Upsc что это за экзамен

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Civil Services Examination (CSE) is a national competitive examination in India conducted by the Union Public Service Commission for recruitment to higher Civil Services of the Government of India, including the Indian Administrative Service, Indian Foreign Service, and Indian Police Service. In simple terms it is referred as UPSC examination,^[4] and is conducted in three phases: a preliminary examination consisting of two objective-type papers (General Studies Paper I and General Studies Paper II also popularly known as Civil Service Aptitude Test or CSAT), and a main examination consisting of nine papers of conventional (essay) type, in which two papers are qualifying and only marks of seven are counted followed by a personality test (interview).^[4][5] A successful candidate sits for 32 hours of examination during the complete process spanning around one year.

Process[edit]

The Civil Services Examination is based on the British era Imperial Civil Service tests, as well as the civil service tests conducted by old Indian empires such as the Mauryan Empire and Mughal Empire. It is one of the most difficult competitive examinations in India. A single attempt can take two complete years of preparation — one year before the prelims and one year from prelims to interview. On average, 900,000 to 1,000,000 candidates apply every year and the number of candidates sitting in the preliminary examination is approximately 550,000.^[6] Results for the Prelims are published in mid-August, while the final result is published in May of the next year.

• Stage I: Preliminary Examination — Held in June every year. Results are announced in August.
• Stage II: Mains

1. Examination — Held in October every year. Results are announced in January.
2. Personality Test (interview) — Held in March. Final results are usually announced in May.

After the completion of Medical examination of the successful candidates and other necessary formalities, the training program for the selected candidates usually commences the following September.

Eligibility[edit]

Eligibility for the examination is as follows:^[4]

Nationality[edit]

• For the Indian Administrative Service, the Indian Police Service and the Indian Foreign Service

the candidate must be a citizen of India.

• For other services, the candidate must be one of the following:

1. A citizen of India.
2. A citizen of Nepal or a subject of Bhutan.
3. A Tibetan refugee who settled permanently in India before 1 January 1962.
4. A person of Indian origin who has migrated from Pakistan, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Zaire, Ethiopia or Vietnam with the intention of permanently settling in India.

Educational qualification[edit]

All candidates must have as a minimum one of the following educational qualifications:^[4]

• A degree from a Central, State or a Deemed university
• A degree received through correspondence or distance education
• A degree from an open university^[7]
• A qualification recognized by the Government of India as being equivalent to one of the above

The following candidates are also eligible, but must submit proof of their eligibility from a competent authority at their institute/university at the time of the main examination, failing which they will not be allowed to attend the exam.^[4]

• Candidates who have appeared in an examination the passing of which would render them educationally qualified enough to satisfy one of the above points.^[8]
• Candidates who have passed the final exam of the MBBS degree but have not yet completed an internship.
• Candidates who have passed the final exam of ICAI, ICSI and ICWAI.
• A degree from a private university.
• A degree from any foreign university recognized by the Association of Indian Universities.

Age[edit]

The candidate must have attained the age of 21 years and must not have attained the age of 32 years (for the General category candidate) on 1 August of the year of examination. Prescribed age limits vary with respect to caste reservations.^[9]

• For Other Backward Castes (OBC) the upper age limit is 35 years.
• For Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST), the limit is 37 years.
• For Defence Services Personnel disabled in operations during hostilities, the limit is 40 years.
• For Candidates belonging to ex-servicemen including Commissioned officers and ECOs/SSCOs who have rendered military services for at least five years as of 1 August, of the year and have been released
  1. on completion of assignment (including those whose assignment is due to be completed within one year from 1 August of the year otherwise than by way of dismissal or discharge on account of misconduct or inefficiency or
  2. on account of physical disability attributable to Military Service or
  3. on invalidation or
  • Relaxation of up to a maximum of five years will be given in the case of ECOs/SSCOs who have completed an initial period of assignment of five years of Military Service as of 1 August of the year and whose assignment has been extended beyond five years and in whose case the Ministry of Defence issues a certificate that they can apply for civil employment and that they will be released on three months’ notice on selection from the date of receipt of an offer of appointment, the limit is 32 years.
• For ECOs/SSCOs who have completed an initial period of assignment of five years of Military Service, the limit is 32 years.
• For PWD candidates, the limit is 37 years.
• For Domiciles of Jammu and Kashmir from 1 January 1980 to 31 December 1989, the limit is 32 years.
• For the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) category, the standard age limits apply.

Number of attempts[edit]

The number of times a candidate can appear for the exam are given below.^[7]

• General category candidates – 6^[10]
• OBC category candidates – 9
• SC/ST candidates – unlimited attempts till 37 years of age.

Appearing to attempt one of the papers in the preliminary examination is counted as an attempt, including disqualification/ cancellation of candidature. However, applying to sit the exam but failing to attend is not counted as an attempt.^[11]

Vacancies and selection[edit]

Generally the number of vacancies varies every year. The number of candidates that pass the preliminary examination is generally 11 or 12 times the number of vacancies, and the number of candidates selected for the final interview is twice the number of vacancies. As per existing policies, reservation for SC/ST/OBC is applied to each level of the selection process.

