UPSC IAS Eligibility, Exam Dates, Pattern, Syllabus 2023

UPSC Civil Services Exam 2022 Important Exam Dates

UPSC will release the Civil Service 2023 Exam notification on 01 February 2023. The online applications will be accepted until 21 February 2023. There Prelims exam will held on 28th May 2023 as per the UPSC calendar. For full details you can checkout the below table.

Events	Important Dates
UPSC CSE 2023 Notification Release Date	1st February 2023
Availability of Online Application Form	1st February 2023
Last Date of Online Application Form	21st February 2023
UPSC IAS 2023 Prelims Exam	28th May 2023
Prelims Exam Result	June 2023
UPSC IAS Mains Exam	August 2023
UPSC IAS Final Result Announcement Date	January 2023

UPSC IAS Eligibility Criteria

Candidate must check the eligibility criteria for the IAS Exam 2023 before applying for the exam. Below is the list of eligibility criteria the candidates must follow.

Education Qualification

The candidate must have graduated from a recognized university or hold an equivalent qualification.
Those in their final year can apply for the IAS 2023 exam as well
A candidate with professional and technical qualifications recognized by the government as equal to technical and professional degrees may also apply.

Age Limit and Number of Attempts

Candidates aged 21 to 32 can apply for the IAS Exam 2023 if they have attained 21 years of age and less than 32 years as of August 2023. However, age relaxation varies from category to category.

Category	Minimum Age Limit	Maximum Age Limit	Number of Attempts
General	21	32	6
OBC	21	35	9
SC/ST	21	37	No Limits
EWS	21	32	9

IAS 2023 Nationality Requirements

In order to qualify for the IAS Exam, candidates must meet the following nationality criteria. The candidate must be:

A citizen of India,
A subject of Nepal
A subject of Bhutan, Or
A Tibetan refugee who came to India before 1st January 1962 to settle in India permanently or
A person of Indian origin who has migrated from Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, East African countries of Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Zaire, and Vietnam intending to settle in India permanently.

IAS Exam 2023 Application Fee

General and OBC candidates need to pay a sum of INR 100 while SC/ST/PWD and Female candidates are expmepted from paying any fees. IAS application fees can be paid online or offline. For online payments, candidates can use a credit card, debit card, Rupay card or Internet Banking. The fee can be paid offline by downloading the e-challan and paying it in cash at any SBI bank branch the following day.

IAS Exam Application Procedure

Visit UPSC’s official website.
On the Home Page, click UPSC IAS Application Form.
Fill out the registration form by entering your details.
Once you have provided your email address and phone number, you will receive a registration ID and password. Now, log in with your registration ID and password.
Fill out the rest of the form with all verified information and upload the scanned documents. Make the payment for the application form.
Check all the details again and submit the application.

Candidate should keep all the required documents with themselves before filling out the application form. These documents are listed below.

Valid email id and mobile number.
Scanned photograph and signature
Valid photo ID card details.
Personal and academic details
Fee payment details debit/ credit card, etc.

UPSC IAS Exam Pattern

There are two papers for the IAS Preliminary Exam (first phase of the exam), which is an objective MCQ-based exam. The UPSC Mains Exam (second phase) is a descriptive exam with nine papers. In the final round of the IAS Exam, candidates who have cleared the Mains stage will be summoned to a Personality Test with UPSC board members.

UPSC IAS Prelims Exam

Name of the Paper	Marks	Number of Questions	Time	Nature of Exam
Paper I: General Studies	200	100	2 hrs	Used in deciding Cut Off Marks for Mains Exam
Paper-II: General Studies-II (CSAT)	200	80	2 hrs	Qualifying Nature. Candidates will have to score 33% to qualify.

UPSC IAS Mains Exam

Name of the Paper	Subject	Nature of paper	Total marks	Type of Paper	Duration
Paper A	Compulsory Indian language	Qualifying	300	Descriptive	3 hours
Paper B	English	Qualifying	300	Descriptive	3 hours
Paper I	Essay	Merit	250	Descriptive	3 hours
Paper II	General Studies I	Merit	250	Descriptive	3 hours
Paper III	General Studies II	Merit	250	Descriptive	3 hours
Paper IV	General Studies III	Merit	250	Descriptive	3 hours
Paper V	General Studies IV	Merit	250	Descriptive	3 hours
Paper VI	Optional I	Merit	250	Descriptive	3 hours
Paper VII	Optional II	Merit	250	Descriptive	3 hours

UPSC IAS 2023 Exam Syllabus

UPSC IAS Exam Syllabus For Prelims Examination

General Studies Paper-I

Current Events of National and International Importance.
History of India and Indian National Movement.
Indian and World Geography: Physical, Social, Economic Geography of India and the World.
Indian Polity and Governance: Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues, etc.
Economic and Social Development: Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives, etc.
General Issues on Environmental Ecology, Bio-diversity and Climate Change: that do not require subject specialization General Science.

