IAS Prelims Exam

Exam Dates/Notifications

UPSC IAS 2017-18 Final Result Declared: Click here to read notification in Hindi

Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination, 2018

Issue of Notification : 07th February, 2018

Application form availability: 07th February, 2018

Last date for Application Submission (online) : 6th March 2018

Prelims Admit card :  May/June 2018

Date of commencement of Exam : 3rd June 2018 (SUNDAY)

Duration of Exam : 1 DAY

Prelims exam result : August 2018

Study Plan

The Civil Services Exam is considered to be the mother of all exams. The syllabus is very vast and each part of the syllabus calls for a detailed strategy which may be unique for each candidate. However, Onlinetyari has set out a new initiative wherein we guide IAS aspirants by providing detailed strategies to tackle the IAS Exam. Kindly refer to our blog for detailed strategies. You can reach that through the following links:

UPSC IAS Prelims 2018 Answers With Explanation

UPSC IAS Prelims Answer Key 2018 (All Sets)

UPSC IAS प्रारंभिक परीक्षा उत्तर कुंजी 2018 : अभी जांचे अपना उत्तर !

UPSC IAS Prelims Exam Analysis 2018: Subject-wise Difficulty Level

सिविल सेवा प्रारंभिक परीक्षा 2018 : सामान्य अध्ययन – प्रश्नपत्र I का विश्लेषण

परीक्षा कक्ष में कैसे अपना 100% देकर सफल हों ?

प्रतियोगी परीक्षा में सम्मिलित होने से पूर्व क्या करें !

UPSC IAS : परीक्षा हेतु महत्त्वपूर्ण सरकारी योजना, पहल एवं नीति

जलवायु परिवर्तन से संबंधित प्रमुख अंतर्राष्ट्रीय सम्मेलन : मुख्य तथ्य !

How to Attempt IAS Prelims 2018: Tips and Strategy

IAS PRELIMS 2018 : How to Prepare for Indian History?

IAS प्रारंभिक परीक्षा 2018: भारतीय इतिहास की कैसे करें तैयारी?

IAS PRELIMS 2018 : How to Prepare for Indian Polity?

IAS प्रारंभिक परीक्षा 2018 के राज्यव्यवस्था विषय के महत्त्वपूर्ण टॉपिक्स

IAS PRELIMS 2018: How to Prepare for Indian Economy?

IAS प्रारंभिक परीक्षा 2018: कैसे करें भारतीय अर्थव्यवस्था की तैयारी ?

IAS PRELIMS 2018 : How to Prepare for Ecology, Environment, Biodiversity & Climate Change?

IAS प्रारंभिक परीक्षा 2018: परिस्थितिकी, पर्यावरण, जैव विविधता और जलवायु परिवर्तन की तैयारी

IAS PRELIMS 2018 : How to Prepare for Science & Technology?

IAS प्रारंभिक परीक्षा 2018: विज्ञान एवं तकनीक की तैयारी कैसे करें !

IAS PRELIMS 2018 : How to Prepare for Geography?

IAS प्रारंभिक परीक्षा 2018 : भूगोल की तैयारी कैसे करें?

NCERT BOOKS FOR IAS EXAM: Importance of NCERT Books in IAS Exam Preparation

सिविल सेवा परीक्षा हेतु NCERT पुस्तकों का महत्त्व एवं उपयोगिता

10 Must Have Books for cracking IAS in first attempt

How Rote Learning can help in IAS Exam Preparation

IAS परीक्षा की तैयारी में रटने की विधि कैसे मदद कर सकती है

80+ Days Study Plan for IAS Prelims Examination 2018

IAS प्रारंभिक परीक्षा अध्ययन योजना 2018 : 86 दिवसीय रणनीति

IAS प्रारंभिक परीक्षा 2018 हेतु 150 दिन की अध्ययन योजना

Want to crack upcoming IAS 2018 exam? Watch video:

Application Process

Last date for Application Submission (online) : 6th March 2018

UPSC CIVIL SERVICES PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION 2018 - APPLICATION PROCEDURE - ONLINE 

How to apply for UPSC IAS Preliminary Exam 2018?