Vacancies & selection in different years^{[citation needed]}

Cut-off[edit]

The cut-off marks of the examination of the previous years’ are given below:

List of Services[edit]

Following are the services which one gets on qualifying the Civil Service Examination.

All India Services

• Indian Administrative Service (IAS)
• Indian Police Service (IPS)

Central Services (Group A)

• Indian Foreign Service (IFS)
• Indian Audit and Accounts Service (IA&AS)
• Indian Civil Accounts Service (ICAS)
• Indian Corporate Law Service (ICLS)
• Indian Defence Accounts Service (IDAS)
• Indian Defence Estates Service (IDES)
• Indian Information Service (IIS)
• Indian Ordnance Factories Service (IOFS)^[c]
• Indian Postal Service (IPoS)
• Indian P&T Accounts and Finance Service (IP&TAFS)
• Indian Railway Management Service (IRMS)^[13][14]
• Indian Railway Protection Force Service (IRPFS)
• Indian Revenue Service (IRS-IT)
• Indian Revenue Service (IRS-C&CE)
• Indian Trade Service (ITrS)

Group B Services

• Armed Forces Headquarters Civil Services (AFHCS)
• Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands Civil Service (DANICS)
• Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands Police Service (DANIPS)
• Pondicherry Civil Service (PCS)
• Pondicherry Police Service (PPS)

Preliminary[edit]

The pattern of the Preliminary examination up to 2010 was based on the recommendations of the Kothari Commission (1979). It included two examinations, one on general studies worth 150 marks, and the second on one of 23 optional subjects worth 300 marks. Until 2011, when it was revamped,^[15] the preliminary pattern was sustained with only minor changes once every ten to fifteen years.^[15]

From 2011 onwards, the preliminary examination intends to focus on analytical abilities and understanding rather than the ability to memorize. The new pattern includes two papers of two hours duration and 200 marks each.^[16] Both papers have multiple choice objective type questions only.^[16] They are as follows:

• Paper I tests the candidate’s knowledge on current events, history of India and Indian national movement, Indian and world geography, Indian polity panchayti Raj system and governance, economic and social development, environmental ecology, biodiversity, climate change and general science, Art and culture.^[16]
• Paper II (also called CSAT or Civil Services Aptitude Test), tests the candidate’s skills in comprehension, interpersonal skills, communication, logical reasoning, analytical ability, decision making, problem solving, basic numeracy, data interpretation, English language comprehension skills and mental ability.^[16] It is qualifying in nature and the marks obtained in this paper are not counted for merit. However, it is mandatory for the candidate to score a minimum of 33 per cent in this paper to qualify the Prelims exam.^[17]

In August 2014, the Centre announced that English marks in CSAT will not be included for gradation or merit and 2011 candidates may get a second chance to appear for the test next year.^[18]

In May 2015, the Government of India announced that Paper II of the preliminary examination will be qualifying in nature i.e. it will not be graded for eligibility in Mains Examination and a candidate will need to score at least 33% to be eligible for grading on the basis of marks of Paper I of the Preliminary Examination.^[4] Those who qualify in the Prelims become eligible for the Mains.

Mains[edit]

The Civil Services Mains Examination consists of a written examination and an interview.^[4]

Mains Examination[edit]

The Civil Services Main written examination consists of nine papers, two qualifying and seven ranking in nature. The range of questions may vary from just one mark to sixty marks, twenty words to 600 words answers. Each paper is of a duration of 3 hours. Candidates who pass qualifying papers are ranked according to marks and a selected number of candidates are called for interview or a personality test at the Commission’s discretion.

According to the new marks allocations in Civil Service Examination 2013 there are some changes made in the examination according to the suggestion of the Prof. Arun. S. Nigavekar Committee.^[19] However, after some controversy, the qualifying papers for Indian languages and English were restored.^[20]

1.^A The paper A on Indian Language will not, however, be compulsory for candidates hailing from the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Sikkim.

List of languages[edit]

The examination is available in the following languages, with the name of the script in parenthesis:^[21]

Optional subjects[edit]

The subjects available for Papers VI and VII are:^[22]

Personality Test[edit]

Unofficially called the «interview», the objective 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 evaluate the mental calibre of a candidate. In broad terms, this is really an assessment of not only a candidate’s intellectual qualities, but also social traits and interest in current affairs. Some of the qualities to be judged are mental alertness, critical powers of assimilation, clear and logical exposition, balance of judgement, variety and depth of interest, ability for social cohesion and leadership, and intellectual and moral integrity.

The technique of the interview is not that of a strict cross-examination, but of a natural, though directed and purposeful conversation that is intended to reveal the mental qualities of the candidate.

The interview is not intended to test either of the specialized or general knowledge of the candidate, which has been already tested through written papers. Candidates are expected to have taken an intelligent interest not only in their special subjects of academic study, but also in the events which are happening around them both within and outside their own state or country as well as in modern currents of thought and in new discoveries which should rouse the curiosity of all well-educated youth. The interview standards are very high and require thorough preparation as well as commitment.

