The UPSC Exam Pattern is a crucial aspect for anyone preparing for the prestigious civil services examination in India. The UPSC Exam Pattern 2024 remains consistent with its structured approach, designed to assess a candidate’s knowledge, analytical skills, and overall suitability for a career in public service. It includes three stages: the Preliminary Exam (Prelims), the Main Exam (Mains), and the Personality Test (Interview). Each stage is designed to test different abilities, from general awareness in the Prelims to in-depth understanding and writing skills in the Mains, and finally, the personality traits and decision-making abilities in the Interview. Understanding the UPSC Exam Pattern 2024 is essential for effective preparation and success in this highly competitive exam.
What is the UPSC Exam Pattern?
The UPSC exam has different parts to pick the right people for civil services jobs. There are three stages: Preliminary, Mains, and Interview. Each stage checks different skills and knowledge to make sure candidates are good for public service.
The UPSC Exam has three stages:
- Stage I – Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination
- Stage II – Civil Services (Mains) Examination
- Stage III – Interview Process
UPSC Exam Pattern Overview
To become an IAS officer, you have to go through three stages: Prelims, Mains, and Interview. Each stage has different marks. You start with Prelims, and if you clear that, you can go on to Mains and then the Interview.
| Stages | Name | No. Of Papers | Type Of Exam | Marks |
| Stage 1 | UPSC Prelims Exam Pattern | 2 Papers (GS 1 & CSAT Papers) | Objective | 400 |
| Stage 2 | UPSC Mains Exam Pattern | 9 Papers | Descriptive | 1750 |
| Stage 3 | UPSC Interview | – | Personality Test | 275 |
| Total Marks | UPSC Mains + Interview Marks | 2025 Marks |
UPSC Exam Pattern – Prelims
The Prelims Exam was scheduled for May 26, 2024. Due to the Lok Sabha Elections, the preliminary exam will be held on June 16, 2024. You can find free study materials and preparation strategies for UPSC Prelims on Edukemy’s Platform.
In the Preliminary stage of the UPSC exam, there are two papers held on the same day. Both papers have multiple-choice questions. The Prelims is like a screening test for the main exam. The marks from this stage don’t count in the final score, but it’s important to do well because the cutoffs can vary. Here are the details of the UPSC Prelims pattern:
| Stages | Name | No. Of Papers | Type Of Exam | Marks |
| Stage 1 | UPSC Prelims Exam Pattern | 2 Papers (GS 1 & CSAT Papers) | Objective | 400 |
| Stage 2 | UPSC Mains Exam Pattern | 9 Papers | Descriptive | 1750 |
| Stage 3 | UPSC Interview | – | Personality Test | 275 |
| Total Marks | UPSC Mains + Interview Marks | 2025 Marks |
UPSC Prelims Negative Marking
In both GS Paper 1 and GS Paper 2, if you answer a question wrong, they’ll take away 1/3rd of the marks for that question. For the Prelims stage of the UPSC exam, each question in GS Paper 1 is worth 2 marks, and each question in GS Paper 2 (CSAT) is worth 2.5 marks.
Have a look at the negative marking scheme for the Prelims exam stage in the table below.
| Prelims Paper | No. of Questions | Total Marks | Negative Marking Scheme |
| General Studies-1 | 100 | 2 * 100 = 200 | 0.66 |
| General Studies-2 (CSAT) | 80 | 2.5 * 80 = 200 | 0.83 |
This table shows the Negative Marking Scheme for UPSC Prelims, including the number of questions, total marks, and the deduction for wrong answers.
UPSC Exam Pattern – Mains
- The UPSC Mains Exam is on 20th September 2024, according to the official notice.
- To take the Mains exam, candidates need to score the cut-off marks in the Prelims GS-1 Paper and at least 33% in the Prelims GS-2 Paper (CSAT).
- The Mains Exam Pattern has 9 papers, including a compulsory Indian language paper, an English paper, an essay paper, and four general studies papers (GS1, GS2, GS3 & GS4).
- There are also two optional papers. All the Mains papers are descriptive, and each paper has a 3-hour duration. Blind candidates get an extra 30 minutes.
- Marks from the Mains exam count in the final merit list. The language papers (Mains Paper A & Paper B) are just for qualification.
- Paper A is not needed for candidates from certain states and those with hearing impairment, but they have to confirm the exemption from their university or board.
- Candidates can pick one optional subject from the list of 48 provided by UPSC.
