About

UPSC-CSE
By

IQRA IAS
What is UPSC-CSE

´ Though popularly known as ‘IAS exam’, the official name of the exam is UPSC
Civil Services Exam.
´ There are many who consider this exam as the toughest exam in India (and even at
the world-stage!).
´ The exam is attempted by around 5 Lakh candidates each year. UPSC Civil
Services exam is conducted in 3 phases: 1) Prelims and 2) Mains 3) Interview.
´ The exam window extends over a year (from June month of a year to June month
next year when the results are announced).
 List of Services
Following are the services which one gets on (IP&TAFS)
qualifying the Civil Service Examination. ´ Indian Railway Accounts Service (IRAS)
´ All India Services ´ Indian Railway Personnel Service (IRPS)
´ Indian Administrative Service (IAS) ´ Indian Railway Protection Force Service (IRPFS)
´ Indian Police Service (IPS) ´ Indian Railway Traffic Service (IRTS)
´ Central Services (Group A) ´ Indian Revenue Service (IRS-IT)
´ Indian Foreign Service (IFS) ´ Indian Revenue Service (IRS-C&CE)
´ Indian Audit and Accounts Service (IA&AS) ´ Indian Trade Service (ITrS)
´ Indian Civil Accounts Service (ICAS) ´ Group B Services
´ Indian Corporate Law Service (ICLS) ´ Armed Forces Headquarters Civil Services (AFHCS)
´ Indian Defence Accounts Service (IDAS) ´ Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands Civil Service
´ Indian Defence Estates Service (IDES) (DANICS)

´ Indian Information Service (IIS) ´ Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands Police Service
(DANIPS)
´ Indian Ordnance Factories Service (IOFS)
´ Pondicherry Civil Service (PCS)
´ Indian Postal Service (IPoS)
´ Pondicherry Police Service (PPS)
´ Indian P&T Accounts and Finance Service
Eligibility

´ Nationality
´ For the Indian Administrative Service and the Indian Police Service, the candidate must
be a citizen of India.
´ For other services, the candidate must be one of the following:
´ A citizen of India.
´ A citizen of Nepal or a subject of Bhutan
´ A Tibetan refugee who settled permanently in India before 1 January 1962.
´ A person of Indian origin who has migrated from Pakistan, Myanmar, Sri
Lanka, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Zaire, Ethiopia or Vietnam with the
intention of permanently settling in India
Educational qualification

´ All candidates must have as a minimum one of the following educational

qualifications:
´ A degree from a Central, State or a Deemed university
´ A degree received through correspondence or distance education
´ A degree from an open university
´ A qualification recognized by the Government of India as being equivalent to one
of the above
´ The candidate must have attained the age of 21 years and must not have attained
the age of 32 years (for the General category candidate) on 1 August of the year of
examination. Prescribed age limits vary with respect to caste reservations.

´ For Other Backward Castes (OBC) the upper age limit is 35 years.
´ For Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST), the limit is 37 years.
´ For Defence Services Personnel disabled in operations during hostilities, the limit
is 40 years.
Number of attempts

´ The number of times a candidate can appear for the exam are given below.
´ General category candidates – 6
´ OBC category candidates – 9
´ SC/ST candidates – unlimited attempts till 37 years of age.
´ Appearing to attempt one of the papers in the preliminary examination is counted
as an attempt, including disqualification/ cancellation of candidature. However,
applying to sit the exam but failing to attend is not counted as an attempt.
UPSC - Stages

´ The Indian Civil Service Exam (UPSC IAS exam / UPSC Civils) is conducted in three
stages:

´ Civil Services Exam (Preliminary) – Objective Type

´ Civil Services Exam (Main) – Descriptive Type
´ Personality Test / Interview
´ The entire process of the Indian civil services examination from the notification of the
preliminary examination to the declaration of the final results takes place roughly
within a year.
´ The candidates who get selected are recruited and trained for various services by the
Central Government and then allotted different State Cadres as per their preference and
ranking.
 CSE(Prelim's syllabus)
´ Paper I - tests the candidate's knowledge on current events, history of India and Indian national
movement, Indian and world geography, Indian polity panchayti Raj system and governance,
economic and social development, environmental ecology, biodiversity, climate change and
general science, Art and culture.
´ Paper II - (also called CSAT or Civil Services Aptitude Test), tests the candidate's skills in
comprehension, interpersonal skills, communication, logical reasoning, analytical ability, decision
making, problem solving, basic numeracy, data interpretation, English language comprehension
skills and mental ability.
´ Paper II is qualifying in nature and the marks obtained in this paper are not counted for merit.
´ However, it is mandatory for the candidate to score a minimum of 33 per cent in this paper to
qualify the Prelims exam.
 CSE(Mains Syllabus)