See also[edit]

• List of Public service commissions in India

Notes[edit]

References[edit]

External links[edit]

• Union Public Service Commission official website
• Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2020 official website
• archive of previous exams

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Civil Services Examination (CSE) is a national competitive examination in India conducted by the Union Public Service Commission for recruitment to higher Civil Services of the Government of India, including the Indian Administrative Service, Indian Foreign Service, and Indian Police Service. In simple terms it is referred as UPSC examination,^[4] and is conducted in three phases: a preliminary examination consisting of two objective-type papers (General Studies Paper I and General Studies Paper II also popularly known as Civil Service Aptitude Test or CSAT), and a main examination consisting of nine papers of conventional (essay) type, in which two papers are qualifying and only marks of seven are counted followed by a personality test (interview).^[4][5] A successful candidate sits for 32 hours of examination during the complete process spanning around one year.

Process[edit]

The Civil Services Examination is based on the British era Imperial Civil Service tests, as well as the civil service tests conducted by old Indian empires such as the Mauryan Empire and Mughal Empire. It is one of the most difficult competitive examinations in India. A single attempt can take two complete years of preparation — one year before the prelims and one year from prelims to interview. On average, 900,000 to 1,000,000 candidates apply every year and the number of candidates sitting in the preliminary examination is approximately 550,000.^[6] Results for the Prelims are published in mid-August, while the final result is published in May of the next year.

• Stage I: Preliminary Examination — Held in June every year. Results are announced in August.
• Stage II: Mains

1. Examination — Held in October every year. Results are announced in January.
2. Personality Test (interview) — Held in March. Final results are usually announced in May.

After the completion of Medical examination of the successful candidates and other necessary formalities, the training program for the selected candidates usually commences the following September.

Eligibility[edit]

Eligibility for the examination is as follows:^[4]

Nationality[edit]

• For the Indian Administrative Service, the Indian Police Service and the Indian Foreign Service

the candidate must be a citizen of India.

• For other services, the candidate must be one of the following:

1. A citizen of India.
2. A citizen of Nepal or a subject of Bhutan.
3. A Tibetan refugee who settled permanently in India before 1 January 1962.
4. A person of Indian origin who has migrated from Pakistan, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Zaire, Ethiopia or Vietnam with the intention of permanently settling in India.

Educational qualification[edit]

All candidates must have as a minimum one of the following educational qualifications:^[4]

• A degree from a Central, State or a Deemed university
• A degree received through correspondence or distance education
• A degree from an open university^[7]
• A qualification recognized by the Government of India as being equivalent to one of the above

The following candidates are also eligible, but must submit proof of their eligibility from a competent authority at their institute/university at the time of the main examination, failing which they will not be allowed to attend the exam.^[4]

• Candidates who have appeared in an examination the passing of which would render them educationally qualified enough to satisfy one of the above points.^[8]
• Candidates who have passed the final exam of the MBBS degree but have not yet completed an internship.
• Candidates who have passed the final exam of ICAI, ICSI and ICWAI.
• A degree from a private university.
• A degree from any foreign university recognized by the Association of Indian Universities.

Age[edit]

The candidate must have attained the age of 21 years and must not have attained the age of 32 years (for the General category candidate) on 1 August of the year of examination. Prescribed age limits vary with respect to caste reservations.^[9]

• For Other Backward Castes (OBC) the upper age limit is 35 years.
• For Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST), the limit is 37 years.
• For Defence Services Personnel disabled in operations during hostilities, the limit is 40 years.
• For Candidates belonging to ex-servicemen including Commissioned officers and ECOs/SSCOs who have rendered military services for at least five years as of 1 August, of the year and have been released
  1. on completion of assignment (including those whose assignment is due to be completed within one year from 1 August of the year otherwise than by way of dismissal or discharge on account of misconduct or inefficiency or
  2. on account of physical disability attributable to Military Service or
  3. on invalidation or
  • Relaxation of up to a maximum of five years will be given in the case of ECOs/SSCOs who have completed an initial period of assignment of five years of Military Service as of 1 August of the year and whose assignment has been extended beyond five years and in whose case the Ministry of Defence issues a certificate that they can apply for civil employment and that they will be released on three months’ notice on selection from the date of receipt of an offer of appointment, the limit is 32 years.
• For ECOs/SSCOs who have completed an initial period of assignment of five years of Military Service, the limit is 32 years.
• For PWD candidates, the limit is 37 years.
• For Domiciles of Jammu and Kashmir from 1 January 1980 to 31 December 1989, the limit is 32 years.
• For the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) category, the standard age limits apply.

Number of attempts[edit]

The number of times a candidate can appear for the exam are given below.^[7]

• General category candidates – 6^[10]
• OBC category candidates – 9
• SC/ST candidates – unlimited attempts till 37 years of age.

Appearing to attempt one of the papers in the preliminary examination is counted as an attempt, including disqualification/ cancellation of candidature. However, applying to sit the exam but failing to attend is not counted as an attempt.^[11]

Vacancies and selection[edit]

Generally the number of vacancies varies every year. The number of candidates that pass the preliminary examination is generally 11 or 12 times the number of vacancies, and the number of candidates selected for the final interview is twice the number of vacancies. As per existing policies, reservation for SC/ST/OBC is applied to each level of the selection process.

