The UPSC Exam Pattern is designed by the Union
Public Service Commission. In this article, we will explain the UPSC Exam
Pattern for the Prelims, Mains and Interview Stages. Since 2013, the paper
pattern of UPSC CSE has remained unchanged. The CSE Exam is considered one of
the toughest exams in the country so understanding the comprehensive details of
the UPSC CSE Exam Pattern will help candidates to plan their preparations
accordingly.
UPSC CSE Exam Pattern
The UPSC CSE Exam Pattern is divided into
three major stages – Prelims, Mains, and an Interview-cum Personality stage.
Each stage of the examination carries a weightage of different marks. To become
an officer, candidates need to clear all three stages starting with the Prelims
stage. Once the Prelims stage is cleared, candidates become eligible for Mains
and later for the Interview stage.
|
Name
|
No. of Papers
|
Type of Exam & Marks
|
|---|---|---|
|
UPSC Prelims Exam
|
2 Papers (GS 1 & CSAT Papers)
|
Objective & 400
|
|
UPSC Mains Exam
|
9 Papers
|
Written / Descriptive-1750
|
|
IAS Interview
|
no
|
Personality Test-275
|
UPSC Prelims + UPSC Mains + Interview Marks = 2025 Marks
UPSC CSE Prelims Exam Pattern
UPSC Exam Pattern For Prelims Stage – The
Prelims exam is the first stage of the UPSC CSE Exam Pattern. This stage is
conducted in order to filter out deserving candidates for the Mains exam. Only
the candidates who qualify the Prelims will be eligible to appear for the next
stage, i.e., the Mains exam.
Let us look at the UPSC Exam Pattern for
Prelims stage below –
|
Subject
|
Nature Of Paper
|
Exam Type
|
No. of Questions
|
Exam Duration
|
Marks
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Paper I - General Studies
|
Merit Ranking (Marks not counted in Final merit)
|
Objective
|
100
|
2 Hours
|
200
|
|
Paper II - Aptitude Test (CSAT)
|
Qualifying
|
Objective
|
80
|
2 Hours
|
200
|
- There will be 2 Papers in UPSC CSE Prelims Exam Pattern namely – GS Paper 1 and GS Paper 2 (CSAT). Both papers will be an objective-type, MCQ-based exam.
- The CSAT Paper (GS Paper 2) is qualifying in nature, where applicants must score at least 33% to qualify. The Prelims Cut-Off is calculated based on GS Paper 1 only.
- Marks obtained in the prelims stage are not counted in the Final Merit List.
- As per the UPSC CSE Prelims Exam Pattern, both papers in the prelims stage will have a negative marking scheme.
- There will be a penalty of ⅓ marks for every incorrect answer
in UPSC CSE Prelims.
UPSC CSE Mains Exam Pattern
|
Paper
|
Subject
|
Nature of Paper
|
Time Allotted
|
Total Marks
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Paper A
|
Compulsory Indian language
|
Qualifying (75 Marks required. ie. 25%)
|
3 hours
|
300
|
|
Paper B
|
English
|
Qualifying (75 Marks required. ie. 25%)
|
3 hours
|
300
|
|
Paper I
|
Essay
|
Final Merit (Marks will be counted in the final merit list)
|
3 hours
|
|
|
Paper-II
|
General Studies I
|
Final Merit (Marks will be counted in the final merit list)
|
3 hours
|
250
|
|
Paper III
|
General Studies II
|
Final Merit (Marks will be counted in the final merit list)
|
3 hours
|
250
|
|
Paper IV
|
General Studies III
|
Final Merit (Marks will be counted in the final merit list)
|
3 hours
|
250
|
|
Paper V
|
General Studies IV
|
Final Merit (Marks will be counted in the final merit list)
|
3 hours
|
250
|
|
Paper VI
|
Optional I
|
Final Merit (Marks will be counted in the final merit list)
|
3 hours
|
|
|
Paper VII
|
Optional II
|
Final Merit (Marks will be counted in the final merit list)
|
3 hours
|
250
|
UPSC Mains Total Marks 1750
The UPSC CSE Mains Exam Pattern consists
of a total of 9 papers:
- 1 Compulsory Indian Language Paper
- 1 English Paper
- 1 Essay Paper
- 4 General Studies Papers (GS1, GS2, GS3 & GS4)
- 2 Optional Papers
- As per the UPSC CSE Mains exam pattern, all the papers in the mains stage will be of descriptive type.