´ The Civil Services Main written examination consists of nine papers, two qualifying and seven
ranking in nature.
´ The range of questions may vary from just one mark to sixty marks, twenty words to 600 words
answers.
´ Each paper is of a duration of 3 hours.
´ Candidates who pass qualifying papers are ranked according to marks and a selected number of
candidates are called for interview or a personality test at the Commission's discretion.
 Paper Subject Marks

(One of the Indian languages listed below, to be selected by the candidate (from the
Paper A 300
languages listed in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of India) (Qualifying)

Paper B English (Qualifying) 300

Paper I Essay 250

General Studies I (Indian heritage and culture, history and geography of the world and
Paper II 250
society)

General Studies II (Governance, constitution, polity, social justice and international

Paper III 250
relations)

General Studies III (Technology, economic development, bio-diversity, environment,

Paper IV 250
security and disaster management)

Paper V General Studies IV (ethics, integrity and aptitude) 250

Papers Two papers on one subject to be selected by the candidate from the list of optional subjects
500
VI, VII below (250 marks for each paper)

Sub Total (Written Test) 1750

Personality Test (Interview) 275
Total Marks 2025
Essay Paper - I

What UPSC says about the essay paper

´ “Candidates may be required to write essays on multiple topics. They will be expected
to keep closely to the subject of the essay, to arrange their ideas in an orderly
fashion, and to write concisely. Credit will be given for effective and exact
expression.”
´ Writing is a window to your thought process. What you write on paper will tell
the reader how you think, how you argue and the way you substantiate your
viewpoint. This is why for most competitive examinations and academic entrance
tests, essay is mandatory.
 General Studies– 1 / Paper - II
Indian Heritage and Culture, History and Geography of the World and Society:

´ Indian culture covers the salient features of Literature, Art Forms, and Architecture
from ancient to modern times.
´ Modern Indian history include the significant events, personalities, issues during the
middle of the eighteenth century until the present
´ Various stages and important contributors and contributions from different parts of the
country in ‘The Freedom Struggle’
´ Post-independence consolidation and reorganization within the country
´ History of the world includes events, forms and effect on the society from 18th century
like world wars, industrial revolution, colonization, re-drawal of national boundaries,
decolonization, political philosophies like communism, capitalism, socialism etc.
´ Salient aspects of Diversity of India and Indian Society
´ Role of women and women’s organization, population and associated issues, poverty and
developmental issues, urbanization, their problems and remedies
´ Social empowerment, communalism, regionalism & secularism
´ Distribution of key natural resources across the world including South Asia and the Indian sub-
continent; factors responsible for the location of primary, secondary, and tertiary sector
industries in various parts of the world including India
´ Effects of globalization on Indian society
´ Important Geophysical phenomena such as earthquakes, Tsunami, Volcanic activity, cyclone
etc., geographical features and their location- changes in critical geographical features (including
water-bodies and ice-caps) and in flora and fauna and the effects of such changes
´ Salient features of world’s physical geography
 General Studies– 2 / Paper III
Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice and International relations
´ Indian Constitution- historical underpinnings, evolution, features, amendments, significant
provisions and basic structure
´ Functions and responsibilities of the Union and the States, issues and challenges pertaining to the
federal structure, devolution of powers and finances up to local levels and challenges therein
´ Comparison of the Indian constitutional scheme with that of other countries
´ Separation of powers between various organs dispute redressal mechanisms and institutions
´ Parliament and State Legislatures – structure, functioning, conduct of business, powers &
privileges and issues arising out of these
´ Appointment to various Constitutional posts, powers, functions and responsibilities of various
Constitutional Bodies
´ Structure, organization and functioning of the Executive and the Judiciary Ministries and
Departments of the Government; pressure groups and formal/informal associations and their role
in the Polity
´ Salient features of the Representation of People’s Act
´ Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out
of their design and implementation
´ Statutory, regulatory and various quasi-judicial bodies
´ Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States and the
performance of these schemes; mechanisms, laws, institutions and Bodies constituted for the protection and
betterment of these vulnerable sections
´ Development processes and the development industry the role of NGOs, SHGs, various groups and
associations, donors, charities, institutional and other stakeholders
´ Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health,
Education, Human Resources
´ Important aspects of governance, transparency and accountability, e-governance- applications, models,
successes, limitations, and potential; citizens charters, transparency & accountability and institutional
and other measures
´ Issues relating to poverty and hunger
´ Role of civil services in a democracy
´ Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests
´ India and its neighborhood- relations
´ Important International institutions, agencies and fora, their structure, mandate
´ Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests, Indian diaspora
General Studies– 3 / Paper IV
Technology, Economic Development, Bio-diversity, Environment, Security and
Disaster Management:
´ Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization of resources, growth,
development and employment.
´ Development, Biodiversity, Environment, Security and Disaster Management.
´ Government Budgeting.
´ Inclusive growth and issues arising from it.
´ Major crops cropping patterns in various parts of the country, different types of irrigation and
irrigation systems storage, transport and marketing of agricultural produce and issues and
related constraints; e-technology in the aid of farmers
´ Economics of animal-rearing.
´ Food processing and related industries in India- scope and significance, location, upstream and
downstream requirements, supply chain management.
´ Issues related to direct and indirect farm subsidies and minimum support prices; Public
Distribution System objectives, functioning, limitations, revamping; issues of buffer stocks and
food security; Technology missions
´ Land reforms in India.
´ Effects of liberalization on the economy, changes in industrial policy and their effects on
industrial growth.
´ Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways etc.
´ Investment models.
´ Science and Technology- developments and their applications and effects in everyday life Achievements
of Indians in science & technology;
´ Indigenization of technology and developing new technology.
´ Conservation, environnemental pollution and degradation , environnemental impact assessment
´ Awareness in the fields of IT, Space, Computers, robotics, nano-technology, bio-technology and issues
relating to intellectual property rights.
´ Disaster and disaster management.
´ Role of external state and non-state actors in creating challenges to internal security.
´ Linkages between development and spread of extremism.
´ Challenges to internal security through communication networks, role of media and social networking
sites in internal security challenges, basics of cyber security; money-laundering and its prevention
´ Various Security forces and agencies and their mandate
´ Security challenges and their management in border areas; linkages of organized crime with terrorism
 General Studies - 4 / Paper V
Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude:-
´ Ethics and Human Interface- Essence, determinants and consequences of Ethics in human actions;
dimensions of ethics; ethics in private and public relationships
´ Human Values- lessons from the lives and teachings of great leaders, reformers and
administrators; role of family, society and educational institutions in inculcating values
´ Attitude- content, structure, function; its influence and relation with thought and behavior: moral
and political attitudes; social influence and persuasion
´ Aptitude and foundational values for Civil Service, integrity, impartiality and non-partisanship,
objectivity, dedication to public service, empathy, tolerance and compassion towards the weaker-
sections
´ Emotional intelligence-concepts, and their utilities and application in administration and
governance Contributions of moral thinkers and philosophers from India and world
´ Public/Civil service values and Ethics in Public administration- Status and problems; ethical
concerns and dilemmas in government and private institutions; laws, rules, regulations and
conscience as sources of ethical guidance; accountability and ethical governance;
strengthening of ethical and moral values in governance; ethical issues in international
relations and funding; corporate governance
´ Probity in Governance- Concept of public service; Philosophical basis of governance and
probity; Information; sharing and transparency in government, Right to Information, Codes of
Ethics, Codes of Conduct, Citizen’s Charters, Work culture, Quality of service delivery,
Utilization of public funds, challenges of corruption
´ Case Studies on above issues
List of Optional Subjects

