The UPSC exam pattern takes place in three divisions: prelims, mains and interview. Candidates are requested to follow the UPSC previous year question papers to score good marks and qualify in the exam.The UPSC Civil Services Exam is held to evaluate candidates’ overall ability. It’s also crucial to have a thorough understanding of the IAS exam pattern in order to prepare for all of the exam requirements.
The UPSC Exam Pattern for Prelims, Mains, and Interviews is detailed in this article. It’s critical to have a thorough understanding of the UPSC Examination Pattern. It will enable aspirants to efficiently organise time, allowing them to prepare for the UPSC exam in a more efficient manner. Aspirants while preparing for the UPSC exam should keep in mind UPSC full form.
Candidates who pass all of the rounds are recommended for employment in India’s Civil Service. Since each round is an elimination round, aspirants must qualify for each one before proceeding to the next. Let us now go over the UPSC Exam Pattern 2022, as well as the marking method for each of the papers in the various rounds.
Prelims Exam Pattern
General Studies I and CSAT are the two papers of the UPSC Prelims (General Studies Paper-II).General studies marks will be counted for Prelims cut off. Therefore candidates are suggested to solve UPSC previous year question paper.There will be negative marking for incorrect answers. Let’s have a look at the UPSC Prelims Exam Pattern for 2022:
| Paper | Number of Questions | Marks | Time |
| Paper 1 (General Studies) | 100 | 200 | 2 hours |
| Paper 2 (General Studies- CSAT) | 80 | 200 | 2 hours |
Important Points
- General Studies and CSAT exams are necessary to qualify for mains exam.
- The Preliminary score is not the final score.
- The Prelims question papers will be given in Hindi and English Langauge.
- Aspirants are requested to prepare UPSC previous year question paper.
Mains Exam Pattern
The UPSC Mains Exam Pattern is shown in the table below. There are 9 papers. All the papers are allotted for 3 hours each and all the questions will be descriptive in nature. Is the candidates follow the UPSC previous year question paper then it will be very helpful for them.
| Paper | Subject | Time | Marks |
| Paper A | Compulsory Indian Language | 3 hours | 300 |
| Paper B | English | 3 hours | 300 |
| Paper 1 | Essay | 3 hours | 250 |
| Paper 2 | General Studies 1 | 3 hours | 250 |
| Paper 3 | General Studies 2 | 3 hours | 250 |
| Paper 4 | General Studies 3 | 3 hours | 250 |
| Paper 5 | General Studies 4 | 3 hours | 250 |
| Paper 6 | Optional 1 | 3 hours | 250 |
| Paper 7 | Optional 2 | 3 hours | 250 |
Important Points to Remember
- Except for the Language papers, i.e., Paper A and Paper B, your rank will be determined by your performance in all other papers.
- As a result, you will receive a score of 1750 out of a possible total of 1750.
- Each paper must receive a minimum of 25% in order to be considered for the final selection.
- Candidates will be asked to write their answers on UPSC-provided answer sheets. There will be no extra sheets provided.
UPSC Exam Pattern for Interview
The UPSC Exam Pattern’s Interview round is the last and last stage of the selection process. The Interview is worth 275 points, bringing the total number of possible points to 2025. The following are some of the attributes that the Board looks for in a candidate.
- Mental sharpness
- The ability to think critically
- Thinking analytically
- Skills in risk assessment
- Skills in crisis management
- Possessing the ability to lead
- Integrity of thought and morals
UPSC Exam Pattern: Conclusion
The UPSC Syllabus is extensive, and the CSE questions demand not just a high level of learning but also the ability to articulate the answers in a logical manner. The UPSC Mains Syllabus includes both static and dynamic elements.
As a result, IAS candidates must keep track of current events and organise them into appropriate papers/headings according to the UPSC Main Syllabus. The candidate should remember the UPSC full form because it might be used in the general science paper.
The Mains exam is a total of 1750 marks (7 papers * 250 marks), and those who pass it advance to the Interview stage (UPSC Personality Test). The final merit list of recommended candidates is determined by adding the candidates’ interview score (out of 275 marks) to their UPSC mains score.