Rachit Kumar SaxenaManager-Editorial
The UPSC IAS exam pattern was mentioned in the official notification. The Union Public Service Commission mentioned the UPSC CSE (IAS) prelims and mains exam pattern separately in the official notification. The Commission conducted the UPSC IAS Prelims exam 2024 on June 16, 2024. The Commission conducted the UPSC IAS prelims exam as a Multiple Choice Question-based exam (objective type) exam in offline mode.Â
Also Read: UPSC Exam Timing 2024
The candidates are suggested to practice with the previous year's question papers of IAS to get a real feel of the exam. The candidates should take the time-bound test and check their scores from the official UPSC IAS answer keys. The Civil Service exam pattern is simple because the Commission mentions the exam pattern separately for each stage of the examination. The IAS prelims exam is a Multiple Choice Exam with negative markings for the incorrect answers. The Commission is expected to release the UPSC IAS 2024 admit card online soon on its official website.
Q: Â How many subjects are in the IAS exam?
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Q: Â How many papers are there in the IAS prelims exam?
The IAS prelims exam is an objective type exam. The IAS prelims is conducted offline and the candidates need to mark their answers on the answer sheet (OMR). There are two papers in the IAS prelims exam. The details of IAS prelims exam is given below:
- General Studies Paper 1
- General Studies Paper 2 ( Aptitude Test)
The Aptitude paper is qualifying only and the passing marks in the aptitude paper is 67.5 marks out of 200.
Upvote Q: Â What is IAS 2025 Prelims Exam Date?
The Union Public Service Commission released the UPSC IAS 2025 prelims and main exam date. The Commission will release the IAS 2025 notification online on January 22, 2025. The last date for the IAS 2025 application will be February 11, 2025. The Commission will conduct the IAS 2025 prelims exam on May 25, 2025.
The IAS main exam 2025 will be conducted from August 22, 2025. The Commission preponed the main exam by one month.
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UPSC IAS Exam Pattern 2024 - Prelims Exam
UPSC IAS exam pattern is very important from the preparation perspective because it outlines the layout of the exam and the candidates can plan better for the UPSC IAS exam. Understanding the UPSC IAS exam pattern is very important from the viewpoint of UPSC IAS preparation. The UPSC IAS selection process consists of three stages:
- UPSC IAS Preliminary Exam
- UPSC IAS Main Exam (written)
- UPSC IAS Main Exam (Personality Test)
UPSC IAS exam pattern is designed to filter a large number of candidates in the prelims exam and test the in-depth knowledge of the candidates in the main exam. UPSC IAS Exam is conducted by UPSC every year to recruit candidates for the prestigious All India Services and Central Civil Services in India. A clear understanding of the UPSC IAS exam pattern is essential for UPSC IAS preparation.
UPSC IAS Preliminary Exam 2024 will consist of two papers of 200 marks each containing objective-type multiple-choice questions. Candidates need to mandatorily appear for both the papers and complete them in two hours duration each. Â Â
| Paper |
Questions |
Marks |
|---|---|---|
| General Studies Paper- IÂ |
100 |
200 |
| General Studies Paper-II (Aptitude Test) |
80 |
200 |
| Total |
400 |
|
Note: The questions in both the papers (I and II) will be set in English and Hindi languages. Paper-II of UPSC IAS prelims exam will be a qualifying paper with 33% is minimum qualifying marks.
See Here: UPSC IAS Preparation and Current Affairs
Q: Â How many papers are there in the IAS prelims exam?
The IAS prelims exam is an objective type exam. The IAS prelims is conducted offline and the candidates need to mark their answers on the answer sheet (OMR). There are two papers in the IAS prelims exam. The details of IAS prelims exam is given below:
- General Studies Paper 1
- General Studies Paper 2 ( Aptitude Test)
The Aptitude paper is qualifying only and the passing marks in the aptitude paper is 67.5 marks out of 200.
Upvote Q: Â What is the duration of IAS prelims exam?
