UPSC Exam Dates 2024 Released.
Civil Services examination is one of the most prestigious jobs in India and arguably in the world. Each year 11 Lakh (approx.) candidate participates and aspire to become civil servants and offers their services to the country but out of them, only a few candidates get selected.
A well-functioning democratic government has three branches namely- Parliament, Judiciary, and Executive branch. UPSE Examination offers candidates jobs in the executive branch of the government and is part of the permanent bureaucracy of the nation. In this article, we will discuss Civil Services Exam 2024 Dates, Eligibility, Exam Pattern, Syllabus, etc.
UPSC has released the examination calendar for the year 2024. The notification for the year 2024 will be updated by UPSC from February 2024 at the official website www.upsc.gov.in.
UPSC to hold Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2024 on 16th June this year.
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UPSC Civil Services Exam 2024 Highlights
| Name of the Exam | Civil Services Examination |
| Level of the Exam | National Level Exam |
| Conducting body | UPSC – Union Public Service Commission |
| Periodicity of Exam | Yearly |
| Application Mode | Online Mode |
| Mode of Exam | Offline (Pen-Paper Mode) |
| Expected Registration | Approx. 3 lakh |
| Total Vacancies | Approx. 600 |
| Official Website | http://www.upsc.gov.in/ |
Civil Services Exam Important Dates 2024
| Event | Dates (Tentative) |
| UPSC Notification 2024 | 14 February 2024 |
| Last date to apply for CIVIL SERVICES Exam 2024 | 5 March 2024 |
| CIVIL SERVICES Prelims Exam 2024 | 16 JUNE 2024 |
| CIVIL SERVICES Prelims 2024 Result | October-November 2024 (Tentative) |
| CIVIL SERVICES Main Exam 2024 | 20 September 2024 |
| CIVIL SERVICES Main 2024 result | To be announced |
| UPSC Updates | Link |
| UPSC 2024 Calender | Click here |
Civil Services Exam Eligibility Criteria
The following are the eligibility criteria for the CIVIL SERVICES Exam-
- Candidate must be a citizen of India
- The age criteria of the candidate must be between 21 years and 32 years of age
- Candidate must be a graduate of a recognized university in any discipline
- The following are the number of attempts allowed for reserved category students-
| Reserved Category | Attempts |
| General | 6 |
| SC/ST | no limit |
| OBC | 9 |
Post offered by UPSC through the Civil Services Examination
The following are the posts offered by UPSE through the Civil Services Examination-
All India Services
- Indian Administrative Services (IAS)
- Indian Forest Services (IFoS)
- Indian Police Services (IPS)
Group ‘A’ Services
- Indian Foreign Service (IFS)
- Indian P & T Accounts & Finance Service
- Indian Audit and Accounts Service
- Indian Revenue Service (Customs and Central Excise)
- Indian Defence Accounts Service
- Indian Revenue Service (I.T.)
- Indian Ordnance Factories Service (Assistant Works Manager, Administration)
- Indian Postal Service
- Indian Civil Accounts Service
- Indian Railway Traffic Service
- Indian Railway Accounts Service
- Indian Railway Personnel Service
- Post of Assistant Security Commissioner in the Railway Protection Force
- Indian Defence Estates Service
- Indian Information Service (Junior Grade)
- Indian Trade Service
- Indian Corporate Law Service
- Indian Revenue Service (CBEC)
Group ‘B’ Services
- Armed Forces Headquarters Civil Service (Section Officer’s Grade)
- Delhi, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Daman & Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli Civil Service
- Delhi, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Daman & Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli Police Service
- Pondicherry Civil Service
- Pondicherry Police Service
Civil Services Exam Application Form
The Application form for Civil Services UPSC can be filled out online. The following is the step-by-step application process-
- Visit the official website of the UPSE- www.upse.gov.in
- Click on the ‘New Candidate Registration’ and start filling in the required details like email ID password etc.
