UPSC Civil Services Exam FAQs: Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Conducts Civil Services Exam every year to fill the various posts in the Government Administration. Aspirants who have doubts about Civils Prelims and Mains Exam can follow the below section.
Here we have answered most of the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) that usually arise in the aspirant’s mind.
UPSC Civils Exam FAQ’s (Prelims, Mains, Online Application):
Q. How to get into the Civil Services of India?
A. Aspirants have to clear the exams conducted by the UPSC (Union Public Service Commission). Below are the exams conducted to get into Civil Services.
- Preliminary Examination (Objective Type)
- Mains Examination (Descriptive Type)
- Personal Interview (Final Round)
Q. What is the salary paid for an IAS Officer?
A. According to the 7th pay commission, the salary structure for an IAS Officer is as follow
- Basic pay for Entry Level IAS Officer is Rs. 56100 + Allowances (DA+ HRA +TA)
- The basic pay for Cabinet Secretary is Rs. 2,50,000 + Allowances (DA+ HRA +TA)
- HRA is 8-24% of the Basic Pay
- DA is around 107% of the Basic Pay and could be revised twice in a year.
Q. What is the age limit for UPSC Civils Exam?
A. As per the latest notification released by the Union Public Service Commission
Lower Age Limit is 21 Years & Upper Age Limit is as below
- 32 Years for General Category
- 35 Years for OBC Candidates
- 37 Years for SC/ST Candidates
- No Upper Limit for PH Candidates
Q. How many attempts are allowed to write UPSC Civils Exam?
A. The number of attempts permitted for the Civils Exam depends on the category of the candidate. Below is the count of attempts permitted according to the category.
| Category | No. Of Attempts |
| General | 6 Attempts |
| OBC | 9 Attempts |
| SC/ST | Unlimited (Up to the age mark of 37 Years) |
Q. Is there any negative marking in UPSC Civils Prelims Exam?
A. Yes, there is a negative marking for wrong answers, and for some of the questions, negative marking is inbuilt based on the appropriate and inappropriate answers.
Q. Can I Clear IAS Exam without Coaching?
A. Most of the aspirants believe that coaching for IAS Exam is a must. But there are many instances that have proved that one can clear UPSC Civils Exam without taking any coaching. All you need is proper planning and Time Management Skills. Of course, attending coaching centers for Civils Preparation will help you interact with co-aspirants and professors. Sharing thoughts with co-aspirants will make the preparation easier and interacting with the professors will give you proper guidance for the exam.
So taking coaching is always good but not compulsory. Self-study also gives you success only when you have a proper study plan.
Q. What is the Structure of the UPSC Prelims Exam?
A. All the questions in the prelims exam are objective type, Prelims Exam is carried out in two papers Paper I & Paper II
| Type of Paper | Subject | Description |
| Paper I | General Studies
(Objective Type) | This paper is a qualifying paper to write the Civils Mains Examination |
| Paper-II (CSAT) | Aptitude
(Objective Type) | The candidate must get at least 33% marks in this exam. Marks obtained in this exam will not be counted for writing Mains Exam |
Q. What is the Structure of the IAS Exam?
A. UPSC Civils Examination is conducted in 3 consecutive stages
- Preliminary Examination (Objective Type)
- Mains Examination (Descriptive Type)
- Personal Interview (Final Round)
Q. What is the Scheme of Civils Prelims Exam?
A. Preliminary Exam contains 2 papers, each paper contains a maximum of 200 marks.
- Paper I & Paper II are of Objective type
- The medium of questions are in English & Hindi
- Duration of the exam is 2 hrs
- UPSC Civils Prelims syllabus and pattern will available in the latest notification
Q. What is the Educational Qualification Required for UPSC Civils Exam?
A. To appear in Civils Exam, the candidate must complete their graduation (Regular or Distant) from any of the universities/Institutions recognized by the State/Central Government.
Scholarships to Study Abroad for Indian Students
FAQs on UPSC Civils Mains Exam:
Q. What are the Recommended Books for UPSC Civils Prelims and Mains Exam?
A. We have gathered the best & recommended textbooks for Civils Prelims and Mains Exam, Refer to our Article to check the list of popular textbooks for the Prelims and Mains Exam. Click Here to go there
Q. Can I crack UPSC Civils Exam without taking coaching?
A. Yes, you can, Refer to our article “How to Crack Civils Exam without taking Coaching”. Here we have given a detailed explanation to crack Civils Exam in 1st attempt.
Q. What is the scoring optional for UPSC Civils Mains Exam?
A. Union Public Service Commission has given an opportunity to the candidates to choose optional subjects from a list of 50 subjects. Read our article “How to Choose Optional Subject for UPSC Civils Mains” to get a clear idea about the selection of optional subjects.
Q. Will UPSC Board deduct marks for bad-hand writing?
A. UPSC may deduct marks of the candidate whose handwriting is not easily legible.
FAQs on UPSC Civil Services Exam Online Application:
Q. How to apply for UPSC Civils Exam Online?
A. Candidates who are willing to apply for the UPSC Civils Exam can visit the official website of “Union Public Service Commission” www.upsconline.nic.in to submit the application.
Q. Who can apply for UPSC Civils Exam?
A. Anyone who finished their graduation from any of the universities/institutes recognized by the Government of India and fulfills other requirements & Eligibility Criteria of UPSC can apply for the exam. Click Here to check all the eligibility criteria details given by UPSC.
Q. How to pay the fee for UPSC Civils Exam online?
A. You can pay the fee for Civils Exam in three ways
- Cash payment in State Bank Of India
- By using the Debit/Credit card
- By using SBI Internet Banking
Civils Exam Fee Payment Procedure through SBI:
One who wants to pay the fee by cash can download the challan from the official website of UPSC. You have to click on the option called “Download and Print Bank Challan”. After downloading Challan, take a printout and fill in the details. Pay the given amount in SBI. After completion of the payment process, the bank executive will give a Transaction ID. After getting the Transaction ID again log in to your account and complete the second part of the application submission.
Note: Candidates are not allowed to pay the fee by using any other banks except SBI.
Q. Is it necessary to send the hard copy of the submitted application to UPSC by post?
A. Once you have done with the application submission of Part I & Part II. It is not required to send the hard copy of the application to UPSC. After completion of the online application submission, all the details submitted are sent to UPSC online. But a candidate has to keep a hard copy for future reference.
Q. Which category candidates are exempted from the UPSC Civils Exam fee payment?
A. Below is the list of categories that are exempted from fee payment
- Candidates who belong to the category of SC/ST
- Candidates with disabilities
- Female candidates of all categories
Q. What are the sizes and formats to upload Photograph & Signature in UPSC Civils Online Application?
A. While filling the application form, candidates are required to upload scanned copies of the Latest Passport Size Photograph and Signature. Both of them are should be in “JPEG” or “JPG” format.
- The size of the photograph must not exceed 40 KB and must not be less than 3 KB.
- The size of the signature must be in between 1 KB to 40 KB
Q. What happens when we submit online applications multiple times?
A. Each candidate can submit the application only one time. Submitting the application multiple times without fee payment may lead to the rejection of the application.