- The time duration for each paper is 3 hours. Extra 30 minutes will be given to the blind candidates.
- The total marks scored in the mains exam will be counted in the final merit list.
- The language papers (Mains Paper A & Paper B) are qualifying in nature.
- Paper A is not compulsory for candidates from the States of Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Sikkim as well as candidates with hearing impairment. However, they have to provide confirmation about the exemption of such 2nd or 3rd language courses from their concerned university or board.
- Candidates can choose any one optional subject from the list of 48 optional subjects provided by UPSC.
List of Optional Subjects for UPSC CSE Mains
UPSC CSE Mains Exam Pattern consists of
two optional papers and each paper carries 250 marks. Candidates are allowed to
select their preferred optional subject for Paper VI & Paper VII of the
mains exam.
The optional subject should be anyone from
the list of 48 optional subjects provided in the table below.
Literature languages – Assamese, Bengali,
Bodo, Dogri, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Maithili, Malayalam,
Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Odia, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Santhali, Sindhi, Tamil,
Telugu, Urdu and English (As per the languages listed in the 8th Schedule of
the Constitution).
|
Optional Subjects List
|
||
|---|---|---|
|
Agriculture
|
Civil Engineering
|
Geology
|
|
Mechanical Engineering
|
Psychology
|
Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science
|
|
Commerce and Accountancy
|
History
|
Medical Science
|
|
Public Administration
|
Anthropology
|
Economics
|
|
Law
|
Philosophy
|
Sociology
|
|
Botany / Zoology
|
Electrical Engineering
|
Management
|
|
Physics
|
Statistics
|
Chemistry
|
|
Geography
|
Mathematics
|
Political Science and International Relations
|
Negative Marking Pattern in UPSC CSE Exam
As discussed above, both GS Paper 1 &
GS Paper 2 paper of Prelims stage will have a negative marking scheme. 1/3rd
mark of each question will be deducted for wrong answers.
According to the UPSC Paper Pattern for
the Prelims stage, each question of GS Paper 1 will carry 2 marks, while each
question of GS Paper 2 (CSAT) will carry 2.5 marks.
Have a look at the negative marking scheme
for the Prelims exam stage in the table below.
|
Prelims Paper
|
No. of Questions
|
Total Marks
|
Negative Marking Scheme
|
|---|---|---|---|
|
General Studies-1
|
100
|
2*100 = 200
|
0.66
|
|
General Studies-2 (CSAT)
|
80
|
2.5*80 = 200
|
0.83
|
UPSC CSE Interview Pattern
The personal interview cum personality
test will be the last stage of the UPSC CSE exam. The candidates who clear the
main examination will be called up for the interview process. In this stage,
the candidate’s mental and social traits will be tested by asking questions of
general interest. The following are the highlights of the UPSC Interview
pattern –
- Candidates will be selected for the UPSC based on the marks they score in the mains exam and personal interview.
- Some of the qualities that the board looks for are mental alertness, critical powers of assimilation, clear and logical exposition, a balance of judgment, variety and depth of interest, the ability for social cohesion and leadership, and intellectual and moral integrity.
- The interview process will be for a total of 275 marks.
- You must have a complete idea by now of the UPSC Exam Pattern. Now, to stand ahead in the competition, you should make sure to prepare and practice according to the UPSC Exam Paper Pattern as given above. The UPSC CSE Exam is difficult and the intensity increases every year.