Vacancies & selection in different years^{[citation needed]}

Cut-off[edit]

The cut-off marks of the examination of the previous years’ are given below:

List of Services[edit]

Following are the services which one gets on qualifying the Civil Service Examination.

All India Services

• Indian Administrative Service (IAS)
• Indian Police Service (IPS)

Central Services (Group A)

• Indian Foreign Service (IFS)
• Indian Audit and Accounts Service (IA&AS)
• Indian Civil Accounts Service (ICAS)
• Indian Corporate Law Service (ICLS)
• Indian Defence Accounts Service (IDAS)
• Indian Defence Estates Service (IDES)
• Indian Information Service (IIS)
• Indian Ordnance Factories Service (IOFS)^[c]
• Indian Postal Service (IPoS)
• Indian P&T Accounts and Finance Service (IP&TAFS)
• Indian Railway Management Service (IRMS)^[13][14]
• Indian Railway Protection Force Service (IRPFS)
• Indian Revenue Service (IRS-IT)
• Indian Revenue Service (IRS-C&CE)
• Indian Trade Service (ITrS)

Group B Services

• Armed Forces Headquarters Civil Services (AFHCS)
• Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands Civil Service (DANICS)
• Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands Police Service (DANIPS)
• Pondicherry Civil Service (PCS)
• Pondicherry Police Service (PPS)

Preliminary[edit]

The pattern of the Preliminary examination up to 2010 was based on the recommendations of the Kothari Commission (1979). It included two examinations, one on general studies worth 150 marks, and the second on one of 23 optional subjects worth 300 marks. Until 2011, when it was revamped,^[15] the preliminary pattern was sustained with only minor changes once every ten to fifteen years.^[15]

From 2011 onwards, the preliminary examination intends to focus on analytical abilities and understanding rather than the ability to memorize. The new pattern includes two papers of two hours duration and 200 marks each.^[16] Both papers have multiple choice objective type questions only.^[16] They are as follows:

• Paper I tests the candidate’s knowledge on current events, history of India and Indian national movement, Indian and world geography, Indian polity panchayti Raj system and governance, economic and social development, environmental ecology, biodiversity, climate change and general science, Art and culture.^[16]
• Paper II (also called CSAT or Civil Services Aptitude Test), tests the candidate’s skills in comprehension, interpersonal skills, communication, logical reasoning, analytical ability, decision making, problem solving, basic numeracy, data interpretation, English language comprehension skills and mental ability.^[16] It is qualifying in nature and the marks obtained in this paper are not counted for merit. However, it is mandatory for the candidate to score a minimum of 33 per cent in this paper to qualify the Prelims exam.^[17]

In August 2014, the Centre announced that English marks in CSAT will not be included for gradation or merit and 2011 candidates may get a second chance to appear for the test next year.^[18]

In May 2015, the Government of India announced that Paper II of the preliminary examination will be qualifying in nature i.e. it will not be graded for eligibility in Mains Examination and a candidate will need to score at least 33% to be eligible for grading on the basis of marks of Paper I of the Preliminary Examination.^[4] Those who qualify in the Prelims become eligible for the Mains.

Mains[edit]

The Civil Services Mains Examination consists of a written examination and an interview.^[4]

Mains Examination[edit]

The Civil Services Main written examination consists of nine papers, two qualifying and seven ranking in nature. The range of questions may vary from just one mark to sixty marks, twenty words to 600 words answers. Each paper is of a duration of 3 hours. Candidates who pass qualifying papers are ranked according to marks and a selected number of candidates are called for interview or a personality test at the Commission’s discretion.

According to the new marks allocations in Civil Service Examination 2013 there are some changes made in the examination according to the suggestion of the Prof. Arun. S. Nigavekar Committee.^[19] However, after some controversy, the qualifying papers for Indian languages and English were restored.^[20]

1.^A The paper A on Indian Language will not, however, be compulsory for candidates hailing from the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Sikkim.

List of languages[edit]

The examination is available in the following languages, with the name of the script in parenthesis:^[21]

Optional subjects[edit]

The subjects available for Papers VI and VII are:^[22]

Personality Test[edit]

Unofficially called the «interview», the objective 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 evaluate the mental calibre of a candidate. In broad terms, this is really an assessment of not only a candidate’s intellectual qualities, but also social traits and interest in current affairs. Some of the qualities to be judged are mental alertness, critical powers of assimilation, clear and logical exposition, balance of judgement, variety and depth of interest, ability for social cohesion and leadership, and intellectual and moral integrity.

The technique of the interview is not that of a strict cross-examination, but of a natural, though directed and purposeful conversation that is intended to reveal the mental qualities of the candidate.

The interview is not intended to test either of the specialized or general knowledge of the candidate, which has been already tested through written papers. Candidates are expected to have taken an intelligent interest not only in their special subjects of academic study, but also in the events which are happening around them both within and outside their own state or country as well as in modern currents of thought and in new discoveries which should rouse the curiosity of all well-educated youth. The interview standards are very high and require thorough preparation as well as commitment.

