UPSC Exam Pattern 2024, IAS Prelims and Mains Exam

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 enhance your understanding of the UPSC exam pattern. Every candidate must be informed about the subjects and types of questions asked in each stage, the number of questions, the time duration, and the total marks.

UPSC Exam Pattern 2024

The UPSC Civil Services Examination is widely regarded as the toughest exam in India, owing to the intense competition and the comprehensive UPSC Syllabus 2024. 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 2024 move on to the IAS interview stage.

UPSC Prelims Exam Pattern 2024

The first target for aspirants is to clear the UPSC Prelims 2024 Exam. The UPSC Prelims Exam is a one-day exam where you first appear for Prelims GS Paper 1 and then after 3 hours, for Prelims GS Paper 2 (also known as CSAT). As per the UPSC Exam Pattern, UPSC Prelims Marks are not considered while preparing the Final UPSC Result. In this sense, the UPSC Prelims Exam is only qualifying in Nature. The preliminary examination consists of two papers and each paper has objective questions (MCQs).

• General Studies Paper 1 (General Awareness)
• General Studies Paper 2 (CSAT)

Also it should be noted that each question in paper 1 is marked +2 for correct answers and -0.66 in case of wrong answer and in paper 2 marks awarded for the correct answer is +2.5 and for incorrect answer 0.83 marks are deducted.

UPSC Mains Exam Pattern 2024

There are a total of nine papers in the UPSC Mains Exam 2024. The first two papers in the UPSC Mains examination (Language) are qualifying in nature, so marks obtained in these papers are not included in the total UPSC Mains marks. However, the next seven papers are crucial, as performing well in them is essential to clear the UPSC Mains Exam and achieve a good rank in the UPSC Final Result list. This is an important aspect 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 Optional Subjects

The UPSC Mains examination includes two optional papers, each carrying a weight of 250 marks. Candidates can choose their preferred optional subject for Paper VI and Paper VII from a list of 48 subjects provided below.

Language-based/ literature of languages, the scripts to be used by the candidates will be as under:

UPSC Exam Pattern 2024 for Interview

It is crucial for candidates to understand the UPSC IAS interview pattern as all candidates appearing for 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 usually 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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