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The UPSC Prelims Eligibility Criteria is mandatory for every applicant who wants to apply for the exam. The Union Public Service Commission decided UPSC Eligibility criteria that includes instructions about the age limit, required education qualification for upsc/qualification for ias and number of attempts. Around 2 to 3 lakh students submit the registration form every year. If you are one of them who want to become an IAS officer then this blog will help you to the UPSC prelims eligibility criteria and more.
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📌 UPSC Prelims Eligibility for IAS 2024
Thinking of cracking the civil services exam this year? The good news is the notification for UPSC 2024 just came out on February 14th, 2024. This section will give you the information on whether you qualify to take the exam.
The UPSC has set an age limit for aspiring civil servants. You need to be between 21 and 32 years old on August 1st, 2024. There are some age relaxations for certain categories, which we’ll talk about in a bit.
UPSC expects you to be a graduate from a recognized university in India. Even final-year students who are waiting for their results can apply for the preliminary exam. But you’ll need to show proof of graduation before appearing for the main exam. Only Indian citizens can apply for the UPSC exam.
The age limit can be relaxed for some categories like Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), Other Backward Classes (OBC), and Persons with Disabilities (PWD). You can find the specifics about these relaxations in the official UPSC notification.
So, did you meet the eligibility criteria? If you did, that’s awesome! This is the first step towards your dream career as a civil servant. If not, don’t worry, there’s always next year!
Also Read: UPSC Prelims History: Previous Year Questions
➡️ Age Limit for UPSC Prelims Exam
Aspirants should not be older than the upper age limit decided by the UPSC. According to the eligibility criteria of UPSC CSE, aspirants should not be younger than 21 years and older than 32 years. Earlier, the maximum age limit was 26 years. Reserve category aspirants will get relaxation according to their category. Candidates from the General category may not be older than 32. Candidates from the OBC category may not be older than 35. Candidates from the SC/ST category must be at least 37 years old, same applies for upsc age limit for sc female.
Below, we have mentioned the category-wise age limit for the UPSC Prelims exam.
| Category of Aspirant | Upper Age Limit for UPSC Prelims |
| General | 32 |
| OBC | 35 |
| SC/ST/UPSC age limit for sc female | 37 |
| Physically Handicapped | 42 |
| Disabled servicemen disabled from duty | 37 (Gen), 38 (OBC), 40 (SC/ST) |
How Many Attempts for UPSC Prelims Exam? 👇
How many attempts in UPSC are allowed for General, SC, ST, OBC, and other category aspirants? This is the most asked question by every student who wants to appear in the Civil Services exam. In the table below, we have mentioned the allowed number of attempts for UPSC Prelims (Category-wise).
| Category | Number of Attempts in UPSC |
| General | 6 |
| OBC | 9 |
| SC/ST | Unlimited (Up to age limit) |
| Disabled Defence Services Personnel | 9 |
| Ex-Servicemen | 9 |
| Persons with Benchmark Disability: EWS (Economically Weaker Section) | 9 |
Educational Qualification for UPSC Prelims Exam
The candidate’s Qualification for IAS includes: a bachelor’s degree from a UGC-approved university in any stream. Candidates in their final year or awaiting results are also eligible to appear for UPSC preliminary examination. They need to submit their degree at the time of document verification. Apart from this, students who have a technical degree or are in the final year of their MBBS degree can apply for this exam.
Also Read UPSC Prelims Geography: Previous Year Questions
FAQs
Below, we have mentioned UPSC Prelims eligibility criteria for general candidates
1. Age Limit- 21 to 32 Years
2. Educational Qualification for UPSC- Graduation Degree
3. Number of Attempts- 6 Times
Category-wise age limit of UPSC Prelims exam
1. General: 32 Years
2. OBC: 35 Years
3. SC/ST: 37 Years
4. Physically Handicapped: 42 Years
5. Disabled servicemen disabled from duty: 37 Years (Gen), 38 Years (OBC), 40 Years (SC/ST)
According to UPSC Prelims eligibility criteria, the number of attempts to appear in the exam varies for different categories. Check it out below:
1. For General – 6 Times
2. For OBC- 9 Attempts
3. For SC/ST- Unlimited
Related Blogs
This was all about the UPSC Prelims Eligibility Criteria. For more such informative blogs, check out our UPSC Exams Section, or you can learn more about us by visiting our Indian exams page.
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