UPSC Exam Pattern 2021 For IAS Prelims, Mains & Interview

UPSC Exam Pattern: In this article, we will be covering the IAS Exam Pattern 2021 in detail. So, go through this article once to know precisely the pattern followed in the Civil Services Examination covering every detail. There are mainly three stages of the UPSC Examination which are

• IAS Preliminary Examination (Objective Type)
• IAS Mains Examination (Written Test)
• IAS Personal Interview

IAS Exam Pattern for Prelims

• The preliminary exam consists of two compulsory papers: Paper-I General Studies and Paper-II Civil Service Aptitude Test (CSAT). The CSAT will test the analytical and logical abilities of the applicant.
• The test will be objective in nature, i.e. each question will carry four options, and you have to select the correct one.
• The student can give the paper in either Hindi or English language. The language selection will be made while filling the application form. While testing the English paragraph, no translation will be provided.
• The prelims exam is a qualifying exam. The applicants need to clear a cut off decided by the commission or a minimum of 33% for getting eligible for the Mains Exam.

IAS Marking Scheme for Prelims

• Each question in the GS paper will be objective and will carry 2 marks.
• Each question in CSAT will carry 2.5 marks each.
• There is a negative marking. For every wrong answer, 0.33 marks or one-third mark will be deducted.
• Giving more than one answer will be considered as a wrong answer as each question has one unique answer.
• Even if one of the answers marked from the multiple answers is correct, the negative marking is applicable in such a scenario.
• No mark will be deducted for an un-attempted question.
• The aspirant needs to score more than 33% to qualify for the IAS Mains exam.

IAS Exam Pattern for Mains

• The Mains exam is also an offline exam but subjective in nature. Each paper carries 250 marks.
• The duration of the exam is 3 hours with extra 30 minutes to blind candidates.
• There are in total 9 papers which will test candidate understanding and knowledge of the subject. Two are the language papers which require qualifying and the rest 7 are subject-based.
• The questions asked may be both objectives as well subjective with translation provided for each question.
• The IAS Mains is further divided into two categories: Qualifying exam and the merit building exam. Candidate needs to appear in both the exams.

The aspirants have to score a minimum marks to qualify the qualifying exam. Only if you clear the qualifying exam, your other papers will be checked. These exams are designed to check candidate grasp over the subjects and essays. It will help to bring out the intellectual level as well as the interpersonal skills of the candidate. The marks obtained by the candidate in these seven papers will be used to prepare the merit list of the candidates.

IAS Marking Scheme for Mains

• The total marks for the mains exam are 250*7=1750.
• Candidates will be graded based on their opinion, Content flow, presentation, and language, understanding the problems/ situation, offering feasible solutions/strategies

IAS Exam Pattern for Personality Test

• All the candidates who qualify the written exam will move ahead to the Interviews. This would include the Psychometric Test, Assessment Test and the Personal Interview.
• The main objective of the interview is to check the compatibility of the candidate’s candidature as per the civil services. This test helps to bring out the social traits and intellectual qualities of the candidate.
• Some qualities which are judged by the panel are clear and logical exposition, mental alertness, critical powers of assimilation, the ability for social cohesion and leadership, the balance of judgement, variety and depth of interest, intellectual and moral integrity.
• You can give the test in the language of your choice.
• The interview is of 275 marks making a total of 2025 (1750+ 275) for the final ranking.