Civil Services Preliminary Examination

Union Public Service Commission

Civil Services Examination

Stage 1: Preliminary Examination


  • Eligibility Criteria: The candidate should be 21 years of age and should have graduated in any discipline from a recognized university. Students in their final year of graduation can also apply.

  • Applying for the Exam: The candidate should log on to www.upsconline.nic.in and follow the instructions given on the website.

  • E-Admit Card: Candidates have to download the e-admit card from the website www.upsc.gov.in. The admit cards can be downloaded three weeks before the examination.

Around 5-6 lakhs students apply for the preliminary exam. The actual number of candidates appearing for the examination varies. It will be around 2.5 to 3 lakh students. The Preliminary exam is Objective and of qualifying nature. It consists of two papers, each of 200 marks. Paper 1 is concerned with General Studies and deals with subjects like:

  • History

  • Geography

  • Environment

  • Polity

  • Economy

  • Science & Current Affairs etc.

Paper 2 checks a candidate's aptitude in terms of  Reading Comprehension, Numerical Ability, Graphical Representation, Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning, Decision Making etc. The Result of Preliminary exams are declared two months after the Preliminary exam. Those who are successful in clearing the Preliminary exam have to appear for the Mains examination. Around 12000 candidates qualify for the Main Exam every year.

Detailed Syllabus

Paper I : General Studies - (200 marks) | Duration : Two hours

  • Current Events of National and International Importance.

  • History of India and Indian National Movement.

  • Indian and World Geography - Physical, Social, Economic Geography of India and the World.

  • Indian Polity and Governance - Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues, etc.

  • Economic and Social Development Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector initiatives, etc.

  • General issues on Environmental Ecology, Bio-diversity and Climate Change - that do not require subject specialization.

  • General Science

 

Paper II : CSAT - (200 marks) | Duration: Two hours

  • Comprehension

  • Interpersonal skills including communication skills;

  • Logical reasoning and analytical ability

  • Decision-making and problem-solving

  • General mental ability

  • Basic Numeracy (numbers and their relations, orders of magnitude, etc.) (Class X level),

  • Data interpretation (charts, graphs, tables, data sufficiency etc. - Class X level).

 

EXAM PREPARATION MATERIAL

Explore More: Civil Services Mains| Civil Services Interview/Personality Test | UPSC Time Table

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Civil Services Preliminary
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