UPSC CSE Exam Pattern (2026)
Everything you need to know about the exam pattern for the Civil Services Examination organized by Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). Tackle the high competition (~0.1% (Highly competitive with over 10 lakh applicants) success rate) and very hard difficulty with these detailed insights.
Stages & Pattern
Preliminary Examination
General Studies Paper-I (objective)
Duration: 2 hours mins | Marks: 200 | Negative Marking: 1/3rd mark deducted for each wrong answer
General Studies Paper-II (CSAT) (objective)
Duration: 2 hours mins | Marks: 200 | Negative Marking: 1/3rd mark deducted for each wrong answer
Main Examination
Qualifying Papers (Paper A & B) (descriptive)
Duration: 3 hours each mins | Marks: 300 each (Qualifying) | Negative Marking: No
Paper I: Essay (descriptive)
Duration: 3 hours mins | Marks: 250 | Negative Marking: No
Paper II: General Studies-I (descriptive)
Duration: 3 hours mins | Marks: 250 | Negative Marking: No
Paper III: General Studies-II (descriptive)
Duration: 3 hours mins | Marks: 250 | Negative Marking: No
Paper IV: General Studies-III (descriptive)
Duration: 3 hours mins | Marks: 250 | Negative Marking: No
Paper V: General Studies-IV (descriptive)
Duration: 3 hours mins | Marks: 250 | Negative Marking: No
Papers VI & VII: Optional Subject (descriptive)
Duration: 3 hours each mins | Marks: 250 marks each (Total 500) | Negative Marking: No
Personality Test (Interview)
Personality Test (verbal)
Duration: 30-40 minutes mins | Marks: 275 | Negative Marking: No