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Introduction
The Union Public Service Commission conducts the Civil Service Examination (CSE) which is also popular as the IAS exam among budding aspirants. The entire process of selection for the services takes about a year- i.e from the notification of the preliminary examination to the declaration of the final results. The candidates who get selected are recruited and trained for various services by the Central Government and then allotted different State Cadres, as per their preference and ranking.
Recent Updates related to Civil Service Exam, 2021
- For the 2021 examination, the candidates who had exhausted their last attempt in 2020, have been given an extra attempt to sit in CSE 2021. On the account of COVID-19. It is only a one-time relaxation. The exemption is not for someone who is age-barred from taking the Civil Service Exam.
- As per the official UPSC Exam Calendar of 2021, Civil Services Preliminary(CSP) 2021 Exam will be conducted on 10 October 2021. Mains Examination, 2021 will be held from January 7, 2022.
- The commission has introduced the facility of changing the center allotted to the candidates. The application window to change exam centre for will open from July 12, 2021 and conclude on July 19, 2021. This is a chance for candidates appearing for CSP as wll as IFoS to change their choice of centre. The window of submitting the revised choice of Centres will be operational in two phases i.e. 12th-19th July, 2021 (06.00 PM) and 26th-30th July, 2021 (06.00 PM) on the Commission’s website upsconline.nic.in on “first apply-first allot” basis.
- Also as an additional measure to accommodate the increased number of candidates, UPSC has decided to operate four additional Centres at (i) Almora, Uttarakhand, (ii) Srinagar, Uttarakhand, (iii) Nasik, Maharashtra and (iv) Surat, Gujarat for the Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination, 2021.
Note: Candidates have to qualify Civil service Preliminary Exam to be eligible for the Indian Forest Services (Mains and Interview) exam which will have a different scheme of Examination process in its stage 2 and are requested to carefully read the Rules of Indian Forest Service Examination notified by the Government (Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change)
Important Dates
| Events | Date |
|---|
| Release of Official Notification | 04.03..2021 |
| Last Date for Submission | 24.03.2021 till 6 P.M |
| Release of Admit Card | 3 weeks before Exam) |
| Date of Exam (Stage 1) | 10.10.2021 (One Day) |
| Mains | 7,8,9,15 and 16th January, 2022 |
| Declaration of Result | - |
| Window for Withdrawal of Application | 31.03.2021 to 06.04.2021 |
| Public Disclosure of Marks for non recommended willing candidates | Available (at time of Interview) |
How to Apply
- Only online mode of application is permitted. While Form is available in English and in Hindi Language but it can only be filled in English Language.
- Application contains two parts. In Part I registration,
- filling up payment details uploading of Photograph, Signature, Photo Identity Card Document, selection of examination centre and Agreeing to Declaration
- When “I agree” button is pressed, a page with the Registration Number will be generated. Please note down the Registration Number or take a print out of the page.
- Scanned photograph and signature should be in JPG format . File should be between 300 KB and 20 KB and resolution of 350* 350 (minimum) and 1000 *1000 pixels maximum and Bit Depth of 24 bit.
- Next upload your photo identity card document in PDF format only. It should be between 300 KB and 20 KB .Remember to carry it at the time of Personality Test/Examination at the venue.
- On successful completion of your complete application, an auto-generated email message will be sent on your registered email-id.
- Candidates with less than 40% disability will not be considered for any relaxation which are applicable to PwBD candidates and are required to pay fee if not exempted under the rules.
Eligibility
A candidate who has passed a University degree (graduate) or possesses an equivalent qualification. Final Year Students can also apply for the Examination, but they have to produce proof of passing the requisite examination while Filling DAF (i.e before appearing in Mains).
Note
An attempt at a Preliminary Examination shall be deemed to be an attempt at the Civil Services Examination.
If a candidate actually appears in any one paper in the Preliminary Examination, it will be considered as an attempt.
Fee
| Category | Fees |
|---|
| Unreserved and OBC (Creamy as well as NCL Candidates) | 100 |
| SC/ST/ Female/Persons with Benchmark Disability | Exempted |
Eligibility Criteria
Nationality:
For the IAS, IPS and the Indian Foreign Service , a candidate must be a citizen of India.
For other services, a candidate must be either:—
(a) a citizen of India or
(b) Subject of Nepal or
© Subject of Bhutan, or
(d) Tibetan refugee who came over to India before 1st January, 1962*
(e) a person of Indian Origin*
*Please refer Official Notification for more details.
Age Limit: 21 to 32 years (with relaxation provided to Reserved Categories.)
| Category | Relaxation (no. of years) | Age Limit | Number of Attempts |
|---|
| Unreserved | NA | 32 | 6 |
| OBC (only Non creamy layer) Candidate has to Produce NCL certificate on basis of Last 3 years of financial years | 3 | 35 | 9 |
| Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe | 5 | 37 | No limit (upto Upper Age Limit) |
Note:
- The date of birth entered in the Matriculation(10th), Secondary School Leaving Certificate or in a certificate or an extract from a Register of Matriculates maintained by a University will be considered for calculating age.
| PH Candidate Category | Age Limit | No. of Attempts |
|---|
| General Category | 42 | 9 |
| OBC Category | 45 | 9 |
| SC/ST Category | 47 | Unlimited |
Note: PwBD category Candidates will be considered to be eligible for appointment only if they produce relevant certificate as per the rules*.
