detailed explanation of the UPSC exam pattern 2025:

UPSC Prelims Exam Pattern

UPSC Prelims exam pattern consists of two papers, General Studies Paper 1 and CSAT. Both papers are objective-type and are conducted in two shifts at various centres all over India.

• Each paper is of 200 marks, and candidates have two hours to complete each paper.
• There will be a negative marking of 1/3rd mark for each incorrect answer.
• Individuals who pass the preliminary test are qualified to take the main examination.
• The GS Paper 2 is a qualifying paper, and candidates must score a minimum of 33% to clear the Prelims exam.
• Only the marks of the GS Paper 1 are counted for the ranking. So, candidates must score at least 33% in the CSAT and above the cut-off marks for the GS Paper 1 to clear the prelims exam. The cut-off marks are different for the various categories.

Paper	Number of Questions	Marks	Duration	Negative Marking
GS Paper 1	100	200	2 hours	Yes
CSAT	80	200	2 hours	Yes

UPSC Mains Exam Pattern

There are nine descriptive papers in the UPSC Mains exam. The papers are Essay, Compulsory English Language, Compulsory Indian Language, General Studies I, General Studies II, General Studies III, General Studies IV, Optional Paper I and Optional Paper II. Candidates can choose the compulsory Indian language and the optional subject from a list of languages/subjects given by the UPSC in the official notification.

• The marks obtained by the candidate in the seven papers are counted towards the final selection.
• The time allotted for each paper is three hours.
• Those who clear the Mains exam are then called for the final stage of the selection process, which includes a personality test/interview.

Paper	Subject	Marks	Duration
Paper A	Compulsory Indian Language	300	3 hours
Paper B	English	300	3 hours
Paper I	Essay	250	3 hours
Paper II	General Studies I	250	3 hours
Paper III	General Studies II	250	3 hours
Paper IV	General Studies III	250	3 hours
Paper V	General Studies IV	250	3 hours
Paper VI	Optional Paper I	250	3 hours
Paper VII	Optional Paper II	250	3 hours

UPSC Interview 2025 – Personality Test

The UPSC interview, also known as the personality test, is the final stage of the selection process for civil services. The UPSC Board conducts the interview round. The Interview is designed to assess the candidate’s personality, suitability for civil services, and ability to handle pressure and challenging situations.

• The Interview is usually conducted in the UPSC head office in New Delhi.
• The Interview lasts for around 30 minutes to an hour.
• Interview carries 275 marks out of the total 2025 marks.

UPSC 2025 Syllabus

The UPSC 2025 syllabus is the list of subjects and topics that aspirants are required to study to prepare for the IAS exam. Candidates must check the UPSC 2025 syllabus of the Prelims and Mains exam thoroughly and plan their preparation accordingly for the UPSC 2025 exam. The UPSC Syllabus is the most important key to cracking the IAS exam and IAS toppers often recommend aspiring candidates to learn the UPSC syllabus by heart as it helps them to weed out unnecessary content from the relevant ones while reading an important update in the newspaper.

UPSC Prelims Syllabus

UPSC Prelims syllabus comprises two objective-type papers: General Studies Paper I and CSAT. Candidates can download the UPSC Prelims Syllabus PDF in Hindi & English below.

• UPSC Prelims Syllabus PDF
• UPSC Prelims Syllabus 2025 PDF in Hindi

UPSC 2025 CSAT Syllabus

The UPSC CSAT syllabus tests the analytical and reasoning abilities of candidates. The syllabus for CSAT includes the following topics:

• Comprehension
• Interpersonal skills including communication skills
• Analytical ability and logical reasoning
• Problem-solving and decision-making
• Basic numeracy
• General mental ability
• Data interpretation

UPSC Mains Syllabus 2025

UPSC Mains syllabus consists of nine papers, of which two are qualifying papers and seven are merit-based papers. The syllabus covers a wide range of subjects, including language proficiency, general knowledge, ethics, and aptitude. Candidates can check the UPSC optional syllabus here and can download the UPSC 2025 syllabus for Mains PDF in English and Hindi from the direct link below.

