Civil Service Exam 2024: Pre, Mains Timetable

Civil Services Exam: The UPSC Mails 2023 will be conducted on the 23rd and 24th of September nationwide. All the applicants who have cleared the preliminary rounds will have to appear for this exam on the specified date and time. the e-admit cards were released on 28th August 2023 and the last date to download the e-admit cards is 24th September.

Being one of the toughest exams in the world, it is a fact that students who are done with graduation choose to try their luck in the civil service exam because of a prosperous future, handsome salaries on lucrative posts, the government offers and incentives. Achieving this milestone needs the utmost dedication to prove that you are worth this highest-paying government job in India.

This examination is widely followed and acclaimed in the Indian educational landscape. Prelims, mains as well and the interview process play a pivotal role in the civil service exam. In this blog, you will have thorough information and clarity pertaining to the Civil Service Exam, its scope and top profiles which can make your dream come true. 

Name of the Examination	Civil Service Exam
Total number of Services	Twenty- four
Total number of Attempts	Six
Mains Exam Date	23rd and 24th September
e-Aadmit Card Date	28th August
Vacancies	900( Nine hundred) Approx.
Examination Type is?	Offline
Organizing Body	UPSC
Level of Examination	National

What is the Civil Services Exam?

The Civil Service Examination is a leading competitive UPSC exam to recruit young and talented aspirants against an array of administrative posts. It is being conducted in three phases Prelims, Mains and Interviews. In a prelims paper, a candidate has to go through two objective-type question papers. In mains, you will have to write a conventional essay-type answer, once you have cleared these two rounds start your interview process, where you will be examined on the basis of your personality interview. IAS, IFS, and IPS are some of the prestigious examinations which are highly acclaimed and popular in India. 

Every year the Civil service examination registers lakhs of students who wish to appear for the prestigious examination. Let’s understand some important parameters which are essential to know before applying for the civil service exam. 

Civil Service Exam 2023 Notification

The notification for the Civil Services Exam, which is conducted by the Union Public Service Commission, was released on 1 February 2023. The notification has comprehensive details for the candidates. If you want to check out the notification or download it then click on the link below that will redirect you to the official notification PDF.

Civil Service Exam Dates 2023

Candidates who are looking forward to making their career under the Civil Service Exam must to know the important dates to appear in the examination. Find the important dates for the same in the table:

Date of Notification	1 February 2023
Registration	1 – 21 February 2023
Preliminary Examination Day	28 May 2023
Duration of Examination	One Day
Last Date for Receipt for Applicants	21 February 2023 – 6 pm
Date of Upload	1 February 2023

Please note that the Civil Services (Mains) Examination, 2023 will be conducted on the 23rd and 24th of September 2023.

Civil Service Exam Eligibility Criteria

If you are planning to apply for the position of civil services in India or state level, you need to check your eligibility for it as well. 

• Your age must not be less than 21 years or more than 32 years
• You must have graduated in any discipline from a recognized university
• Your nationality should be Indian in case you apply for India-level services and you should be a resident of the state you applied for your exam. 

Civil Service Exam General Timeline

UPSC candidates who apply for various civil services exams like IAS, IPS, IFS, IAAS, and IRS should know what are the essential steps for cracking this prestigious examination. To pass the civil service exam with flying colours all you need to have faith in your capabilities and you should know the steps which are:

Civil Service Exam Pattern

The exam consists of various stages, including prelims, mains, and the interview.

Prelims

This stage is very important in nature as it carries 400 marks distributed in two different objective-type papers. The paper 1st checks your thorough knowledge of the following areas: 

• Politics
• Science 
• Geography
• History 
• Environment 

The paper 2nd understands your interpersonal skills, knowledge of comprehension, decision-making, and information in the basic number system. Basically, this would be an aptitude test which also does your screening, in order to prepare you for the mains examination. 

Mains 

Once you have successfully passed your prelims paper, the next step to being an officer is the main examination which examines your intellectual bent of mindset. This part consists of a total of 9 papers which are based on long-form essays, optional papers and questions related to general studies. It is completely written based on where a candidate will be selected for an interview process on the basis of their written test and abilities. The total marks for the Mains exam, including the personal interview are 2025.

It is important to note that there will be negative marking in the Objective Exams.

Interview

This round involves your personality interview which will consist of 275 marks. You will be interviewed on the basis of your personality aptitude. The final IAS interview will be conducted at Commission’s Headquarters, in New Delhi.

Also Read: Life of an IAS Officer

Civil Service Exam Services

Following are the services that are a part of the civil service examination:

All India Civil Services

• Indian Administrative Services (IAS)
• Indian Police Services (IPS)
• Indian Forest Services (IFoS)

Central Civil Services

There are further Group A and Group B categorisations. Here are the services available for Group A position and Group B positions:

Group A

• Indian Postal Service
• Indian Foreign Services (IFS)
• Indian P & T Accounts & Finance Service
• Indian Audit and Accounts Service
• Indian Revenue Service (Customs and Central Excise)
• Indian Defence Accounts Service
• Indian Revenue Service (I.T.)
• Indian Ordnance Factories Service((Assistant Works Manager, Administration)
• Indian Civil Accounts Service
• Indian Railway Traffic Service
• Indian Railway Accounts Service
• Indian Railway Personnel Service
• Post of Assistant Security Commissioner in the Railway Protection Force
• Indian Defence Estates Service
• Indian Trade Service
• Indian Corporate Law Service
• Indian Information Service (Junior Grade)

Group B

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

Prepare for Civil Services Exam

There are several crucial aspects that you need to prepare for during your exam for Civil Services. Click the links below to check out the best books under each section.

NCERT Books For UPSC Exams	Economics for UPSC: Books
Geography for UPSC Preparation	Books on Indian History
History Questions for UPSC	Anthropology for UPSC
Best General Knowledge Books	IAS Books
Public Administration Books	Best Political Science Books
Logical Reasoning Books

FAQs

Civil Service Exam can definitely provide you with the best job in India. Cracking this examination with flying colours need your firm dedication, intellectual mindset and analytical thinking. All this is possible when you do extra hard work to prove your mettle. Are you still wondering if this is the right decision for you? Why not come to Leverage Edu and give a psychometric test and clear all your doubts?