Take a look at the table below to easily understand the UPSC Mains paper pattern.
| Paper | Subject | Nature Of Paper | Time Allotted | Total Marks |
| Paper A | Compulsory Indian language | Qualifying (75 Marks required, i.e., 25%) | 3 hours | 300 |
| Paper B | English | 3 hours | 300 | |
| Paper I | Essay | Final Merit (Marks will be counted in the final merit list) | 3 hours | 250 |
| Paper II | General Studies I | 3 hours | 250 | |
| Paper III | General Studies II | 3 hours | 250 | |
| Paper IV | General Studies III | 3 hours | 250 | |
| Paper V | General Studies IV | 3 hours | 250 | |
| Paper VI | Optional I | 3 hours | 250 | |
| Paper VII | Optional II | 3 hours | 250 | |
| UPSC Mains Total Marks | 1750 |
UPSC Exam Pattern – Optional Subjects
As mentioned earlier, the UPSC Mains Exam has two optional papers, each worth 250 marks. You get to choose your favorite subject for Paper VI & Paper VII. You can pick any subject from the list of 48 optional subjects given in the table below.
| Optional Subjects List |
| Agriculture |
| Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science |
| Anthropology |
| Botany |
| Chemistry |
| Civil Engineering |
| Commerce and Accountancy |
| Economics |
| Electrical Engineering |
| Geography |
| Geology |
| History |
| Law |
| Management |
| Mathematics |
| Mechanical Engineering |
| Medical Science |
| Philosophy |
| Physics |
| Political Science and International Relations |
| Psychology |
| Public Administration |
| Sociology |
| Statistics |
| Zoology |
| Anyone literature in the following languages: Assamese, Bengali, Bodo, Dogri, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Maithili, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Odia, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Santhali, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, and English (As per the languages listed in the 8th Schedule of the Constitution). |
For languages and literature, candidates should use the following scripts:
| S.No | Language | Script |
| 1 | Assamese | Assamese |
| 2 | Bengali | Bengali |
| 3 | Gujarati | Gujarati |
| 4 | Hindi | Devanagari |
| 5 | Kannada | Kannada |
| 6 | Kashmiri | Persian |
| 7 | Konkani | Devanagari |
| 8 | Malayalam | Malayalam |
| 9 | Manipuri | Bengali |
| 10 | Marathi | Devanagari |
| 11 | Nepali | Devanagari |
| 12 | Oriya | Oriya |
| 13 | Punjabi | Gurumukhi |
| 14 | Sanskrit | Devanagari |
| 15 | Sindhi | Devanagari or Arabic |
| 16 | Tamil | Tamil |
| 17 | Telugu | Telugu |
| 18 | Urdu | Persian |
| 19 | Bodo | Devanagari |
| 20 | Dogri | Devanagari |
| 21 | Maithili | Devanagari |
| 22 | Santhali | Devanagari or Olchiki |
UPSC Pattern for Interview
- The personal interview is the final stage of the UPSC exam.
- Those who pass the main exam are invited for the interview.
- During this interview, the board assesses the candidate’s mental and social qualities by asking questions of general interest.
- They look for traits like mental alertness, critical thinking, clear communication, good judgment, diverse interests, leadership ability, and moral integrity.
- Candidates get selected based on their scores in the main exam and the interview.
- The interview carries a total of 275 marks.
Now that you know the UPSC Exam Pattern, it’s important to prepare accordingly. The UPSC CSE Exam is tough, and the competition gets tougher each year.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What is the UPSC selection process?
A: The UPSC selection process consists of three stages: Preliminary Examination (Prelims), Main Examination (Mains), and Personal Interview.
2. For how many marks will the UPSC personal interview stage be?
A: The personal interview stage in the UPSC exam is conducted for a total of 275 marks.
3. What are the papers under the UPSC prelims examination?
A: The UPSC Preliminary Examination consists of two papers: General Studies (GS) Paper 1 and Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT) Paper 2.
4. What is the prelims exam pattern in the UPSC exam?
A: In the UPSC Prelims exam, GS Paper 1 has 100 objective-type questions with a total of 200 marks, and CSAT Paper 2 has 80 questions with a total of 200 marks. There is a negative marking for wrong answers.
5. What is the marking scheme for the UPSC mains?
A: The UPSC Mains exam consists of nine papers, each carrying different marks. The total marks for the Mains exam are 1750.
6. What is the exam pattern for the interview round in the UPSC examination?
A: The UPSC interview round assesses the candidate’s mental and social traits. It is conducted for a total of 275 marks.
7. In which languages will the scripts be available?
A: The scripts will be available in languages such as Assamese, Bengali, Bodo, Dogri, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Maithili, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Odia, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Santhali, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, and English, as per the languages listed in the 8th Schedule of the Constitution.
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