Civil Services Main Examination (Written+Interview)

Civil Services Mains Examination is a two stage selection procedure i.e. Written Test and Personality Test / Interview. Only those candidates can apply for this examination who qualify in the screening test i.e. Civil Services Preliminary Examination. The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) is administering authority for both the stages of Civil Services Examination, i.e. CSP Test and Civil Services Main Examination. On the basis of candidates’ performance in the Civil Services Main Examination the UPSC recommends names of selected candidates to government for appointment in different posts and services.

Civil Services Mains Examination Important Dates

Date of Notification: July
Issue of e-Admit Card: September
Examination Dates: September/October
Written Exam Result Date: December
Personality Test Dates: February/March

For latest dates see notifications.

Civil Services Mains Examination Timings of the written exam:

Forenoon Session: 9 am to 12 noon
Afternoon Session: 2 pm to 5 pm

Eligibility Criteria: Civil Services Mains Examination

Qualified in the Civil Services Preliminary Examination.
Fulfills eligibility criteria for appointment of civil services as detailed in Civil Services Preliminary Examination

Civil Services Main Examination Pattern

The Civil Services Main Examination carries 2000 marks. Of these 1750 marks are allocated for written test and 275 marks for Personality Test / Interview
The written examination consists of 9 papers. However, only 7 papers are considered for preparation of final merit ranking.

Qualifying Papers – Not counted for merit ranking:

Paper ‐ A – Indian Language – Syllabus. (One of the Indian Languages to be selected by the candidate from the Languages included in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution. This paper will not be compulsory for candidates hailing from the States of Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Sikkim.) 300 Marks.

Paper‐ B – English Language – 300 Marks.

Papers to be counted for merit ranking

Paper – I Essay: 250 Marks.
Paper – II General Studies – I – 250Marks. (Indian Heritage and Culture, History and Geography of the World and Society).
Paper‐III - General Studies –II – 250 Marks. (Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice and International relations).
Paper‐IV General Studies –III – 250 Marks. (Technology, Economic Development, Bio‐diversity, Environment, Security and Disaster Management).
Paper‐V General Studies –IV – 250 Marks. (Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude).
Paper‐VI Optional Subject – Paper 1 – 250 Marks.
Paper‐VII Optional Subject – Paper 2 – 250 Marks.

List of Optional Subjects Civil Services Main Exam

Agriculture
Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science
Anthropology
Botany
Chemistry
Civil Engineering
Commerce and Accountancy
Economics
Electrical Engineering
Geography
Geology
History
Law
Literature of any one of the following languages: Assamese, Bengali, Bodo, Dogri, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Maithili, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Oriya, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Santhali, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu and English.Management
Mathematics
Mechanical Engineering
Medical Science
Philosophy
Physics
Political Science and International Relations
Psychology
Public Administration
Sociology
Statistics
Zoology

How to apply for Civil Services Main Examination

The Union Public Service Commission invites Detailed Application Form (DAF) from the candidates qualified in the Preliminary Examination. Candidates are required to follow the step wise instructions while submitting DAF. The timeline for submission of DAF is published after the Civil Services Preliminary Examination Result is out. The application procedure is completely online and made available through official portal www.upsconline.nic.in

Civil Services Main Examination Result

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) prepares a merit list of candidates for the Civil Services Main Examination Written Test. Qualified candidates are called for a Personality Test / Interview. Based on performance in Interview and marks obtained in the written test Final merit list is prepared and published on the UPSC website.

Check Latest UPSC Final Results

For latest updates about Civil Services Main Examination visit EducationNews.Shiksha