Union Public Service Commission conducts Civil Service Examination every year. UPSC Civil Services Examination is conducted in 3 stages Prelims,Mains and Interview. In this article, we have discussed the exam pattern and Old question papers of Civil service examination.
UPSC Preliminary Examination:
UPSC Prelims contains 2 papers (GS Paper and CSAT Paper) consisting of objective in nature .There will be 100 questions in the GS paper with 2 marks for each question and there will be a negative marking of 1/3rd or 0.66 marks. The CSAT paper is qualifying in nature. The marks scored in this subject will not be counted in the prelims scorecard. There will be 80 questions in the CSAT paper, containing 2.5 marks for each question, with 1/3rd or 0.83 marks of negative marking. No marks will be deducted for questions that you choose to leave unanswered. The marks scored in the UPSC CSE Prelims Exam, marks will not be counted in preparing the merit list.
| UPSC Prelims Exam Pattern 2025 | ||||
| Papers | Subjects | No. of questions | Total Marks | Duration |
| Paper 1 | General Studies (GS) | 100 | 200 | 2 hours |
| Paper 2 | CSAT | 80 | 200 | 2 hours |
| Total | 180 | 400 | 4 hours | |
| Total UPSC marks for Prelims | 400 (where GS Paper II is qualifying in nature with minimum qualifying marks fixed at 33%) | |||
UPSC Prelims Question Paper 2024:
Here we attached civils preliminary exam question paper and answer keys of both Paper-I and Paper-II.
For Download Question papers and answer keys please click below links.
General Studies Paper-I (UPSC Prelims)
General Studies Paper-II (UPSC Prelims)
Answer Key General Studies Paper-I
Answer Key General Studies Paper-II
UPSC Mains Exam Pattern:
UPSC Mains examination contains 9 papers consisting of descriptive in nature out of which 2 papers are qualifying in nature. The marks obtained in the remaining 7 papers and the interview test together are considered for making the final merit. The marks scored in the UPSC Mains Exam will be counted in preparing the merit list for final selection. Paper 1 (Language Paper) and Paper 2 (English language) are qualifying in nature, with 300 marks each. The minimum qualifying marks in Paper A (Compulsory Indian Language) and Paper B (English) is 25% (75 marks out of 300). Attempting all papers is compulsory.
| UPSC Mains Exam Pattern 2025 | |||
| Papers | Subjects | Marks | Duration |
| Paper A | Any Indian language (compulsory) – [Qualifying paper] | 300 | 3 hours |
| Paper B | English – [Qualifying paper] | 300 | 3 hours |
| Paper I | Essay (you can choose to write it in a medium of your choice) | 250 | 3 hours |
| Paper II | General Studies 1 (Indian and World History, Culture, Heritage, &Geography) | 250 | 3 hours |
| Paper III | General Studies 2 (Polity, Constitution, Governance, International Relations & Social Justice) | 250 | 3 hours |
| Paper IV | General Studies 3 (Economic Development, Technology, Disaster Management & Security, Biodiversity) | 250 | 3 hours |
| Paper V | General Studies 4 (Aptitude, Ethics, & Integrity) | 250 | 3 hours |
| Paper VI | Optional Subject: Paper 1 | 250 | 3 hours |
| Paper VII | Optional Subject: Paper 2 | 250 | 3 hours |
UPSC Mains Question Papers 2024:
Here we attached civils mains exam question papers.
For Download Question papers please click below links.
POLITICAL-SCIENCE-INTERNL -REL-PAPER-I QP-CSM
POLITICAL-SCIENCE-INTERNL -REL-PAPER-II QP-CSM
PUBLIC-ADMINISTRATION-PAPER-I QP-CSM-24-
PUBLIC-ADMINISTRATION-PAPER-II
QP_CSM_2024_English_Compulsory QP_
QP_CSM_2024_Kannada_Compulsory
UPSC Interview:
The final stage Of the UPSC Civil Service exam is Interview or Personality Test. Interview is for 275 marks. The interview is conducted by a panel of experts, including experienced bureaucrats, subject-matter specialists. Normally Interview takes 30 minutes time depending on panel. The interviews are usually conducted at the UPSC office in New Delhi.
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