All About UPSC Exam Information [UPSC FULL DETAILS]

All Information About UPSC Exam

UPSC (Union Public Service Commission) exam is conducted by the union government. It is also known as the top exam to get selected in the government departments. All the posts of class 1 and class 2 officers are filled by this commission.

Many of us had heard about this exam, but very few of them have any knowledge about it. In this article, we are going to cover each and every aspect related to this exam. In this article, we will discuss following points :

What is UPSC?

It is a commission (Union Public Service Commission) that organize an exam commonly known as UPSC exam. Indian government’s top most posts are filled by this commission. These posts are included class 1 and class 2 officers of the departments under union government.

Which Posts are Included in UPSC?

We know that this exam is for the post of IAS (Indian Administrative Services) and IPS (Indian Police Services). But other than these posts there are many posts that are filled by this commission.
The posts such as :

• IRS(Indian Revenue Services)
• IFS(Indian Foreign Services)
• IFRS(Indian Forest Services )
• IPS (Indian Postal Services)
• IAAS(Indian Audit and Accounts Service)
• IIS (Indian Information Service)
• ITS (Indian Trade Service)
• IDES (Indian Defence Estates Service)
• ICLS (Indian Corporate Law Service)
• RPF (Railway Protection Force)
• IOFS (Indian Ordnance Factories Service) and many more posts like that are filled by the commission.

Training Academy of Selected Candidates:

All the candidates who clear the exam, are then got training at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) at Mussoorie, Uttarakhand. Here all candidates get training of about three months which is a common training.

UPSC Exam Eligibility Criterion:

To apply for this exam, a candidate must have fulfilled following criterion:

Nationality :

For the post of IAS and IPS, the candidate must have Indian nationality. For the remaining posts, the candidates from Nepal, Bhutan, and Tibet can be applied under certain conditions.

UPSC Exam Age Limit :

The candidates who complete 21 years of age but not more than 32 years are eligible for UPSC. However, the relaxation on the basis of caste given by the government is applicable here.

• UPSC Exam age limit for General / Open category candidates is 32 years.
• UPSC Exam age limit for EWS category candidates is 32 years.
• UPSC Exam age limit for OBC category candidates is 35 years.
• UPSC Exam age limit for SC/ST category candidates is 37 years.
• UPSC Exam age limit for physically disabled candidates is 42 years.

UPSC Exam Educational Qualification :

The candidates with the minimum qualification of degree/graduation or equivalent, from any of the recognized universities, are eligible for the exam. There is no condition about the passing percentage.

UPSC Exam Number of Attempts :

• General/Open category: There are 6 attempts up to the age of 32 years.
• EWS category: There are 6 attempts up to the age of 32 years.
• OBC category: 9 attempts up to the age of 35 years.
• SC/ST category: Unlimited number of attempts till the age of 37 years.
• Persons with Disabilities (PwD): Unlimited number of attempts for physically disabled candidates till the age of 42 years.

UPSC Exam Reservation:

Yes, you can seek reservation on the basis of caste categories in this examination.

UPSC Exam pattern:

UPSC exam is conducted in 3 stages, which are prelims, mains, and the last interview.

UPSC Exam Pattern for Prelims :

• This is qualifying in nature.
• The mode of this exam is offline.
• There are 2 papers in prelims. The first is General Studies and the second is CSAT(Civil Service Aptitude Test). Each paper is 200 marks.
• For each paper, you will get 2 hours.
• Blind candidates will get an extra 20 min. For each paper.
• Paper – 1: 100 questions. Each question carries 2 marks. Also, there is a negative marking of one-third for each wrong answer.
• Paper – 2: 80 questions each question carries 2.5 marks. Here is also a negative marking of one-third for each wrong answer.

UPSC Exam Pattern for Mains :

• This is both a qualifying and merit exam in nature.
• The mode of this exam is offline.
• There is a total of 9 papers in the main.
• The first two papers are qualifying in nature.
• Paper A: It is a language paper. Candidates can select any of the 8 languages given in the constitution. It carries total 300 marks.
• Paper B: It is an English paper. It also carries a total of 300 marks.
• In both papers, the candidate has to secure minimum marks prescribed by the commission each year.

Remaining 7 papers are of the following type:

• Paper 1: Essay writing. (Total 250 marks).
• Paper 2: General Studies – 1. It consists of Indian History, Geography, Heritage, World Geography, and society. (Total 250 marks).
• Paper 3: General Studies – 2. The questions in this paper mainly depend on the Indian Constitution, Governance, Polity, International relations, and Social justice. (Total 250 marks).
• Paper 4 : General Studies – 3. It mainly focus on Disaster management, Economy, Biodiversity, Security, and Technology. (Total 250 marks).
• Paper 5: General Studies – 4. It consists the questions based on Moral ethics, Aptitude, Integrity, etc. (A total of 250 marks).
• The remaining two papers are optional. Here candidate can choose any of the subjects out of 26 subjects suggested by the commission. Both papers carries 250 marks each.
• Candidate got 3 hours for each paper. For blind candidate, there is provision of extra 30 min for each paper.

