Civil service Examination Steps

Civil service Examination(CSE)
UPSC conducts civil services in three phases:-
1 Preliminary Test
2 Main Examination
3 Personality Test
 Any one with necessary qualification can appear in the preliminary test. It is just a screening test to filter the candidates for taking up the mains. There are two papers at this stage. One optional paper and a general studies paper. Optional will have 120 multiple choice questions with two and half marks for each response. In general studies 150 entries half mark each will figure in the response sheet. Preliminary test is totally objective type and the candidates need not have to write any thing verbally. The first stage of the selection process is announced in November-December every year.
    Those who qualify in the preliminary test are allowed to take up the mains. Out of 5 lakh candidates, only four to five thousand will get the berth for mains. The main examination comprises nine papers. Two are qualifying papers and the performance in those papers will not be included for ranking. Two papers on general studies and two papers in both the optionals will be conducted. All these papers will have 300 marks, each, totaling 1800. A paper on general essay for 300 marks is another compulsory paper. Hence, main examination is for 2100 marks in total
       The qualifying  papers are language papers. English is the compulsory paper to test basic fluency and flow. Another paper will be on vernacular languages. One can choose Malayalam , Tamil, Telugu or Hindi according to his proficiency. The qualifying papers will be simple in nature, pitched at 10th standard level and one has to make an effort to fail

Educational Qualification
A candidate must hold a degree of any of the Universities incorporates by an Act of the Central or State Legislature in India or other educational institutions established by an Act of parliament or declared to be deemed as a University under section-3 of the University under section -3 of the University Grants Commission Act, 1956 or possess an equivalent qualification.

Number of Attempts
Four attempts are provided for open category candidates and seven, for OBC. No restriction on the number of attempts for Scheduled Cast and Scheduled Tribe candidates. The lower age limit for all categories is 21 years. The Upper age limit is for OC,33 for OBC and 35 for SC/CT

Eligibility
IAS and IPS applicant should be citizend of India. For other services the applicant should be : (a) Subject of Bhutan/ Nepal or (b) A Tibetan refugee who came to India before 1.1.1962 with the intention of permanently setting in India or (c) A person of Indian origin who has migrated from Pakistan,Burma, SriLanka,Kenya,Uganda,United Republic of Tanzania,Zambia,Malawi,Zaire,Ethiopa and Vietnam with the intention of permanently setting in India.
       Candidates belonging to (a),(b),(c) categories should be a person in whose favour a certificate of eligibility has been issued by the government of India. Candidates belonging to (a),(b),(c) are not eligible for appointment to the IFS

For further details contact:
Under Secretary (CSP), Union Public Service Commission, Dholpur House, New Delhi-110011