UPSC Civil Services 2024- Overview
| Exam Name | UPSC Civil Service Exam 2024 |
| Recruiting Organization | Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) |
| Exam Level | Pan India / National Level |
| Age Limit | 21 years to 32 years (excluding age relaxation) |
| Application Fill up Mode | Online |
| No. of Exam Stages | 3 stages; Prelims, Mains and Personality Test |
| Educational Qualification | Graduates or Relevant Degrees |
| Exam Frequency | Once a year |
| Exam Mode | Offline / Pen & Paper |
| Prelims Exam Date | 28th May 2024 |
| Mains Exam Date | 1st April 2024 |
| Interview Date | To be notified |
| Admit Card Release Date | To be notified |
| Vacancy | To be notified |
| Vacancy | To be notified |
| Posts | Group A and Group B Officers |
UPSC CSE 2024 Important Dates
The UPSC calendar for session 2024 is released now. The exam dates have been released we have enlisted the important dates for the candidates, take a look at it -
| UPSC 2024 Important Events | Schedule |
| UPSC CSE 2024 Notification Release Date | February 14th, 2024 |
| UPSC CSE 2024 Prelims Exam Registration | February 14th, 2024 |
| UPSC Application Last Date 2024 | March 05, 2024 |
| UPSC CSE 2024 Prelims Admit Card Release Date | April/May 2024 |
| UPSC CSE 2024 Prelims Exam Date | 28th May 2024 |
| UPSC CSE 2024 Mains Admit Card Release Date | To be notified |
| UPSC CSE 2024 Mains Exam Date | 20th September 2024 |
| UPSC CSE 2024 Interview/ IAS interview Date | To be notified |
Also Read - UPSC Prelims Exam 2024 – eligibility, dates, pattern, Syllabus
UPSC IAS Mains Exam Pattern 2024
The UPSC Mains exam consists of 9 papers. These include 4 General Studies Papers, 1 Essay Paper, 2 Language Papers, and 2 Optional Subject Papers.
Unlike the Preliminary exam, there are no penalties for wrong answers in the Mains exam.
The papers have questions that require descriptive answers, testing candidates' thorough understanding of the subjects.
| Qualifying Papers | Marks |
| Paper-A One of the Indian Language to be selected by the candidate from the Languages included in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution |
300 |
| Paper-B English |
300 |
| Papers Counted for Merit | &nnbsp; |
| Paper-I Essay |
250 |
| Paper-II General Studies-I (Indian Heritage and Culture, History and Geography of the World and Society) |
250 |
| Paper-III General Studies-II (Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice and International relations) |
250 |
| Paper-IV Genera Studies-III (Technology, Economic Development, Bio-diversity, Environment, Security and Disaster Management) |
250 |
| Paper-V General Studies-IV (Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude) |
250 |
| Paper-VI Optional Subject - Paper 1 |
250 |
| Paper-VI Optional Subject - Paper 1 |
250 |
| Paper-VII Optional Subject - Paper 2 |
250 |
| (Written Test) Personality Test Grand Total |
2025 |
Here are the key highlights:
- There are two Qualifying Papers: one in "Any Indian Language from the Eighth Schedule" and the other in "English Language Paper."
- To pass, candidates need to score at least 25% in each of these qualifying papers, which equals 75 marks each.
- The other seven papers are important for scoring and contribute to the final merit list.
- Candidates can choose to answer the scoring subjects in either English or any of the eight scheduled languages.
- In Paper VI and Paper VII, candidates must select one subject from the provided table as their Optional subject.
UPSC Optional Subjects List for Mains Exam
| Agriculture | Civil Engineering | Statistics |
| Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Science | Commerce & Accountancy | Sociology |
| Anthropology | Economics | Physics |
| Botany | Electrical Engineering | Philosophy |
| Chemistry | Geography | Medical Science |
| Zoology | Geology | History |
| Law | Political Science & International Relations | Public Administration |
| Mechanical Engineering | Mathematics | Management |
| Psychology |
You can choose to study literature in one of these languages: Assamese, Bengali, Bodo, Dogri, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Maithili, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Odia, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Santhali, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, or English.
UPSC IAS Syllabus for Main Exam- Subject-wise
Here's a simplified explanation:
In the Language Papers, also known as "Paper A" and "Paper B," candidates choose any one language from the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution, as listed in the table below. The second language paper is always English. Candidates must use the script specified for the chosen language, as indicated in the table below.
| Language | Script | Language | Script |
| Assamese | Assamese | Gujarati | Gujarati |
| Kannada | Kannada | Bodo | Devanagari |
| Malayalam | Malayalam | Marathi | Devanagari |
| Odia | Odia | Sanskrit | Devanagari |
| Sindhi | Devanagari or Arabic | Urdu | Persian |
| Santhali | Devanagari or Olchiki | Bengali | Bengali |
| Hindi | Devanagari | Kashmiri | Persian |
| Konkani | Devanagari | Manipuri | Bengali |
| Nepali | Devanagari | Punjabi | Gurumukhi |
| Tamil | Tamil | Telugu | Telugu |
| Maithilli | Devanagari | Dogri | Devanagari |
Here's a simplified version of the UPSC IAS Syllabus for language papers and Indian Heritage, Culture, History, and Geography:
Language Papers (Paper A and Paper B):
- Essay - 100 marks
- Reading comprehension - 60 marks
- Precis Writing - 60 marks
Translation:
- English to compulsory language (e.g. Hindi) - 20 marks
- Compulsory language to English - 20 marks
- Grammar and basic language usage - 40 marks
Indian Heritage and Culture, History, and Geography:
- Indian culture covers Literature, Art Forms, and Architecture from ancient to modern times.
