UPSC Civil Services Exam 2024: Eligibility, Selection Process, Syllabus, Important Dates

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The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Civil Services Examination (CSE) is one of the most prestigious and competitive examinations in India. It is conducted annually to select candidates for various civil service positions, including the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS), and Indian Revenue Service (IRS).

Table of Contents

UPSC Civil Services Exam 2024: Important Dates

The important dates for the UPSC CSE 2024 are as follows:

  • Notification release date: February 14, 2024
  • Online application start date: February 14, 2024
  • Online application last date: March 5, 2024
  • Preliminary Examination date: May 26, 2024
  • Mains Examination dates: September 20-27, 2024
  • Interview dates: To be announced

UPSC Civil Services Exam: Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for the UPSC CSE 2024, candidates must meet the following criteria:

  • Nationality: Indian citizen or a subject of Nepal or Bhutan or a Tibetan refugee who came over to India before January 1, 1962, with the intention of permanently settling in India.
  • Age: Must have attained the age of 21 years on August 1, 2024, and must not have attained the age of 32 years on August 1, 2024. There is relaxation in the upper age limit for reserved categories.
  • Educational Qualification: Must hold a bachelor’s degree from a recognized university.

Selection Process for Civil Services Exam

The UPSC CSE 2024 selection process will consist of three stages:

  • Preliminary Examination:This is an objective-type examination that is conducted to screen out candidates for the Mains Examination. The Preliminary Examination consists of two papers: General Studies Paper I and General Studies Paper II.
  • Main Examination:This is a descriptive-type examination that is conducted to assess the candidates’ knowledge of the various subjects covered in the syllabus. The Mains Examination consists of nine papers: Essay, General Studies I, General Studies II, General Studies III, General Studies IV, Optional Subject I, Optional Subject II, English Language, Indian Language (one of the twenty-two scheduled languages).
  • Interview:This is a personality test that is conducted to assess the candidates’ suitability for a career in the civil services.

UPSC Civil Services Exam: Prelims Syllabus

General Studies Paper I

  • Current Affairs (Events) of National and International importance.
  • Indian and World Geography – Physical, Social, Economic Geography of India & World.
  • Indian History and Indian National Movement.
  • Art and Culture.
  • Science and Technology.
  • General Science.

General Studies Paper II

  • Logical Reasoning, Analytical Ability and Decision Making.
  • Basic Numeracy (numbers and their relations, orders of magnitude, etc.), Data Interpretation (charts, graphs, tables, data sufficiency etc.), General Mental Ability (critical thinking, problem solving, etc.

UPSC Civil Services Exam: Mains Syllabus

  • Paper A: Essay – Candidates will be required to write an essay on one of the subjects specified in the question paper. The essay should be between 1000 and 1200 words in length.
  • Paper B: General Studies I – Indian Heritage and Culture, History and Geography of the World and Society.
  • Paper C: General Studies II – Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice and International Relations.
  • Paper D: General Studies III – Technology, Economic Development, Bio-diversity, Environment, Security and Disaster Management.
  • Paper E: General Studies IV – Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude.
  • Paper F: Optional Subject I – Candidates can choose one optional subject from a list of 26 subjects. The list of optional subjects includes subjects such as history, geography, political science, public administration, economics, sociology, anthropology, and law.
  • Paper G: Optional Subject II – Candidates can choose one optional subject from the same list of 26 subjects as Paper F.
  • Paper H: English Language – The paper will consist of questions to test the candidates’ knowledge of English grammar, vocabulary, comprehension, and writing skills.
  • Paper I: Indian Language (one of the twenty-two scheduled languages) – The paper will consist of questions to test the candidates’ knowledge of the Indian language they have chosen.

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UPSC CSE notification 2023