The UPSC comes up with its Official Civil Services Notification every year. Through the Civil Services Notification, candidates are notified about the commencement of application for Civil Services Exam as well as the important dates. For Civil Services  Exam 2018, the official notification will be issued on 22nd of February, 2018.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE FOR UPSC CIVIL SERVICES PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION 2018

Candidates will be required to complete the "Online Application Form" containing two stages viz. Part-I and Part-II as per the instructions available in the above mentioned site through drop down menus.

Before starting filling up of online application, a candidate must have his/her photograph and signature duly scanned in the '.png' or '.jpg' format in such a manner that each file size should not exceed 40KB each.

If any candidate who took the Civil Services Examination held in the previous year wishes to apply for admission to this examination, he / she must submit his / her application so as to reach the Commission's Office by the prescribed date without waiting for the results or an offer of appointment.

Vacancies

Total number of vacancies: 782 (Approximately)

which include 32 vacancies reserved for Persons with Benchmark Disability Category, i.e.
13 Vacancies: for candidates of (a) blindness and low vision;
8 Vacancies: for (b) deaf and hard of hearing;
9 Vacancies: for (c) locomotor disability including cerebral palsy, leprosy cured, dwarfism, acid attack victims and muscular dystrophy; and
2 Vacancies: for (e) multiple disabilities from amongst persons under clauses (a) to (c) including deaf-blindness.

Selection Process

The Civil Services Examination will consist of two successive stages –
(i) Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination (Objective type) for the selection of candidates for the Main Examination; and
(ii) Civil Services (Main) Examination (Written and Interview) for the selection of candidates for the various Services and posts.
Applications are now invited for the Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination only.

Candidates who are declared by the Commission to have qualified for admission to the Civil Services (Main) Examination will have to apply online again, in the Detailed Application Form which would be made available to them.

Eligibility Criteria

Nationality:

1. For IAS & IPS: A candidate must be a citizen of India.

2. For other services: A candidate must be either:

a. A Citizen of India, OR
b. A Subject of Nepal, OR
c. A Subject of Bhutan, OR
d. A Tibetan refugee who came over to India before 1st January, 1962 with the intention of permanently settling in India, OR
e. A Person of Indian origin who has migrated from Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka, East African countries of Kenya, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Zaire, Ethiopia and Vietnam with the intention of permanently settling in India.

Provided that a candidate belonging to categories (b), (c), (d) and (e) shall be a person in whose favour a certificate of eligibility has been issued by the Government of India.

Provided further that candidates belonging to categories (b), (c) and (d) above will not be eligible for appointment to the Indian Foreign Service.

Number of Attempts for IAS Exam 2018:

The number of attempts for UPSC IAS exam were recently revised by the Union Public Service Commission. These are given as under: 

• For General Category candidates: 6.
• For OBC Category candidates: 9.
• For SC/ST Category candidates: There is no limit on the number of attempts.
• For Physically Handicapped Candidate: The number of attempts are limited to 9 for both General and OBC candidates and unlimited for SC/ST category. 

Age Limit

Age limit for UPSC Prelims 2018, would vary as per your category. Have a look: 

• For General Category candidates: 32 years 
• For OBC Category candidates: 35 years 
• For SC/ST Category candidates: 37 years
• For Physically Handicapped Candidate: 42 years for General candidate, 45 years for OBC candidate and 47 years for SC/ST candidates.

There would be a 5 year age relaxation if a candidate had ordinarily been domiciled in the State of Jammu & Kashmir during the period from the 1st January, 1980 to the 31st December, 1989.

Educational Qualification

Minimum Educational Qualification for IAS Prelims 2018

Candidates need to have the following minimum educational qualification to be eligible for writing Civil Services Preliminary Exam: 

• Bachelor’s Degree from any recognised University incorporated by an Act of the Central or State Legislature in India or other educational institutions established by an Act of Parliament or declared to be deemed as a University Under Section-3 of the University Grants Commission Act, 1956, or possess an equivalent qualification.
• Candidates who have appeared or intend to appear for the qualifying examination and are awaiting results are also eligible to appear for Preliminary Examination. However, they are supposed to submit the proof of passing in the requisite qualification along with detailed application form for Civil Services (Mains) Examination.

Syllabus

UPSC PRELIMS 2018 SYLLABUS: General Studies for IAS Prelims 2018, CSAT for IAS Prelims 2018

Syllabus for IAS Prelims 2018:

IAS Preliminary Examination comprises two papers General Studies Paper-I & General Studies Paper-II i.e. CSAT.

