The full form of State PCS is State PSC is the State Public Service Commission while that of UPSC is Union Public Service Commission. UPSC conducts the country top level exam which is the UPSC Civl Servies exam or UPSC IAS exam. UPSC IAS and State PCS 2025 exams are conducted annually to appoint candidates for the Civil Service. Both the exams are Group A and B services. Candidates have to appear for a competitive exam to be eligible for an appointment into the service. The recruitment process for UPSC and State PCS exams usually involves three stages. The first stage is the Prelims followed by Mains and lastly an interview. The UPSC exam, BPSC, MPPSC, UPPSC, etc. recruits candidates into the government job through the three stages.
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The full form of State PCS is State PSC is the State Public Service Commission while that of UPSC is Union Public Service Commission. UPSC conducts the country's top-level exam which is the UPSC Civl Servies exam or UPSC IAS exam. UPSC IAS and State PCS 2025 exams are conducted annually to appoint candidates for the Civil Service. Both the exams are Group A and B services. Candidates have to appear for a competitive exam to be eligible for an appointment into the service. The recruitment process for UPSC and State PCS exams usually involves three stages. The first stage is the Prelims followed by Mains and lastly an interview. The UPSC exam, BPSC, MPPSC, UPPSC, etc. recruits candidates into government job through the three stages.
UPSC and State PCS appoint candidates for administrative posts. The UPSC Civil Services and State PCS exams are the country’s top-level government jobs for which candidates in lakhs apply for each year. The syllabus for UPSC IAS exam is vast, comprehensive and detailed. On the other hand, the State PSC syllabus has questions based on the State’s culture, geography, history, etc. It is less vast as compared to that of the UPSC exam. Let us look at the details of the State PCS and UPSC exam.
The UPSC conducts a wide range of exams. It conducts exams all India examinations from the field of Defence, Engineering, Medical, etc. Out of all the exams that are conducted byn the UPSC, UPSC Civil Services examination or UPSC IAS exam is the most sought after exams. Here is a list of all the exams that are conducted by the UPSC annually.
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UPSC All Exams List |
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Civil Services Examination (UPSC IAS) |
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Engineering Services Examination (ESE/IES) |
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Combined Medical Services Examination |
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Combined Defence Services Examination (CDS Exam) |
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National Defence Academy Examination (NDA Exam) |
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Indian Forest Service Examination |
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Indian Economic Service/Indian Statistical Service Examination |
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Combined Geoscientist and Geologist Examination |
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Central Armed Police Forces(Assistant Commandant) Examination (CAPF AC Exam) |
Each state in India conducts its own State PCS exam to recruit candidates for Group A and B posts. State Public Service Commissions conduct their own examinations to appoint candidates in the respective states. Here is a list of all the PSC exams that are conducted in India.
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ANDHRA PRADESH PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION (APPSC) |
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ARUNACHAL PRADESH PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION (APPSC) |
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ASSAM PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION (APSC) |
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BIHAR PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION (BPSC) |
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CHHATISGARH PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION (CGPSC) |
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GOA PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION (Goa PSC) |
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GUJARAT PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION (GPSC) |
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HARYANA PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION (HPSC) |
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HIMACHAL PRADESH PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION (HPPSC) |
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JAMMU & KASHMIR PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION (JKPSC) |
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JHARKHAND PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION (JPSC) |
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KARNATAKA PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION (KPSC) |
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KERALA PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION (Kerala PSC) |
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MADHYA PRADESH PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION (MPPSC) |
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MAHARASHTRA PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION (MPSC) |
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MANIPUR PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION (Manipur PSC) |
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MEGHALAYA PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION |
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MIZORAM PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION |
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NAGALAND PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION |
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ORISSA PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION (OPSC) |
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PUNJAB PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION (Punjab PSC) |
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RAJASTHAN PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION (RPSC RAS) |
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SIKKIM PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION (SKPSC) |
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TAMIL NADU PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION (TNPSC) |
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TELANGANA STATE PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION (TSPSC) |
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TRIPURA PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION (TPSC) |
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UTTAR PRADESH PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION (UPPSC) |
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UTTARAKHAND PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION (UKPSC) |
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WEST BENGAL PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION (WBPSC) |
Lakhs of candidates apply for the UPSC IAS and State PSC exams each year. The number of candidates who apply for the UPSC exam is, however, more as compared to the State PSC exams. The eligibility criteria to apply for the UPSC IAS and State PCS exams is almost identical. The upper age limit is usually higher for the State PCS exams though. Check the following table to know about the UPSC IAS and State PSC eligibility criteria.
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UPSC IAS and State PCS Eligibility |
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Educational Qualification |
Graduation from any discipline |
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Age Limit |
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Number of Attempts |
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The UPSC exam calendar is released on 15th May 2025 for all the UPSC exams. Check the table below to know the exam dates, notification dates of the exams.