See also[edit]

• List of Public service commissions in India

Notes[edit]

References[edit]

External links[edit]

• Union Public Service Commission official website
• Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2020 official website
• archive of previous exams

В Фейсбуке наткнулся на перепост одной логической задачи и завис на ней на час. Не столько бился над ее решением, сколько изучал реакцию пользователей. Потому что оказалось, что это очень неплохой кейс для понимания того, как работают искажения и манипуляции, а также почему понятие релевантности – основное универсальное понятие в SEO Далее – ответы и подробности решения с пояснениями.

Суть задачи 1 3 5 7 9 11 простая: вписать в пустые квадраты указанные числа, чтобы соблюсти равенство. Но это только кажется простым.

Как написано на скриншоте, в 2013 году эту задачу решил только один человек. Возможно, это не так, поскольку в индийской программе тестирования UPSC действительно был только один победитель, как пишут по ссылке.

Расшифровывается эта программа как Union Public Service Commission – это весьма критичный в Индии экзамен для профессиональной карьеры.

Однако, сдали финальный экзамен 3003 человека, третья часть из них прошла дополнительный персональный тест, ну а с первого раза набрали максимум сразу пятеро (а еще были вторые, третьи и четвертые попытки). То есть на скриншоте скорее всего написано неверное толкование о человеке, решившем эту задачу. Ладно, наверно это несущественно, давайте про саму задачу UPSC поговорим…

Тут, конечно, тоже упс небольшой, потому что в pdf-файлах тестирования и ответах на тесты за 2013 год этой задачи не находится (правда, я лично искал недолго, терпения не хватило). Но будем считать тоже, что она все-таки была.

Цитируют задачу UPSC также и на английском языке – споры о решении там тоже нешуточные разгораются. Чаще всего в качестве правильного ответа указывают что-то подобное – но не спешите, откройте чуть позже, там все равно немного другая версия задачи)) И, как сказал один товарищ, “то, что страница на английском, не делает информацию достоверной”.

А я лично, глядя на попытки решения на нескольких форумах, составил вот такую небольшую классификацию вариантов ответов – получилось 9+3 штук. Большая часть из которых абсолютно неверные искажения, но они повторялись и повторялись массово под разными соусами. Почему?

Потому что “для одной задачи всегда будет множество решений”, скажет кто-то.

И будет прав?

Вариант решения первый, самый очевидный
Попробуем методом перебора сложить цифры. Но тут ничего не получается – сумма трех нечетных ни в одном из вариантов не дает четное. Что делать?

Ответы на задачу 1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 равно 30

Далее варианты скрываю под спойлером, если хотите подумать еще немного сами:)

Почитать еще: Как Цой проиграл Мисс Кэти. И почему новая волна блогеров – сила

Может быть, это действительно задачка для тех, кому работать лень? А мы всего лишь наблюдаем проявления психологического феномена – человеческий мозг ЛЮБИТ искать и находить категории и создавать новые сущности даже там, где их нет и не может быть?

Или все-таки правда в том, что “для одной задачи всегда будет множество решений”?

Обновление-1:
Кстати, выводы простые еще:

1. нужно обращать внимание на искажение условия (предпосылок)
2. нужно уметь отбрасывать искажения (и переформулировать условие)
3. нужно не останавливаться на достигнутом ошибочном варианте
4. нужно учиться признавать ошибки и свою ограниченность

Обновление-2:
для этой псевдо-задачи придумали новую упаковку – теперь ее называют “задача с шарами“. Но народу все равно – дофамин не остановить

Every year, lakhs of government job aspirants study hard to crack UPSC. The UPSC exam, more commonly referred to as the IAS exam, is formally called the UPSC Civil Services Examination. It is one of the examinations conducted by the Union Public Service Commission with an aim to recruit capable candidates into the civil services of India, including IAS, IPS, IFS, and other allied services. This national-level examination is conducted in three phases, namely, UPSC Prelims, UPSC Mains, and the Personality Test/Personal Interview.

The first phase of the IAS exam is the UPSC Prelims exam, which is the screening test of all the candidates and hence, is qualifying in nature. The score one obtains in the UPSC Prelims is not considered in the final merit. However, the score in the General Studies Paper – I is important for determining the cut-off for the UPSC Prelims examination. The IAS Prelims paper comprises two papers with objective-type MCQ questions as opposed to the UPSC Mains exam. The latter is a long and descriptive exam comprising nine papers. We will take you through the UPSC Prelims syllabus as well as the syllabus for the UPSC Mains exam.

Those who are able to successfully clear all three stages of the UPSC exam enter the prestigious civil services of the country and become honourable officers in the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS), and a range of other services. Although considered to be one of the toughest exams in the country, aspirants can crack the UPSC exam in the very first attempt with the right strategy and approach. 

It is essential that aspirants understand and know the requirements of the UPSC exam 2022, such as the UPSC syllabus, pattern of the question paper, application procedure, eligibility criteria, time for the release of the UPSC admit card and other important details before beginning the preparations. Here, we have rounded up all the relevant UPSC exam details for candidates who are planning to crack the UPSC exam. 

UPSC Civil Services Exam 2022 | Important Dates

UPSC will unveil the official notification for CSE 2022 on February 2nd, 2022. UPSC CSE Prelims Exam is scheduled to be conducted on June 5th, 2022, and UPSC CSE Mains Exam will be held on September 16th, 2022. The date of the interview for UPSC CSE 2022 is yet to be announced.

