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The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has designed the Civil Services Examination (CSE) exam pattern to consist of three stages: Prelims, Mains, and Interview. Every year, lakhs of aspirants apply, and if you are one of them, it is essential to understand the UPSC exam pattern. Every candidate should be aware of the subjects and types of questions asked in each stage, the number of questions, the time duration, and the total marks.
UPSC Exam Pattern 2025
The UPSC Civil Services Examination is regarded as the toughest exam in India due to the high competition and huge UPSC Syllabus. The UPSC Exam Pattern consists of three stages the Preliminary, Main Examinations, and Interview. According to the UPSC CSE exam pattern, candidates who successfully clear the UPSC Prelims Exam are qualified to appear for the UPSC Mains Exam, and those who clear the UPSC Mains Exam 2025 will be called for the IAS interview stage.
| UPSC CSE Exam Pattern 2025 | ||
| Stage | UPSC CSE Exam 2025 | Marks |
| Stage 1 | UPSC Prelims Exam | 400 |
| Stage 2 | UPSC Mains Exam | 1750 |
| Stage 3 | UPSC Interview Exam | 275 |
| UPSC Final Results | The final Cut-off is prepared out of 2025 marks (mains + Interview) | |
UPSC Prelims Exam Pattern 2025
The first goal for UPSC aspirants is to clear the UPSC Prelims 2025 Exam. The Prelims is a one-day exam with two papers. First, you take Prelims GS Paper 1, and after a 3-hour break, you appear for Prelims GS Paper 2 (CSAT). According to the UPSC exam pattern, the marks obtained in the Prelims do not consider the final UPSC result. This means the UPSC Prelims Exam is only qualifying in nature. Both papers consist of multiple-choice questions (MCQs). Understanding this format helps you focus on clearing the exam to move on to the Mains stage.
- General Studies Paper 1 (General Awareness)
- General Studies Paper 2 (CSAT)
| UPSC Prelims Exam Pattern | ||||||
| Exam | Total Marks | Number of Questions | Duration of exam | Negative marking | Nature | Qualification benchmark |
| UPSC GS Paper 1 | 200 Marks | 100 | 2 hours | Yes | Marks counted for cut-off preparation | UPSC cut-off prepared for qualified candidates |
| UPSC GS Paper 2 | 200 Marks | 80 | 2 hours | Yes | Qualifying | 33% (66/200) Marks |
UPSC Mains Exam Pattern 2025
The UPSC Mains Exam 2025 has nine papers. The first two (Language) are qualifying. However, the next seven papers are important for clearing the exam and securing a good rank. This is the most important part of the UPSC Exam Pattern.
- The UPSC IAS mains exam is held over five days, with the essay paper on the first day, GS 1 and GS 2 on the second day (with a 2-hour gap), and GS 3 and GS 4 on the third day (again with a 2-hour gap).
- Following this, there is a break of 4-5 days before the two qualifying papers are held on the same day. Finally, on the last day, both UPSC optional papers are conducted.
- It is important to note that this break is not a holiday, but rather a time to prepare for the remaining papers, especially for the UPSC optional papers.
| UPSC Mains Exam Pattern 2025 | ||||
| Sr. N. | UPSC Mains Paper | IAS Mains Subject | Duration | Total marks |
| 1. | Paper 1 | Compulsory Indian language | 3 hours | 300 |
| 2. | Paper 2 | English | 3 hours | 300 |
| 3. | Paper 3 | Essay | 3 hours | 250 |
| 4. | Paper 4 | General Studies I | 3 hours | 250 |
| 5. | Paper 5 | General Studies II | 3 hours | 250 |
| 6. | Paper 6 | General Studies III | 3 hours | 250 |
| 7. | Paper 7 | General Studies IV | 3 hours | 250 |
| 8. | Paper 8 | Optional I | 3 hours | 250 |
| 9. | Paper 9 | Optional II | 3 hours | 250 |
UPSC Mains Exam Pattern Optional Subjects
The UPSC Mains exam includes two optional papers, each of 250 marks. Candidates can choose their preferred subject for Paper VI and Paper VII from a list of 48 subjects. This allows you to select a subject that aligns with your interests and strengths.
| UPSC Mains Paper Pattern (Optional Subjects List) | ||||
| Agriculture | Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science | Anthropology | Botany | Chemistry |
| Civil Engineering | Commerce and Accountancy | Economics | Electrical Engineering | Geography |
| Geology | History | Law | Management | Mathematics |
| Mechanical Engineering | Medical Science | Philosophy | Physics | Political Science and International Relations |
| Psychology | Public Administration | Sociology | Statistics | Zoology |
Language-based/ literature of languages, the scripts to be used by the candidates will be as under:
| Language | Script |
| Assamese | Assamese |
| Bengali | Bengali |
| Gujarati | Gujarati |
| Hindi | Devanagari |
| Kannada | Kannada |
| Kashmiri | Persian |
| Konkani | Devanagari |
| Malayalam | Malayalam |
| Manipuri | Bengali |
| Marathi | Devanagari |
| Nepali | Devanagari |
| Oriya | Oriya |
| Punjabi | Gurumukhi |
| Sanskrit | Devanagari |
| Sindhi | Devanagari or Arabic |
| Tamil | Tamil |
| Telugu | Telugu |
| Urdu | Persian |
| Bodo | Devanagari |
| Dogri | Devanagari |
| Maithili | Devanagari |
| Santhali | Devanagari or Olchiki |
UPSC Exam Pattern 2025 for Interview
It is important for candidates to understand the UPSC IAS interview pattern as all candidates appearing for the interview are more or less equal in terms of knowledge but what matters in interview is the personality you showcase to the board members.
- Board: The interview panel consist of 5 members
- Duration: The interview usually goes for about 20-30 minutes.
- Venue: The interviews are conducted at the UPSC Bhavan in New Delhi.
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