UPSC IAS Exam Pattern 2024 - Prelims, Mains IAS Exam Pattern
UPSC Exam Pattern 2024 is released by the Union Public Service Commission for IAS exam. Candidates who aspire to become an IAS officer must have complete knowledge of the IAS exam pattern that is divided into Prelims, Mains and Interview. A complete understanding of IAS exam pattern gives an advantage in strategizing for the country's toughest exam UPSC IAS exam. Go through this post to get complete knowledge about IAS exam pattern, marking scheme, paper pattern and more.
UPSC Exam Pattern 2024
Candidates who appear for the UPSC IAS 2024 exam. must have a complete understanding of the UPSC IAS exam pattern. UPSC has divided the UPSC IAS exam pattern 2024 into three stages. The first stage is the IAS Prelims exam followed by Mains and lastly interview. The UPSC prelims exam has objective type of questions while Mains is conventional in nature. Furthermore, the Prelims is qualifying in nature. Hence, marks scored by a candidate in Mains and Interview is used to determine the merit list of candidates suitable for an appointment as IAS/IFS/IRS, etc. The UPSC exam pattern has remained the same since 2013. Go through this post to get more knowledge about the IAS exam pattern for UPSC IAS 2024 exam.
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UPSC Exam Pattern for Prelims
UPSC exam pattern for Prelims consists of two papers that are conducted on a single day. Both the papers of IAS Prelims are objective in nature. Marks scored by candidates in IAS GS Paper 1 will be used to select candidates for the Mains exam. On the other hand, the candidates have to obtain at least 33% in IAS GS Paper 2.
UPSC IAS Prelims Exam consists of two papers of 200 marks each containing objective-type multiple-choice questions. The time duration for IAS Prelims to attempt each paper is 2 hours. The marks secured at the Prelims stage are not counted towards the final merit list, though candidates have to prepare well for this exam to pass through the qualifying cutoff as cut-offs are unpredictable and depend on the average score every year. The details of UPSC Prelims Exam pattern are mentioned below:
| IAS Prelims Exam Pattern | |||
| Name of the Paper | No. of Questions | Total Marks | Nature of Exam |
| General Studies Paper- I | 100 | 200 | Considered for cut-off |
| General Studies Paper-II (Aptitude Test) | 80 | 200 | Qualifying |
You may also go through the following UPSC IAS articles:
Negative Marking in UPSC IAS Prelims
There is negative marking associated with every wrong answer in UPSC Prelims Exam. 1/3rd of the total marks allotted to a question will be deducted if it is wrongly answered.
- Visually Impaired candidates will be given an additional time of 20 minutes (Each Paper) to complete the Preliminary exam.
- The Question Paper is bilingual i.e. asked in both English & Hindi
UPSC IAS Mains Exam Pattern
The UPSC IAS Main exam consists of a total of 9 papers which include two qualifying papers and seven merit-based papers. Each paper will be of three hours duration. Only those candidates who secure at least the declared cut off in General Studies I and 33% in General Studies II in Prelims are allowed to appear for the Mains Examination. As per the UPSC IAS Mains exam pattern, all of the papers consist of descriptive answer-type questions. All the papers except the Language papers A and B can be answered in English or any of the languages listed in the 8th Schedule of the Constitution of India. The optional papers can be answered in English even if none of the other papers has been answered by the candidate in English.
| UPSC IAS Mains Exam Pattern | |||
| Paper | Subject Name | Duration | Total Marks |
| Paper A | Compulsory Indian Language* | 3 Hours | 300 |
| Paper B | English ** | 3 Hours | 300 |
| Paper I | Essay | 3 Hours | 250 |
| Paper II | General Studies - I | 3 Hours | 250 |
| Paper III | General Studies - II | 3 Hours | 250 |
| Paper IV | General Studies - III | 3 Hours | 250 |
| Paper V | General Studies - IV | 3 Hours | 250 |
| Paper VI | Optional Subject - Paper I | 3 Hours | 250 |
| Paper VII | Optional Subject - Paper II | 3 Hours | 250 |
| Total | 1750 | ||
*One of the Indian languages to be selected by the candidate from the languages included in the Eighth Schedule to the constitution
*Paper A is not compulsory for candidates from the States of Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Sikkim as well as candidates with hearing impairment provided they can prove that they have been exempted from such 2nd or 3rd language courses by their concerned board or university.
**Paper A & B are of qualifying nature
List of Optional Subjects for UPSC IAS Mains Exam
Candidates can choose any one optional subject from the list below:
- Agriculture
- Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science
- Anthropology
- Botany
- Chemistry
- Civil Engineering
- Commerce and Accountancy
- Economics
- Electrical Engineering
- Geography
- Geology
- History
- Law
- Management
- Mathematics
- Mechanical Engineering
- Medical Science
- Philosophy
- Physics
- Political Science and International Relations
- Psychology
- Public Administration
- Sociology
- Statistics
- Zoology
- The literature of any one of the following languages: Assamese, Bengali, Bodo, Dogri, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Maithili, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Odia, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Santhali, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu and English.
IAS Main Previous Year Question Papers
UPSC IAS Personality Test/ Interview
As per the UPSC IAS exam pattern, the aspirants who qualify the UPSC mains exam are called for the Personality Test. The UPSC interview is for 275 marks. This stage is highly crucial for any candidates who is appearing in this stage. The marks cored by a candidate in this stage is used in determining the merit list of successful candidates.
The UPSC IAS Personality Test/interview is conducted by the UPSC board to assess the candidates’ suitability for a career in civil services and associated responsibilities. The board consists of competent and unbiased observers who have a record of the candidate’s academic, professional as well as personal information which the candidate submitted in the DAF. The board would judge the candidate’s mental and social traits by asking questions of general interest. Some of the qualities that the board looks for are mental alertness, critical powers of assimilation, clear and logical exposition, a balance of judgment, variety, and depth of interest, ability for social cohesion and leadership, and intellectual and moral integrity.
UPSC Prelims: Download Previous Years' Question Papers with Solution
FAQs on UPSC IAS Exam Pattern
What is UPSC IAS Exam Pattern?
UPSC IAS Exam Pattern is the paper pattern that is notified by the UPSC for IAS exam. The IAS exam pattern consists of Prelims, Mains and Interview. A candidate has to qualify each stage to be eligible to be appointed as an IAS officer.
What is UPSC Prelims Exam Pattern?
UPSC Prelims exam pattern consists of two papers, General Studies Paper 1 and General Studies Paper 2 (CSAT). Both papers are objective in nature. UPSC IAS Prelims Paper 1 marks will be used to weed out candidates for the Mains exam while GS paper 2 is qualifying in nature where one has to score at least 33% in it.
Is UPSC IAS exam objective in nature?
Yes, UPSC IAS exam is objective in nature. he Prelims exam is objective in nature while the IAS Mains paper is subjective.
Is there a change in the UPSC IAS exam pattern 2024?
No, No changes have been made in the UPSC IAS exam pattern 2024. The paper pattern has remained the same as the previous year.