1. Agriculture 14. Literature (23 Languages)

2. Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science 15. Management
3. Anthropology 16. Mathematics
4. Botany 17. Mechanical Engineering
5. Chemistry 18. Medical Science
6. Civil Engineering 19. Philosophy
7. Commerce and Accountancy 20. Physics
8. Economics 21. Political Science and International Relations
9. Electrical Engineering 22. Psychology
10. Geography 23. Public Administration
11. Geology 24. Sociology
12. History 25. Statistics
13. Law 26. Zoology
 Interview
´ Officially called the "Personality Test", the objective of the interview is to assess the personal
suitability of the candidate for a career in public service by a board of competent and unbiased
observers.
´ The test is intended to evaluate the mental calibre of a candidate.
´ Some of the qualities to be judged are mental alertness, critical powers of assimilation, clear and
logical exposition, balance of judgement, variety and depth of interest, ability for social cohesion
and leadership, and intellectual and moral integrity.
 Cut-off(prelims)

Year Max Marks General OBC SC ST

2013 400 241 222 207 201

2014 385 204 205 182 174

2015 200 107.34 106 94 91.34

2016 200 116 110.66 99.34 96

2017 200 105.34 102.66 88.66 88.66

2018 200 98 96.66 84 83.34

 Cut-off (Mains & Interview)

Year General OBC SC ST

Mains Mains+ Mains Mains+ Mains Mains+ Mains Mains+

(1750) Interview (1750) Interview (1750) Interview (1750) Interview
(2025) (2025) (2025) (2025)
2013 564 775 534 742 518 719 510 707

2014 678 889 631 844 631 830 619 811

2015 676 877 630 834 622 810 617 801

2016 787 988 745 951 739 937 730 920

2017 809 1006 770 968 756 944 749 939

2018 774 982 732 938 719 912 719 912

Why Game Changer?

´ Right direction.
´ New learning styles and tips.
´ Subject explained in the most lucid and palatable fashion.
´ The best faculty available
´ Timely completion of syllabus
´ Best content and material
´ Affordable fee structure
´ Guidance from Mentor