UPSC Mains 2025 Begins Today: Important Last-Minute Strategy & Do’s & Don’ts

Last Minutes Tips for UPSC CSE Mains 2025: The UPSC has scheduled the CSE Mains exam to be held from 22 August 2025 till 31 August 2025. Candidates who are going to appear for the Mains exam are advised to have a checklist of the things that are required for the exam, at the exam centre, and for their personal use. Candidates must download their admit cards from the official website of UPSC. They are advised to check the exam venue properly to avoid any last minute hassles. 

Last Minute Tips for UPSC CSE Mains 2025

Candidates are required to have a self management plan like what they should do one day before the exam, on the exam day and after the exam. This self management plan will help them have a hold on the basic things that are a must before and during the exam. This self management plan can cover a variety of things like health, logistics, centre management, mindset and emotions. Candidates are required to manage all these factors.

• Health: A day before the exam, candidates must eat properly and should avoid any kind of food that can cause any health related concern. On the D-Day, candidates are advised to have a good breakfast and they should also take some food along with them to eat in the break. Avoid any kind of outside food. You can keep electrol, glucon-D, along with the water to energise your glucose levels.

• Logistics: Candidates are advised to plan before the exam day on how to reach the exam venue, its location (how far or near it is),etc. It is advisable to reach before the time at the exam centre.

• Centre Management: Those who are going to appear for the UPSC CSE Mains exam must reach the exam centre at least 60 minutes before the exam starts. The exam centres can be schools, colleges,and UPSC headquarters itself. Not every exam centre is well equipped with facilities like space for sitting. Therefore, the candidates should look for the place themselves.

• Once you reach the exam centre, properly check the list for your roll number and room number.

• Once you reach your allotted exam hall, check for the surroundings. If anything seems to be uneasy then ask the invigilator to get it changed because once the exam gets started these things will only waste your time.

• In the examination hall, don’t panic if anything like question paper is distributed late or you have made any mistake while filling the sheet. Just take a deep breath and continue.

• Mindset: The most important and vital part for the examination is a perfect mindset. The candidates must be feeling overwhelmed because the Mains examination is a tougher one to crack. Hence, a good mindset is a vital necessity for writing the exam properly.

Mistakes To Avoid for UPSC CSE Mains 2025

UPSC CSE Mains is going to be conducted from 22 August onwards. Candidates must be in their final stage of preparation. There will be certain things that need to be considered before going for the exam.

• Avoid Outside Food: Candidates are advised to not eat anything junk so that they do not fall ill before or during the exam.

• Check the Exam Centre: Candidates must download their admit cards and check for the exam centre properly to avoid the last minute hassles.

• Question Paper Reading: Once you get the question paper, read the questions properly and tick mark the questions which are easy for you to attempt. This will avoid you to make hasty choices and will save your time.

• Time Management: Each question requires an equal amount of time, so you should set the priority for picking up the questions. Select according to your level of understanding and the ease of the question.

UPSC CSE Mains Timetable: Exam Timings

The Union Public Service Commission is going to conduct the CSE Mains 2025 exam from 22 August 2025. The exam will be concluded on 31 August. Candidates are advised to download their admit cards from the official website. The UPSC CSE Mains exam consists of a total of 9 papers. As per the official schedule, the UPSC is going to conduct the Mains in two shifts on a daily basis for two consecutive weeks. Each paper will be of three hours duration. The Mains will start with the Essay paper being held on 22 August and then the General Studies (GS) paper followed by the Optional subjects. Have a look at the exam timings and schedule.

UPSC Mains 2025 Schedule PDF

Candidates who are appearing for the UPSC Mains exam must download the schedule PDF. The PDF consists of the detailed information about the date and timings of each paper.

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