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Jumping into the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Prelims without preparation is a common misstep for many civil services hopefuls. But treating it as a trial run can backfire, wasting valuable opportunities and undermining your potential. Are you ready for a smarter approach? Let’s dive in.
The minimum age for appearing in the UPSC Civil Services examination is 21 years. The upper age limit is 32 years. Candidates can have a maximum of 6 attempts at clearing UPSC CSE.
For SC/ST candidates, there are no limitations to the number of attempts. They can appear as long as they comply with the upper age limit.
The UPSC Annual Report data for the last 15 years shows that nearly 10% or 1 out of 10 candidates cleared the civil services exam on their first attempt. Considering the vast syllabus and the back-breaking 3-stage selection process, it is a significant number.
The number of attempts any UPSC aspirant needs depends on:
The chances of success improve rapidly in 3rd and 4th attempts. Some unverified sources claim that, on average, it takes 3.6 attempts to clear the UPSC Civil Services Exam. The number of years might be equivalent to approximately 4 years of determination, hard work, and perseverance.
So, it is important to avoid casually appearing in UPSC Prelims or Mains without sufficient preparations.
Let’s now discuss the UPSC Exam Pattern and other necessary details to begin your UPSC preparation.
Prelims is the elimination round in UPSC Civil Services. Over 13 lakh candidates appeared in UPSC Prelims 2023. Of this huge number of aspirants, only 14624 qualified for Mains in 2023. This explains how stringent screening happens at this level. Qualifying in Prelims proves you have the aptitude to become a public service administrator.
Papers |
Types of questions |
Total marks |
Number of questions |
Duration |
GS-I |
Objective |
200 |
100 |
2 hours |
GS-II |
Objective |
200 |
80 |
2 hours |
UPSC Mains is the most intensive examination in terms of the width and depth of subject knowledge and analytical understanding. Of 14624 candidates who qualified for UPSC Mains 2023, only 2916 cleared the examination. It’s approximately 20% success rate.
Papers |
Types of questions |
Marks |
Qualifying marks |
Duration |
Paper A |
Descriptive |
300 |
25% |
3 hours |
Paper B |
Descriptive |
300 |
25% |
3 hours |
Paper I |
Descriptive |
250 |
Merit-based cut-off |
3 hours |
Paper II |
Descriptive |
250 |
Merit-based cut-off |
3 hours |
Paper III |
Descriptive |
250 |
Merit-based cut-off |
3 hours |
Paper IV |
Descriptive |
250 |
Merit-based cut-off |
3 hours |
Paper V |
Descriptive |
250 |
Merit-based cut-off |
3 hours |
Paper VI |
Descriptive |
250 |
Merit-based cut-off |
3 hours |
Paper VII |
Descriptive |
250 |
Merit-based cut-off |
3 hours |
|
TOTAL |
1750 |
|
|
It is the final stage of UPSC CSE. In 2023, the total declared vacancies in UPSC CSE were 1105, and eligible for Personal Interview was 2916 candidates. So, the probability of succeeding in the final round is around 37.89%.
The UPSC CSE opens up a world of career opportunities in the public services field at national and state levels. Now that you know everything about the UPSC Exam Pattern, it’s time to decide how to prepare. You have a year ahead of you to study and practice.
Visit the IAS Gyan website for the best online coaching for UPSC, and take the subject-wise Demo Test to assess your UPSC preparedness.
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