The syllabus of both these papers is given below: 

Paper I - General Studies

Maximum Marks: 200 

Duration : Two hours  

Paper II- Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT)

Maximum Marks: 200 

Duration: Two hours 

NOTE: The General Studies Paper II is qualifying in nature.

UPSC IAS प्रारंभिक परीक्षा पैटर्न और पाठ्यक्रम 2018 (हिंदी में) : यहाँ  देखें !

Exam Pattern

IAS PRELIMS 2018 PATTERN: General Studies, CSAT, Minimum Qualifying Marks for CSAT 2018

The Civil Services Preliminary Examination is objective type in nature. As per the latest IAS Exam 2018 pattern, there are 2 objective type papers in IAS Prelims 2018. These are:

1. General Studies Paper-I

2. General Studies Paper-II (CSAT)

Out of these two, marks for only General Studies-I are taken into consideration. Civil Services Aptitude Test or CSAT is merely qualifying in nature and the candidate has to score minimum marks prescribed by UPSC to qualify i.e. 33%.  

Both these exams are of 200 marks each. 

Note : The Civil Services Aptitude Test is merely of qualifying nature with minimum qualifying marks of 33% i.e. The UPSC will draw a list of candidates to be qualified for Civil Service Main Examination based on the criterion of minimum qualifying marks of 33% in General Studies PaperII of Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination and total qualifying marks of General Studies Paper-I of Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination as may be determined by the Commission. 

*Please note that the marks secured by the candidate in the preliminary examination will not be taken into consideration while preparing the final list of selected candidates.

Job Profile

Civil Services Examination conducting for recruitment to the Services and Posts mentioned below-
(i) Indian Administrative Service.
(ii) Indian Foreign Service.
(iii) Indian Police Service.
(iv) Indian P & T Accounts & Finance Service, Group ‘A’.
(v) Indian Audit and Accounts Service, Group ‘A’.
(vi) Indian Revenue Service (Customs and Central Excise), Group ‘A’.
(vii) Indian Defence Accounts Service, Group ‘A’.
(viii) Indian Revenue Service (I.T.), Group ‘A’.
(ix) Indian Ordnance Factories Service, Group ‘A’ (Assistant Works Manager, Administration).
(x) Indian Postal Service, Group ‘A’.
(xi) Indian Civil Accounts Service, Group ‘A’.
(xii) Indian Railway Traffic Service, Group ‘A’.
(xiii) Indian Railway Accounts Service, Group 'A'.
(xiv) Indian Railway Personnel Service, Group ‘A’.
(xv) Post of Assistant Security Commissioner in Railway Protection Force, Group ‘A’
(xvi) Indian Defence Estates Service, Group ‘A’.
(xvii) Indian Information Service(Junior Grade), Group ‘A’.
(xviii) Indian Trade Service, Group 'A'.
(xix) Indian Corporate Law Service, Group "A".
(xx) Armed Forces Headquarters Civil Service, Group ‘B’ (Section Officer’s Grade).
(xxi) Delhi, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Daman & Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli Civil Service, Group 'B'.
(xxii) Delhi, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Daman & Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli Police Service, Group 'B'.
(xxiii) Pondicherry Civil Service, Group 'B'.
(xxiv) Pondicherry Police Service, Group ‘B’.

Result

Prelims Exam Result : August 2018 (Tentative)

Cutoff

Civil Services Examination, 2017 official cut off 

In the Civil Services Examination 2017, the minimum qualifying standards/marks secured by the last recommended candidate in various categories at various stages are as under:-

*Cut off marks on the basis of GS Paper-I only. GS Paper-II was of qualifying nature with 33% marks as per Rule-15 of Civil Services Examination, 2017.
# Subject to 10% marks in each of the seven competitive papers i.e. Essay, GS-I, GS-II, GS-III, GS-IV, Optional-I and Optional-II.

Civil Services Examination: Last 7 year official cut off 

FAQs

FAQs:

Ques. How to prepare General Studies Paper-I to get maximum score in Civil services Examination?

Ques. How to prepare General Studies Paper-II to get maximum score in Civil services Examination?

Ques. I am appearing Civil Services Examination first time how can I start preparation?

Ques. How can I apply for IAS Prelims Recruitment 2018?