• UPSC 2025 Syllabus for Mains
• UPSC Mains Syllabus PDF in Hindi 2025

UPSC Optional Subjects

The UPSC 2025 mains exam includes two optional subject papers, namely, Paper VI and Paper VII, wherein candidates should choose one subject from the list of subjects provided by UPSC as their optional subject. The UPSC provides a list of 48 subjects including 23 literature of languages as the optional subject. The optional subject carries 500 marks in total, with each paper carrying 250 marks.

List of UPSC 2025 Optional Subjects

The following table lists all the optional subjects offered by the UPSC:

Optional Subjects for UPSC 2025
Agriculture	Management
Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science	Mathematics
Anthropology	Mechanical Engineering
Botany	Medical Science
Chemistry	Philosophy
Civil Engineering	Physics
Commerce & Accountancy	Political Science & International Relations
Economics	Psychology
Electrical Engineering	Public Administration
Geography	Sociology
Geology	Statistics
History	Zoology
Law

List of UPSC 2025 Literature Optional Subjects

Check the list of literature optional subjects for UPSC 2025 in the table below.

Literature Optional Subjects for UPSC 2025
Assamese	Marathi
Bengali	Nepali
Bodo	Oriya
Dogri	Punjabi
Gujarati	Sanskrit
Hindi	Santhali
Kannada	Sindhi
Kashmiri	Tamil
Konkani	Telugu
Maithili	Urdu
Malayalam	English
Manipuri

UPSC Admit Card 2025

Candidates taking the UPSC exam must have their UPSC admit cards to appear for the exam. Without this card, they will not be allowed to permitted to take the IAS exam. The UPSC admit card will be available to download from the UPSC website a few weeks before the exam date. Candidates can download the admit card by using their registration ID and password that they would have created while applying for the exam. The admit card contains crucial details such as the candidate’s name, photograph, signature, examination center details, examination date, and time, along with other important instructions.

It is advisable for candidates to verify all the details mentioned on the admit card, such as their name, roll number, examination center, etc. Any discrepancies or errors in the admit card should be immediately reported to the UPSC authorities. Candidates should keep the admit card safe and in good condition until the completion of the exam. They should also preserve the admit card even after the exam as it may be required during the later stages of the selection process.

Steps to Download the UPSC 2025 Admit Card

• Step 1: Navigate the official website
• Step 2: From the main menu, select the “Admit Cards” tab
• Step 3: Select the examination for which you want to download the admit card
• Step 4: Enter your registration ID or roll number
• Step 5: Enter the Captcha code as shown on the screen
• Step 6: Click on the “Submit” button
• Step 7: UPSC 2025 Admit Card will be displayed on the screen
• Step 8: Take a printout of the admit card after downloading it

How to Prepare for UPSC Exam 2025?

The UPSC 2025 exam is no doubt a challenge since the civil services is one of the most coveted institutions and professions in the country. Also, the CSE is considered one of the most toughest exams in India with a pass percentage of less than 1%. So, it is needless to say that clearing the UPSC exam 2025 will not be a walk in the park. However, lakhs of students have cleared it before and you can crack it too, if you follow some time-tested steps and preparation strategies.

Here are some tips on how to prepare for the UPSC 2025:

• Understand the Exam Pattern and Syllabus: The first step of preparation is understanding the UPSC 2025 exam pattern, syllabus, and marking scheme. This will help candidates to plan their preparation and allocate time to each topic.
• Make a Study Plan: Once they clearly understand the exam pattern and syllabus, they must make a study plan that suits their learning style and schedule. They ought to ensure that they cover all the topics in the UPSC syllabus and allocate more time for difficult topics.
• Follow current events: In the UPSC 2025, current affairs are paramount. Candidates have to stay abreast of the latest news and events by reading newspapers (The Hindu, The Indian Express, etc.), and magazines such as Yojana, Kurukshetra, etc.
• Use Standard Reference Books: UPSC is a knowledge-intensive exam requiring a good in-depth comprehension of the concepts. Use prescribed standard reference books and textbooks to prepare for each subject and make crisp notes for revision.
• Practice Mock Tests: Mock tests are an essential part of the IAS preparation. They help candidates to evaluate their performance, identify their strengths and weaknesses, and improve their time management skills.
• Stay motivated and confident: UPSC 2025 preparation can be a long and arduous process. Stay motivated and confident throughout the process. Take breaks whenever necessary, talk to positive people and avoid negativity.

