UPSC Civil Service Exam

Civil Services Examination (CSE) is a competitive examination conducted every year by the Union Public Service Commission. UPSC has released the recruitment exam notification for the year 2020 for various All India Services, Central Services and Group A & B services.

Important Information

*Relaxation in Upper Age Limit is applicable for certain categories of candidates.

Exam Pattern

The Preliminary examination will consist of two compulsory papers of 200 marks each. Both the papers will have objective Type & multiple-choice questions.

Paper II (CSAT) is qualifying in nature with minimum qualifying marks fixed at 33%. One-third of the marks assigned for each question will be deducted as penalty for the wrong answers. The merit of the Candidates will be determined on the basis of marks obtained in Paper-I of the Preliminary Examination.

Syllabus

There is no fixed distribution pattern followed by UPSC. But the questions will be from the following topics.

Paper I (General Studies)

• Current events of national and international importance.
• History of India and Indian National Movement.
• Indian and World Geography
• Indian Polity and Governance
• Economic and Social Development
• General issues on Environment
• General Science

Paper II (CSAT)

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

Exam Pattern

Mains will be a descriptive test consisting of 9 papers. Of these 9 papers, Two Language papers are qualifying in nature, requiring a minimum of 25% marks in each paper. Only the marks scored in Essay, General Studies papers, and Optional Subject papers will be considered for the merit list. For the Optional subject papers, Candidates can choose any one subject from a list of subjects provided in UPSC notification.

The combined marks scored in the Mains papers counted for merit and Interview will be taken into consideration for the final merit list.

Syllabus

Language Paper A

One of the Indian Language to be selected by the candidate from the Languages included in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution. The pattern of questions would be broadly as follows

• Comprehension of given passages.
• Precis Writing.
• Usage and Vocabulary
• Short Essays

Language Paper B (English)

• Comprehension of given passages.
• Precis Writing.
• Usage and Vocabulary
• Short Essays

Essay

The paper will have essay questions on a variety of topics. It will consist of Section A & Section B with 4 essay topics in each section. Candidates have to write Two essays, choosing one topic from each section.

General Studies 1

• History of Indian Culture
• Modern Indian history & Freedom Struggle
• Post-independence consolidation and reorganization
• History of the World
• Indian Society and culture
• Physical, Economic & Human Geography of India & the World

General Studies II

• Constitution of India & Polity of India
• Governance in India
• Social Justice
• Role of civil services in a democracy
• International Relations & organizations

General Studies III

• Indian Economy, Planning & Development
• Agriculture and its associated challenges & issues
• Developments in Science and Technology and its application
• Environment & Bio-diversity
• Disaster Management
• Challenges of International and Internal Security

General Studies IV

• Ethics and Human Interface
• Attitude
• Aptitude and foundational values for Civil Service
• Emotional Intelligence
• Contributions of moral thinkers and philosophers from India and world.
• Public/Civil Service values and ethics in Public Administration.
• Probity in Governance
• Case studies on above issues

The interview will carry 275 marks (with no minimum qualifying marks). The candidate will be interviewed by a Board who will have before them a record of his/her career and will be asked questions on matters of general interest.

The interview aims 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. In broad terms, this is really an assessment of not only candidate’s intellectual qualities but also social traits and their interest in current affairs.