What is the Age Limit for the UPSC Civil Services Exam?

To take the UPSC Civil Services Exam a candidate must fulfill the eligibility criteria of Age. A candidate must have attained the age of 21 years and must not have attained the age of 30 years on 1st August, 2011. It means he/she must have been born not earlier than 2nd August, 1981 and not later than 1st August, 1990. However, the upper age limit prescribed above will be relaxable in certain cases. These are as bellow -

1.    upto a maximum of five years if a candidate belongs to a Scheduled Caste or a Scheduled Tribe.

2.    upto a maximum of three years in the case of candidates belonging to Other Backward Classes who are eligible to avail of reservation applicable to such candidates.

3.    upto a maximum of five years if a candidate had ordinarily been domiciled in the State of Jammu & Kashmir during the period from the 1st January, 1980 to the 31st day of December, 1989.

4.    upto a maximum of three years in the case of Defence Services personnel disabled in operations during hostilities with any foreign country or in a disturbed area and released as a consequence thereof.

5.    upto a maximum of five years in the case of ex-servicemen including Commissioned Officers and ECOs/SSCOs who have rendered at least five years Military Service as on 1st August, 2011 and have been released (i) on completion of assignment (including those whose assignment is due to be completed within one year from 1st August, 2011) otherwise than by way of dismissal or discharge on account of misconduct or inefficiency, or (ii) on account of physical disability attributable to Military Service, or (iii) on invalidment.

6.    upto a maximum of five years in the case of ECOs/SSCOs who have completed an initial period of assignment of five years Military Service as on 1st August, 2011 and whose assignment has been extended beyond five years and in whose case the Ministry of Defence issues a certificate that they can apply for civil employment and that they will be released on three months notice on selection from the date of receipt of offer of appointment.

7.    upto a maximum of 10 years in the case of blind, deaf-mute and orthopaedically handicapped persons.