UPSC CSE Exam Pattern 2027

The UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE) recruits officers for the IAS, IPS, IFS and other Group A and Group B central services. It is held in three stages: Preliminary, Main and Personality Test.

Stage 1: Preliminary examination

Paper	Questions	Marks	Duration	Nature
GS Paper I	100	200	2 hours	Merit (decides Mains shortlisting)
GS Paper II (CSAT)	80	200	2 hours	Qualifying: minimum 33%

• Both papers are objective (multiple choice) and held on the same day.
• Negative marking: one-third of the marks assigned to a question is deducted for each wrong answer (0.66 in GS I; 0.83 in CSAT).
• Prelims marks are not counted in the final merit; they are used only to shortlist candidates for Mains (about 12–13 times the number of vacancies).

Stage 2: Main examination

Paper	Subject	Marks
Paper A	Indian language (from the Eighth Schedule)	300 (qualifying)
Paper B	English	300 (qualifying)
Paper I	Essay	250
Paper II	General Studies I	250
Paper III	General Studies II	250
Paper IV	General Studies III	250
Paper V	General Studies IV (Ethics)	250
Paper VI	Optional subject, Paper 1	250
Paper VII	Optional subject, Paper 2	250
	Total (merit)	1,750

Answers may be written in English or in any language of the Eighth Schedule (subject to the rules in the notification). Topic-wise content of every paper is in the UPSC Syllabus 2027.

Stage 3: Personality Test (interview)

Candidates who qualify the Mains are called for the Personality Test of 275 marks. The final merit list is prepared on Mains (1,750) + Interview (275) = 2,025 marks.

Eligibility

Criterion	Requirement (as per CSE rules)
Nationality	Indian citizen for IAS, IPS and IFS; other categories as specified for other services
Education	A graduate degree from a recognised university; final-year students may apply for Prelims
Age	21 to 32 years (General), counted as on 1 August of the exam year; relaxation of 3 years (OBC), 5 years (SC/ST), and more for PwBD and other categories
Attempts	General and EWS: 6; OBC: 9; SC/ST: unlimited up to the age limit; PwBD: 9 (General/EWS/OBC)

How the stages connect

• Prelims filters candidates; its score is discarded after shortlisting.
• Mains decides most of the final rank, so answer-writing practice matters more than any other single skill.
• The interview can change the final rank significantly; marks usually vary widely across candidates.

Start with How to Start UPSC Preparation From Zero if you are a beginner, and build Prelims practice in the MCQ Test Builder.

Frequently asked questions

What is the UPSC exam pattern?

UPSC CSE has three stages: Prelims (two objective papers of 200 marks each, CSAT qualifying), Mains (nine descriptive papers, of which seven worth 1,750 marks count for merit) and a Personality Test of 275 marks.

Is there negative marking in UPSC Prelims?

Yes. One-third of the marks of a question is deducted for each wrong answer in both papers.

What is the total marks for the UPSC final merit?

2,025 marks: Mains 1,750 plus Personality Test 275. Prelims marks are not counted.

When is UPSC Prelims 2027?

Sunday, 23 May 2027. The notification is scheduled for 13 January 2027 and the last date to apply is 2 February 2027.

What is the age limit for UPSC CSE?

21 to 32 years for the General category as on 1 August of the exam year, with relaxations for OBC, SC/ST, PwBD and other categories as per the notification.

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Sources: UPSC Annual Calendar 2027 (as on 20 May 2026) and the CSE scheme of examination in the UPSC notification, upsc.gov.in.

Prepared by the GSMitra Editorial Team. Last updated 17 October 2026.