UPSC Exam Pattern: The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) conducts the UPSC IAS Civil Services Examination (CSE) on an annual basis. UPSC exam pattern has remained unchanged since 2013. IAS Exam Pattern helps aspirants understand the nature of the exam. UPSC 2023 Exam Pattern also helps aspirants plan their preparation strategy as per the demand of the UPSC. The UPSC Exam Pattern 2023 article aims to provide a summary of the UPSC exam pattern and syllabus for the upcoming UPSC CSE in 2023. UPSC Exam Pattern pdf is also provided at the end of this article for candidates.
UPSC Exam Pattern for IAS Exam
The UPSC Civil Services Examination is widely regarded as the toughest exam in India, owing to the intense competition and the comprehensive UPSC syllabus. The UPSC CSE exam pattern is also quite complex, and the entire UPSC exam cycle, from the preliminary exam to the declaration of UPSC final results, lasts nearly a year. In this context, It becomes important for aspirants to understand the Entire UPSC Exam Patterns and Syllabus in order to increase their chances of qualifying for the UPSC Exam 2023.
UPSC Exam Pattern 2023
The official UPSC civil services exam pattern consists of two stages: the Preliminary and Main Examinations. However, in practice, the UPSC IAS exam is conducted in three stages, with the third stage being the UPSC Personality Test/Interview.
According to the UPSC IAS exam pattern, candidates who successfully clear the UPSC Prelims Exam are qualified to appear for the UPSC Mains Exam, and those who clear the IAS Mains exam move on to the IAS interview stage.
| UPSC CSE Exam Pattern 2023 | ||
| Stage | UPSC CSE Exam 2023 | 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
UPSC CSE Prelims Exam Pattern: The first target for you is to clear the UPSC prelims 2023 Exam. The UPSC Prelims Exam is a one-day exam where you first appear for UPSC Prelims GS Paper 1 and then after 3 hours, for UPSC Prelims GS Paper 2 (also known as CSAT). As per the UPSC CSE Exam Pattern, UPSC Prelims Marks are not considered while preparing the Final UPSC Result Pdf. In this sense, UPSC Prelims Exam is only qualifying in Nature.
UPSC IAS Prelims Exam Pattern
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)
General Studies Paper 1 (General Awareness)
UPSC Prelims GS Paper 1 consists of 100 questions having equal marks (two/question). As per IAS Exam Pattern, there is a negative marking in the UPSC Prelims exam and 1/3rd of allotted marks are deducted for each incorrect answer. There is no negative marking for questions left unanswered in UPSC Prelims as per the UPSC prelims selection process.
General Studies Paper 2 (CSAT)
UPSC Prelims GS Paper 2 (CSAT) consists of 80 questions having equal marks (2.5 marks/question). There is also a provision for negative marking for each wrong answer in the UPSC CSAT Paper. As per the UPSC CSE Exam Pattern, 1/3rd of the marks allotted for each question will be deducted in case of the wrong answer.
UPSC Prelims Cut-off Preparation
To be considered for evaluation, it is compulsory for candidates to participate in both Papers of the IAS Preliminary Exam. The UPSC determines the cut-off for the Preliminary stage of the IAS selection process for 2023 based on the number of available seats that year and the candidate’s performance in General Studies Paper-1, provided that they have achieved at least the qualifying marks (33% of the total) in General Studies Paper-2. Candidates who successfully pass the prelims are then invited by the UPSC to appear for the UPSC CSE Mains Examination.
UPSC IAS Prelims Exam Pattern
UPSC IAS Prelims Exam Pattern 2023 is summarized below.
| 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 2023
UPSC Aspirants who qualify in the UPSC Prelims Stage are eligible for appearing in the UPSC Mains Exam. As per UPSC Mains Exam Pattern, UPSC Mains Exam consists of nine papers which include Essay Paper, Four GS Papers, Two Optional Papers and Two qualifying language papers (English and One Compulsory Indian Language).
When you appear for the UPSC CSE mains examination, be prepared for long hours of sitting as it spans a week and includes a total of 9 papers, which are divided as follows.
| UPSC IAS Mains Exam Pattern 2023 | ||||
| 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 IAS Mains Exam Pattern
There are total nine papers in UPSC CSE Mains Exam. The first two papers in the UPSC CSE Mains examination are qualifying in nature. Hence, marks obtained in these papers are not considered in the total UPSC mains marks. However, the next seven papers are crucial, as performing well in them is essential to clear UPSC Mains Exam and achieve a good rank in the UPSC Final Result list.
- The UPSC IAS Mains Exam is held over a period of 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, rather a time to prepare for the remaining papers, especially for the UPSC Optional papers.
UPSC CSE Exam Pattern for Interview
Upon successfully clearing the UPSC CSE Mains Exam, the final phase of the UPSC selection process is the IAS interview phase. As per the IAS Exam Pattern 2023, the UPSC interview is the last stage in the UPSC Preparation Process. The UPSC Interview is of equal importance to the previous phases, and complacency is not an option.
- The IAS interview, also known as the UPSC personality test, carries a weightage of 275 marks. Performing well in this phase is just as crucial as the previous phase.
- Due to its unpredictable and highly subjective nature, IAS Interview is often considered a “maker or breaker” stage.
UPSC IAS Exam Pattern 2023
As per IAS Exam Pattern 2023, the UPSC CSE Final Result is declared based on the marks obtained by the candidates in the UPSC Mains and Interview exam. So, the final UPSC Merit List is prepared against 2025 marks. The UPSC Result pdf is declared a few days after the IAS Interview Exam.
| Phase | Marks |
| Mains | 1750 |
| Interview | 275 |
| Total | 2025 |
UPSC Exam Pattern PDF
Above, we have discussed the UPSC Exam Pattern in English. Similarly, we have also provided the UPSC Exam Pattern Hindi language for aspirants. We will also provide a UPSC Exam Pattern PDF link for you to download.
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