Descriptions

POSTS

Indian Administrative Service

(ii) Indian Foreign Service

(iii) Indian Police Service

(iv) Indian Audit and Accounts Service, Group ‘A’

(v) Indian Civil Accounts Service, Group ‘A’

(vi) Indian Corporate Law Service, Group ‘A’

(vii) Indian Defence Accounts Service, Group ‘A’

(viii) Indian Defence Estates Service, Group ‘A’

(ix) Indian Information Service, Group ‘A’

(x) Indian Postal Service, Group ‘A’

(xi) Indian P&T Accounts and Finance Service, Group ‘A’

(xii) Indian Railway Protection Force Service, Group ‘A’

(xiii) Indian Revenue Service (Customs & Indirect Taxes) Group ‘A’

(xiv) Indian Revenue Service (Income Tax) Group ‘A’

(xv) Indian Trade Service, Group ‘A’ (Grade III)

(xvi) Indian Railway Management Service, Group ‘A’

(xvii) Armed Forces Headquarters Civil Service, Group ‘B’ (Section Officer’s Grade)

(xviii) Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Daman & Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli Civil Service (DANICS), Group ‘B’

(xix) Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Daman & Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli Police Service (DANIPS), Group ‘B’

(xx) Pondicherry Civil Service (PONDICS), Group ‘B’

(xxi) Pondicherry Police Service (PONDIPS), Group ‘B

Plan of Examination:

The Civil Services Examination will consist of two successive stages

• Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination (Objective type) for the selection of candidates for the Main Examination
• Civil Services (Main) Examination (Written and Interview) for the selection of candidates for the various Services and posts noted above.

ELIGIBILITY

A citizen of India

AGE : 21 TO 32 YRS

QUALIFICATIONS: GRADUATION

 

Number of attempts:

GENERAL 6

OBC 9

SC/ST UNLIMITED

 

Scheme and Subjects for the Preliminary and Main Examination

1. PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION: The Examination shall comprise of two compulsory Papers of 200 marks each. Note:

(i) Both the question papers will be of the objective type (multiple choice questions) and each will be of two hours duration.

(ii) The General Studies Paper-II of the Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination will be a qualifying paper with minimum qualifying marks fixed at 33%.

• The question papers will be set both in Hindi and English.
• Details of the syllabi are indicated in Part A of Section III.

 

1. MAIN EXAMINATION: The Written Examination will consist of the following papers:—

PAPER	SUBJECT	MARKS
A	ENGLISH	300
B	LANGUAGE	300
1	ESSAY	250
2	GENERAL STUDIES 1	250
3	GENERAL STUDIES 2	250
4	GENERAL STUDIES 3	250
5	GENERAL STUDIES 4	250
6	OPTIONAL 1	250
7	OPTIONAL 2	250

 

 

INTERVIEW 275 MARKS

 

SYLLABI FOR THE EXAMINATION

Paper I – (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-(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);

 

Part B—Main Examination

QUALIFYING PAPERS ON INDIAN LANGUAGES AND ENGLISH

The pattern of questions would be broadly as follows : (i) Comprehension of given passages. (ii) Precis Writing. (iii) Usage and Vocabulary. (iv) Short Essays.

 

Indian Languages :— (i) comprehension of given passages. (ii) Precis Writing. (iii) Usage and Vocabulary. (iv) Short Essays. (v) Translation from English to the Indian Language and vice-versa.

PAPER-I Essay:

 

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 orderly fashion, and to write concisely. Credit will be given for effective and exact expression.

PAPER-II General Studies-I:

Indian Heritage and Culture, History and Geography of the World and Society.

• Indian culture will cover the salient aspects of Art Forms, literature and Architecture from ancient to modern times.
• Modern Indian history from about the middle of the eighteenth century until the present- significant events, personalities, issues.
• The Freedom Struggle — its various stages and important contributors/contributions from different parts of the country.
• Post-independence consolidation and reorganization within the country.
• History of the world will include events from 18th century such as industrial revolution, world wars, redrawal of national boundaries, colonization, decolonization, political philosophies like communism, capitalism, socialism etc.— their forms and effect on the society.
• Salient features of Indian Society, Diversity of India.
• Role of women and women’s organization, population and associated issues, poverty and developmental issues, urbanization, their problems and their remedies.
• Effects of globalization on Indian society.
• Social empowerment, communalism, regionalism & secularism.
• Salient features of world’s physical geography.
• Distribution of key natural resources across the world (including South Asia and the Indian subcontinent); factors responsible for the location of primary, secondary, and tertiary sector industries in various parts of the world (including India).
• 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.

