The UPSC Prelims Exam Pattern consists of two papers: General Studies Paper 1 and Civil Services Aptitude Test or GS Paper 2. The GS paper 1 assesses a candidate's grasp of diverse subjects, including History, Geography, Polity, etc., while the CSAT evaluates the logical reasoning and analytical skills of the candidate. The Prelims serve as a filtering mechanism, allowing a limited number of candidates to progress to the Mains Examination.
| Paper Name | Time Duration | No. of Questions | Total Marks | Nature of Paper |
| G S Paper I | 2 hours | 100 | 200 | Marks considered for Merit |
| G S Paper II | 2 hours | 80 | 200 | Qualifying in nature (33% or 66 marks to get to qualify ) |
The UPSC Mains paper pattern is the core evaluation phase, comprising a mix of compulsory and optional papers. It includes language papers, essay writing, general studies papers, and optional subject papers. This stage delves deep into a candidate's understanding of subjects, their ability to articulate ideas, and their analytical prowess.
The written examination consists of 9 papers out of which 2 papers are qualifying in nature.
The marks obtained in the remaining 7 papers and the interview test together are considered for making the final merit.
| Serial No | Paper Name | Time Duration | Total Marks | Nature of Paper |
| 1 | Paper A Compulsory Indian Language Paper | 3hours | 300 | Qualifying in nature.(25% or 75 marks to get to qualify) |
| 2 | Paper BEnglishLanguagePaper | 3hours | 300 | Qualifying in nature.(25%or75marksto get to qualify) |
| 3 | Paper I Essay | 3 hours | 250 | Considered for Merit |
| 4 | Paper II General StudiesI | 3hours | 250 | |
| 5 | Paper III General Studies II | 3hours | 250 | |
| 6 | Paper IV General Studies III | 3 hours | 250 | |
| 7 | Paper V GeneralStudies IV | 3hours | 250 | |
| 8 | Paper VI Optional Paper I | 3 hours | 250 | |
| 9 | Paper VII Optional II | 3hours | 250 | |
| Total | 1750 | |||
| Interview/ Personality Test | 275 | |||
| Grand Total | 2025 |
There is negative marking and 1/3rd of the assigned marks to that question will be deducted for each incorrect answer in GS & CSAT papers in UPSC Prelims.
UPSC CIVILS INTERVIEW PATTERN:
- The interviews will be conducted by a panel of experts, including experienced bureaucrats, academicians, and subject-matter specialists including psychologists.
- The duration of the interview usually lasts for about 20-30 minutes.
- The venue of the UPSC Civils interviews will be at the UPSC office in New Delhi.
The details about cut off marks in UPSC CSE Prelims from 2015 onwards are given below:
| UPSC Prelims Cut Off Analysis from 2015 to 2023 | ||||||
| Year | Category | |||||
| General | EWS | OBC | SC | ST | PwBD 1 | |
| 2023 | 75.41 | 68.02 | 74.75 | 59.25 | 47.82 | 40.40 |
| 2022 | 88.22 | 82.83 | 87.54 | 74.08 | 69.35 | 49.84 |
| 2021 | 87.54 | 80.14 | 84.85 | 75.41 | 70.71 | 68.02 |
| 2020 | 92.51 | 77.55 | 89.12 | 68.71 | 74.84 | 70.06 |
| 2019 | 98 | 90 | 95.34 | 82 | 77.34 | 53.34 |
| 2018 | 98 | - | 96.66 | 84 | 83.33 | 73.34 |
| 2017 | 105.34 | - | 102.66 | 88.66 | 88.66 | 85.34 |
| 2016 | 116 | 110.66 | 99.34 | 96 | 75.34 | |
| 2015 | 107.34 | - | 106 | 94 | 91.34 | 90.66 |