UPSC Exam Eligibility Criteria

UPSC lays down the UPSC exam eligibility criteria in its notification. Broadly, the following are the parameters you need to qualify to apply for the UPSC Civil Services Examination:

Pattern of UPSC Exam

Following is the exam pattern for UPSC Prelims and UPSC Mains :

Exam Pattern for UPSC Mains 

Syllabus of UPSC

UPSC syllabus is quite vast and extensive for the papers included in UPSC Prelims and UPSC Mains. Make sure you download the micro list for the UPSC syllabus for in-depth IAS exam preparation and syllabus coverage.

UPSC Prelims Syllabus

General Studies -I

Following are the topics included in the UPSC syllabus for UPSC Prelims round:

1. Current National and International Events. 
2. History of Indian Heritage and Culture and History of Indian National Movement. 
3. Indian and World Geography — Social, Physical, and Economic Geography of India and the World. 
4. Indian Polity and Governance — Making of the Indian Constitution, Challenges to the Political System, Role of Panchayati Raj, Public Policy and Rule, Issues of Rights, etc.
5. Socio-economic Development — Important of Sustainable Development, Diversity and Inclusion, Poverty, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives, and so on. 
6. General issues concerning Environmental Ecology, Climate change and impact on biodiversity — this does not require subject specialization of General Science. 

General Studies -II

In UPSC Prelims, the GS-II paper is also called CSAT or Civil Services Aptitude Test. The following topics are a part of the UPSC syllabus for this paper:

1. General Comprehension
2. Core interpersonal skills, such as communication skills 
3. Analytical ability and logical reasoning
4. Problem-solving skills and decision-making ability
5. General mental alertness and ability
6. Basic numeracy and data interpretation (numbers and their relations, orders of magnitude, interpreting charts, studying graphs and tables, data sufficiency, etc., — Class X level)

UPSC Syllabus for Mains Examination

PAPER-I Essay:

Candidates may be asked to write essays on multiple topics. They will be required to arrange their ideas in an orderly manner and write crisply and concisely. Credit is given for precise and effective expression.

PAPER-II General Studies-I: Indian Heritage and Culture, History and Geography of the World and Society.

1. Indian culture will be covering the salient aspects of Art Forms, Literature & Architecture from the ancient to the modern period.
2. Modern Indian History from the middle of the eighteenth century until the present- significant facts, events, personalities, and issues.
3. The Freedom Struggle — its different phases and important contributors/contributions from various parts of the country.
4. Post-independence consolidation and reorganization within the country.
5. History of the World will cover events from the 18th century, such as the Industrial Revolution, World Wars, redrawing of national boundaries, political philosophies such as communism, capitalism, socialism, etc., with their forms and impact on society, and colonization & decolonization. 
6. Essential features of the Indian society, population rise and related issues, diversity of India, poverty and issues of development, the role of women groups and organizations, problems and remedies of urbanization and effects of globalization on the Indian society such as communalism, regionalism, social empowerment and secularism.
7. Important features of World Physical Geography.
8. Key natural resources and their distribution across the world (including parts of South Asia and the Indian sub-continent); reasons and contributing factors for the location of primary, secondary and tertiary segment industries around the world (including India); critical geophysical phenomena such as cyclones, tsunami, earthquakes, volcanoes, etc., and important geographical features with their location – changes and effects.

PAPER-III General Studies- II: Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice and International Relations.

1. Indian Constitution- historical events and underpinnings, evolutionary history, features, amendments, important provisions, and basic structure.
2. Functions and responsibilities of the Union government and the States, issues and challenges related to the federal structure, devolution of powers and finances up to local levels and challenges therein.
3. Separation of powers among various organs, disputes redressal mechanisms and institutions.
4. Comparison of the Indian constitutional scheme with other countries, Parliament and State Legislatures — structure, functioning, the conduct of business, powers & privileges and issues arising out of these.
5. Organization, structure, and functions of the organs of the Government — Executive and the Judiciary, functions of Ministries and Departments of the Government; the rise of pressure groups and formal/informal associations along with their role in the Polity.
6. Essential features of the Representation of People’s Act.
7. Appointment procedure and process for election to the various Constitutional posts, along with the functions, powers, roles and responsibilities of various Constitutional Bodies.
8. Statutory, regulatory, and other quasi-judicial bodies, making of the Government policies and developmental interventions for improvement in different sectors, and problems emerging out of their design and implementation.
9. Study of the Developmental processes and the development industry in total — understanding the role played by NGOs, SHGs, and various other groups and associations, donors, charitable bodies, institutional and other stakeholders.
10. Welfare schemes introduced for the poor and vulnerable sections of the population by the Center and States and an assessment of the overall performance of these schemes; laws, mechanisms, institutions and bodies formed for the protection and improvement of these vulnerable sections.
11. Issues and concerns related to development and management of the Social Sector or Social Services in the field of Human Resources, Health, and Education. 
12. Problems arising out of poverty and hunger.
13. Role of Civil Services and bureaucracy in a democracy.
14. Salient aspects of governance, e-governance, transparency and accountability. Applications, models, potential, successes and limitations of e-governance. Citizen charters, transparency & accountability in institutional measures.
15. Important International institutions and bodies, agencies and different fora with their structure and mandate.
16. India and its neighbours — their relations (Bilateral, regional and global groupings). Important agreements involving India or affecting India’s global interests. Effects of policies and the politics of developed as well as developing countries on India’s polity and Indian diaspora. 

