UPSC Recruitment 2025 Notifications Today, UPSC Exam, Syllabus and Admit Card

Why are Civil Services Popular?

Civil services are very popular and sought after by young people in India. Though there is a surge in other career options in India like in IT or software, the charisma of landing a job in civil services has not faded a bit.

Structurally this exam is among the toughest examinations conducted in the country with the success rate being 0.1 %. Despite this hurdle, a great number of candidates appear for the examination in their bid to enter the civil services.

The power, prestige and the benefits that one can get by landing with a job in the civil services is huge. This is another reason why many youngsters in India want to sit for this examination.

The Civil Services is considered to be the backbone of the Indian Government and is responsible for heading all the departments who run the administration at the state and central level.

Categories in Civil services
There are three kinds of services for which recruitment is done with the help of the Civil Services Examination. The different services are State Services, Central Services, and All India Services.

Importance of Ranks in UPSC exam

The UPSC rank allotment structure decides which service an individual will be assigned. The higher your rank is in the UPSC examination, the more you have a chance to get the post of your choice. UPSC ranks are very important. And the post allotment is done accordingly. So, a candidate needs to get a good rank so that they can get a good post in the Civil Services.

While you can always sit again for the examination, but you must remember that the allotment that year will be according to the posts and how you rank in the examination.

Jobs in Civil Services through UPSC

All India Civil Services includes of jobs in sectors like

• Indian Administrative Service (IAS)
• Indian Foreign Service (IFS)
• Indian Police Service (IPS)

Group A or Central Services consist of jobs in

• Indian Audit and Accounts Service
• Indian Defence Accounts Service
• Indian Revenue Service
• Indian Ordnance Factories Service
• Indian Postal Service
• Indian Railway Traffic Service
• Indian Railway Personnel Service
• Indian Railway Accounts Service
• Indian Civil Accounts Service
• Indian Railway Protection Force
• Indian Defence Estates Service
• Indian Corporate Law Service
• Indian P & T Accounts and Finance Service
• Indian Information Service
• Indian Corporate Law Service
• Indian Trade Service

Group B are State Services and consist of jobs in

• Pondicherry Civil Service
• Armed Forces Headquarters Civil Service (Section Officer’s Grade)
• Delhi, Lakshadweep, Daman & Diu, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, and Dadra & Nagar Haveli Civil Service
• Delhi, Daman & Diu, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, and Dadra & Nagar Haveli Police Service
• Pondicherry Police Service

UPSC Eligibility

Educational qualification

To appear for the UPSC exam, a candidate will have to clear his Bachelor’s examination in any degree from a recognized University.

• If you are in the final year of your graduation, you too can apply for the examination. But the candidate needs to submit the proof that they have passed the examination before they appear for the Mains examination.
• There is no minimum mark that is required for you to get to sit for the examination. The candidate just has to complete their Bachelor’s examination before they appear for the UPSC exam.
• Candidates who have technical degrees or professional qualifications which are aptly recognized by the Indian Government can also sit for the UPSC examination.
• MBBS candidates who have not finished the internship before the Mains will have to give a provisional document so that they can take the examination. However later on they will have to give the certificate copy to prove that they have passed the examination.

Age

The minimum age at which you can appear for the examination is 21 years and the maximum age is 32 years. However, there are some relaxations for the candidates belonging to the reserved categories.

Nationality

The examination can only be taken by Indian citizens, citizens of Bhutan, Nepal and Tibetan Refugees who entered India before 1st January 1962 with the sole aim of staying in India as a permanent Indian citizen.

• If you are of Indian origin and have migrated from nations like Burma, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Vietnam, Zaire, East African Countries to settle in India, you are also applicable to apply.
• For IAS and IPS, only Indian citizens are allowed to apply. For the other services, it can be applied by other nationalities mentioned above.
• A certificate of eligibility is issued by the Indian Government and the citizens of other countries must get themselves this certificate if they want the job. While they may take the examination, but they will be offered the job only when they can provide this certificate issued by the Indian Government.

For UPSC IAS exam, a general category candidate will get 6 attempts to clear the exam while OBC candidates can appear for 9 times. SC/ST candidates have no limit on the number of attempts.

These are vital points that one has to keep in mind when they apply for the Union Public Service Commission Examination. This will keep you away from the confusion that may otherwise arise due to missing out on valuable eligibility information about the jobs.

Passing the UPSC examination is not an easy task for many individuals. The success rate as you know is very low when compared to other exams. However, with the correct preparation, one can pass the examination with good marks. And once you pass the examination, a whole new world will open up before you which will bring changes both professionally as well as personally.

How UPSC exams help the Govt recruit top talent

Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) as a premier recruiting agency in India shares the responsibility of recruiting candidates for All India Services, Armed Forces of the Union of India, and Central Services and Cadres. UPSC also recruits candidates for Indian Administrative Service, Indian Police Service, Indian Revenue Service, and many more.

