What is the UPSC Civil Services Examination 2025?
The UPSC (Union Public Service Commission) organizes the civil services exam every year to choose and hire people for the most prestigious government jobs in India. These jobs include roles like the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS), Indian Police Service (IPS), Indian Revenue Service (IRS) and more.
People who want to apply should know that the UPSC IAS 2025 exam notice will be out on 22nd January 2025 and the first round of the exam (called Prelims) will take place on 25th May 2025.
The UPSC 2025 exam is conducted in three stages: Prelims, Mains and Interview. Prelims are basically to filter out most of the candidates while Mains marks along with Personality Interview score are considered to calculate the final rank.
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| Exam Particulars | Details |
| Name of Exam | UPSC Civil Services Examination 2025 |
| Conducting Body | Union Public Service Commission |
| Posts | Group A and Group B Officers |
| Popular Services | IAS, IPS, IFS and IRS |
| Application Mode | Online |
| Mode of Exam | OMR/Pen and Paper Based |
| Selection Process | Prelims, Mains, Personality Test |
| Age Limit | 21 to 32 years (Relaxable) |
| Number of Attempts | 6 (Relaxable) |
| Starting Salary | INR 56,100/Month (7th Pay Commission) |
| Vacancies | 979 |
| Exam Help Desk | Helpline – SC/ST/OBC/EWS/PwBD (1800-118-711) |
| Official Website | upsc.gov.in |
What are the Important Dates for the UPSC Civil Services Examination 2025?
| UPSC 2025 Important Dates | Details |
| UPSC Notification 2025 Release | 22nd January 2025 |
| Application Process Start | 22nd January 2025 |
| Last Date to Fill Form | 11th February 2025 |
| UPSC Prelims 2025 | 25th May 2025 |
| UPSC Mains 2025 | 22nd August 2025 |
| Result of Civil Services (Prelims) Exam 2025 | To be announced after Prelims Exam |
| Result of Civil Services (Main) Exam 2025 | To be announced after Main Exam |
| UPSC Final Result 2025 | To be announced after Personality Test |
What are the steps for applying for UPSC CSE 2025?
Online Application Procedure for UPSC CSE 2025 Exam
- Step 1: Visit the official website upsc.gov.in.
- Step 2: Click on the OTR registration link
- Step 3: Fill in details including name, email and phone number as well as other personal, educational and contact information.
- Step 4: Upload your photograph, signature and other required documents.
- Step 5: Complete the application fee through online banking, debit card or credit card.
- Step 6: Check the UPSC Application Form 2025 and submit it by the deadline i.e. February 11, 2025.
UPSC Civil Services Application Fee 2025
Candidates applying for the UPSC Civil Services Exam are required to pay the following application fee as per their category:
| Category | Fee |
| General, EWS & OBC | INR 100 |
| SC, ST, PwD & Female | Nil |
UPSC Admit Card 2025
Based on past trends, UPSC ought to release the admit cards 2-3 weeks before the date of respective exams, i.e., 25th May 2025 for Prelims and 22nd August 2025 for the CSE Mains Exam 2025. You should note that UPSC releases the Admit Card for Civil Services Exams on their official websites through online mode only.
What are the steps to Download Admit Card?
To download your UPSC admit card, you must follow the steps mentioned below:
- Step 1: Visit upsc.gov.in and click on the “Admit Cards” link Or Go to upsconline.nic.in and click on the link for, “E-Admit Cards for various examinations of UPSC”.
- Step 2: You will then be redirected to a page where there is a list of the various UPSC exams for which e-admit cards are available.
- Step 3: Next, click on the link for “CIVIL SERVICES EXAMINATION, 2025.”
- Step 4: Enter your Roll no. or Registration ID to proceed.
- Step 5: The admit card will then open as a PDF. Download it and take a printout of it. You’ll need to carry the admit card to your exam center.