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Name of examination |
Date of notification |
Last Date for Receipt of Applications |
Date of Commencement of Exam |
Duration of Exam |
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Reserved for UPSC RT/ Examination |
— |
— |
10.01.2026 (Saturday) |
2 Days |
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Reserved for UPSC Examination |
— |
— |
17.01.2026 (Saturday) |
2 Days |
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Combined Geo-Scientist (Preliminary) Examination, 2026 |
03.09.2025 |
23.09.2025 |
08.02.2026 (Sunday) |
1 Day |
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Engineering Services (Preliminary) Examination, 2026 |
17.09.2025 |
07.10.2025 |
08.02.2026 (Sunday) |
1 Day |
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CBI (DSP) LDCE |
24.12.2025 |
13.01.2026 |
28.02.2026 (Saturday) |
2 Days |
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CISF AC(EXE) LDCE-2026 |
03.12.2025 |
23.12.2025 |
08.03.2026 (Sunday) |
1 Day |
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NDA & NA Examination (I), 2026 |
10.12.2025 |
30.12.2025 |
12.04.2026 (Sunday) |
1 Day |
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CDS Examination (I), 2026 |
10.12.2025 |
30.12.2025 |
12.04.2026 (Sunday) |
1 Day |
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Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination, 2026 |
14.01.2026 |
03.02.2026 |
24.05.2026 (Sunday) |
1 Day |
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Indian Forest Service (Preliminary) Examination, 2026 through CS(P) |
14.01.2026 |
03.02.2026 |
24.05.2026 (Sunday) |
1 Day |
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Reserved for UPSC RT/ Examination |
— |
— |
06.06.2026 (Saturday) |
2 Days |
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IES/ISS Examination, 2026 |
11.02.2026 |
03.03.2026 |
19.06.2026 (Friday) |
3 Days |
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Combined Geo-Scientist (Main) Examination, 2026 |
— |
— |
20.06.2026 (Saturday) |
2 Days |
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Engineering Services (Main) Examination, 2026 |
— |
— |
21.06.2026 (Sunday) |
1 Day |
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Reserved for UPSC RT/ Examination |
— |
— |
04.07.2026 (Saturday) |
2 Days |
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Central Armed Police Forces (ACs) Examination, 2026 |
18.02.2026 |
10.03.2026 |
19.07.2026 (Sunday) |
1 Day |
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Combined Medical Services Examination, 2026 |
11.03.2026 |
31.03.2026 |
02.08.2026 (Sunday) |
1 Day |
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Reserved for UPSC Examination |
— |
— |
08.08.2026 (Saturday) |
2 Days |
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Civil Services (Main) Examination, 2026 |
— |
— |
21.08.2026 (Friday) |
5 Days |
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NDA & NA Examination (II), 2026 |
20.05.2026 |
09.06.2026 |
13.09.2026 (Sunday) |
1 Day |
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CDS Examination (II), 2026 |
20.05.2026 |
09.06.2026 |
13.09.2026 (Sunday) |
1 Day |
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Reserved for UPSC RT/ Examination |
— |
— |
26.09.2026 (Saturday) |
2 Days |
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Reserved for UPSC RT/ Examination |
— |
— |
10.10.2026 (Saturday) |
2 Days |
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Reserved for UPSC RT/ Examination |
— |
— |
31.10.2026 (Saturday) |
2 Days |
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Indian Forest Service (Main) Examination, 2026 |
— |
— |
22.11.2026 (Sunday) |
7 Days |
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SO/Steno (GD-B/GD-I) LDCE |
16.09.2026 |
06.10.2026 |
12.12.2026 (Saturday) |
2 Days |
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Reserved for UPSC RT/ Examination |
— |
— |
19.12.2026 (Saturday) |
2 Days |
There is a sharp contrast between the UPSC Civil Services and State PCS examination. UPSC is an All India Level exam conducted at the Central level while the State PCS exams are conducted at the State level by the respective State Governments. Candidates are appointed as Indian Administrative Services (IAS), Indian Police Services (IPS), Indian Revenue Services (IRS) and Indian Foreign Services (IFS), etc through UPSC exam. On the other hand, the candidates are appointed to the post of Deputy Superintendent of Police, Block Development Officer, Assistant Commissioner (Commercial Tax), Superintendent Jail, Treasury Officer/Accounts Officer (Treasury), etc through the State PCS exams. Let us look at the other difference between the State PCS and UPSC exams.
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Difference Between UPSC IAS and PCS Officer |
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Full Form |
UPSC full form is Union Public Service Commission |
Full Form of State Public Service Commission |
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Article of the Indian Constitution |
It is a constitutional body according to Article 315 of the Indian Constitution. |
State PCS’s are constitutional entities according to Article 315 of the Indian Constitution. |
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Recruitment mode |
Candidates are appointed throug the All India Civil Services Exam |
Candidates are appointed through the State PCS examinations held by the respective state. |
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Salary |
The basic per month salary of an UPSC IAS officer is Rs.56,100 |
The entry-level PCS officer salary is Rs.56100-132000 (Pay Level 10) |
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Appointed by |
The President of India appoints the IAS Officer. |
The Governor of the State appoints the PCS Officer. |
Check the list of government exams: