UPSC Civil Services Exam: Prelims, Mains & Interview Explained
The UPSC Civil Services Examination has three stages. You must clear each to reach the next, and only the Mains and Interview marks count towards your final rank.
The three stages
| Stage | Format | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Preliminary | Two objective papers (GS Paper I and CSAT). CSAT is qualifying. | A screening test — marks do not count towards the final rank. |
| Main | Nine descriptive papers (Essay, GS I–IV, two Optional papers, two qualifying language papers). | The core written exam — counts towards your rank. |
| Personality Test | Interview before a UPSC board. | Assesses suitability for a career in public service — counts towards your rank. |
Always confirm the current scheme and marks in the official UPSC notification.
How to plan across the stages
- Build your base with NCERTs — Read the standard NCERTs to cover fundamentals across History, Polity, Geography, Economics and Science.
- Layer standard references — Add one standard book per subject and current affairs. Avoid collecting too many sources.
- Solve PYQs by topic — Tag at least 10 years of Prelims and Mains questions to your syllabus to see what repeats.
- Practise answer writing daily — For Mains, daily answer writing matters more than reading more. Quality and structure win marks.