Age Limit for J & K Domicile
| Category | Age Limit |
|---|
| General Category | 37 |
| OBC Category | 40 |
| SC/ST Category | 42 |
Scheme of Examination
Preliminary Examination
| Paper | Type | Nature | No. of question | Max. Marks | Duration |
|---|
| General Studies I | Objective type | Only decides Eligibility for Mains. Marks not included in preparing final merit list. | 100 | 200 ( Negative marking of ⅓) | 2 hours |
| OBJECTIVE General Studies II (CSAT) | Objective type | Qualifying in nature. 33% required to become eligible for Mains | 80 | 200 ( Negative marking of ⅓) | 2 hours |
Note: 20 minutes per hour extra time for blind candidates & candidate with Locomotor Disability & Cerebral Palsy [minimum 40% impairment]
| Paper | Subject | Type | Marks | Nature | Duration | No. of questions |
|---|
| Paper A | Indian language chosen by candidate | subjective | 300 | qualifying | 3 hours | |
| Paper B | English | subjective | 300 | qualifying | 3 hours | |
| Paper 1 | Essay | subjective | 250 | Decides merit | 3 hours | 2 essays of 125 marks |
| Paper 2 | General Studies 1 | subjective | 250 | Decides merit | 3 hours | 20 questions all compulsory |
| Paper 3 | General Studies 2 | subjective | 250 | Decides merit | 3 hours | 20 questions all compulsory |
| paper 4 | General Studies 3 | subjective | 250 | Decides merit | 3 hours | 20 questions all compulsory |
| Paper 5 | General Studies 4 | subjective | 250 | Decides merit | 3 hours | 20 questions all compulsory |
| Paper 6 | Optional 1 | subjective | 250 | Decides merit | 3 hours | 8 out of which 5 to be attempted (1st and 5th compulsory), |
| Paper 7 | Optional 2 | Subjective | 250 | Decides merit | 3 hours | 8 out of which 5 to be attempted (1st and 5th compulsory), |
Note: All the 7 papers for 2nd Stage of the exam (except language paper i.e English and Compulsory language paper which are qualifying in nature. They are 2 optional paper of the same subject chosen at he time of applying for Prelims.
Total Marks from Written test: 1750
Interview : 275 marks
Interview
The Civil Services Personality Test consists of a board of members for assessing the candidate’s personality. A candidate is asked questions on matters of general interest. The object of the interview is to assess the personal suitability of the candidate for a career in public service by a Board of competent and unbiased observers. The test is intended to judge the mental caliber of a candidate.
Final Merit Decided from 2025 marks i.e 1750 + 275.
| Paper Name | Components of syllabus |
|---|
| General Studies I | Current Affairs, Indian History Indian and World Geography Indian Polity and Governance Economic and Social Development General issue on Ecology, Climate Change |
| General Studies II | Comprehension, interpersonal skills Logical reasoning & analytical ability. Decision-making and problem-solving General mental ability Basic numeracy (numbers and their relations, orders of magnitude, etc.) (Class X level), Data interpretation (charts, graphs, tables, data sufficiency, etc. – Class X level) |
| Paper A English Note: Candidate must score at least 25% in Language Papers | One essay question for 100 mark Reading comprehension and related five-six questions for a total of 60 marks Translation from English to chosen language for 20 marks Translation from chosen language to English for 20 marks Grammar and basic language usage such as synonyms, sentence correction etc. for a total of 40 marks |
| Paper B Any of the 22 Languages given in 8th Schedule of the Constitution (Note: Candidate must score at least 25% in Language Papers) | (chosen by the Candidate at time of Application for Pre) The aim of the paper is to test the candidates’ ability to read and understand serious discursive prose, and to express ideas clearly and correctly, in English and Indian language concerned. |
| Paper 1 (Essay) | UPSC doesn’t prescribe syllabus for Essay. Candidates should remain within the subject of the essay and arrange ideas in an orderly fashion, and to write concisely and within Word limit Credit will be given for effective and exact expression. |
| Paper 2 (General studies I) | Indian Heritage and Culture History and Geography of the world society |
| Paper 3 General Studies II) | Governance Constitution Polity Social Justice International Relation |
| paper 4 | Technology, Economic Development Biodiversity Environment Security and Disaster Management |
| Paper 5 | Ethics, Integrity Aptitude |
| Paper 6 | Optional Subject (Paper I) |
| Paper 7 | Optional Subject (Paper II ) |
For Detailed Syllabus for Mains : Please refer to official notification.
Important Points for Candidates
- Candidates must possess all the requisite certificates dated earlier than the closing date of the application. Also, If the result of the Qualifying Exam is awaited, they must make sure they produce proof of having passed the examination at the time of filling DAF.
- The EWS candidate applying for Examination, must produce an Income and Asset Certificate for Financial Year (FY) 2019-2020.
- For Mains the venue shall be closed 10 minutes before the scheduled commencement of the Examination. Remember to bring Black Ball Point Pen.
- Carry at least 2 passport size photographs if the candidate’s photograph on the Admit Card is blurred or missing.
- Candidates who cleared Mains Stage of the Exam must ensure to Keep the scanned copies ready to be submitted along with the DAF after the declaration of Mains result.
- Candidates must possess Age Certificate, Educational Qualification documents while Caste Certificate,Certificate in support of claim for age/ fee concession, Certificate in support of being persons with benchmark disability, wherever applicable, when submitting the DAF*.
- Originals will have to be produced at the time of Personality Test/Interview.
- The interview letter to the candidates will also be issued electronically.
- If any irrelevant matter/marks etc. are found written in the answer sheet, which would not be related to any question/answer and has potential to disclose the candidate’s identity, the Commission will impose a penalty of deduction of marks from the total marks otherwise accruing to the candidate or will not evaluate the sheet.
