If you dream to become an IAS officer and want to know about the IAS exam pattern this article will remove all your queries as it covers all the details regarding syllabus, topics covered, examination pattern and marks distribution of UPSC IAS Exam
The Indian Civil Services examination or the IAS examination is conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) every year. This exam is considered as the toughest exam in the world, considering the exam duration, depth of the syllabus and the competition involved. An officer selected into the IAS gets prestigious designation like that of the collector, commissioner, head of public sector units, chief secretary, cabinet secretary etc.
Also See : UPSC Exams
Exam Scheme of UPSC IAS Exam
The competitive examination comprises of three successive stages the first stage is preliminary exam, on the clearance of which you appear in the Mains exam followed by an interview
ALSO SEE UPSC Exam Syllabus
The Civil Services Examination comprises of the following stages:
Stage I:
Civil Services Preliminary Examination (Objective Type)
The Examination shall comprise two compulsory papers of 200 marks each.
Paper I – (200 marks) Duration: Two hours
- Current events of national and international importance
- History of India and Indian National Movement
- Indian and World Geography – Physical, Social, Economic Geography of India and the World.
- Indian Polity and Governance – Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues, etc.
- Economic and Social Development Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector initiatives, etc.
- General issues on Environmental Ecology, Bio-diversity and Climate Change – that do not require subject specialization.
- General Science.
Paper II- (200 marks) Duration: Two hours
- Comprehension
- Interpersonal skills including communication skills
- Logical reasoning and analytical ability
- Decision-making and problem-solving
- General mental ability
- Basic numeracy (numbers and their relations, orders of magnitude, etc)
- Data Interpretation (charts, graphs, tables, data sufficiency)
- English Language Comprehension skills
Stage II:
Civil Services Main Examination
The written examination will consist of the following papers:
Paper-I
Section 1 Essay
Section 2 English Comprehension & English Précis
Paper-II
General Studies–I (Indian Heritage and Culture, History and Geography of the World and Society)
Paper-III
General Studies –II (Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice and International relations)
Paper-IV
General Studies –III (Technology, Economic Development, Bio-diversity, Environment, Security and Disaster Management)
Paper-V
General Studies –IV (Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude)
Paper-VI
Optional Subject – Paper 1
Paper-VII
Optional Subject – Paper 2
Civil Services Main Examination details at a glance
|
Paper-I |
One of the Indian Languages to be selected by the candidate from the 18 languages included in the VIIIth Schedule to the Constitution (Qualifying Paper) |
300 Marks |
|
Paper-II |
English (Qualifying Paper) |
300 Marks |
|
Paper-III |
Essay |
200 Marks |
|
Papers IV & V |
General Studies (300 Marks for each paper) |
600 Marks |
|
Papers VI, VII, VIII & IX |
Any two subjects (each having 2 papers) to be selected from the prescribed optional subjects (300 marks for each paper) |
1200 Marks |
|
Total Marks for Written Examination |
2000 Marks |
|
|
Interview Test |
300 Marks |
|
|
Grand Total |
2300 Marks |
|
Stage III:
Interview
- The interview will carry 275 marks (with no minimum qualifying marks).
- Marks thus obtained by the candidates (in the Main Examination as well as interview) would determine their final ranking.
- Candidates will be posted to various services keeping in view their ranks in the examination and the preferences expressed by them for the various Services and Posts.
List of Optional Subjects for Civil Services Main Examination
- Agriculture
- Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Science
- Anthropology
- Botany
- Chemistry
- Civil Engineering
- Commerce & Accountancy
- Economics
- Electrical Engineering
- Geography
- Geology
- Indian History
- Law
- Management
- Mechanical Engineering
- Mathematics
- Medical Science
- Philosophy
- Physics
- Political Science & International Relations
- Psychology
- Public Administration
- Sociology
- Statistics
- Zoology
This article has compiled information from various sources to impart knowledge regarding subjects, syllabus details, topics covered, examination pattern and marks distribution of UPSC IAS Examination
ALSO SEE UPSC Civil Services Exam Previous Years Solved Question Papers & MCQ