UPSC Civil Services
Union Public Service Commission (UPSC)Closed
Civil Services Examination 2026 — the Main examination has been held;UPSC has published the timetable, admission certificate and question papers.Check UPSC’s current notices for the result stage; no result is asserted here.
Important Dates
Check against the official notification ↗
Vacancies & Posts
Some details below are not confirmed — check the official notification ↗
Total Vacancies~933 Not confirmedPay
| Pay Level | Pay Band | Posts |
|---|---|---|
| Level 10 (Junior Time Scale) | ₹56,100 – ₹1,77,500 (basic) | ~24 Group A/B services — IAS, IPS, IFS and other Central Civil Services — allocated by rank, category and preference after the interview stage |
All Group A services (including IAS/IPS) enter at the same Level 10 basic pay — DA/HRA and other allowances add to this and vary by posting.
Who Can Apply
Check against the official notification ↗
Application fee
What You Need
Some details below are not confirmed — check the official notification ↗
- 📷 Photo350 × 350 px · 20–300 KB · JPG/JPEG — white/off-white background, face ~75% of frame, filename must be photo.jpg Not confirmed
- ✍️ Signature~350–500 px wide (exact box unconfirmed) · 20–100 KB · JPG/JPEG — black ink, white background, filename must be signature.jpg — re-verify exact px on upsconline.nic.in at apply time Not confirmed
- 💳 Application FeePrelims: ₹100 for candidates not exempt from the fee.Female candidates of all categories, SC/ST candidates and PwBD candidates are exempt.Candidates admitted to Mains must pay a further ₹200, except women, SC/ST and PwBD candidates.
How to Apply
Check against the official notification ↗
View Official Notification ↗- Register on the current UPSC application portal (upsconline.nic.in) via the Universal Registration Number (URN) system — the old OTR system has been fully retired
- Fill the common application form, then the exam-specific Civil Services application
- Upload photo and signature to spec
- Pay the fee online (exemptions apply for SC/ST/PwBD/women per UPSC norms)
- Submit before the deadline — corrections are typically allowed only in a short post-close window
Exam Pattern
Some details below are not confirmed — check the official notification ↗
2 hours per paper (Paper I and Paper II), held in two sessions on the same day = 4 hours total exam day. · Negative Marking: 1/3 mark deducted per wrong answer on both papers (no deduction for unattempted questions). Reported per-question deductions of "0.66" (GS-I, 200/100Q≈2 marks/Q, 1/3 of 2 = 0.66) and "0.83" (CSAT, 200/80Q=2.5 marks/Q, 1/3 of 2.5=0.83) in secondary sources are consistent with the standard 1/3-mark rule, just expressed as absolute marks lost per question rather than a fraction. · Passing Marks: CSAT (GS Paper II) has a fixed qualifying threshold of 33% (66/200 marks) — candidates must clear this to have GS Paper I evaluated for the Prelims merit list. GS Paper I itself has no fixed passing %; the Prelims cutoff is decided each year based on vacancies/normalization-free raw scores (UPSC does not normalize Prelims across sessions since there is only one shift).
| Section | Details |
|---|---|
| General Studies Paper I (GS) | 100 questions, 200 marks — history, geography, polity, economy, environment, science & tech, current affairs; counts toward the Prelims cutoff/merit |
| General Studies Paper II (CSAT) | 80 questions, 200 marks — comprehension, reasoning, analytical ability, basic numeracy/data interpretation; qualifying only, does not count toward ranking |
Syllabus
Want the complete topic-by-topic syllabus for this exam?
View Full Syllabus →Selection Process
Offline OMR-based objective (pen-and-paper), NOT computer-based — Prelims is two objective papers on one day. (Mains is a separate, later, descriptive/written stage;Interview follows Mains.This entry covers Prelims, the first screening stage.)
Career
Not an official document — a commonly cited coaching-site estimate for the IAS career path.
- Sub-Divisional Magistrate — first 0–4 years
- Additional Collector — around 4–9 years
- District Magistrate / Collector — around 9–13 years
- Joint Secretary, Government of India — around 17–22 years
- Secretary, Government of India — around 30–35 years
- Actual timelines vary a lot by state cadre and how many officers joined in your batch year
Source & Verification
FAQs
Does a low CSAT score hurt my UPSC Prelims result?
No, as long as you clear the 33% (66/200) qualifying threshold in CSAT — after that, only your GS Paper I score is used to decide who moves to Mains, so CSAT beyond the cutoff doesn't add to your rank.
If I don't attempt a question, do I lose marks?
No — the 1/3 negative marking only applies to questions you attempt and answer incorrectly. Leaving a question blank costs you nothing.
Is the UPSC Prelims exam computer-based like SSC/IBPS exams?
No — unlike most SSC and banking exams, UPSC Prelims (and Mains) are conducted offline using OMR sheets (Prelims) and handwritten answer books (Mains), not on a computer.
Do women or SC/ST/PwBD candidates get an application fee waiver?
Yes — the Rs 100 fee is fully waived for women (all categories) and for SC, ST, and PwBD candidates; only General/EWS/OBC male candidates pay the fee.
Important Links
GovBabu is independent and not affiliated with UPSC, SSC, IBPS, Railway, BPSC or any government body. Requirement details are compiled from official notifications where available — always confirm against the current official notification before submitting.