- Now, verify the email by clicking on the verification link sent by UPSE
- Now, Log in to your account and click on the apply button
- A form will appear, fill the form with the correct information
- Now upload your scanned passport-size photograph
- Now you have to upload the scanned copy of all the certificates and documents mentioned below
- Now a payment gateway will open where you have to pay the application fee using Credit/Debit, UPI, Net Banking, or challan
- Take a printout of the payment confirmation slip and the application for future uses
Documentation Requirement for Registration
The following are the list of documents required for Civil Services Exam Recruitment-
- Scanned Passport Size photograph under 1 MB
- Scanned copy of class 10th, & 12th passed certificate/ Mark Sheet
- Graduate Degree/ Marks Sheet
- Aadhar Card
Civil Services Exam 2024 Application Fee
The application fee for the CIVIL SERVICES Exam entrance examination is as follows-
| Category | Application Fee |
| Application fee for the Civil Services Exam entrance examination | Rs.100/- |
| Women candidates and candidates belonging to Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST) and Ex-servicemen (ESM) | No Fee required |
Civil Services Exam Examination Pattern
The examination pattern of Civil Services is divided into three examinations. The following is the entrance examination for Civil Services:-
Civil Services Exam Prelims
- The prelims question will be of objective type and the negative marking for incorrect answers will be 1/3rd (0.66) of the allotted marks of that question.
- The GS Paper II (CSAT) in the CIVIL SERVICES exam is of a qualifying nature and candidates should score a minimum of 33 percent
- Prelims is a screening test and prelims marks will not be included in the final score
| Sl. No. | Name of the Paper | Nature of the Paper | Duration of the Exam | Questions | Marks |
| 1 | Civil Services Exam Paper – I: General Studies | Merit Ranking Nature | 2 Hours | 100 | 200 Marks |
| 2 | Civil Services Exam Paper – II: General Studies (CSAT) | Qualifying Nature | 2 Hours | 80 | 200 Marks |
Civil Services Exam Mains
- The 9 papers in the Civil Services Exam (Mains) are as follows: Paper-A (Compulsory Indian Language); Paper-B –B (English) which are qualifying in nature, while the other papers like Essay, General Studies Papers I, II, III, and IV, and Optional Papers I and II are considered for the final ranking
- Civil Services Mains Exam will be language listed in the 8th Schedule of the Indian Constitution
- Candidates who score above the cut-off marks in the Civil Services exam (Mains) will get the summons for the Personality Test
- The final examination will be calculated based on the Main Examination and Personality Test/Interview Round of the Civil Services exam
| Sl. No. | CIVIL SERVICES Exam Paper | Name of the Paper | Nature of the Paper | Duration of the Exam | Marks | ||
| 1 | Paper – A | Compulsory Indian Language | QUALIFYING NATURE | 3 Hours | 300 Marks | ||
| 2 | Paper – B | English | 3 Hours | 300 Marks | |||
| 3 | Paper – I | ESSAY | MERIT RANKING NATURE | 3 Hours | 250 Marks | ||
| 4 | Paper – II | General Studies I | 3 Hours | 250 Marks | |||
| 5 | Paper – III | General Studies II | 3 Hours | 250 Marks | |||
| 6 | Paper – IV | General Studies III | 3 Hours | 250 Marks | |||
| 7 | Paper – V | General Studies IV | 3 Hours | 250 Marks | |||
| 8 | Paper – VI | Optional Paper I | 3 Hours | 250 Marks | |||
| 9 | Paper – VII | Optional Paper II | 3 Hours | 250 Marks | |||
| TOTAL | 1750 Marks | ||||||
| Interview or Personality Test | 275 Marks | ||||||
| GRAND TOTAL | 2025 Marks | ||||||
Civil Services Exam Personality Test/ Interview
The candidates who clear the main stage of the examination will be selected for a personality test or interview round. The candidate will be sent an e-summon by the Commission for a face-to-face discussion round with the board members. The questions will be based on hobbies, current affairs, general knowledge, situation questions, etc. and the test will be held only in the UPSC Bhavan in New Delhi.
Civil Services DAF Filling
DAF Stands for Detailed Application Form and the following are the steps to fill out DAF-
- Candidates who have been declared qualified in the written part of the Examinations have to first get themselves registered before filling up the Online Detailed Application Form (DAF)
- Candidates are required to upload scanned copies of documents like proof of Age, Educational Qualification, Community Certificate, PH Certificate, etc. as mentioned in the Instructions to Candidates for filling in the Detailed Application Form
CIVIL SERVICES Exam Syllabus
The following is the examination syllabus for the Civil Services Exam-
General Studies-I
- History
- Modern Indian History
- World History
- Art & Culture
- Indian Heritage & Culture
- Geography
- Human Geography
- Physical Geography
- Geomorphology
- Indian Geography
- Climatology
- Oceanology
- Indian Society
- Diversity in Indian Society
- Role of Women
- Poverty
- Urbanization
- Social Empowerment
- Regionalism
- Communalism
- Secularism, etc.
