Introduction To UPSC CSE
Because of the power, the prestige of the government authority, most of the students want to join the civil services. Many students think that Joining civil service means to get fame and enjoy power. Actually, the fact is that it is a huge responsibility for the country. Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) is an agency of the central government to recruit the candidate for the civil services and defense services through Civil Service Examination (CSE). There are many different positions for which the UPSC conducts the examination.
Categories Of UPSC CSE
UPSC exams are categorized into three types:
| All India Civil Service | Group A Civil Service | Group B Civil Service |
| Indian Administrative Service (IAS) | Indian Audit and Accounts Service (IA&AS) | Armed Forces Headquarters Civil Services (AFHCS) |
| Indian Police Service (IPS) | Indian Civil Accounts Service (ICAS) | Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands Civil Service (DANICS) |
| Indian Forest Service (IFS) | Indian Corporate Law Service (ICLS) | Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands Police Service (DANIPS) |
| Indian Defense Accounts Service (IDAS) | Pondicherry Civil Service (PCS) | |
| Indian Defense Estates Service (IDES) | Pondicherry Police Service (PPS) | |
| Indian Information Service (IIS) | ||
| Indian Ordnance Factories Service (IOFS) | ||
| Indian P&T Accounts and Finance Service (IP&TAFS) | ||
| Indian Railway Protection Force Service (IRPFS) | ||
| Indian Trade Service (ITrS) | ||
| Indian Revenue Service (IRS) | ||
| Indian Railway Traffic Service (IRTS) | ||
| Indian Railway Protection Force Service (IRPFS) | ||
| Indian Railway Personnel Service (IRPS) | ||
| Indian Railway Accounts Service (IRAS) | ||
| Indian Postal Service (IPoS) | ||
| Indian Communication Finance Services (ICFS) |
Exam Pattern For UPSC
Critical thinking is needed to crack the UPSC examination. Students have to go through the following phases with enormous hard work and patience.
1. Preliminary Exam
There are two papers of 200 marks each. Each paper contains multiple-choice questions and has to complete within two hours.
- Paper I: To check the general knowledge based on the following topics. Indian history, Indian Geography, Indian Polity, Economics, Panchayat Raj, etc.
- Paper-II: To check the ability of the candidate based on the following points. Also, called CSAT (Civil Services Aptitude Test) Communication, Reasoning, Data interpretation, Decision making, English language, etc.
2. Mains
Mains contains 9 papers. Each paper has 3 hours. Mains carries 1750 marks.
| Paper Name | Syllabus | Marks |
| Paper A | One Indian language selected by the candidate | 300 |
| Paper B | English | 300 |
| Paper I | Essay | 250 |
| Paper II | GS I (Indian Heritage, History, Geography of the world) | 250 |
| Paper III | GS II (Polity, constitution, international relations) | 250 |
| Paper IV | GS III (Economic, Environment, Disaster management) | 250 |
| Paper V | GS IV (aptitude, integrity, and ethics) | 250 |
| Paper VI & VII | Optional Subject | 500 |
| 1750 |
3. Interview
It is a personality test that carries 275 marks. Interviews are to check the candidate is suitable for the position, mental capacity, decision-making ability of the candidate.
Eligible Criteria for UPSC:
- The candidate must have an age not less than 21 years and not more than 32 years.
- For OBC upper limit is 35 and for SC, ST upper limit is 37.
How To Get Ready For UPSC Exam?
First of all, you have to constantly visit the UPSC’s website to check the forthcoming exams. Apply for the exam through the www.upsc.gov.in website. Also, you will get the previous year’s question papers on the same link. To attend the exam, you must be ready with the resources so early. There are two papers for preliminary exams.
Books for the UPSC prelim are given below:
- Certificate Physical Geography: G C Leong
- India’s Struggle for Independence: Bipan Chandra
- Indian Polity: M Laxmikanth
- Indian Economy by Ramesh Singh
- Verbal & Non-Verbal Reasoning: R S Aggarwal
- Use NCERT XI and XII books.
Preparation Technique For UPSC Exams
- Get well-versed with the syllabus.
- Collect all the references, books, lists of useful website links, question papers, some mock question papers. It will be easy to study with already gathered materials.
- Ask for guidance from the senior candidates and who had cracked the UPSC exam.
Once you have decided to go for the UPSC examination then, start the preparation as early as possible don’t wait for the declaration of the exam. Achieve your dream with a high endeavour.
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