Civil Services Exam: Everything You Need to Know

Civil Services Exam (CSE)

One of the most prominent and competitive tests administered by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) is the Civil Services Examination (CSE). It is conducted annually to recruit candidates for various administrative positions in the Indian Civil Services, including the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS), Indian Police Service (IPS), and various other central government services.

Civil Services Exam (CSE) Application Process

The UPSC releases a notification for the Civil Services Examination usually in February or March every year.
Candidates interested in appearing for the examination need to register online through the UPSC official website. To create a registration ID, they must fill out basic details like name, date of birth, gender, email ID, and mobile number.
After registration, candidates need to fill out the detailed application form.
Candidates are required to pay the application fee as specified in the notification.
Once the fee is paid, the candidates need to submit documents for verification.

Civil Services Exam (CSE) Eligibility Criteria

Candidates must hold a bachelor's degree from a recognized university or institution.
The minimum age to appear for the exam is 21 years, and the maximum age varies depending on the category and the number of attempts allowed.

Civil Services Exam (CSE) Admit Card

After completing the application process, aspirants can go the UPSC website to download their admission cards. Admit cards include information about the exam location, date, and time. A valid photo ID evidence and the admit card must be brought to the testing location by the candidates.

Civil Services Exam (CSE) Exam Pattern

The exam is administered in three stages: the written Main Examination, the Personality Test (Interview), and the Objective Type Preliminary Examination. Those who pass the Main Examination are invited to the Personality Test, while candidates who pass the Preliminary Examination can participate for the Main Examination.

Preliminary Examination (Prelims): This is an objective-type exam consisting of two papers: General Studies Paper-I and General Studies Paper-II (CSAT - Civil Services Aptitude Test). The marks obtained in the Preliminary Examination are only a screening test for the main examination.

Main Examination (Mains): The Main Examination consists of a written examination and an interview test. The written examination consists of nine papers, out of which seven are counted for merit ranking. These include qualifying papers like two papers on language, one essay paper, four general studies papers, and two papers from the optional subjects chosen by the candidates.

Interview (Personality Test): Candidates who qualify for the Main Examination are called for an interview conducted by the UPSC. The purpose of the interview is to assess the candidate's personality, suitability for the services, and ability to handle stressful situations.

Civil Services Exam (CSE) Result –

Every year, the results are released according to schedule. The candidates who have been shortlisted are announced by UPSC following the successful completion of the preliminary exam. However, the candidates' marks are not declared. UPSC Mains results with the roll numbers of the selected applicants are made available in PDF format. The candidates who clear this are then called for the interview phase. After the interview process, a final merit list is created using the students' scores from the main exam and the interview.