UPSC Exam Pattern 2025: IAS Prelims & Mains Exam Pattern, Marking Scheme

UPSC Exam Pattern 2025 is set by the Union Public Service Commission. The commission releases the exam pattern along with the official notification. It is important for candidates to understand the exam pattern comprehensively for each stage of the exam. However, the exam pattern hasn’t been revised by the commission since 2013. Any changes in the exam pattern are notified in the official notification. 

The IAS exam pattern is crucial and must be rigorously followed by candidates to prepare for the UPSC exam 2025. It allows you to understand the requirements of the exam and gives you an idea of where to begin your preparation for the various phases of the exam. 

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The IAS written exam is divided into two stages - Prelims and Mains, and the pattern is different for each stage. Both UPSC prelims and mains examinations must be prepared in parallel, so candidates should be aware of the UPSC exam pattern for both phases. 

UPSC Exam Pattern 2025: Highlights

The highlights of the UPSC IAS exam pattern are mentioned in the pointers below. Candidates who wish to apply for the UPSC CSE exam must read the following details related to the exam pattern below:

• The IAS exam is conducted in three phases: Prelims, Mains, and Interview
• The preliminary exam consists of two papers - General Studies I and Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT)
• The CSAT paper is qualifying in nature, while marks in GS I will decide whether a candidate is eligible to appear for the UPSC mains exam.
• The mains exam consists of nine papers, two of which are an English Language Paper and an Indian Language Paper.
• Both Language papers are qualifying in nature and will not be considered in the final merit list.
• The interview round is of 275 marks where the candidate’s personality and critical thinking is judged by the panel.

UPSC Prelims Exam Pattern 2025

The UPSC IAS Preliminary exam pattern as per the UPSC CSE notification 2025 is tabulated below:  

• The Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination will consist of two Objective type (multiple choice questions) papers with a total of 400 marks in various disciplines.
• This examination is meant to serve as a screening test only; the marks obtained in the Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination by the candidates who are declared qualified for appearing in the Civil Services (Main) Examination will not be counted for determining their final order of merit. 
• The number of applicants accepted to the Civil Services (Main) Examination will be about twelve to thirteen times the total estimated number of vacancies to be filled through this Examination throughout the year.

UPSC Prelims Exam Pattern 2025 - Marking Scheme

The UPSC IAS prelims exam consists of 400 marks. Paper I and Paper II are both worth 200 marks each. The UPSC prelims marking scheme is summarized below:

• The Paper I contains 100 questions of 2 marks each
• For each erroneous answer, there will be a negative marking of 1/3rd. In other words, if a candidate answers incorrectly, 0.66 will be additionally deducted.
• The CSAT paper, which is Paper II contains 80 questions of 2.5 marks each.
• In the CSAT paper, there is also a negative marking of one-third for each incorrect answer. That means that each wrong answer will result in a 0.83 marks deduction.

UPSC Mains Exam Pattern 2025

The UPSC Mains test comprises nine papers, each of which is held on different examination sessions/slots. The UPSC mains exam is a lengthy examination exercise, therefore applicants must be informed of the comprehensive exam pattern ahead of time in order to fully understand the requirements of the examination.

• The papers on Indian languages and English (Paper A and paper B) will be of Matriculation or equivalent standard and will be of qualifying nature. The marks obtained in these papers will not be counted for ranking.
• The paper A on Indian Language will not, however, be compulsory for candidates hailing from the States of Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Sikkim.
• Candidates with Benchmark Disability (only Hearing Impairment sub-category) will not be required to take Paper A on Indian Language as long as the relevant education Board/University has granted them such a waiver from 2nd or 3rd language courses.
• Marks obtained by the candidates for the Paper I-VII only will be counted for merit ranking. However, the Commission will have the discretion to fix qualifying marks in any or all of these papers.

List of Subjects in Indian Language Papers in the UPSC Mains Exam

Candidates appearing for the mains examination can choose one of the subjects out of the following:

List of Subjects in the UPSC Mains Optional Papers

Candidates appearing for the UPSC Mains examination are required to choose an optional paper. The optional exam consists of two papers of 250 marks each. The optional paper marks are taken into account while preparing the final merit list. Candidates may select any optional subject of their choice. Because applicants are free to select any optional subject, this is an excellent opportunity for them to score maximum marks and boost their chances of making into the final merit list. 

The list of subjects which can choose from their optional subject is as follows:

UPSC IAS Interview Pattern

The IAS Interview round is the final stage of the UPSC CSE exam. Candidates are invited to the interview phase primarily on the basis of their performance in the mains examination. Candidates must try to give their best in the interview round as it can create a difference of around 80-100 marks in the final calculation of marks thus increasing their probability of making it to the final merit list. Candidates will be sent a call letter with the date and time of the interview round.

• The UPSC Interview round is also called the Personality Test where the panel will judge the overall personality of the candidate in view of the job requirements.
• The UPSC Personality Test/Interview contains 250 marks.
• In the interview round, candidates will be asked questions based on the Detailed Application Form they filled out prior to the mains examination. The questions will often be related to the subject that the candidate studied during their graduation. They will also be questioned about their interests, hobbies, and current events.