The IAS prelims exam is conducted offline in a pen and paper mode. The IAS prelims exam in conducted in two shifts on a single day. The candidates are required to appear in both the papers and clear both of them. The IAS prelims result is prepared based on the marks scored in the General Studies paper 1. The IAS prelims General Studies paper 2 is qualifying only.
The Union Public Service Commission will conduct the IAS 2024 exam on June 16, 2024. The Commission is expected to release the IAS 2024 admit card online in the last week of May 2024.
Upvote Q: Â How many questions are there in IAS exam?
Upvote Negative Marking in UPSC IAS 2024
There is a negative marking in the UPSC IAS prelims exam. The candidates need to be very careful while answering the questions because negative marking can reduce their score sharply. There is a negative marking of (1/3). It means (1/3) marks, of the assigned marks to the questions, will be deducted for the wrong answer. No marks will be deducted for the questions left blank by the candidates.
 See Here: IAS Toppers tips for IAS preparation
It can be further explained that the three wrong answers will eat up the marks of one right answer. In the second (qualifying) paper, each question carries 2.5 marks and the negative marking is also increased in the same proportion.
See Here: IAS Syllabus
Q: Â What are the minimum marks required to become an IAS?
The candidates should note that there is no minimum marks that can be ascretained for the IAS. The final UPSC merit list is based on the marks secured in the main (written) and personlaity test condcuted at Dholpur House, UPSC. The Commission arrange the candidates in the order of their merit and select top candidates for the Indian Administrative Service if they have opted for it as their first choice.
The minimum marks for IAS cannot be asertained as the cutoff for each year differs from year to year.
Upvote UPSC IAS Exam Pattern 2024 - Main Exam
The Main exam will consist of a total of two qualifying papers, seven merit-based papers and a personality test (interview round). Each paper will be of three hours duration. Details regarding all the papers are mentioned below:
Qualifying Papers
There will be two qualifying papers mentioned below. It may be noted that marks for the below two papers will not be counted at the time of preparation of the rank list.
| Paper |
Description |
Marks |
|---|---|---|
| A |
One of the Indian language to be selected by the candidate from the languages included in the Eighth Schedule to the constitution(Qualifying only) |
300 |
| B |
English(Qualifying Only) |
300 |
| 1 |
Essay |
250 |
| 2 |
General Studies-I (Indian Heritage and Culture, History and Geography of the World and Society) |
250 |
| 3 |
General Studies –II (Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice and International relations) |
250 |
| 4 |
General Studies –III (Technology, Economic Development, Bio-diversity, Environment, Security and Disaster Management) |
250 |
| 5 |
General Studies –IV (Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude) |
250 |
| 6 |
Optional Subject - Paper 1 |
250 |
| 7 |
Optional Subject - Paper 2 |
250 |
| Sub-Total (Written Test) |
1750 |
|
| - |
IAS Personality Test (Interview) |
275 |
| Grand Total |
2025 |
|
Note: Paper A is not mandatory for Persons with Benchmark Disability (only Hearing Impairment sub-category) and candidates hailing from the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Sikkim.
Note:Â IAS Question papers (other than the literature of language papers) will be set in Hindi and English languages only. However, candidates will have the option to answer all the question papers (except the qualifying language papers, Paper-A and Paper-B) in either English or any one of the languages included in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of India, which informs the official website.
Â
Q: Â How many papers are there in the IAS main exam?
As the name suggest, the IAS main exam has 9 descriptive papers. The details of these papers are given below:
| Paper | Description | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| A | One of the Indian language to be selected by the candidate from the languages included in the Eighth Schedule to the constitution (Qualifying only) | 300 |
| B | English (Qualifying Only) | 300 |
| 1 | Essay | 250 |
| 2 | General Studies-I (Indian Heritage and Culture, History and Geography of the World and Society) | 250 |
| 3 | General Studies –II (Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice and International relations) | 250 |
| 4 | General Studies –III (Technology, Economic Development, Bio-diversity, Environment, Security and Disaster Management) | 250 |
| 5 | General Studies –IV (Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude) | 250 |
| 6 | Optional Subject - Paper 1 | 250 |
| 7 | Optional Subject - Paper 2 | 250 |
Upvote List of Optional Subjects in UPSC IAS Exam
The candidates can see below the list of UPSC Optional subjects as mentioned in the official notification.