The commission arranges various exams every year to select the right candidates for various essential posts. Every year many aspiring candidates appear in the review to fulfil their dream of getting a Government service. This article is going to highlight the vital exams, expected salary, ways of preparing for the exams conducted by UPSC.

Major Exams

The primary services that UPSC conducts are given below for the convenience of candidates who are thinking of starting preparation. Have a look at the below examinations and decide which one you should apply for:

• Civil Services Examination
• Indian Police Service Examination
• Indian Statistical Service Examination
• Indian Forest Service Examination
• Combined Defence Services Examination
• National Defence Academy and Naval Academy Examination
• Central Armed Police Forces Examination
• Combined SO-Steno LDCE
• Engineering Services Examination
• Combined Geo-Scientist Examination

Civil Services examination includes the following services:

• Indian Audit & Accounts Service
• Indian Corporate Law Service
• Indian Revenue Services
• Indian Communication Finance Services
• Indian Defence Accounts Services
• Indian Ordnance Factory Services
• Indian Civil Accountant Services

How students should prepare for UPSC exams?

Students should follow certain tricks to prepare themselves for various UPSC exams so that they can easily crack the exams. Here we are going to give you a clear idea regarding the preparation process for UPSC exams:

1. Start your preparation at least 10-12 months before you appear for the exams. The prelims conduct two tests covering many subjects. So, you have to give equal effort to each item to gain the required efficiency. Candidates require to answer 100 and 80 multiple-choice questions within 2 hours for two different tests in the prelim. Without having adequate accuracy, they can never complete most of the paper. Thorough practice can be the only way for them to gain efficiency.
2. Develop a syllabus outline for each subject on the prelims. Candidates have to cover a vast area named General Studies, which include different disciplines. Focus on the issue that seems complicated for you. As you have to answer multiple-choice questions, you have to remember every important detail of a topic/chapter. 10-12 hours of study per day can help you a lot to prepare yourself properly for upcoming UPSC exams.
3. Candidates should read at least two newspapers every day to keep an eye on the current issues. As current affairs play a pivotal role in all UPSC examinations, every aspirant should make it a habit of going through newspapers daily. Note down the crucial things in a notebook and try to memorize them. You can expect a large number of questions on current affairs in any UPSC prelims exam. Make it your weapon to crack the exam.
4. Allot more time practising previous years’ question papers. You get to know the topics to be covered in-depth for UPSC exams. While practising past years’ papers, you will find which items are of less importance. You can spend less time on them. Practising last years’ sets has no alternative for gaining knowledge on the question pattern. For improving your time management skill, you should spare more time on practice than study.
5. Choose an optional subject on your interest which would be scoring too. You should always select a topic where you can develop expertise. Remember you have to answer descriptive questions from the optional subjects in the mains exam. Your interviewers will also ask you questions on that optional subject during the interview. So, select your optional item wisely.
6. Another important thing that you should do is to divide the entire syllabus into manageable parts. Thus, you can make a subject less intimidating. Read the separate parts on separate days and revise them again after a certain period to ensure how much you have remembered. You should change everything that you learn as many times as possible. As practice makes a man perfect, nothing can be a better option than training.
7. Be careful about negative marking. UPSC prelims exams have a negative marking of 1/3rd for each wrong answer. UPSC organizes this elimination phase to sort out the most efficient candidates. So, each of your wrong attempts can widen the path of your elimination. Be sure before ticking an option. Never choose an option if you are not 100% sure. Solving speed tests can help you to limit your negative marks.

Determine your strengths and weaknesses and prepare accordingly. You have to follow all these tips for mains examinations also. One extra thing that you have to do is to polish your writing skills. Besides practising, you have to read various fiction and non-fiction books to strengthen your knowledge base.

What salary to expect?

Now we are going to provide you with the salary details for different UPSC services. Check the salary before applying:

• Indian Administrative Service pay scale ranges from Rs. 56,100 to Rs. 2,50,000 depending on rank. The posts include deputy secretary, under-secretary, director joint secretary, cabinet secretary, district magistrate, and many more.
• Indian Police Service pay scale ranges from Rs. 39,000 to Rs. 2,12,650 depending on rank. The posts include the assistant superintendent of police, senior superintendent of police, director-general of police, deputy inspector general of police, and many more.
• Indian Forest Service pay scale ranges from Rs. 15,650 to 67,000 depending on rank.
• Indian Audit & Accounts Service offers a salary of up to 42000 per month according to rank.
• Indian Revenue Service offers a salary of up to 80000 per month according to rank.

Follow all the tips mentioned above to crack UPSC exams on your first or second attempt. Make your dream cracking UPSC exams and having a respectable job correct. Focus on your aim and concentrate more on study and practice forgetting all unnecessary and less critical issues. Start your preparation from now to crack the upcoming UPSC exams.