Plan of the UPSC Civil Services Main Examination 2011

The UPSC Civil Services Examination comprises two successive stages, (1) Civil Services (Preliminary) Examinations (Objective Type) and (2) Civil Services (Main) Examination (Written and Interview). The Preliminary Examination is for the selection of candidates for the Main Examination and the Main Examination is for the selection of candidates for the various services and posts finally.

The Preliminary examination (Prelims) is meant to serve as a screening test only; the marks obtained in the Preliminary Examination by the candidates who are declared qualified for admission to the Main Examination are not counted for determining their final order of merit. The number of candidates to be admitted to the Main Examination is about twelve to thirteen times the total approximate number of vacancies to be filled in the year in the various Services and Posts. Only those candidates who are declared by the Commission to have qualified in the Preliminary Examination in the year will be eligible for admission to the Main Examination.
 
The Main Examination consists of a written examination and an Interview Test. The written examination consists of 9 papers of conventional essay type in the subjects listed by the UPSC for the IAS Main exam. The Commission fixes minimum qualifying marks every year at their discretion. However, the papers on Indian Languages and English are of qualifying nature. The marks obtained in these papers will not be counted for ranking. The candidates who obtain the minimum qualifying marks set by the Commission in the written part of the Main Examination are called for an interview/for a Personality Test further.

The number of candidates to be called for the interview is about twice the number of vacancies to be filled. The interview carries 300 marks (with no minimum qualifying marks). Marks thus obtained by the candidates in the Main Examination (written part as well as interview) would determine their final ranking. Candidates will be allotted to the various Services keeping in view their ranks in the examination and the preferences expressed in the filled Main exam form by the candidates for the various Services and Posts.