PAPER-IV General Studies-III: Technology, Economic Development, Biodiversity, Environment, Security and Disaster Management.

1. Indian Economy and problems relating to planning, utilization and mobilization of resources, growth, development and creating employment opportunities. Inclusive growth and matters arising from it.
2. Government Budgeting. Major cropping patterns in different parts of the country, different kinds of irrigation and irrigation systems’ storage, transportation and marketing of agricultural produce and related constraints;
3. Role of technology and its assistance in farmers’ issues related to direct and indirect farm subsidies and minimum support prices;
4. Public Distribution System- objectives, functioning, limitations, revamping
5. Issues concerning buffer stocks and food security; tech missions and economics of animal-rearing.
6. Food processing and related industries within India- scope and significance, development of locations, upstream and downstream requirements, as well as supply chain management.
7. State of land reforms in India. Impact of liberalization on the economy, important changes in industrial policy and their effects on industrial growth.
8. Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways, etc.
9. Investment models. Scientific developments and their applications and effects in everyday life. The achievements of Indians in science & technology; indigenization of technology and developing latest technology.
10. Awareness about important developments in the fields of IT, computers, space, robotics, biotechnology, and nanotechnology. Issues concerning intellectual property rights.
11. Preservation, conservation, environmental degradation and pollution, and environmental impact assessment with disaster management.
12. Linkages between development and the spread of extremism.
13. Role of external state and non-state agencies in posing challenges to internal security.
14. Role of communication networks, media and social networking sites in posing a threat to the internal security of the nation. The basics of money laundering and its prevention and aspects of cyber security. 
15. Security challenges and threats and their management in all the border areas; links between organized crime and terrorism; different security forces and agencies as well as their mandates.

PAPER-V General Studies- IV: Ethics, Integrity, and Aptitude

This paper will cover questions to assess the candidates’ attitude, approach and interest in issues relating to integrity, their problem-solving approach to different issues and the conflicts he faces when dealing with society in general. Questions may use the case study method to determine these aspects.

Broadly, the areas that will be covered include Ethics and Human Interface – Essence, Causal factors, and consequences; various dimensions of ethics; and ethics in public and private relationships. 

1. Human Values – includes lessons from the lives and teachings of great leaders, administrators, and reformers; the role of family, society and educational institutions in inculcating values.
2. Structure, functions and content of human attitude; its impact and relation with thought processes and behaviour; moral and political attitudes; persuasion and social influence. 
3. Public and civil service values and ethics in Public Administration: Current Status and problems. Ethical dilemmas and concerns of governmental and private institutions; laws and rules & regulations as sources for ethical guidance. Transparency and accountability for ethical governance; strengthening of moral values in governance; ethical issues in international relations and funding.
4. Aptitude and foundational values for integrity, civil service, objectivity, impartiality and non-partisanship, empathy, dedication to public service, and tolerance and compassion towards the weaker sections of society.
5. Probity in Governance, including the concept of public service and philosophical basis of governance. 
6. Concept of emotional intelligence and its importance and application in governance and administration. Study of contributions made by moral thinkers and philosophers from India and the world. 
7. Information sharing by the government, transparency and Right to Information, Codes of Ethics and Conduct, challenges of corruption, Citizen’s Charters, the work culture, allocation of public funds, and quality of service delivery.
8. Case Studies on all the above-listed issues.

 Paper-VI and VII: Optional Paper-I and Optional Paper-II

1. Optional Subject -Paper I and Paper-II (250 Marks Each) 

List of Optional Subjects for UPSC Exam (Mains)

Optional Subjects are essential for UPSC Exam because they make up for 500 marks out of a total of 1750 marks in UPSC Main Examination. There are 45+ subjects to choose from, including various Literature subject options in the IAS Exam. Here’s a list of all the optional subjects listed in the syllabus of the UPSC exam:

Literature of the following listed languages are also an important part of the UPSC optional subjects for UPSC Mains exam from which you can pick your most preferable optional subject for the UPSC Exam:

Interview/Personality Test (275 Marks)

Aspirants who are selected after clearing the UPSC Mains exam move to the next and the final round of the IAS exam called Personal Interview/Personality Test. Here, the candidates are interviewed by an unbiased and highly competent board, which will be having the candidate’s DAF (Detail Application Form) with them. 

This is officially the final stage of the UPSC Exam before the final results are announced. It is counted as part of the Mains examination for merit-based ranking purposes. The candidate is tested on his social traits and interest in current affairs. The board assesses the suitability of the candidate for a career in civil services and other associated responsibilities. 

The board of interviewers would judge the candidates’ mental and social traits by asking a set of questions of general interest. Some of the qualities that are sought in an IAS aspirant include mental alertness, powers of assimilation, logical and clear exposition, a sense of judgment and a balance of interest in crucial areas of public life, variety and depth of interest, social leadership and social cohesion, and intellectual as well as moral integrity. Candidates can appear for the interview in their preferred language as UPSC makes arrangements for translators.