Ques. What is the basic eligibility criteria for UPSC IAS Recruitment 2018?

Ques. Please provide free Test Packages for UPSC IAS Recruitment 2018?

English : Click Here !   Hindi : Click Here !

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What will be safest score for UPSC IAS Prelims 2018?

Ans.   Expected safest score for UPSC IAS prelims examination will be 117+ marks. 

Ques. What is the educational qualification needed to appear in IAS exam?

Any degree (graduation). It may be regular or distant.The candidate must hold a degree of any of Universities incorporated by an Act of the Central or State Legislature in India or other educational institutions established by an Act of Parliament or declared to be deemed as a University Under Section-3 of the University Grants Commission Act, 1956, or possess an equivalent qualification.

Ques. Can final year students of graduation apply for UPSC CSE?

Ans.   Candidates who have appeared at an examination the passing of which would render them educationally qualified for the Commission’s examination but have not been informed of the results as also the candidates who intend to appear at such a qualifying examination will also be eligible for admission to the Preliminary Examination.

Ques.- Which is the language / medium of question papers?

The question papers (other than the literature of language papers) are set in bilingual i.e. Hindi and English only.

Ques.- Is there negative marking at Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination?

Candidates should note that there will be penalty (negative marking) for wrong answers marked by a candidate in the Objective Type Question Papers. There are four alternatives for the answers to every question.

(i) For each question for which a wrong answer has been given by the candidate, one-third (0.33) of the marks assigned to that question will be deducted as penalty.

(ii) If a candidate gives more than one answer, it will be treated as a wrong answer even if one of the given answers happen to be correct and there will be same penalty as above for that question.

(iii) If a question is left blank, i.e. no answer is given by the candidate; there will be no penalty for that question

Ques.- What is the scheme of Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination?

The Examination shall comprise of two compulsory papers of 200 marks each.

(i) Both the question papers will be of objective type (multiple choice questions).

(ii) The question papers will be set both in Hindi and English.

(iii) Each paper will be of two hours duration.

Ques.- If a candidate has applied for the Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination but has not appeared at any paper in the Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination will it be counted as an attempt?

No, an attempt is counted only if a candidate has appeared in at least one paper in Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination.

Ques.- Is an attempt at the Civil Service (Preliminary) Examination (CSP) counted as an attempt at the Civil Service Examination (CSE) ?

(i) An attempt at a Preliminary Examination shall be deemed to be an attempt at the Civil Services Examination.

(ii) If a candidate actually appears in any one paper in the Preliminary Examination, he/she shall be deemed to have made an attempt at the Examination.

(iii) Notwithstanding the disqualification/ cancellation of candidature, the fact of appearance of the candidate at the examination will count as an attempt.

Ques.- How many candidates sit for UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Exam?

The number of candidates applying for IAS Exam usually lies between 8-10 lakhs every year and this number is seen to be increasing every year. However, the number of candidates who appear for the IAS Preliminary Exam lies between 4-5 lakhs. This number is also witnessing an increasing trend every year. Out of these 4-5 lakh candidates, 13,000-16,000 qualify for IAS Mains. The number of candidates who are called to sit for IAS Mains Exam is usually 13-15 times the number of vacancies for that particular year. 

In 2014, a total of 9,44,926 candidates applied for the Civil Services Exam. Out of this, 4,51,602 candidates appeared for the IAS Prelims 2014. Similarly, in the year 2015, a total of 9,45,908 candidates applied for the Civil Services Exam, 2015. Out of this, 4.63 lakh candidates appeared for the IAS Prelims 2015. Similarly, in the year 2016, a total of 9,55,407 candidates applied for the Civil Services Exam, 2016. Out of this, 4.67 lakh candidates appeared for the IAS Prelims 2016. in the year 2017, a total of 11.36 lakh candidates applied for the Civil Services Exam, 2017. Out of this, 5.34 lakh candidates appeared for the IAS Prelims 2017. 

Ques.- What is meant by ‘fictitious payment’?

Those payments mentioned by the candidates in their online application, which are not authenticated by the State Bank of India, i.e. the designated bank managing the entire payment module (including managing the payment gateway), are called fictitious payments.

Ques.-How does the Commission resolve fictitious payment cases?

