UPSC - Syllabus, Full Form, Exam, Date, Notification, and Latest News

What is UPSC? What is UPSC Syllabus? What is UPSC’s full form? What are the exams conducted by UPSC? What is the UPSC Exam Date? How to file UPSC online application? When will the UPSC notification be published? Know everything you need to know about Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).

If your dream career is a prestigious Central Government job like IAS or IPS, you should definitely know about UPSC.

Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) is the recruiting agency for top-level Central Government jobs.

Union Public Service Commission usually recruits only for Group-A and a few Group-B level bureaucratic vacancies. Group C and Group D recruitments are conducted by other agencies/commissions.

What is UPSC?

UPSC is India’s central agency which conducts exams like Civil Services Exam (CSE) to recruit candidates into top government services like IAS, IPS, IFS etc. UPSC recruits candidates to both civil services as well as defence services.

What is the full form of UPSC?

The full form of UPSC is Union Public Service Commission.

Important UPSC-Related Information

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What are the exams conducted by UPSC for selection into civil services?

Civil Services Examination (CSE)
Engineering Services Examination (ESE).
Indian Forestry Services Examination (IFoS).
Central Armed Police Forces Examination (CAPF).
Indian Economic Service and Indian Statistical Service (IES/ISS).
Combined Geo-Scientist and Geologist Examination.
Combined Medical Services (CMS).
Special Class Railway Apprentices Exam (SCRA).
Limited Departmental Competitive Examination for selection of Assistant Commandant. (Executive) in CISF.

What are the exams conducted by UPSC for selection into defence services?

National Defence Academy & Naval Academy Examination – NDA & NA (I).
National Defence Academy & Naval Academy Examination – NDA & NA (II).
Combined Defense Services Exam – CDS (I).
Combined Defense Services Exam – CDS (II).

UPSC Exam: What is the UPSC Civil Services Examination?

Civil Services Examination (CSE) is one of the most popular exams conducted by the Union Public Service Commission. It is widely known as the ‘IAS exam’ even though CSE is a common exam to recruit candidates to about 24 top government services like IAS, IPS, IFS, IRS etc.

UPSC Civil Services Exam (CSE) consists of 3 stages. The stages are:

Preliminary Exam (objective)
Main Exam (written)
Interview (personality test)

The exam window extends around 10-12 months (usually from June month of a year to June month next year when the results are announced).

How to prepare for UPSC CSE?

Proper training and practice can significantly increase the chance of success of candidates in the UPSC Civil Services Examination.

In this age of the internet, you can clear the IAS exam by online preparation.

Please find the 7-steps we recommend for aspirants to succeed in the UPSC Services Examination.

Step 1: Join ClearIAS Online Classroom Program (ClearIAS Classes)
Step 2: Prepare Notes based on ClearIAS Classes
Step 3: Self-Study (Learn ClearIAS Notes, NCERT Textbooks and Standard Textbooks)
Step 4: Take ClearIAS Prelims Online Mock Exams
Step 5: Take ClearIAS Mains Mock Exams. Polish your answer writing skills
Step 6: Learn the Optional Subject
Step 7: Participate in ClearIAS Interview Program

Note: Once you join ClearIAS Online Classroom Program (ClearIAS Classes) you will get detailed guidance and personal mentorship regarding all stages of UPSC preparation.

What is the UPSC Syllabus for Civil Services Exam?

There are 3 stages in the UPSC Civil Services Exam – (1) Preliminary Exam (Objective Test) (2) Main Exam (Written Test) (3) Personality Test (Interview).

Prelims – The Civil Services Preliminary exam comprises two compulsory papers of 200 marks each (General Studies Paper-I and General Studies Paper-II). The questions will be of multiple-choice, objective type. The marks in prelims will not be counted for final ranking, but just for qualification for the main exam.

Mains – The written examination (main) will consist of nine papers, but only 7 papers will be counted for the final merit ranking. For the rest two papers, the candidate should secure minimum marks prescribed by the commission each year.

Interview – The candidate will be interviewed by a Board who will have before them a record of his/her career. He/she will be asked questions on matters of general interest.

The marks of the Preliminary Exam is not counted for the final ranking. Prelims is a screening test to select the candidates for the Main Exam. A candidate’s final rank in the Civil Service Exam depends only on the mark scored in the Main exam and Interview. The main exam has 1750 marks while the interview has 275 marks. Total marks are calculated out of 2025.

Having said that, it is not easy to clear the Preliminary Exam without sufficient preparation. Only the top 3 out of 100 candidates are selected by the Union Public Service Commission to sit for the Main exam.

Note: You can read more about the UPSC syllabus from the link.

What is the UPSC age limit for the IAS Exam?

To attempt the IAS exam, the candidate should have crossed 21 years (by August 1, the year in which he/she attempts the exam).