Books to Prepare for UPSC 2025

It is important to read and study from the prescribed UPSC books recommended by IAS toppers and mentors alike. UPSC books also help aspirants gain a comprehensive understanding of the subject matter, develop critical thinking skills, and enhance their analytical abilities, all of which are essential for success in the UPSC 2025 exam.

The following table gives the list of expert-recommended UPSC books for IAS aspirants to read from:

Books	Author/Publication
India’s Struggle for Independence	Bipan Chandra
A Brief History of Modern India	Rajiv Ahir
Indian Polity	M. Laxmikanth
Indian Economy	Ramesh Singh
Indian Art and Culture	Nitin Singhania
Certificate Physical and Human Geography	Goh Cheng Leong
Our Parliament	Subash Kashyap

UPSC Previous Years Question Papers

UPSC Previous Years Question Papers are an essential resource for any aspirant preparing for the Civil Services Examination. Solving previous years’ question papers is extremely important to clear the IAS exam. Previous question papers provide a clue to the exam pattern, difficulty level, current affairs weightage, and other factors such as the time required to solve the paper.

Only by solving previous IAS question papers candidates will be able to understand their preparedness level for the exam. By timing their answers, they can practice solving the whole paper on time. It is not enough to know all the answers to the IAS questions, it is also important to write everything on the paper. And, this is where solving previous years’ question papers comes in handy. Solving these papers within the stipulated time frame enables them to understand the time required for each section, and accordingly plan their exam strategy. Below we have given some important previous years’ UPSC question papers for you to download.

• UPSC Prelims 2023 Question Paper
• UPSC CSAT 2023 Question Paper
• UPSC Prelims 2022 question paper
• UPSC Mains 2022 question paper

UPSC Cut Off

UPSC cut-off is the minimum mark that candidates need to secure to qualify for the next stage of the Civil Services Examination conducted by the Union Public Service Commission.

Candidates preparing for UPSC 2025 must check the cut-off for a better understanding of the exam. The cut-off is determined by various factors such as the difficulty level of the exam, the number of candidates appearing for the exam, and the total number of vacancies available for various services.

The cut-off will be declared separately for each stage of the selection process and will be released along with the result.

UPSC Cut Off 2023

The below table gives the official cut-off marks for the UPSC 2023 exam as given by the Commission for all the three stages of the exam:

Official UPSC Cut-Offs 2023
Category	UPSC Cut-Off (Prelims)	UPSC Cut-Off (Mains)	UPSC Cut-Off (Final)
General	75.41	741	953
EWS	68.02	706	923
OBC	74.75	712	919
SC	59.25	694	890
ST	47.82	692	891
PwBD-1	40.40	673	894
PwBD-2	47.13	718	930
PwBD-3	40.40	396	756
PwBD-5	33.68	445	589

UPSC Exam Centre 2025

The official list of Exam centres for UPSC has not been released on the official website. The list of exam centers will be announced by UPSC in the notification for the respective exam. The exam centers play a crucial role in determining the convenience and accessibility for the candidates appearing in the examination.

UPSC 2024 Mock Test

Aspirants serious about cracking the IAS exam must take a reliable UPSC 2025 mock test series from a reputable institute. This will help them analyse their preparation levels, strengths and weaknesses, and enable them to perform course corrections if needed. Since many aspirants take mock tests, candidates will also be able to assess their competition through this process. Solving mock tests will additionally help them understand the subjects where they need to focus more. They can also learn time management skills in this process. Thus, serious aspirants should not omit taking UPSC 2025 mock tests.

UPSC 2025 Online Coaching

BYJU’s Exam Prep offers comprehensive online live classes for UPSC 2025, guided by proficient educators. The UPSC IAS online coaching will include extensive study materials, UPSC PDFs, practice assessments, interactive doubt-clearing sessions, and a plethora of other resources to supplement the learning experience.

UPSC 2025 online coaching is an apt instrument for candidates in remote areas of the country to avail of the best IAS coaching to clear the exam. Even if physical classes are not available in your city, you can learn online from the best IAS faculty. Aspirants who are unable to travel to classes due to reasons of work or college can also take advantage of the online classes for IAS which they can take from the comfort of their homes.