The Way To Your Destiny
UPSC
| IAS Exam Conducting Body | UPSC |
| Mode of IAS exam | Offline |
| Number of times conducted | Once every year |
| Prescribed age limit | 21 – 32 years (upper age relaxation for reserved candidates) |
| IAS Exam – Prelims 2024 | - |
| IAS Exam – Mains 2024 | - |
| IAS Exam Pattern | Prelims (MCQs), Mains (Descriptive papers) |
| SL.NO | Name of the Paper | Nature of the paper | Duration of the Exams | Questions | Marks |
| 1 | IAS Exam Paper – I: General Studies | Merit Ranking Nature | 2 Hours | 100 | 200 Marks |
| 2 | IAS Exam Paper – II: General Studies (CSAT) | Qualifying Nature | 2 Hours | 80 | 200 Marks |
- There is ‘Negative Marking’ in the IAS Exam for each incorrect answer but only in the Prelims stage. The negative marking for incorrect answers will be 1/3rd (0.66) of the allotted marks of that question.
- The GS Paper II (CSAT) in IAS exam is of qualifying nature and candidates should score a minimum of 33 per cent in this paper to qualify to the next stage of the IAS exam i.e. the Mains.
- Blind candidates are given an extra time of 20 minutes for each paper in the IAS Exam (Prelims).
- It is mandatory for the candidates to appear in both the papers of civil services prelims exam for the evaluation.
- The marks scored by the candidates in the preliminary examination are not counted for the final score. It is only a screening test where candidates not securing the cut-off marks are eliminated.
Sl. No. | IAS Exam Paper | Name of the Paper | Nature of the Paper | Duration of the Exam | Marks |
1 | Paper – A | Compulsory Indian Language | QUALIFYING NATURE | 3 Hours | 300 Marks |
2 | Paper – B | English | 3 Hours | 300 Marks | |
3 | Paper – I | ESSAY | MERIT RANKING NATURE | 3 Hours | 250 Marks |
4 | Paper – II | General Studies I | 3 Hours | 250 Marks | |
5 | Paper – III | General Studies II | 3 Hours | 250 Marks | |
6 | Paper – IV | General Studies III | 3 Hours | 250 Marks | |
7 | Paper – V | General Studies IV | 3 Hours | 250 Marks | |
8 | Paper – VI | Optional Paper I | 3 Hours | 250 Marks | |
9 | Paper – VII | Optional Paper II | 3 Hours | 250 Marks | |
TOTAL | 1750 | ||||
Marks | |||
Interview or Personality Test | 275 Marks | ||
GRAND TOTAL | 2025 Marks | ||
The IAS exam (officially known as the Civil Services Examination) is conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) annually.
Those who clear all the three stages of the IAS exam enter into the prestigious civil services of the country, and become officers in the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS) and a host of other services. Although regarded as one of the toughest exams in the country, with the right approach and strategy, an aspirant can crack the IAS examination in the very first attempt. It is essential for aspirants to know and understand the requirements of the IAS exam 2024 such as the UPSC syllabus for IAS Exam (Prelims and Mains), pattern, eligibility criteria, application procedure and other such significant details before kick-starting the preparations. Here, we present all the relevant UPSC Exam details for aspirants planning to crack the IAS Exam.
IAS Exam
IAS Exam Conducting Body | UPSC |
Mode of IAS exam | Offline |
Number of times conducted | Once every year |
Prescribed age limit | 21 – 32 years (upper age relaxation for reserved candidates) |
IAS Exam – Prelims 2024 | - |
IAS Exam – Mains 2024 | - |
IAS Exam Pattern | Prelims (MCQs), Mains (Descriptive papers) |
The Indian Administrative Service (IAS) is one of the 20-odd services for which candidates are recruited by the UPSC via the Civil Services Exam. However, the CSE exam is commonly referred to as the UPSC IAS exam as well.
IAS Exam Pattern
The IAS Exam pattern is:
1. Stage I: Preliminary Examination (IAS Prelims)
2. Stage II: Mains Examination (IAS Mains)
3. Stage III: UPSC Personality Test (IAS Interview)
