Dear Readers,

The Union Public Service Commission has released the notification for Civil Services Examination -2015 and the Indian Forest Service Examination – 2015 on May 23rd, 2015. The total number of vacancies to be filled for various Group ‘A’ and Group ‘B’ services are approximately 1129. In light of the recent notice, the following are the details of the UPSC CSE 2015.

Important Dates:

Date of release of notification: 23rd May, 2015

Last date for receipt of application: 19th June, 2015

Date of Preliminary Exam: 23rd August, 2015

Eligibility, Age limit and Number of attempts:

In order to be eligible for the Civil Services Examination – 2015, candidates must possess a Graduate degree or above. Candidates who are in their final year of Graduation examination are also eligible to apply for the Examination.

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 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.

Examination Pattern:

As we all know, the CSE is conducted in two stages – first, the preliminary examination and the second, Mains (Written examination and Interview)

Preliminary Examination

The UPSC CSE 2015 preliminary examination will be an objective type examination, consisting of two papers as given below. Both these papers are worth two hundred marks and are of two hours duration each.

A. General Studies paper I

B. General Studies paper II (CSAT)

A) General Studies paper I

There have been no changes in the General Studies paper I and therefore, the syllabus the paper is as follows:

1. Current events of national and international importance,

2. History of India and Indian National Movement

3. Indian Polity and Governance – Constitution, Political System, Panchayat Raj, Public Policy, Rights issues etc.

4. Economic and Social Development – Sustainable development, poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives etc.

5. Indian and world Geography – Physical, Social, Economic

6. General Issues on Environmental Ecology, Bio-diversity and Climate Change

7. General Science

B) General Studies paper II (CSAT)

As per the UPSC CSE 2015 notice, the General Studies Paper II (CSAT) will be a qualifying paper. The qualifying marks for this paper have been 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. So, the syllabus of the General Studies paper II (CSAT) is as follows:

1. Comprehension

2. Interpersonal Skills including Communication Skills

3. Logical Reasoning and Analytical Ability

4. Decision making and Problem solving

5. General Mental Ability

6. Basic Numeracy and Data interpretation (Class X level)

The cut-off for Preliminary Examination will be based on the criterion of minimum qualifying marks of 33% in General Studies Paper – II  and the total qualifying marks of General Studies Paper I, as may be determined by the commission.

The UPSC CSE -2015 notifications can be accessed at:

1) Civil Services Exam  –  http://www.upsc.gov.in/exams/notifications/2015/CSP_2015/CSP_2015_eng.pdf

2) Indian Forest Service Exam – http://www.upsc.gov.in/exams/notifications/2015/IFS_2015/IFS_2015_eng.pdf

Now that you know the important details of the UPSC CSE Prelims 2015, start your preparation and ace this exam! For any queries, concerns, doubts, etc. and in order to get useful material and tips for your preparation, keep visiting PaGaLGuY regularly. Use the following links:

1) https://testing.pagalguy.com/discussions/upsc-civil-services-25048334

2) https://testing.pagalguy.com/upsc/articles

All the Best!