What are the Number of seats for the UPSC Civil Services Examination 2025 over the past few years?
| Year | Number of UPSC CSE Vacancies |
| 2024 | 1056 (appx) |
| 2023 | 1105 (appx) |
| 2022 | 1022 |
| 2021 | 712 |
| 2020 | 836 |
| 2019 | 927 |
What has been the trend of the number of applicants and appearing across each stage of the UPSC Civil Services Examination over the past few years?
| Year | Number of Students applied | Number of Students Who appeared for Prelims | Number of Students Who qualified for Mains | Number of Students Who appeared for Interview | Number of Students Who Cleared the Exam |
| 2007 | 333680 | 161469 | 9158 | 1883 | 553 |
| 2008 | 325433 | 167035 | 11669 | 2136 | 734 |
| 2009 | 409110 | 193091 | 11894 | 2431 | 881 |
| 2010 | 547698 | 269036 | 12271 | 2589 | 989 |
| 2011 | 499120 | 243236 | 11837 | 2415 | 965 |
| 2012 | 550080 | 271442 | 12795 | 2674 | 999 |
| 2013 | 776604 | 324279 | 14800 | 3001 | 998 |
| 2014 | 947428 | 446623 | 16706 | 3308 | 1122 |
| 2015 | 945908 | 465882 | 15008 | 2797 | 1236 |
| 2016 | 1128262 | 459659 | 15382 | 2961 | 1078 |
| 2017 | 969065 | 462848 | 13300 | 2564 | 1056 |
| 2018 | 1065552 | 500484 | 10419 | 1992 | – |
| 2019 | 1135261 | 493972 | 11845 | 2034 | 829 |
| 2020 | 1057948 | 4,82,770 | 10,564 | 2,053 | 796 |
| 2021 | 1093948 | 508619 | 10000 | – | 761 |
| 2022 | 11,35,697 | 5,73,735 | 13,090 | 2,529 | 933 |
What are the Exam Date and Age Limit for the UPSC Civil Services Examination 2025?
UPSC Exam Date 2025 includes Prelims and Mains Dates. UPSC 2025 Prelims are scheduled on 25 May 2025 and Mains on 22 August 2025. UPSC Interview Date will be announced after UPSC Mains 2025 Result.
UPSC 2025 Age Limit
According to the UPSC 2025 calendar, to appear in the UPSC 2025 exam, the candidates must meet the UPSC 2025 age limit. The aspirant must be between the age of 21 to 32 years as on August 1, 2025. There are certain age adjustments for certain categories:
- SC/ST: 5 years
- OBC: 3 years
- Persons with disabilities: 10 years
- UPSC Exam Pattern 2025 for Prelims
UPSC Prelims 2025 is scheduled for 25 May 2025. This phase consists of two exams: General Studies Paper I and General Studies Paper II (CSAT). Both papers are objective and carry negative marks for wrong answers.
Candidates must score above the UPSC Cutoff 2025 in Paper I to be eligible for the Mains examination, while Paper II is qualifying in nature and requires a minimum of 33% marks.
What is the Exam Pattern for the UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2025?
| Type | General Studies Paper 1 | General Studies Paper 2 (CSAT) |
| Questions | 100 types of MCQ objectives | 80 types of MCQ objectives |
| Marks | 200 Marks | 200 Marks |
| Negative Marks | +2 marks/question and -0.66 negative marks/question | +2.5 marks/question and -0.83 negative marks/question |
| Exam Duration | 2 hours | 2 hours |
| Minimum Cut-off for Qualification | 33% | – |
| Languages | English and Hindi | English and Hindi |
| Attendance | Mandatory | Mandatory |
What is the Exam Pattern for the UPSC Civil Services Mains Examination 2025?
Descriptive: The UPSC Mains exam pattern includes nine theory papers, all of which are descriptive in nature. Out of these nine papers, seven will be considered for making the merit list.
Optional Subject: Under UPSC Mains, candidates will have to choose one optional subject for the exam.
Evaluation of Essay, General Studies and optional papers of all candidates would be done simultaneously with the evaluation of their qualifying papers in “Indian Languages” and “English.
Minimum Qualifying Standards 25%: However Essay, General Studies and optional papers will be considered for only those candidates who secure 25% marks in Indian Language and 25% in English as minimum qualifying standards in these qualifying papers.
| Subjects | Details |
| Total Number of Papers | Qualification Papers: 2, Compulsory Papers: 7 |
| Languages of the Papers | English, Hindi |
| Descriptive Papers | Candidates can choose language papers from 22 languages listed in Schedule 8 of the Constitution of India. |
| Compulsory Papers | 1. Indian Language Paper, 2. English Paper, 3. Essay, 4. General Studies I, 5. General Studies II, 6. General Studies III, 7. General Studies IV |
| Optional Papers | Optional I, Optional II |
| Marks per Paper | Parts A and B: 300 marks each; General Studies and Optional: 250 marks each |
| Maximum Marks | 1750 |
| Duration of Each Paper | 3 hours |
| Test Medium | Part A and Part B: Relevant languages, General Studies: Language chosen by the candidate, Optional: English, Hindi, or Language of Literature |
What is the Pattern of the UPSC Civil Services Personality Test (Interview) 2025?
