A Quick Guide On UPSC Exam

1. A Quick Guide On UPSC Exam If you want to have a career at the administrative level of the Indian Government, you have to sit for the UPSC exam. Want to know what is the UPSC full form? The UPSC full form is Union Public Service Commission. Every year, lakhs and lakhs of people sit for the UPSC exam. Unfortunately, only a few can make it to the final round, crack the interview and acquire a prestigious position. Not only is the exam challenging, but also highly competitive. If you want to beat your competitors and make a mark in your life, you have to know everything about UPSC in detail. What does the UPSC do? The UPSC exam, which began in 1922, before India got independence from the British, was initiated with the sole purpose of selecting candidates for various posts of civil service. The UPSC conducts the following exams each year: a. Civil Services Examination (CSE) b. Engineering Services Examination (ESE). c. Indian Forestry Services Examination (IFoS). d. Central Armed Police Forces Examination (CAPF). e. Indian Economic Service and Indian Statistical Service (IES or ISS). f. Combined Geo-Scientist and Geologist Examination. g. Combined Medical Services (CMS). h. Special Class Railway Apprentices Exam (SCRA). i. Limited Departmental Competitive Commandant. (Executive) in CISF. Examination for selection of Assistant The UPSC civil service exam consists of three stages, namely – UPSC Prelims (objective), UPSC Mains (descriptive), and UPSC interview (personality test). Since conducting all three phases of the exam takes time, the exam window is open for about 10 to 12 months. As you already know how tough it is to prepare for the UPSC exam, aspirants are advised to start preparing for the UPSC right from their high school. However, most people are starting focusing on the UPSC studies once they have passed the school. The strategy here is, the earlier you start, the more time you get to prepare yourself. Therefore, even if you fail the first or second time, you have the opportunity to succeed in the upcoming attempts. Coming to the UPSC syllabus, as has already been mentioned, the civil service exam is conducted in three phases. Therefore, you can expect the syllabus to be pretty long. Therefore, let’s take a look at the syllabus at each phase individually. UPSC Prelims The UPSC Prelims consists of two compulsory papers, each carrying 200 marks. The papers are called General Studies I and General Studies II. In the Prelims, the questions are objective, meaning you will get multiple-choice questions. The marks that a candidate

2. achieves in the Prelims are considered to be just for qualification purposes. Therefore, they are not counted or added to the final ranking. The cut-off percentages of the Prelims vary each year. The UPSC Prelims is like a screening test, which, if a candidate can pass, will take him to the next level, the UPSC Mains. UPSC Mains The UPSC Mains is the written exam where the candidate has to write long descriptive answers. The total number of papers that a candidate has to write is nine. Of all nine, seven papers will be counted for final merit. The remaining two are optional papers where the candidate must obtain a minimum mark as prescribed by the commission. UPSC Interview or Personality test This is the last level of the UPSC exam. If you have reached the UPSC Interview round, know that you are just a few steps away from bagging one of the prestigious positions of the Government of India. In the interview, each candidate will be interviewed personally by the Board members. Before getting into the interview, the Board members will be given a detailed record of the candidate, and questions will be asked based on what the interviewee gets to know about his or her record. The total marks of the UPSC exam are 2025. The main exam consists of 1750 marks, while the interview round bears 275 marks. Having said that, no candidate should take the UPSC exam lightly. As a reality check, every candidate should know that out of one hundred candidates, only three or four of them make it to the UPSC Mains. UPSC age limit Since this is a government-based exam, there is a specific age limit to it. Every candidate must cross at least 21 years of age to apply for the UPSC exam. However, the maximum age limit to sit for the UPSC exam depends on the category to which you belong. For the general category, the age limit is 32 years, for SC and ST, it is 37, and for OBCs, it is 35 years. The defense service personnel can apply up to the age of 35 years. Further, veterans have an upper age limit of 37 years. The blind, deaf, and orthopedically handicapped persons can apply till the age of 42 years. The number of attempts that a candidate gets according to his category division is as follows: a. General category – 6 attempts till 32 years of age b. OBC – 9 attempts till 35 years of age c. ST or SC – unlimited attempts till 37 years of age d. Physically disabled or disabled candidates – 9 attempts till the age of 42 years Educational requirements for UPSC exam To sit for the UPSC exam, one has to graduate and acquire a graduate degree from a recognized university. However, candidates who secure a graduate degree from a distance education course can also sit for the exam. Generally, the UPSC conducts the exam in the month of June. On the contrary, the UPSC Mains is conducted in September. The UPSC

3. Interview takes at least three months to finish. Generally, the UPSC Interview is conducted from February to April. Conclusion The UPSC exam wants every candidate to have clarity of mind. Whatever answers you write, make sure they are clearly explained. While preparing for UPSC, one has to maintain speed while solving the test papers. For better preparation, candidates can sit for different mock test series organized by different UPSC coaching centers. Above all, staying focused is the key to success.