UPSC Courses

(Ref link – UPSC CSE Exam Pattern 2025)

Overview of UPSC CSE Exam Pattern 2025

The UPSC Civil Services Exam is conducted in offline mode and comprises three stages:

• Preliminary Examination (Prelims)

• Main Examination (Mains)

• Interview (Personality Test)

UPSC Prelims Exam Pattern

General Information

• Type: Objective (MCQ based)

• Papers: 2 – General Studies (GS) and CSAT

• Marks: 200 marks each (Total 400 marks)

• Duration: 2 hours for each paper

General Studies (Paper I)

• Number of Questions: 100

• Total Marks: 200

• Marking Scheme:

  • +2 marks for each correct answer

  • -0.66 marks (1/3rd) for each incorrect answer

• Negative Marking: Yes

• Timing: 9:30 AM to 11:30 AM

CSAT (Paper II)

• Number of Questions: 80

• Total Marks: 200

• Marking Scheme:

  • +2.5 marks for each correct answer

  • -0.83 marks (1/3rd) for each incorrect answer

• Negative Marking: Yes

• Timing: 2:30 PM to 4:30 PM

UPSC Mains Exam Pattern

General Information

• Type: Descriptive (written answers)

• Number of Papers: 9

• Total Marks: 1750

• Duration: 3 hours per paper

• Negative Marking: None

Paper-wise Details

1. Paper A – Indian Language (Compulsory)

   • Marks: 300

   • Qualifying Paper (Need minimum 75 marks or 25%)

2. Paper B – English

   • Marks: 300

   • Qualifying Paper (Need minimum 75 marks or 25%)

3. Paper 1 – Essay

   • Marks: 250

   • Counted in final merit

4. Paper 2 – General Studies I

   • Marks: 250

5. Paper 3 – General Studies II

   • Marks: 250

6. Paper 4 – General Studies III

   • Marks: 250

7. Paper 5 – General Studies IV

   • Marks: 250

8. Paper 6 – Optional Subject Paper I

   • Marks: 250

9. Paper 7 – Optional Subject Paper II

   • Marks: 250

Language and Optional Subject Details

Language Papers Structure

• Total Marks per paper: 300

• Minimum Passing Marks: 75 (25%)

• Section Breakdown:

  • Essay: 100 marks

  • Reading Comprehension: 60 marks

  • Precis Writing: 60 marks

  • Translation: 40 marks

  • Grammar: 40 marks

Optional Subjects

Each candidate chooses one optional subject, consisting of two papers (Paper 6 and 7), each of 250 marks. Both papers can be written in English, even if the other papers are in another language.

List of Optional Subjects

• Agriculture

• Anthropology

• Chemistry

• Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science

• Botany

• Geology

• Law

• Mathematics

• History

• Management

• Psychology

• Sociology

• Zoology

• Public Administration

• Statistics

• Commerce and Accountancy

• Electrical Engineering

• Civil Engineering

• Economics

• Geography

• Medical Science

• Physics

• Mechanical Engineering

• Philosophy

• Political Science and International Relations

Literature Subjects Include:
Bengali, Dogri, Hindi, Kashmiri, Maithili, Manipuri, Nepali, Punjabi, Santhali, Tamil, Urdu, Assamese, Bodo, Gujarati, Kannada, Konkani, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Sanskrit, Sindhi, Telugu, and English

UPSC Interview Round (Personality Test)

• This is the final stage of the exam.

• Conducted about 3–4 months after Mains.

• Marks: 275

• Total Final Marks (Mains + Interview): 2025

What the Interview Tests

• Personal background, interests, education

• Awareness of current affairs and national/international issues

• Socio-economic problems and your views

• Situational judgment and decision-making skills

• Moral and ethical integrity

Traits Evaluated

• Mental alertness

• Critical thinking

• Balance of judgment

• Leadership and team-building skills

• Communication and clarity of thought

• Depth and variety of interest

Conclusion

This detailed breakdown of the UPSC CSE 2025 exam pattern provides a complete picture of each stage—Prelims, Mains, and Interview—to help you prepare in a structured and strategic way.

Best of luck in your preparation. Keep learning and growing!