The total marks for the UPSC interview stage are 275, bringing the total of UPSC Mains and Interview to 2025 for the merit list count. 

The whole UPSC syllabus is vast, and the UPSC exam pattern is very comprehensive. As a result, the competition to make the mark is quite intense. One must start preparing in-depth because the entire examination process lasts almost a year, and not getting through means starting from scratch the next year. 

Preparation Strategy for UPSC Exam

For those of you dreaming of becoming the next IAS officer, we have chalked out a step-by-step preparation strategy on how to prepare for the country’s most prestigious exam. This will also guide you on how you can crack the UPSC exam on the first attempt itself. These steps are:

Step 1: Know about the exam well

• Go through the UPSC notification thoroughly. Check and understand the UPSC Exam pattern and syllabus of UPSC.
• Read through the previous year papers so that you gain a fair understanding of the type of questions asked in the exam.

Step 2: Work on your foundation

• Start with NCERT notes for UPSC. Download the relevant titles from the official website of NCERT for free. 
• To begin your preparations, pick any subject first and then start with the books from classes 6 to 12 for that specific subject. However, as per the weightage and simplicity of the syllabus, it is advisable that you start making NCERT notes for UPSC from Indian Polity NCERT books.
• In your first reading, try to understand and grasp the basic concepts, and later during your second reading, you can start making your own NCERT notes for UPSC.
• Generally, the old NCERT books are often recommended for history, while the new ones for the Geography syllabus for UPSC prelims. So, keep this in mind when you are about to start your preparations. 
• Once you’re done curating the final list of books, then prepare a schedule for yourself with a target to finish reading your NCERTs in roughly 2-months’ time. These NCERT books are the basic foundational books for this exam that are a must-read. Hence, ensure that you finish at least two readings of the NCERT books and your NCERT notes for UPSC in 2 months’ time. 

Step 3: Upgrade your knowledge with the right books

• Refer to the entire UPSC books list here. 
• Read the books at least two times before you start making your handwritten notes to be used for answer-writing practice at a later stage.  

Step 4: Practice Answer Writing + Revision

• Once you are done with 60-70% of the UPSC syllabus from the standard books, start practising answer-writing.
• Keep your weekends free for a dedicated revision of whatever you’ve learned in the past week. 

Step 5: Practice mock-tests

• Try for an actual exam-like mock test and then analyse your performance. 
• Check your weak areas and brush up on the important concepts that require revision.

List of UPSC Posts 

UPSC comprises 24 different Civil Services posts, which are filled through the Civil Service Examination (CSE) organized by the Union Public Service Commission. Out of lakhs of hopeful aspirants, only a few thousand are able to successfully make it through in this examination. Out of the 24 different posts, the most popular posts are Indian Administrative Services (IAS), Indian Police Services (IPS), Indian Revenue Services (IRS), and Indian Foreign Services (IFS). 

The successful candidates are allotted services on the basis of the rankings secured by them in the UPSC examination. After being selected in the service, the candidate is then appointed to various posts (over the duration of their career) in that particular service, except in some cases where they might have to be deputed to another department in another service.

General Guidelines for Preparation

• Steer Clear of Social Media for Some Time: This is an important piece of advice from a psychologist who has cleared his CSE exam. There are massive subconscious repercussions of using social media constantly. One has to compulsorily see social life by virtue of being a part of Facebook and WhatsApp groups. If you are required to be in these groups for work, then try to restrict your timings strictly. Use apps that can help you with switching off your phone for a certain period of time. And don’t keep commenting unnecessarily in Discussion forums. 

• Integrated Approach to Prepare for GS Prelims and Mains syllabus: Since you will have to prepare for a very few topics of IAS Pre & Mains exclusively, it is preferable that you prepare for UPSC Prelims & Mains together. Also, gaining a deep and holistic understanding of the syllabus from both Prelims & Mains perspectives will hold you in good stead and render far better results.

• Before UPSC Prelims: Focus on completely preparing the whole GS syllabus, or at least the Prelims & Mains combined syllabus before the Prelims approach. If you are facing a paucity of time, then topics exclusively for Mains like the Ethics paper, Essay, World History, etc., can be dealt with after writing Prelims. Do take a mock Prelims Test series. Also, try preparing the optional subject before your Prelims.

• Between UPSC Prelims and Mains: In the period between the Prelims and Mains, devote more time to GS revision, GS practice questions and optional revision. Spend even more time on the revision of your optional subject. Do take a Mains Test Series.

• Use Limited Number of Books: It’s also advisable that you keep your resources limited. Read only one book or source for a specific topic. And read them multiple times.

• Use micro-opportunities to prepare: Study in minutes and not hours. Plan your study schedule very carefully. Availability of limited time also means that you need to make every second count, and so, it would be better that you make a study plan based on minutes rather than a couple of hours, like catching up on Current Affairs when you’re taking a break. Or going through the Anthropology syllabus UPSC has set at length. In other words, make smaller topic goals. 

• Keep a Reasonable Window of Time: Since this exam tends to be very competitive, it’s beneficial that you start preparing around 5 — 2 years before UPSC Prelims.