A clear, up-to-date guide to the UPSC Civil Services Examination — eligibility, age limit, syllabus, exam pattern, the three stages, optional subjects, salary and a practical preparation strategy.
UPSC Civil Services eligibility: nationality, educational qualification, age limit and number of attempts for General, OBC, SC/ST and PwBD candidates.
UPSC age limit: minimum 21 and maximum 32 years for General category, with category-wise age relaxation for OBC, SC/ST, PwBD and ex-servicemen.
Complete UPSC Civil Services syllabus for Prelims (GS Paper I & CSAT) and Mains (Essay, GS I–IV, optional and language papers).
UPSC Civil Services exam pattern: Prelims (2 papers, objective), Mains (9 descriptive papers) and the Personality Test (interview) with marks distribution.
UPSC Prelims explained: GS Paper I and CSAT Paper II pattern, marks, negative marking, cut-off and preparation tips with free PYQs.
UPSC Mains explained: nine descriptive papers, marks distribution, optional subjects, qualifying language papers and answer-writing strategy.
UPSC Personality Test (interview): 275 marks, what the board assesses, the role of the DAF, and preparation tips.
List of UPSC Mains optional subjects and a practical framework to choose the right optional based on interest, scoring trend and GS overlap.
How many attempts are allowed for UPSC: 6 for General, 9 for OBC/EWS, and unlimited for SC/ST within the age limit.
IAS officer salary as per the 7th Pay Commission: basic pay, allowances, and the career progression from entry level to Cabinet Secretary.
The complete UPSC selection process: Preliminary exam, Main exam and Personality Test, followed by service allocation.
UPSC CSAT explained: syllabus, question pattern, qualifying marks (33%), and free topic-wise CSAT PYQs with solutions.
A focused UPSC booklist of standard sources and NCERTs for Polity, History, Geography, Economy, Environment and current affairs.
A practical UPSC preparation strategy: understand the syllabus, limit sources, revise with spaced repetition, and practise answer writing and PYQs.
Free UPSC Previous Year Question papers for Prelims (GS & CSAT) and Mains, sorted by subject and year, with answers and explanations.
Understand UPSC cut-off marks: how the Prelims and final cut-offs are set, category-wise variation, and what they mean for your preparation.
Turn this knowledge into ranks — revise smart with the ReviseUPSC app.
Coming Soon to Play Store