Jumping into the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Prelims without preparation is a common misstep for many civil services hopefuls. But treating it as a trial run can backfire, wasting valuable opportunities and undermining your potential. Are you ready for a smarter approach? Let’s dive in.

UPSC CSE and number of attempts

The minimum age for appearing in the UPSC  Civil Services examination is 21 years. The upper age limit is 32 years. Candidates can have a maximum of 6 attempts at clearing UPSC CSE.

• For candidates from OBC reserved categories, the upper age limit is 35. The maximum number of attempts allowed is 9.
• For SC and ST, the upper age limit is 37 years.
• For PwBD (person with benchmark disabilities), the same is 42 years.

For SC/ST candidates, there are no limitations to the number of attempts. They can appear as long as they comply with the upper age limit.

How many attempts does it take to succeed in UPSC CSE?

The UPSC Annual Report data for the last 15 years shows that nearly 10% or 1 out of 10 candidates cleared the civil services exam on their first attempt. Considering the vast syllabus and the back-breaking 3-stage selection process, it is a significant number.

The number of attempts any UPSC aspirant needs depends on:

• Their thorough understanding of exam pattern
• Depth and width of preparation for Prelims and Mains
• Capability to maintain tenacity and determination for subsequent attempts

The chances of success improve rapidly in 3rd and 4th attempts. Some unverified sources claim that, on average, it takes 3.6 attempts to clear the UPSC Civil Services Exam. The number of years might be equivalent to approximately 4 years of determination, hard work, and perseverance.

So, it is important to avoid casually appearing in UPSC Prelims or Mains without sufficient preparations.

Let’s now discuss the UPSC Exam Pattern and other necessary details to begin your UPSC preparation.

UPSC Exam Pattern 2025 - Prelims

Prelims is the elimination round in UPSC Civil Services. Over 13 lakh candidates appeared in UPSC Prelims 2023. Of this huge number of aspirants, only 14624 qualified for Mains in 2023. This explains how stringent screening happens at this level. Qualifying in Prelims proves you have the aptitude to become a public service administrator. 

• Prelims comprise 2 papers - General Studies (GS) I and II
• GS-I covers questions on current affairs for UPSC
• GS-II is the paper on the CSAT or Civil Service Aptitude Test
• GS-I and GS-II exams are conducted on the same day
• UPSC calculates Prelims cut-off marks based on the scores in Paper 1
• Paper 2 is the qualifying paper. The minimum mark for qualifying for the paper is 33%
• Paper 1 is not checked or marked if a candidate scores less than 33% in Paper 2

Papers	Types of questions	Total marks	Number of questions	Duration
GS-I	Objective	200	100	2 hours
GS-II	Objective	200	80	2 hours

UPSC Exam Pattern 2025 - Mains 

UPSC Mains is the most intensive examination in terms of the width and depth of subject knowledge and analytical understanding. Of 14624 candidates who qualified for UPSC Mains 2023, only 2916 cleared the examination. It’s approximately 20% success rate.

• UPSC Mains comprises 9 papers - Paper I to VII and Paper A & B
• Paper-I is a general studies (GS) paper. It requires you to write 2 essays of 1000 to 1200 words each.
• Papers II to V are GS papers covering various fields, from Indian heritage to ethics, integrity, and aptitude.
• Papers VI & VII are on optional subjects you have chosen
• Paper A is on any one compulsory Indian language, and Paper B is on English.
• Papers A & B are qualifying papers with a minimum required mark of 25%. It means UPSC will not check your other Mains papers unless you score at least 25% in Papers A and B.

 

Papers	Types of questions	Marks	Qualifying marks	Duration
Paper A	Descriptive	300	25%	3 hours
Paper B	Descriptive	300	25%	3 hours
Paper I	Descriptive	250	Merit-based cut-off	3 hours
Paper II	Descriptive	250	Merit-based cut-off	3 hours
Paper III	Descriptive	250	Merit-based cut-off	3 hours
Paper IV	Descriptive	250	Merit-based cut-off	3 hours
Paper V	Descriptive	250	Merit-based cut-off	3 hours
Paper VI	Descriptive	250	Merit-based cut-off	3 hours
Paper VII	Descriptive	250	Merit-based cut-off	3 hours
	TOTAL	1750

 UPSC Exam Pattern - Personal Interview  

It is the final stage of UPSC CSE. In 2023, the total declared vacancies in UPSC CSE were 1105, and eligible for Personal Interview was 2916 candidates. So, the probability of succeeding in the final round is around 37.89%.

• At this level, a candidate appears in front of a panel of subject-matter specialists, academicians, and IAS-ranking bureaucrats with years of experience.
• On average, the interview duration can be 30 to 40 minutes. However, it can vary depending on various factors. An interview of longer than average duration does not guarantee success.
• The panel judges a candidate’s mental alertness, logical inference, leadership skills, morality and integrity, and other personality traits.

The aim is to find the best fit between the candidates and the vacancies.

Conclusion

The UPSC CSE opens up a world of career opportunities in the public services field at national and state levels. Now that you know everything about the UPSC Exam Pattern, it’s time to decide how to prepare. You have a year ahead of you to study and practice.

Visit the IAS Gyan website for the best online coaching for UPSC, and take the subject-wise Demo Test to assess your UPSC preparedness.