Eligibility Criteria for UPSC Civil Services Exam 2026

 Eligibility Criteria

Criteria Details

Nationality: Indian

Education Graduate from a recognized university

Age Limit 21 to 32 years (as of Aug 1 of exam year)

Available Number of Attempts:

General – 6, OBC – 9, SC/ST – Unlimited (till age limit)

What is UPSC Exam, each and every detail you need to know

 

1. Exam Conducted by

Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) — a central agency that recruits officers for All India Services and Central Civil Services.

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📚 2. Stages of the Exam

The UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE) has three stages:

Stage 1 – Preliminary Exam (Prelims)

• Type: Objective (MCQs)

• Papers:

  1. General Studies Paper I – 200 marks
     (History, Geography, Polity, Economy, Environment, Current Affairs, etc.)

  2. CSAT (Paper II) – 200 marks
     (Comprehension, Reasoning, Maths, Decision-making)

• Duration: 2 hours each

• Nature: Qualifying for Mains (CSAT requires 33% to qualify)

• Usually held in: May/June

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Stage 2 – Main Examination (Mains)

• Type: Descriptive (written)

• Total Papers: 9

  1. Paper A – Indian Language (qualifying)

  2. Paper B – English (qualifying)

  3. Essay Paper

  4. GS Paper I – Indian Heritage, History, Geography

  5. GS Paper II – Polity, Governance, IR

  6. GS Paper III – Economy, Environment, Science & Tech

  7. GS Paper IV – Ethics, Integrity & Aptitude
     8–9. Optional Subject Paper I & II

• Total Marks (for merit): 1750

• Usually held in: September

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Stage 3 – Personality Test (Interview)

• Marks: 275

• Conducted in Delhi at UPSC Office

• Purpose: To assess personality, communication, judgment, and awareness.

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🧾 3. Final Merit

• Based on Mains (1750) + Interview (275) = 2025 marks