Knowing the UPSC Exam Pattern 2025 is the stepping stone to cracking one of India’s most challenging competitive exams. The UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE) is not only an examination—it’s a gateway to top jobs in India’s administrative, police, and foreign services.
No matter how tough it is rated as an exam, lakhs of candidates show up each year, hoping to serve the country and have a job of great reputation and accountability. Yet, gearing up for this examination needs a thorough idea about the pattern, marking system, as well as the weightage of topics.
This page offers an in-depth analysis of the UPSC Exam Pattern 2025, including the Prelims, Mains, and Interview phases, as well as information on the negative marking scheme and patterns of optional and language papers. Let us get started.
The UPSC CSE 2025 is conducted in three stages: Prelims, Mains, and the Interview. Here’s a summary of the key aspects:
The Prelims stage serves as a screening test and consists of two papers: General Studies (GS) and CSAT. Both papers are conducted on the same day in two separate sessions.
Number of Questions: 100
Total Marks: 200
Marking Scheme: +2 for correct answers; -0.66 for wrong answers
Time Duration: 2 hours
Number of Questions: 80
Total Marks: 200
Marking Scheme: +2.5 for correct answers; -0.83 for wrong answers
Time Duration: 2 hours
Both papers are objective in nature, with multiple-choice questions.
Choosing more than one answer is treated as incorrect, and the penalty is applied.
There is no negative marking for unattempted questions.
The Mains stage is designed to evaluate the candidate’s in-depth knowledge, analytical abilities, and writing skills. It consists of 9 descriptive papers.
Qualifying Papers: Papers A and B (Indian Language and English) require a minimum of 25% marks to qualify.
Total Marks for Merit: 1750 marks from the remaining seven papers (Essay, GS, and Optional).
There is no negative marking in the Mains stage.
Candidates can choose one optional subject from a list of 48 subjects, which include disciplines like History, Geography, Political Science, and Literature in various languages.
The final stage of the UPSC CSE is the Personality Test, commonly known as the Interview.
Total Marks: 275
Nature of Questions: Questions are generally opinion-based and cover topics like the candidate’s background, hobbies, current affairs, and hypothetical scenarios to test decision-making skills.
Panel Assessment: The interview panel assesses qualities like clarity of thought, leadership, integrity, and social cohesion.
The final merit is calculated by combining the marks from the Mains (1750) and Interview (275), making a total of 2025 marks.
It is critical to understand the UPSC Exam Pattern 2025 to strategically prepare. A review of the structure, marking system, and weightage of every stage aids in organizing a strategy for preparation.
Stay current, practice diligently, and be well-prepared with the correct material to crack the UPSC exam. Remember, success is the accumulation of steady efforts and sound planning. Good luck on your way to becoming a civil servant!
