India, the home of more than a billion people of vastly diverse cultures is a challenge to manage. The Indian Civil Services is the administrative framework responsible for efficiently implementing policies concerning the economic, human and natural resources of the country.

This coveted opportunity is extended only to those who succeed in a qualifying examination conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) in centres all over the country, for the various services mentioned below:

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Procedure of Civil Services Examinations

The notification of the examination is made in December. The Preliminary Examination is followed by the Main Written Examination and a personal Interview. The marks obtained in the Main Examination (Written and Interview) determine the final ranking. The candidates are then allotted to various services on the basis of their ranks and the preferences expressed by them.

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Academic Eligibility

  • A degree of any of the Universities incorporated by an Act of the Central or State Legislature in India or other educational institutions established by an Act of Parliament or declared to be a Deemed University under the UGC Act, 1956, or an equivalent qualification.

  • Candidates who have appeared or intend to appear for the qualifying examination and are awaiting results are also eligible to appear for the Preliminary Examination. All such candidates who qualify to appear for the Civil Services Main Examination must produce proof of having passed the said examination along with their application for the Main Examination.

  • The UPSC may in exceptional cases treat a candidate without the requisite qualification as an eligible candidate if he / she has passed an examination conducted by other standard institutions that justifies his / her admission in the opinion of the Commission.

  • Candidates with professional and technical qualifications recognised by the Government as equivalent to professional and technical degrees.

  • Candidates who have passed the final year of MBBS or any Medical Examination but are yet to complete the internship can also appear for the Main Examination. However they must submit along with their Main Examination application, a certificate from the concerned authority of the University / Institution that they have passed the final professional medical examination. At the Interview stage they must then produce a certificate from a competent authority that they have completed (including internship) all the requirements for the award of the Medical Degree.

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Other Eligibility Conditions

(1) Nationality

    i. Only Indian nationals are eligible for IAS and IPS.
    ii. For other services a candidate can be either of the following:
       
  • a citizen of India,   
  • a subject of Nepal,   
  • a subject of Bhutan,    
  • a Tibetan refugee who came over to India before January 1, 1962 with the intention of permanently settling in India, or  
  • a person of Indian origin who has migrated from Burma, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania, Vietnam, Zaire or Zambia with the intention of permanently settling in India.

 

Candidates belonging to either categories of b., c., d. or e. must produce an eligibility certificate issued by the Government of India. Those who belong to either of b., c. or d. categories are not eligible for appointment to the Indian Foreign Service (IFS).

(2) Age Limit

  • A candidate must have attained 21 years and not be over 30 years on August 1 of the year of examination.
  • The upper age limit for the post of Assistant Commandant - Group A in CISF is 28 years only.
  • The upper age limit is relaxed in specific cases as mentioned below:

    • upto a maximum of 5 years if the candidate belongs to SC/ST.

    • upto a maximum of 3 years if the candidate belongs to Other Backward Classes.

    • upto a maximum of 5 years if the candidate had been domiciled in Jammu & Kashmir during the period between January 1, 1980 and December 31, 1989.

    • upto a maximum of 3 years in the case of Defence Services personnel disabled during hostilities with foreign countries or in a disturbed area and consequently released.

    • upto a maximum of 5 years in the case of ex-servicemen including Commissioned Officers and ECOs / SSCOs who have rendered at least five years Military Service as on August 1 of the year of examination and have been released:

      • on completion of assignment (including those whose assignment is due to be completed within one year from August 1 of the year of examination) otherwise than by way of dismissal or discharge on account of misconduct or inefficiency, or

      • on account of physical disability attributable to Military Service, or     

      • on invalidment.

    • upto a maximum of 5 years in the case of ECOs / SSCOs who have completed an initial period of assignment (5 years Military Service) as on August 1 of the year of examination and whose assignment has been extended beyond 5 years. Such candidates will have to provide a certificate from the Ministry of Defence stating that they can apply for civil employment and they will be released on a notice of 3 months, upon selection, from the date of receipt of offer of appointment.

    • upto a maximum of 10 years in the case of blind, deaf-mute and orthopaedically handicapped candidates.
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    Number of Attempts

     

    A maximum of 4 attempts is permitted to every candidate and 7 to those belonging to Other Backward Classes. There is no restriction on the number of attempts in the case of SC/ST candidates. 

    Scheme of the Examination

    There are 2 successive stages in the examination:

    • Preliminary Examination for the selection of candidates for the Main Examination
    • Main Examination (Written and Interview) for the final selection of candidates
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    Preliminary Examination

     

     

    This examination meant to serve as a screening test is conducted on the following pattern:

    PAPER SUBJECT DURATION MARKS QUESTION TYPE
    I General Studies 2 hrs 150 Objective Type
    II Optional Subject 2 hrs 300 Objective Type

    General Studies includes the following: General Science, Current Events of national and international importance, History of India and Indian National Movement, India and World Geography, Indian Polity and Economy and General Mental Ability.

    Optional Subjects for Preliminary Examination: Agriculture, Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Science, Botany, Chemistry, Civil Engineering, Commerce, Economics, Electrical Engineering, Geography, Geology, Indian History, Law, Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering, Medical Science, Philosophy, Physics, Political Science, Psychology, Public Administration, Sociology, Statistics and Zoology.

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Main Examination

 

The Main Examination is to assess the overall intellectual traits and depth of understanding of the candidates. The Written Examination in the Main Examination consists of 9 papers and is conducted on the following pattern:

 
PAPER SUBJECT DURATION MARKS QUESTION TYPE
I One Indian language from those inculded in the Eighth Schedule* of the Constitution 3 hrs 300 Essay Type
II English 3 hrs 300 Conventional Type
III Essay 3 hrs 200 Essay Type
IV&V General Studies 3 hrs 300 for each Essay Type
VI,VII,VIII & IX Two papers in each of two Optional ** Subjects 3 hrs 300 for each Essay Type

 * Languages specified in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution: Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkini, Marathi, Malayalam, Manipuri, Nepali, Oriya, Pali, Persian, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu.

** Optional Subjects for the Main Examination: Agriculture, Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Science, Anthropology, Botany, Chemistry, Civil Engineering, Commerce & Accountancy, Economics, Electrical Engineering, Geography, Geology, History, Law, Management, Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering, Medical Science, Philosophy, Physics, Political Science & International Relations, Psychology, Public Administration, Sociology, Statistics, Zoology, Literature of one of the following languages: Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkini, Marathi, Malayalam, Manipuri, Nepali, Oriya, Pali, Persian, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu. Top

Interview

The interview carries 300 marks with no minimum qualifying marks. 

Application Procedure

The electronically scannable Application Form along with the Information Brochure can be obtained from the designated Head Post Offices / Post Offices throughout the country. The duly filled in Application Form with the acknowledgement card should be sent to - Secretary, Union Public Service Commission, Dholpur House, New Delhi - 110011. For more details regarding Syllabi, Examination Centres and other clauses, interested candidates are advised to check the Notification issued during December in 'Employment News' and all major newspapers.

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