 

PAPER-III General Studies- II:

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.
• Separation of powers between various organs dispute redressal mechanisms and institutions.
• Comparison of the Indian constitutional scheme with that of other countries.
• Parliament and State legislatures—structure, functioning, conduct of business, powers & privileges and issues arising out of these.
• 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.
• Appointment to various Constitutional posts, powers, functions and responsibilities of various Constitutional Bodies.
• Statutory, regulatory and various quasi-judicial bodies.
• Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.
• Development processes and the development industry —the role of NGOs, SHGs, various groups and associations, donors, charities, institutional and other stakeholders.
• 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.
• Issues relating to the development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, and Human Resources.
• Issues relating to poverty and hunger.
• Important aspects of governance, transparency and accountability, e-governance- applications, models, successes, limitations, and potential; citizens charters, transparency & accountability and institutional and other measures.
• Role of civil services in a democracy.
• India and its neighbourhood- relations.
• Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests.
• Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests, Indian diaspora.
• Important International institutions, agencies and fora- their structure, mandate.

 

 

PAPER-IV General Studies-III:

Technology, Economic Development, Bio diversity, Environment, Security and Disaster Management

• Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization, of resources, growth, development and employment.
• Inclusive growth and issues arising from it.
• Government Budgeting.
• 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.
• 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; economics of animal-rearing.
• Food processing and related industries in India- scope’ and significance, location, upstream and downstream requirements, supply chain management.
• 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.
• Awareness in the fields of IT, Space, Computers, robotics, nano-technology, bio-technology and issues relating to intellectual property rights.
• Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment.
• Disaster and disaster management. Linkages between development and spread of extremism.
• Role of external state and non-state actors in creating challenges to internal security.
• 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.
• Security challenges and their management in border areas – linkages of organized crime with terrorism.
• Various Security forces and agencies and their mandate.

 

PAPER-V General Studies- IV:

Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude

• This paper will include questions to test the candidates’ attitude and approach to issues relating to integrity, probity in public life and his problem solving approach to various issues and conflicts faced by him in dealing with society. Questions may utilise the case study approach to determine these aspects. The following broad areas will be covered :
• 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 behaviour; 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.

 

Q 1. What is the full form of UPSC?

Ans. UPSC stands for Union Public Service Commission.

Q 2. What is IAS?

Ans. IAS stands for Indian Administrative Service. It is the administrative arm of the All India Services of Government of India.

Q 3. What is AIS?

Ans. AIS stands for All India Services. It comprises the three prestigious civil services of India: the Indian Administrative Service (IAS); the Indian Police Service (IPS); and the Indian Forest Service (IFS).

Q 4. How many times is the UPSC recruitment held in a year?

Ans. It is an annual recruitment process and the official notification is released once every year

Q 5. When is the exam notification released?

Ans. The exam notification for various posts under the Union Public Service Commission exam is generally released in the month of February every year. However, the release date is announced in the yearly UPSC calendar

Q6. Can final year students of graduation apply for UPSC CSE?

Answer: Yes, candidates who have appeared at an examination the passing of which would render them educationally qualified for the Commission’s examination but have not been informed of the results as also the candidates who intend to appear at such a qualifying examination will also be eligible for admission to the Preliminary Examination.

Q7. If I apply for the Civil Services Prelims Exam but do not appear in any paper will it be counted as an attempt?

Answer: No, an attempt will be counted only if you have appeared in at least one paper.

Q8. Can I write different papers of Civil Services Main Exam. in different languages?

Answer: No, you have the option to write your answers either in English or in any one of the languages included in the Eighth schedule to Constitution.

Q9. Are individual marks secured in various papers or aggregate marks across all papers considered f or merit?

Answer: Total marks are considered.

Q10. Which stream/subject should I choose for graduation to clear UPSC exam?

Answer: Most of the questions in the general studies paper in Prelims and Mains are related to Humanities background. But it is neither necessary nor advisable to take Humanities as your graduation stream just to clear UPSC exam. Graduation should be based on your interest – it can be humanities, science, engineering, literature or management. For graduation, select any stream you like to study for 3-4 years. You are free to choose any optional subject for UPSC Mains and it may not be the one you studied for graduation.