The applicants, whose payments are marked fictitious, are intimated through e‐mail to submit physical proof of payment to the Commission. These applicants are required to submit the proof within the time frame given in the email either by hand or by speed post to the Commission. In case, no response is received from the applicants, their applications are summarily rejected and no further correspondence is entertained in this regard.

Ques.-Can a candidate change his/her Community Status?

A candidate is eligible to get the benefit of community reservation if his/her caste/tribe is included in the reserved community as may be determined by the Central Government. The Commission does not entertain a request for change of community from unreserved to reserved category once the examination process is initiated. However, in some exceptional cases where a particular caste/tribe is included in the list of reserved community within 2‐3 months from the date of submission of application, the Commission may consider a request of change of community as a special case. In case of a candidate unfortunately becoming physically disabled during the course of the examination process, the candidate should produce valid document showing him acquiring a disability to the extent of 40% or more as mentioned in the relevant rules to enable him to get the benefits of PH reservation.  

Ques.- Can a candidate change the Date of Birth from what he/she has submitted in the online application?

The Commission does not allow change of Date of Birth that has been furnished by a candidate and recorded by the Commission on any ground whatsoever.

Ques.- What action is taken by the Commission in case of submission of false information by the candidates?

A candidate found to be furnishing false information to the Commission or suppressing information, adopting various unfair means in the examination like impersonation, etc., is liable to be disqualified or debarred from writing UPSC Examinations as decided by the Commission. A detailed stipulation in this regard is incorporated in the Rules of Examination/ Examination Notices.

Ques.-When are the e‐Admit Cards issued?

The eligible candidates shall be issued an e‐Admit Card around three weeks to four weeks before the commencement of the examination. The e‐Admit Card will be made available on the UPSC website [www.upsc.gov.in] for downloading by candidates. e‐Admit Card will not be sent by post.

Ques.- What items are banned at the Examination Venues?

(a) Mobile phones, smart watches, bluetooth, pagers or any other communication devices and IT gadgets are banned items and are therefore not allowed inside the premises where the examination is being conducted. Any infringement of these instructions shall entail disciplinary action including ban from future examinations.

(b)Candidates are advised in their own interest not to bring any of the banned items including mobile phones/bluetooth/pagers to the venue of the examination.

(c) Candidates are also advised not to bring any valuable/expensive items to the Examination Halls, as safety of such items cannot be assured. Commission will not be responsible for any loss in this regard.  

Ques.- What precautions should be taken while filling up the Online Application Form?

Please read the Official Notification instructions carefully before filling up the Online Application Form.

Ques.- What is RID?

RID is Registration ID, which is generated by the system when the applicant completes PART‐I registration of his/her application.

Ques.- What is TID?

TID is Transaction ID, which is given by the Bank official when the applicant deposits his/her fee in cash. It is automatically generated when Internet Banking or credit/debit card mode is used for making the fee payment.

Ques.- What is meant by Part I and Part II of the Application Form?

Online Application Form consists of two parts i.e. Part I and Part II.   

• Part I of the Application has personal details like name, father’s name, date of birth, address, educational qualification, age relaxation, scribe details (only for Persons with Disabilities candidates opting for scribe) and preferences of particular exam, etc.
• Part II of the Application consists of payment option for examination fee (only for those who are not exempted from payment of fee), centre of Examination along with uploading of photo/signature of the Candidate. Candidate has to complete both the Part I and Part II to be a Candidate of the said Examination.

Ques.- What is the provision for reservation in Civil Service Examination?

Reservation is made for candidates belonging to SC/ST/OBC and PH candidates in respect of vacancies as may be fixed by the Government.

Ques.- What is date for issue of Caste Certificate?

Candidates seeking reservation/ relaxation benefits available for SC/ST/OBC/PH/Ex-servicemen must ensure that they are entitled to such reservation/relaxation as per eligibility prescribed in the Rules/Notice. They should also be in possession of all the requisite certificates in the prescribed format in support of their claim as stipulated in the Rules/Notice for such benefits, and these certificates should be dated earlier than the due date (closing date) of the application for CSE (Prelims).

Ques.- Whether any posts are reserved for persons with disability (PH) in CSE ?

Yes. 3% of posts, 1% each for Visually Impaired (VI) , Hearing Impaired(HI) and Locomotor Disability and Cerebral Palsy(LDCP) is permissible in services (except those which have obtained exemption from M/o SJ&E) participating in CSE.