In this way, the mains exam is conducted for the total 1750 marks.

Students who clear all the above mentioned papers then qualified for the interviews. It is of total 275 marks.
The grand total of the exam is 2025 (1750 mains + 275 interview) marks.

UPSC Exam Syllabus:

1. UPSC Exam Prelims Syllabus :

• Paper 1 : It mainly focus on the General Awareness, Indian History, Geography, Culture, General Science, Economy, National and International events and their impacts on the country etc.
• Paper 2 : It mainly focus on the English language knowledge such as comprehension, synonyms – antonyms, grammar, vocabulary etc. and General Aptitude : Logical reasoning, problem solving capacity, analytical ability etc.

2. UPSC Exam Mains Syllabus :

• Paper A : It is based on the chosen language by the candidate. Knowledge and the grammar of the language is tested in this paper.
• Paper B : It is an English language paper. It focused on the knowledge of English, grammar, vocabulary etc.
• Paper 1 : Essay writing. : Candidate asked to write an essay on the topic of their choice.
• Paper 2 : General Studies – 1 : It mainly focused on the topics such as History of India (Ancient, Medieval, Modern), Geography, Literature, Diversity etc.
• Paper 3 : General Studies – 2: The topics such as Constitution of India, Government’s schemes, System of Governance, Parliament and its functions etc. are covered in this paper.
• Paper 4 : General Studies – 3 : In this paper, questions on the topics such as : Industrial development, Environment, Information Technology, Farming, Development in the field of Research etc. are included.
• Paper 5 : General Studies – 4 : In this paper questions are given based on the topic : Functional values, Emotional intelligence, Behavior analysis etc.
• Paper 6 and 7 : Questions in these papers are based upon the selected topics by candidate out of the given 26 topics.

UPSC Optional Subjects :

1.Agriculture
2.Animal husbandry and veterinary science
3.Anthropology
4.Botany
5.Chemistry
6.Civil Engineering
7.Commerce and Accountancy
8.Economics
9.Electrical Engineering
10.Geography
11.Geology
12.History of India
13.Law
14.Management
15.Mathematics
16.Mechanical Engineering
17.Medical Science
18.Philosophy
19.Physics
20.Political science and international relations
21.Psychology
22.Sociology
23.Statistics
24.Zoology
25.Literature
26.Public Administration

Compulsory Subjects for UPSC Exam :

1. English
2. Indian Languages
3. History
4. Geography
5. Art and Culture
6. Indian Society
7. Governance
8. Constitution
9. Polity
10. Social Justice
11. International relations
12. Economy
13. Technology
14. Biodiversity
15. Environment
16. Ethics, Integrity
17. Aptitude
18. Literature etc.

And such more subjects are compulsory for UPSC Exam.

How to Prepare for UPSC Exam ?

Friends, the best time to start the study of the UPSC is from the very first day when we decided to become an IAS officer. Start the study from the 12th std. Clear all doubts relating to the basic concepts at this stage.

You can start study from the 1st year of graduation. In this 2 – 3 years you get the overall idea about the exam. You must study 5 – 6 hours daily at beginning. Try to increase this timing up to 10 – 12 hours.

Make your own time table. Do study as decided in the time table. Make short notes. Use proper and authentic books. Make a group of people with common interests. You can study with group discussions also.

As we know that the syllabus is so vast, it is difficult to cover it in 1 or 2 years. Many of us start the study after graduation and try for a year or two. When they faced the rejection, they stop the study. No friends, it is not the right thing.

How to prepare for UPSC Exam without coaching?

One simple rule for clear UPSC without coaching is, ‘study with the intention of clearing the examination.’ Coaching are not must for the exam.

You can prepare through online mediums. There are many online channels which give the information about UPSC. Some free courses are also there. You can prepare through books. Books are the most effective way to clear the exam. But consistency is the must.

Read authentic books, make your own notes, prepare your time table and follow it. By doing so you can easily clear the UPSC.

UPSC Exam : Preparation for Interview :

The main focus in interview is on your personality. Commission knows your knowledge by your scores in the prelims and mains exams. In interview they want to test you as an officer. They can give you situation in which they can see your hidden qualities.

Here are some important topics on which questions may be asked :

• Questions related to your personality
• Decision making ability
• Time management
• Leadership Quality
• Command on language
• Quality of answer given by you
• Ability of solving critical situation

Make yourself prepared to the above qualities.