The upper age limit is 32 for the General Merit category, 35 for the Other Backward Classes (OBC) and 37 for Scheduled Classes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST). Additional relaxations are provided for certain special cases.

Read more about the UPSC age limit here.

What is the educational requirement to attempt the UPSC CSE?

Any graduate can attempt the UPSC Civil Services Examination.

The graduation can be in any stream. It can be a regular degree or distance education.

Note: You can understand the eligibility criteria for writing the IAS/IPS exam from the link.

Can I clear the UPSC Civil Service Exam by self-study?

Yes. It is possible to clear the IAS exam by self-study. ClearIAS provides a lot of free resources for self-study.

However, proper guidance and practice are recommended even if you are not joining any formal coaching. ClearIAS value ‘time’ as an important resource and recommend aspirants to follow the concept of ‘smart study‘.

By smart study, we mean the combination of self-study with proper-training focused on fast and efficient learning. This helps aspirants save time, effort, and money.

PS: It is the vision of ClearIAS that no candidate should be left out of the UPSC competition due to financial constraints. In this aspect, along with our premium resources which help in smart study, ClearIAS also provides a lot of free resources for self-study.

How to prepare for the UPSC Exam: Importance of Techniques

Success in the Civil Services Examination (CSE) = 50% Knowledge + 50% Skills (Strategies).

ClearIAS recommends the TTT Approach for success in the CSE. The ClearIAS TTT approach includes Textbooks, Test Series and Techniques.

We suggest aspirants start from our post – IAS beginner’s guide.

What are the UPSC Exam Dates?

Usually, the Union Public Service Commission conducts the Civil Services Preliminary Exam in June. The Main Exam is usually conducted in September. The Personality Test takes almost 3 months to finish. UPSC conducts the CSE interview (or personality test) in the months of February to April.

UPSC 2023

The notification for the UPSC Civil Services Examination for 2023 will be published on February 01, 2023. You can apply for UPSC CSE 2022 between February 01, 2023, and February 21, 2023.

UPSC CSE 2023 Prelims Date: May 28 2023 (Sunday)
UPSC CSE 2023 Mains Date: September 15 2023 (5 days)
UPSC CSE 2023 Interview Date: January-March 2024 (expected)
UPSC CSE 2023 Final Result Date: April 2024 (expected)

Check the UPSC 2023 Exam Calendar for details.

UPSC 2024

The notification for the UPSC Civil Services Examination for 2024 will be published on February 14, 2023. You can apply for UPSC CSE 2024 between February 14, 2024, and March 05, 2024.

UPSC CSE 2024 Prelims Date: May 26 2024 (Sunday)
UPSC CSE 2024 Mains Date: September 20 2024 (5 days)
UPSC CSE 2024 Interview Date: January-March 2025 (expected)
UPSC CSE 2024 Final Result Date: April 2025 (expected)

Also read: UPSC CSE 2024 Notification is Out – It’s time to apply!

Also read: UPSC Prelims Exam Date 2024 for Civil Services Exam

Also read: UPSC 2024 Exam Calendar

UPSC Age Calculator

ClearIAS UPSC Age Calculator is a tool designed to help IAS/IPS aspirants calculate their current age and understand their eligibility for UPSC exams.

Enter the date of birth and other required details in the ClearIAS Age Calculator to calculate the UPSC exam eligibility.

Where can I find the latest Union Public Service Commission Notifications?

You can find it on the official UPSC website. ClearIAS also publishes relevant notifications on the website and app.

Be updated with the latest UPSC notifications.

For the latest updates, you can also refer to the below links:

Which are the recommended books for UPSC Exams?

Apart from NCERT Books (Class 6-12), 10-15 standard reference textbooks are recommended for UPSC preparation.

Some of the best-selling books are:

Indian Polity – by M. Laxmikanth
Important Acts that Transformed India – by Alex Andrews George
Important Judgments that Transformed India – by Alex Andrews George
Indian Art and Culture – by Nitin Singhania
Ancient and Medieval India – by Poonam Dalal Dahiya
Modern Indian History – by Sonali Bansal and Snehil Tripathi
Certificate Physical And Human Geography – by Goh Cheng Leong
Geography of India – by Majid Husain
Oxford Student Atlas for India
Indian Economy – by Ramesh Singh
Indian Economy – by Nitin Singhania
Science and Technology – by Ravi P. Agrahari
Environment and Ecology –by Vaishali Anand
International Relations – by Pavneet Singh
Lexicon for Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude – by Niraj Kumar

Check the UPSC Books section of ClearIAS online shopping for recommended books.

Should I take Online Mock Exams for IAS Exam?

Yes!

Do first things first! Not last!

If you have decided that self-study and online preparation is your choice for the Civil Service Exam – then the first step you should make is to join ClearIAS Prelims Online Mock Test Series.

Can you provide a timetable for IAS Exam Preparation?

Yes.