General Studies-II
- Polity
- Constitution
- Governance
- Social Justice
- International Relations
General Studies-III
- Economic Development
- Agriculture
- Science & Technology
- Environment & Ecology
- Security, and
- Disaster Management
General Studies-IV
- Ethics
- Attitude
- Aptitude
- Emotional Intelligence
- Moral Thinkers
- Public Organisations and
- Probity in Governance
Civil Services Exam Preparation Books
The following are the Exam preparation books –
| Subject | UPSC Books |
| History, Indian Heritage & Culture [GS Paper 1] | Indian Art and Culture by Nitin Singhania India’s Struggle for Independence by Bipan Chandra India after Independence by Bipan Chandra History of Medieval India by Satish Chandra Ancient India by R.S Sharma |
| Geography [GS Paper 1] | Geography of India by Majid Husain World Geography by Majid Husain World Atlas (Orient Black Swan) Certificate Physical and Human Geography – G C Leong Fundamentals of Physical Geography NCERT Class 11 |
| Polity & International Relations [GS Paper 2] | Indian Polity by M. Laxmikanth Introduction to the Constitution of India by DD Basu International Relations: Pushpesh Pant |
| Economy [GS Paper 3] | Indian Economy – Nitin Singhania Environment and Disaster Management – Tata McGraw Hill Challenges to Internal Security of India – Ashok Kumar |
| Ethics [GS Paper 4] | Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude for Civil Services Main Examination by Subba Rao and P.N. Roy Chaudary |
| Newspaper | The Hindu, Hidustantimes, Navbharat times etc. |
Civil Services Exam Admit Card
The admit card for of Civil Services Exam can be downloaded online using the official website of UPSC. Candidate must follow the guidelines mentioned on the admit card otherwise the examination of the candidate can be cancelled.
Civil Services Result
The result of Civil Services will be declared online in the form of a merit list. UPSC released a minimum cut-off mark and the candidates who scored more than the cut-off marks will be eligible for civil services. The candidate selected in UPSE Civil Services will be sent to LBSNAA for further training for two years and then the candidates will be posted in different cadres. The candidate will also be provided with
Civil Service Previous Cut-off marks
UPSC Cut Off – IAS Prelims 2019
| Category | UPSC Cut Off of 200 |
| General | 98 |
| EWS | 90 |
| OBC | 95.34 |
| SC | 82 |
| ST | 77.34 |
| PwBD-1 | 53.34 |
| PwBD-2 | 44.66 |
| PwBD-3 | 54.66 |
| PwBD-4 | 61.34 |
UPSC Cut Off – IAS Mains 2019
| Category | UPSC Cut Off out of 1750 |
| General | 751 |
| EWS | 696 |
| OBC | 718 |
| SC | 706 |
| ST | 699 |
| PwBD-1 | 663 |
| PwBD-2 | 698 |
| PwBD-3 | 374 |
| PwBD-4 | 561 |
UPSC Cut Off – IAS Final 2019
| Category | UPSC Cut Off out of 2025 |
| General | 961 |
| EWS | 909 |
| OBC | 925 |
| SC | 898 |
| ST | 893 |
| PwBD-1 | 861 |
| PwBD-2 | 890 |
| PwBD-3 | 653 |
| PwBD-4 | 708 |
FAQ
Any graduation degree from a recognized university with both regular and distance education can apply for the Civil Services Examination.
There are a variety of posts offered under the Civil Services Examination like IAS, IFS, IPS, ICAS, etc. All these posts are Indian level and are Grade A and B category jobs offering the most reputed job in the Government.
UPSC mandates the candidate to choose any one optional subject from a long list of optional subjects however, the candidates will have to give two tests of the same subject.
Priya Bansal is a seasoned education writer with a passion for creating insightful and engaging content. With a background in education and a knack for research, she excels at producing articles, blogs, and resources that inform and inspire. Priya’s work contributes to the enrichment of educational discourse and empowers learners of all ages.
