UPSC IAS Civil Services 2026 — Eligibility, Exam Pattern & Syllabus
The Civil Services Examination (CSE) — commonly the "IAS Exam" — is UPSC's flagship recruitment for IAS, IPS, IFS and other Group A/B central services.
- Exam: Civil Services Examination (CSE), conducted by UPSC
- Structure: Prelims (qualifying) → Mains (9 papers, 1,750 merit marks) → Interview (275 marks) = 2,025 total
- Eligibility: Bachelor's degree, age 21-32 (General), 6 attempts (General), more for reserved categories
- Leads to: IAS, IPS, IFS, IRS and other All-India/Group A services; starting Pay Level 10
- 2026 cycle: notification 4 Feb 2026, Prelims 24 May 2026, Mains ~21 Aug 2026 — exact vacancy/deadline figures conflict across sources, verify on upsc.gov.in
Overview
| Exam | Civil Services Examination (CSE) |
| Conducted by | UPSC |
| Structure | Prelims (qualifying) → Mains (1,750 marks) → Interview (275 marks) |
| Age | 21-32 (General), 21-35 (OBC), 21-37 (SC/ST) |
| Attempts | 6 (General), 9 (OBC), unlimited (SC/ST, within age limit) |
Eligibility
- Bachelor's degree from a recognized university; final-year students may apply.
- *Age 21-32 (General), with OBC/SC/ST/PwBD relaxations up to 35/37+ — exact PwBD relaxation years unconfirmed.
- Attempts: 6 (General), 9 (OBC), unlimited for SC/ST within the age limit.
Selection Process & Exam Pattern
- Prelims (qualifying, not counted in final merit): Paper I General Studies (200 marks) + Paper II CSAT (200 marks, qualifying 33%).
- Mains (9 papers): 2 qualifying language papers (300 marks each, not counted) + Essay (250) + GS I-IV (250 each = 1,000) + Optional Paper I & II (250 each = 500). Merit-counting Mains total: 1,750 marks.
- Interview: 275 marks. Grand total: 2,025 marks.
Syllabus
Prelims GS I: current events, history, polity, economy, environment, science, geography. CSAT: comprehension, reasoning, decision-making, basic numeracy.
Mains: Essay; GS I (history/geography/society), GS II (polity/governance/IR), GS III (economy/environment/security/tech), GS IV (ethics); 2 papers in one Optional subject (from ~48 options); qualifying English + Indian-language papers.
Pay Scale
Starting Pay Level 10 (7th CPC), basic ₹56,100/month for IAS/IPS/IFS/IRS entry posts, rising to Pay Level 18 (₹2,50,000, Cabinet Secretary) at the career top. *Gross starting pay (₹80,000-1,00,000/month cited) is unverified.
Recommended Reference Books
- Polity: M. Laxmikanth
- History: NCERT + Spectrum's Modern India
- Geography: NCERT + G.C. Leong
- Economy: Ramesh Singh
- Environment: Shankar IAS
- *General community consensus, not an official UPSC list.
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What is the total marks for UPSC CSE?
2,025 marks for final merit — 1,750 from Mains (Essay + GS I-IV + Optional) plus 275 from the Interview. Prelims is qualifying only and not counted.
How many attempts are allowed?
6 for General category, 9 for OBC, and unlimited (within the age limit) for SC/ST candidates.
What does clearing UPSC CSE lead to?
Allotment to All India Services (IAS, IPS, IFoS via separate exam) or Central Group A services (IFS, IRS, etc.) based on rank and preference.
Sources
Exam structure and marks breakdown are well-corroborated. 2026 vacancy count and exact application deadline conflict across secondary sources (24 vs 27 Feb) — verify against the official notification PDF before publishing.
Notes for UPSC IAS Civil Services 2026
Zenith publishes syllabus-mapped notes for this exam in Hindi and English — written to the current pattern, reviewed by subject experts, and corrected from the feedback of students who were selected. Read one complete unit free before you decide.
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UPSC IAS Civil Services 2026 — नोट्स
ज़ेनिथ इस परीक्षा के लिए पाठ्यक्रम-आधारित नोट्स हिन्दी एवं अंग्रेज़ी दोनों माध्यमों में प्रकाशित करता है — वर्तमान पैटर्न के अनुसार तैयार, विषय-विशेषज्ञ द्वारा समीक्षित, और चयनित विद्यार्थियों की प्रतिक्रिया से संशोधित। निर्णय से पहले एक पूरी यूनिट निःशुल्क पढ़ें।
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