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IAS 2026
Civil Services Examination (CSE) — UPSC
National
Offline
Negative Marking
Verification pending
2025 Marks
Prelims: 2 hours per paper; Mains: 3 hours per paper
Duration
Prelims: 2 hours per paper; Mains: 3 hours per paper
Questions
100
Total Marks
2025
Conducting Body
Union Public Service Commission (UPSC)
About IAS
India's premier national-level recruitment exam conducted annually by the Union Public Service Commission for selection into the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS), Indian Police Service (IPS), and other Group A and Group B central government services. Conducted in three stages: Preliminary (objective), Mains (descriptive), and Personality Test (interview).
Exam Pattern
| Section | Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Prelims — GS Paper 1 | 100 | 200 |
| Prelims — CSAT (Paper 2, qualifying) | 80 | 200 |
| Mains — Essay (Paper I) | 2 | 250 |
| Mains — GS Paper I | 20 | 250 |
| Mains — GS Paper II | 20 | 250 |
| Mains — GS Paper III | 20 | 250 |
| Mains — GS Paper IV (Ethics) | 12 | 250 |
| Mains — Optional Paper 1 | varies | 250 |
| Mains — Optional Paper 2 | varies | 250 |
| Mains — English (Qualifying) | — | 300 |
| Mains — Indian Language (Qualifying) | — | 300 |
| Personality Test (Interview) | — | 275 |
Important Dates
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Final Result | April / May 2027 |
| Mains Result | December 2026 / January 2027 |
| Prelims Result | ~6 weeks after exam |
| Mains Exam Date | September 2026 (5 days) |
| Prelims Exam Date | May / June 2026 (single day, both papers) |
| Notification Release | January / February 2026 |
| Online Application Window | Feb 2026 (~3 weeks) |
| Personality Test (Interview) | February – April 2027 |
Syllabus
Application Fee
| Category | Fee (INR) |
|---|---|
| General / OBC (Male) — Mains | ₹200 |
| General / OBC (Male) — Prelims | ₹100 |
| SC / ST / PwBD / Female (all categories) | ₹0 |
Eligibility
Indian citizen (some services restricted by nationality). Bachelor's degree from a recognised university. Age 21–32 years on 1st August of the exam year (general category). Age relaxation: OBC +3y, SC/ST +5y, PwBD +10y, Ex-Servicemen as per rules. Attempts: General 6, OBC 9, SC/ST unlimited (up to age limit), PwBD relaxations apply.
Preparation Tips
- Start with NCERT books (Class 6–12) for History, Geography, Polity, Economics. Build conceptual base before moving to standard reference books (Laxmikanth for Polity, Spectrum for Modern History, GC Leong for Geography).
- Read one national daily (The Hindu or Indian Express) every day for at least 18 months before the exam. Make crisp daily notes on issues, not just headlines.
- Choose your optional subject by Aug of the previous year. Stick with it. Optional choice impacts ~500 of 2025 marks — pick based on interest + scoring trend, not popularity.
- Mains answer-writing practice from Day 1. Write at least 2 answers per day starting 12 months out. Get them peer-reviewed or via test series.
- Solve last 10 years of Prelims (both papers) under timed conditions before attempting any new mock. Pattern recognition matters more than quantity of mocks.
- For Ethics (GS-IV), build a personal repository of 50+ case studies and real-world examples (administrative, social, current affairs) you can adapt to any prompt.
- Revise. Revise. Revise. The syllabus is vast — the difference between selected and rejected aspirants is almost always revision frequency, not study volume.
- Reserve the last 90 days before Prelims for full-length mock tests + revision only. No new books.
- For Interview, start a daily current-affairs diary 6 months before Mains result. Mock interviews from credible boards in the last 6 weeks.
Top Colleges Accepting IAS
Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA), Mussoorie — IAS training
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy (SVPNPA), Hyderabad — IPS training
Sushma Swaraj Institute of Foreign Service (SSIFS), New Delhi — IFS training
National Academy of Direct Taxes (NADT), Nagpur — IRS (IT)
National Academy of Customs, Indirect Taxes & Narcotics (NACIN), Faridabad — IRS (C&IT)
Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy (IGNFA), Dehradun — IFoS (forest service via separate CSE optional route)
Frequently Asked Questions
Official website
upsc.gov.in