UPSC Exam books :

There are no fixed books for the study of UPSC. You have to refer more than one book. Make sure that the books you are using are with authentic information. There are so many books in market. Some publications are well known for study.

The list of some useful book is given follow. You can use it for reference. With this reference make your own notes in your words. It will definitely helps you in your way to success.

UPSC Exam Books list

• All books of NCERT from std. 5th to 12th will be helpful.

1. Geography
1.Certificate Physical Geography by GC Leong
2.World Atlas
3. Indian and World Geography by Majid Husain
4. Geography of Population : Concept, Determinants and Patterns by RC Chandra etc.

2. History
1.Ancient India by RS Sharma
2.Modern India by SC Mittal
3.History of Modern India by Bipin Chandra
4. Indian Art and Culture by Nitin Singhania
5. India After Gandhi by Ramchandra Guha etc.

3. English
1. Compulsory English by AP Bhardwaj
2. King Lear by William Shakespeare
3. Introduction to English by WH Hudson
4. High School English Grammar and Composition by Wren and Martin etc.

4. Environment
1. Ecology and Environment by P.D. Sharma
2. Environmental Studies : From Crisis to Cure by Rajgopalan etc.
3. Environment by Shankar

5. Economy
1. Indian Economy by Mishra and Puri
2. Indian Economy by S. Chand
3. Indian Economy by Ramesh Singh etc.

6. Ethics
1. Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude for Civil Services by Subba Rao and PN Roy Chaudary
2. Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude by M. Karthikeyan

7. Indian Polity
1. Indian Polity by M. Laxmikanth
2. Introduction to the Constitution of India by DD Basu.

are some of the well recommended books for UPSC.

How to apply for UPSC Exam ?

You have to visit the official website of UPSC. And follow the steps :

• visit (https://upsconline.nic.in/)
• Click on Exam Notification tab.
• Then Click on Apply Online link.
• Then Click on the link available for Civil Services Part-1 registration.
• Read the application form instruction carefully and click on Yes.
• Fill the basic information and details. Check all the details.
• When details are filled, click on Continue.
• After that complete the Part-2 registration.
• Pay application fee.
• Upload scanned images of photograph, signature and ID card.
• Select examination center.
• Click on the ‘I Agree’ button.
• Here the registration number will be generated.

UPSC Exam Important Tips :

• Discuss with your friends on related topics.
• Read daily news papers.
• Make notes of important events from the news papers.
• Read English news papers and try to find the meanings of new words in your language.
• It will helps in building your vocabulary also.
• Take part in debate competition in school/colleges.
• Take part in any event near you, in this way you can achieve the leadership quality and decision making ability.

Conclusion:

Friends as we know, it is the top most and most difficult exam, you have to be very serious about it. As there are limited number of attempts for some candidates, do not waste your time.

The above information is true till the date of writing this article. For any related changes you can visit the UPSC website time to time.

So without wasting time, make yourself busy in the preparation of UPSC. All the Best………!

FAQ’s about UPSC:

1. In how many years I will crack the UPSC?

Ans: It depends on your basic knowledge and preparation. Some candidates crack it in a year but some may take up to 5-6 years also.

2. Can 12th pass candidates apply for the UPSC?

Ans: No. The minimum qualification to appear in the exam is graduation.

3. Which is the best post in UPSC?

Ans: An IAS (Indian Administrative Service ) is considered as the best post in UPSC.

4. This exam is online or offline?

Ans: It is an offline exam.

5. What is UPSC Exam eligibility educational qualification percentage?

Ans: There is no such percentage criterion, only graduation passing is enough to apply for the UPSC Exam.

6. How can I apply for the UPSC?

Ans: You can apply by using https://upsconline.nic.in/ link.

7. What is UPSC Exam eligibility educational qualification ?

Ans : Graduation degree of equivalent from any recognize university.

8. Is there any shortcut to get selected in UPSC?

Ans: Unfortunately, there is no shortcut. Only hard work can help you to get selected.

9. Where is the IAS officers training academy?

Ans: LBSNAA(Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration) is in Mussoorie, Uttarakhand.

10. Is any salary paid to officers during training?

Ans: Yes. Officers are paid during training.

11. How many hours study needed for UPSC?

Ans: Minimum 15 – 16 hours of daily study required for selection.

12. Does height matters for IAS?

Ans : No. There is no such criterion.

13. What is application fee for UPSC Exam?

Ans : For UPSC Prelims Exam Rs. 100 and UPSC Mains Exam Rs. 200 for (General/Open/EWS). Females, SC, ST and PH(Physically Handicapped) candidates are exempted from the fees.