| Details | Information |
| Total Interview Points | 275 |
| Interview Venue | Dholpur House, New Delhi |
| Interview Medium | English, Hindi, or any other regional language chosen by the candidates |
| Dress Code | Formal attire or any other presentable dress |
| Eligibility | Candidates qualifying UPSC Mains |
What is the Syllabus of the UPSC Civil Services Preliminary and Mains Examination 2025?
| Category | Syllabus for Prelims | Syllabus for Mains |
| General Studies | Current events of national and international importance. | Comprehension, Precis Writing, Usage and Vocabulary, Short Essays, and Translation. |
| Indian and World Geography | General Topics: Indian Heritage and Culture, History and Geography of the World and Society. | |
| Economic and Social Development | Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice, and International Relations. | |
| Indian Polity and Governance | Technology, Economic Development, Biodiversity, Environment, Security and Disaster Management. | |
| General Science | Ethics, Integrity, and Aptitude. | |
| General issues on Environmental and Ecology | ||
| CSAT | Interpersonal skills including communication skills | |
| Decision-making and problem-solving | ||
| Logical reasoning and analytical ability | ||
| General mental ability | ||
| Basic numeracy (Class X level) | ||
| Data interpretation (charts, tables, graphs, data sufficiency, etc.) | ||
| Optional Papers | – | The syllabus of Optional Paper I and Optional Paper II will have graduate-level topics. |
What are the factors that affect the Cut-Off for Each Stage of the UPSC Civil Services Examination 2025?
The UPSC Cut Off is the minimum score needed to move to the next stage of the Civil Services Exam. It depends on factors like:
1. Hard exams lead to a lower cut off; easy exams raise it.
2. More vacancies lower the cut off.
3. Different cut offs for different categories (General, OBC, SC, ST).
4. Better performance raises the cut off.
5. More candidates and tougher competition increase the cut off.
Tie-Breaking: If candidates score the same, the one with higher marks in compulsory papers and the interview is ranked higher. If still tied, the older candidate ranks higher.
UPSC Prelims Cut Off Last 5 Years
| Category | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
| General | 75.41 | 88.22 | 87.54 | 92.51 | 98 |
| OBC | 74.75 | 87.54 | 89.12 | 89.12 | 95.34 |
| ST | 47.82 | 69.35 | 70.71 | 68.71 | 77.34 |
| SC | 59.25 | 74.08 | 75.41 | 74.84 | 82 |
| PWD 1 | 40.4 | 49.84 | 68.02 | 70.06 | 53.34 |
| PWD 2 | 47.13 | 58.59 | 67.33 | 63.94 | 44.66 |
| PWD 3 | 40.4 | 40.4 | 43.09 | 40.82 | 61.34 |
| PWD 5 | 33.68 | 41.76 | 45.8 | 42.86 | 61.34 |
| EWS | 68.02 | 82.83 | 80.14 | 77.55 | 90 |
UPSC Mains Cut Off for Previous 5 Years
| Category | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
| GENERAL | 741 | 748 | 745 | 736 | 751 |
| OBC | 712 | 714 | 707 | 698 | 718 |
| ST | 692 | 706 | 700 | 682 | 699 |
| SC | 694 | 699 | 700 | 680 | 706 |
| PWD 1 | 673 | 677 | 688 | 648 | 663 |
| PWD 2 | 718 | 706 | 712 | 699 | 698 |
| PWD 3 | 396 | 351 | 388 | 425 | 374 |
| PWD 5 | 445 | 419 | 560 | 300 | 561 |
| EWS | 706 | 715 | 713 | 687 | 696 |
UPSC Final Cut Off for Last 5 Years
| Category | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
| General | 953 | 960 | 953 | 944 | 961 |
| OBC | 919 | 923 | 910 | 907 | 925 |
| SC | 890 | 893 | 886 | 875 | 898 |
| ST | 891 | 900 | 883 | 876 | 893 |
| PWD 1 | 894 | 879 | 892 | 867 | 861 |
| PWD 2 | 930 | 913 | 932 | 910 | 890 |
| PWD 3 | 756 | 632 | 689 | 675 | 653 |
| PWD 5 | 589 | 590 | 701 | 465 | 708 |
| EWS | 923 | 926 | 916 | 894 | 909 |