- Modern Indian history includes significant events, personalities, and issues from the mid-18th century until today.
- The Freedom Struggle - stages, contributors, and contributions from different parts of the country.
- Post-independence consolidation and reorganization within India.
- World history - events, impacts on society from the 18th century like world wars, industrial revolution, colonization, decolonization, political philosophies.
- Diversity of India and Indian Society.
- Role of women, population issues, poverty, urbanization, social empowerment, communalism, regionalism, and secularism.
- Distribution of natural resources globally, including South Asia and India, and factors affecting industry location.
- Effects of globalization on Indian society.
- Geophysical phenomena such as earthquakes, Tsunami, Volcanic activity, and geographical features.
- World's physical geography features.
UPSC Mains General Studies II Syllabus
Here's a simplified version of the IAS syllabus for GS 2:
Polity and Indian Constitution:
- Understanding the roles and responsibilities of the Union & States and challenges in the federal structure.
- Exploring how power is divided among different government bodies and resolving conflicts.
- Learning about the Judiciary, Legislature, and Executive branches of government.
- Studying State and Parliamentary legislatures, government departments, and the influence of pressure groups.
- Knowing key aspects of the Representation of People’s Act.
- Examining the appointment, functions, and powers of constitutional posts and bodies.
Social Justice:
- Studying welfare schemes for vulnerable sections and evaluating their performance.
- Understanding laws and institutions dedicated to protecting and developing vulnerable sections.
- Analyzing issues in social sectors like hunger and poverty management.
Governance:
- Understanding e-governance applications, successes, and limitations.
- Studying the role of Civil Services in a democracy.
International Relations:
- Learning about India's relationships with its neighbors.
- Examining international agreements involving India and other states.
- Analyzing how policies of other countries affect Indian interests and the Indian diaspora.
- Understanding international entities, institutions, and their structures.
UPSC Mains General Studies III Syllabus
Here's a simplified version of the UPSC Mains syllabus for GS 3:
Economic Development:
- Understanding the Indian economy and planning-related issues.
- Studying government budgeting and inclusive growth challenges.
- Effects of liberalization on the economy.
- Exploring infrastructure elements like ports, airports, roads, etc.
- Knowing about investment models like Public-Private Partnership (PPP).
Agriculture:
- Analyzing cropping patterns across India.
- Studying irrigation techniques, storage, marketing, transportation, and challenges in agriculture.
- Exploring e-technology applications in agriculture.
- Economics of animal rearing and food processing industries.
- Understanding farm subsidies, minimum support prices, and food security issues.
Science & Technology:
- Studying recent technological developments and their impacts.
- Recognizing Indian achievements in science & technology.
- Exploring indigenous technological innovation and developments.
- General awareness of Space, IT, Robotics, Computers, biotechnology, and nanotechnology.
- Understanding intellectual property rights issues.
Environment:
- Conservation efforts and environmental pollution.
- Understanding Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).
Disaster Management & Security:
- Study of disaster management laws.
- Exploring challenges to internal security from non-state actors and external states.
- Analysis of extremism and internal security challenges like cyber security.
- Awareness of security agencies and forces and their roles.
Also Read - UPSC 2024: Exam Date, Eligibility, Notification, Syllabus
UPSC Mains General Studies IV Syllabus
Here's a simplified version of the UPSC GS 4 syllabus:
Human Interface & Ethics:
- Understanding the essence of ethics in human interactions.
- Exploring different dimensions of ethics.
- Ethics in both public and private relationships.
- Learning about human values and their importance.
- Recognizing the role of family, society, and education in shaping ethical values.
Attitude:
- Understanding how attitude influences behavior and thoughts.
- Exploring political and moral attitudes.
- Learning about persuasion and social influence.
Aptitude:
- Understanding the foundational values and aptitude required for civil services.
- Emphasizing integrity, impartiality, dedication to public service, and compassion towards society's weaker sections.
Emotional Intelligence:
- Understanding emotional intelligence and its application.
- Recognizing the importance of emotional intelligence.
Contributions of Philosophers and Thinkers:
- Learning insights from global and Indian philosophers and thinkers on moral concepts.
Ethics in Public Administration and Civil/Public Service Values:
- Recognizing ethical issues in public administration.
- Understanding dilemmas and ethical concerns in government and private institutions.
- Exploring ethical governance, accountability, and transparency in government.
Ethical Issues in Funding and International Relations:
- Understanding corporate governance and probity.
- Exploring concepts of public service and governance.
- Recognizing challenges of corruption and ensuring quality service delivery.