UPSC CSE Preliminary Examination Pattern

  • It consists of multiple-choice questions (MCQs). 
  • Prelims exam comprises Paper 1 and Paper 2. 
  • Paper 1 focuses on topics pertaining to:
    • Current Affairs
    • History 
    • Economics
    • Science and technology
    • Geography etc. 
  • Paper 2 comprises questions related to:
    • Comprehension 
    • Logical reasoning
    • Basic numeracy 
    • Data interpretation etc.
  • and Paper 2, where one-third (0.33) of the marks assigned to the question are deducted for every wrong answer. 
  • GS Paper II (CSAT) is qualifying in nature and candid
  • There is a negative marking for Paper 1 ates have to score a minimum of 33% in it.

UPSC CSE Preliminary Examination Pattern

S.No. Paper No. of Questions Total Marks Duration 
1 General Studies Paper I 100 200 2 hours
2 General Studies Paper II (CSAT) 80 200

UPSC Civil Services Main Examination

  • The CSE main examination consists of qualifying papers like Indian Language and English, and candidates have to score at least 25% marks on each paper.
  • Papers that are counted for merit include Essay, General Studies and optional papers.
  • The total duration of all the papers is 3 hours. 
  • The Indian Language paper is not compulsory for candidates from the states of Sikkim, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh.

More information related to the UPSC exam pattern, i.e. total marks allotted for each paper, duration of the exam etc., is given in the table below.

UPSC CSE Main Exam Pattern
S.No. Name of the Paper Subject Total Marks
1 Paper A Indian Language 300
2 Paper B English 300
3 Paper I Essay 250
4 Paper II General Studies I 250
5 Paper III General Studies II 250
6 Paper IV General Studies III 250
7 Paper V General Studies IV 250
8 Paper VI Optional I 250
9 Paper VII Optional II 250

General Studies Paper I, II, III and IV

The topics that are part of UPSC main exam General Studies papers are given in the table below.

Overview of the UPSC Main General Studies Exam Topics
General Studies Papers Name of the Topic(s)
General Studies I Indian Heritage and Culture, History and Geography of the World and Society
General Studies II Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice and International Relations
General Studies III Technology, Economic Development, Biodiversity, Environment, Security and Disaster Management
General Studies IV Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude

Optional Subject Papers I & II

For the UPSC CSE Main examination, candidates can select any one of the optional subjects given in the table below.

Optional Subject Papers for UPSC Main Examination

Agriculture Botany Anthropology Economics Mechanical Engineering
Zoology Civil Engineering Chemistry Mathematics Public Administration
Management Law Geography Commerce and Accountancy Electrical Engineering
Geology Physics History Statistics Philosophy
Medical Science Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science Sociology Psychology Political Science and International Relations
The literature of any one of the following languages can be selected: 

Assamese, Bodo, Dogri, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Maithili, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Santhali, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, English, Bengali, Gujarati, Konkani, Nepali, Sindhi and  Sanskrit.

Question Paper Pattern of English  and Indian Language 

Question Paper Pattern of English and Indian Language is given in the table below.

Question Paper Pattern of English  and Indian Language 
English  Indian Language
(a) Comprehension of Given Passages

 (b) Precis Writing

 (c Usage and Vocabulary

 (d) Short Essays

 (a) Comprehension of Given Passages

(b) Precis Writing

(c) Usage and Vocabulary

(d) Short Essays

(e) Translation from English to the Indian Language and the Indian language to English

UPSC CSE Syllabus

Candidates preparing for the CSE should go through the UPSC CSE Syllabus before starting their preparation. The UPSC syllabus and past year papers available on the official website of the UPSC are a must-read for every CSE aspirant. An overview of the UPSC preliminary syllabus is given in the table below.

UPSC Preliminary Exam Syllabus

S.No. General Studies Paper I General Studies Paper II
1 General Science Comprehension
2 Current events of national and international importance General mental ability
3 Indian and World Geography- Physical, Social, Economic  Logical reasoning and analytical ability
4 Indian Polity and Governance- Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues, etc. Basic numeracy ( numbers and their relations, orders of

magnitude, etc. — Class X level) 
5 General issues on Environment, Ecology, Biodiversity and Climate Change ( these topics do not require subject specialisation) Data interpretation

(charts, graphs, tables, data sufficiency etc. — Class X

level)
6 Economic and Social Development- Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives, etc. Decision making and problem-solving
7 History of India and Indian National Movement Interpersonal skills including communication skills

Verifying, please be patient.

Exams

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