| Agriculture |
Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science |
Anthropology |
| Botany |
Chemistry |
Civil Engineering |
| Commerce and Accountancy |
Economics |
Electrical Engineering |
| Geography |
Geology |
History |
| Law |
Management |
Mathematics |
| Mechanical Engineering |
Medical Science |
Philosophy |
| Physics |
Political Science and International Relations |
Psychology |
| Public Administration |
Sociology |
Statistics |
| Zoology |
 |
|
Literature Optional Subjects
The candidates can see below the list of Literature subjects available for UPSC Optional choice
| Assamese | Bengali | Bodo |
| Dogri | Gujarati | Hindi |
| Kannada | Kashmiri | Konkani |
| Maithili | Malayalam | Manipuri |
| Marathi | Nepali | Odia |
| Punjabi | Sanskrit | Santhali |
| Sindhi | Tamil | Telugu |
| Urdu | English | Â |
Q: Â What are the five fundamental subjects of IAS syllabus?
The candidates should prepare the five fundamental subjects as mentioned for the IAS prelims exam. These fundamental subjects are
- History
- Geography
- Economy
- Polity
- Current Affairs
- Environment issues
- General Science
The candidates should also prepare the Environmental issues because they have gained more importance in the recent years.
Upvote UPSC IAS Exam Pattern - Personality Test/ Interview
There is no set pattern of the UPSC IAS personality test/interview. It differs from candidate to candidate and Board to Board. The IAS interview is conducted at the UPSC officer premises in New Delhi. After candidates clear all the written tests, they will be interviewed by a board of competent observers. In the IAS interview test, candidates will be judged on different skills mentioned below:
- Mental Alertness
- Critical Powers of Assimilation
- Clear and Logical Exposition
- Balance of Judgement
- Variety and Depth of Interest
- Ability for Social Cohesion and Leadership
- Intellectual and Moral Integrity
Also Read: UPSC IAS Eligibility
UPSC IAS 2024 Exam Pattern FAQs
The candidates can see here important questions related to UPSC IAS exam pattern.
Q: Â How many exam centres are there in UPPSC Prelims exam 2024?
The Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission is planning to conduct the UPPSC Prelims exam 2024 in 41 districts of the state. There are 75 districts in the State. Last year, the UPPSC PCS prelims exam was conducted in 51 districts. Earlier the UPPSC prelims exam was conducted in around 25 cities in the state.
The UPPSC 2024 prelims exam will be conducted on December 7 & 8, 2024. The Commission is expected to release the UPPSC 2024 admit card on November 27, 2024 in its official website - uppsc.up.nic.in.
Upvote Q: Â How many exam centres are there in IAS prelims exam?
The Union Public Service Commission mention the number and names of the exam cities in the official notification. The IAS 2024 notificatin was released online on February 14, 2024. The Commission mention that the IAS 2024 prelims exam will be conducted in 80 cities across the nation.
The IAS prelims exam is conducted offline simultaneously across the nation. The candidates are required to opt for three exam centres in the IAS application and the Commission allots the exam centre on first apply first allot basis.
Upvote Q: Â What qualities are tested in IAS Interview?
In the IAS interview test, candidates will be judged on different skills mentioned below:
- Mental Alertness
- Critical Powers of Assimilation
- Clear and Logical Exposition
- Balance of Judgement
- Variety and Depth of Interest
- Ability for Social Cohesion and Leadership
- Intellectual and Moral Integrity
Also Read: UPSC 2024 Interview Questions
Upvote Q: Â What can be the IAS Prelims Result Date?
The Union Public Service Commission released the IAS 2024 notification online on February 14, 2024. The Commission is expected to release the IAS 2024 admit card online on May 1, 2024. The UPSC will conduct the IAS 2024 exam on May 26, 2024. The Commission will conduct the IAS 2024 exam in online mode in the pen and paper mode. The exam will be conducted at the designated exam centres.
IAS 2024 notification was released online on February 14, 2024 mentioning that there will be 1056 vacancies for the exam.
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