As a beginner who does not know what to study and how to study – ClearIAS Timetable can be the best pathfinder.

We recommend taking ClearIAS Mock Exams right from the time you begin IAS exam preparation. Ideally, you should study what we mention in the timetable for a week, and then take a mock exam on weekends. By adopting this approach, you will never go deviated and will get a quick idea of the Civil Services Exam requirements.

What is the importance of the right strategy in UPSC exam success?

To crack IAS in the first shot, you need the right strategy. Candidates often find Civil Services Exam a hard nut to crack not due to lack of hard work or potential, but due to lack of the right strategy.

ClearIAS has written a lot of articles on this website covering useful strategies for the IAS exam. Regularly check our blog.

Also, refer to our topper’s interview section to get better insights regarding exam preparation.

What is the best strategy by ClearIAS for a candidate to succeed in UPSC CSE?

If you ask any ClearIAS mentor about the best strategy he/ she can suggest for an aspirant which offers the maximum Return on Investment (RoI), the immediate reply will be the ClearIAS Prelims cum Mains (PCM) Program.

ClearIAS Prelims cum Mains (PCM) course is an umbrella program which offers most of the resources of ClearIAS like video classes, mock exams, study materials etc in a single package.

The PCM Course of ClearIAS offers almost everything you need to crack the UPSC CSE like:

Instant access to 700+ Hours of Expert Classes (recorded) which cover the entire UPSC CSE GS syllabus of Prelims and Mains
Automatic Access to the latest Current Affairs Classes (Live or Recorded)
Doubt Clearing Sessions
Personal Mentorship
Easy-to-learn Study Materials (PDF)
ClearIAS UPSC Prelims Online Mock Test Series
ClearIAS UPSC Previous Year Re-Take Exams
Interview Guidance etc.

We also offer sub-sets of the PCM Programs to those aspirants who wish to subscribe to smaller packages. The popular sub-packages are the PMB Program and the PMB+ Program.

The ClearIAS TTT Approach (3 Tools)

For those students, who cannot afford ClearIAS PCM, PMB, or PMB+ Programs, ClearIAS has conceptualised the TTT Approach to clear IAS – which includes 3 Ts (tools) – Textbooks, Test Series, and Techniques.

What is the ClearIAS TTT Approach for success in IAS/IPS Exam?

The core concept of the ClearIAS TTT Approach is to invest in 3 ‘T’s – Text-books, Test Series, and Techniques.

These three ‘Ts’ are the tools for you to succeed in the Civil Services Exam.

Regarding books, ideally, you should start your preparation from NCERT books and then move on to standard reference text-books.

The mock Test Series is very important for the UPSC Preliminary Exam (Objective) and Main Exam (Written).

ClearIAS Test Series integrates the textbooks and techniques into the model exams, which makes it unique.

UPSC Civil Services Exam demands not just knowledge but certain exam skills too.

ClearIAS has developed various techniques to clear the Civil Services Exam with ease. Some of those:

How much advance preparation is needed before the Prelims?

It varies from candidate to candidate. Most serious candidates start at least 1 year in advance. However, there are many who cleared with less than 6 months of preparation.

If you are a late starter, we recommend you adopt ClearIAS Test-based approach, to learn faster.

Also, refer to the below posts:

How to file the UPSC Online Application?

Are you wondering how to apply online for UPSC Exams? Once the details of exams are notified on the official website of UPSC – upsc.gov.in – you need to apply online.

There is a website for UPSC online applications – https://upsconline.nic.in/.

Once the application window for an exam opens (usually in Feb for UPSC CSE), you can apply online.

NB: We have addressed 50+ common queries and concerns of aspirants regarding the UPSC Online Application process here.

Where can I check the UPSC Exam Results?

Results of all exams conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (as well as notifications for future exams) will be published on the homepage of the official website itself.

You can also check the same from the UPSC exam results page on ClearIAS.com.

Where can I find UPSC Previous Year Question Papers?

Previous Year Question Papers of various exams conducted by UPSC are available online.

Check the link to download the previous year’s question papers of UPSC as PDF.

Where can I find Union Public Service Commission Reports?

UPSC submits an annual report on the work done by it to the president.

The president places the report of the commission before the parliament along with a memorandum with regard to the cases where the advice of the commission was not accepted and the reasons for such non-acceptance.

Finally, the reports will be available on the UPSC website.

Interesting Facts about the Union Public Service Commission

The Commission consists of a maximum of 11 members, including the Chairman.
The Union Public Service Commission has been established under Article 315 of the Constitution of India.
The Commission traces its origin to the first Public Services Commission established in 1926 and the Federal Public Services Commission established in 1935.
Union Public Service Commission conducts exams to recruit candidates for both civil services as well as defence services.

If you have questions in your mind, just go through our article ‘‘Frequency Asked Questions about the IAS exam preparation‘.