For those of you driven by the zeal to serve your country and its people, a career in Public Administration is the most sought after option. A career in civil services not just assures an individual of a prestigious government job but also offers a challenging career with the power to make the country’s administration more effective at the grassroots level.

In India, the Union Public Service commission (UPSC) is authorised to conduct the Civil Services Examination (CSE) to recruit officers for the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS), Indian Police Service (IPS), and other All India services. 

Eligibility, Age Limit and Number of attempts:

In order to be eligible for the Civil Services examination, candidates must be graduates or above.

Candidates who are about to appear for their final graduation exams are also eligible to appear for this examination. 

The maximum number of attempts permitted is six for open category candidates, and nine for OBC candidates. There is no limit on the number of attempts for SC, ST candidates.

The minimum age limit for candidates is 21 years and the maximum age limit  is 32 years. The upper age limit is further relaxed by 5 years and 3 years for candidates belonging to SC/ST and OBC categories respectively. (The above mentioned criteria is as given in 2014, these are subject to change in 2015)

Examination Pattern:

The two stages of the examination consist of the preliminary round, followed by the mains (written and interview). 

Preliminary Examination

The Preliminary Examination is an objective type Examination. It consists of two papers, both of which are worth two hundred marks each. Each paper is of two hour duration. These two papers are:

A] General studies Paper I

General studies questions cover a host of topics ranging from current events of national and international importance, history, polity, Indian and world Geography, economic and social development, general science and ecology.

B] General Studies Paper II (Civil Services Aptitude test – CSAT)

The CSAT paper deals mainly with questions testing a candidate’s logical reasoning and analytical ability, decision making and problem solving, basic numeracy, data interpretation, etc.

As per the latest notice issued by the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Government of India, the General Studies Paper II (CSAT)  will be a qualifying paper in 2015. The qualifying marks being fixed at 33% of the total marks of the paper.

In addition, the English Language Comprehension skill section of the General Studies paper II (CSAT) will be excluded.

(NOTE: There is penalty for wrong answers; for every answer one third (0.33) of the marks allotted to the question get deducted.)

Those candidates who clear the cut-offs are deemed eligible to attempt the Main Examination.

II. Main Examination

The Main Examination is a written exam and candidates can write it in either English or any other Indian language included in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution. In all, the main examination has eight papers. 

The two language papers (qualifying only – marks obtained in these papers are not counted for the purpose of drawing up the rank list)

Paper-A One of the Indian Languages – 300 Marks

Paper-B English – 300 Marks

There are in all six papers which are counted for merit:

Paper I – General Essay – 250 Marks

General Studies-I 250 Marks 

Subject: Indian heritage and culture, History and Geography of the World and Society.

General Studies -II 250 Marks

Subject: Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice and International relations.

General Studies – III 250 Marks

Subject: Technology, Economic Development, Bio-diversity, Environment, Security and Disaster Management.

General Studies – IV 250 Marks

Subject: Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude.

Optional Subject – (Paper 1) 250 Marks

Optional Subject – (Paper 2) 250 Marks

(Candidates may choose any optional subject from amongst the list of optional subjects given by UPSC.)

Sub Total (Written test) 1750 Marks

Personal Interview

Candidates who clear the Main Examination (Written) are called for a Personal Interview. The personal Interview is worth 275 Marks; thus, the main examination (written and interview) is worth 2025 marks overall.

Important dates for Civil Services Examination (CSE) 2015

Tentative date of notification of CSE 2015- 16th May 2015

Tentative date of exam – 23rd August 2015

Candidates are required to check the following link for previous years’ papers and other FAQ’s http://www.upsc.gov.in/