Civil Services exam will be conducted in three phases:
Preliminary Exam: The exam will have Objective questions with Multiple Choice for the answers, out of which one would be the correct answer. Preliminary exam is qualifying in nature, which means that the marks obtained in the Preliminary Exam are not considered for final selection. The purpose of the exam is to select candidates for the Mains Exam. It consists of two sittings:
General Studies-I: This paper will consist of 100 Multiple Choice Questions, to be marked on an OMR sheet, within the allotted period of two hours. This exam has negative marking with one-third of the marks deducted for wrong answers. Any attempted questions, however, do not attract any penalty. The cut-off for appearing in the Mains exam is decided based on this paper.
General Studies-II, commonly known as the CSAT Exam: It will consist of 80 Multiple Choice Questions, again to be answered within two hours. The exam is qualifying in nature with aspirants needing 33% of the total marks to be considered for the cutoff list for the mains exam. Negative marking is applicable for this exam also.
Mains Exam: This test is of descriptive type with candidates needing to write down their answers in Question-cum-Answer (QCA) booklet. There are generally two sittings conducted on test days in morning and evening shifts, with each paper being three hours in duration. There are total of nine papers:
Two Language Papers: These papers are qualifying in nature. However, if the candidate does not qualify in the language and English paper, the other answer sheets are not evaluated. Both papers are of 300 marks.
Essay paper: The essay paper is worth 250 marks. Generally, there are two sections, with 4 topics each. A candidate must attempt one essay out of each section. However, the number of essays to be attempted may be changed by the UPSC in forthcoming examinations. Therefore, it is imperative to be prepared for such an eventuality.
Four General Studies Papers: Each paper is worth 250 marks. The detailed syllabus is mentioned in the next section.
Two Optional Papers: The candidate needs to choose an optional subject from the list provided by UPSC (mentioned in a subsequent section). Each of the papers is 250 marks.
Interview/ Personality Test: The interview is the final stage of the examination. Marks obtained in the interview are added to the marks in the Mains exam to prepare the final merit list. Personality Test is worth 275 marks.