General Studies Paper-II

Interpersonal skills including communication skills
Logical reasoning and analytical ability
Decision-making and problem solving
General mental ability
Basic numeracy (numbers and their relations, orders of magnitude, etc.) – Class X level)
Data interpretation (charts, graphs, tables, data sufficiency, etc. – Class X level)

UPSC IAS Exam Syllabus For Main Examination

Paper-I (Essay)

A candidate may be required to write essays on a variety of topics. In these essays, candidates should arrange their thoughts in an organized manner and write concisely.

Paper-II (General Studies-I: Indian Heritage and Culture, History and Geography of the World and Society)

Indian culture will cover the salient aspects of Art Forms, Literature & Architecture from ancient to modern times.
Modern Indian History from about the middle of the eighteenth century until the present- significant events, personalities, issues.
The Freedom Struggle – its various stages and important contributors /contributions from different parts of the country.
Post-independence consolidation and reorganization within the country.
History of the World will include events from the 18th century, such as Industrial Revolution, World Wars, redraw of national boundaries, colonization, decolonization, political philosophies like communism, capitalism, socialism, etc., – their forms and effects on the society.
Salient features of Indian Society, Diversity of India. Role of women and women’s organizations, population and associated issues, poverty and developmental issues, urbanization, their problems and their remedies. Effects of globalization on Indian society – Social empowerment, communalism, regionalism & secularism.
Salient features of the world’s physical geography.
Distribution of key natural resources across the world (including South Asia and the Indian sub-continent); factors responsible for the location of primary, secondary, and tertiary sector industries in various parts of the world (including India); Important Geophysical phenomena, such as earthquakes, tsunami, volcanic activity, cyclones, etc., geographical features and their location – changes in critical geographical features (including waterbodies and ice-caps) and in flora and fauna and the effects of such changes.

Paper-III (General Studies- II: Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice and International Relations)

Indian Constitution- historical underpinnings, evolution, features, amendments, significant provisions, and basic structure.
Functions and responsibilities of the Union and the States, issues and challenges pertaining to the federal structure, devolution of powers and finances up to local levels and challenges therein.
Separation of powers between various organs, dispute redressal mechanisms and institutions.
Comparison of the Indian constitutional scheme with that of other countries, Parliament and State Legislatures – structure, functioning, the conduct of business, powers & privileges and issues arising out of these.
Structure, organization, and functioning of the Executive and the Judiciary, Ministries and Departments of the Government; pressure groups and formal/informal associations and their role in the Polity.
Salient features of the Representation of People’s Act.
Appointment to various Constitutional posts, powers, functions, and responsibilities of various Constitutional Bodies.
Statutory, regulatory, and various quasi-judicial bodies, Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.
Development processes and the development industry – the role of NGOs, SHGs, various groups and associations, donors, charities, institutional and other stakeholders.
Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Center and States and the performance of these schemes; mechanisms, laws, institutions and Bodies constituted for the protection and betterment of these vulnerable sections.
Issues related to development and management of Social Sector/Services in the field of Health, Education, Human Resources.
Issues related to poverty and hunger.
Important aspects of governance, transparency, and accountability, e-governance – applications, models, successes, limitations, and potential; citizens charters, transparency & accountability and institutional and other measures.
Role of Civil Services in a democracy.
India and its neighbourhood – relations. Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests, Indian diaspora.
Important International institutions, agencies and fora- their structure, mandate.

Paper-IV (General Studies-III: Technology, Economic Development, Bio diversity, Environment, Security and Disaster Management)

Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization of resources, growth, development and employment. Inclusive growth and issues arising from it.
Government Budgeting. Major crops cropping patterns in various parts of the country, different types of irrigation and irrigation systems storage, transport and marketing of agricultural produce and issues and related constraints;
E-technology in the aid of farmers Issues related to direct and indirect farm subsidies and minimum support prices;
Public Distribution System- objectives, functioning, limitations, revamping; issues of buffer stocks and food security; Technology missions; economics of animal-rearing.
Food processing and related industries in India- scope and significance, location, upstream and downstream requirements, supply chain management.
Land reforms in India. Effects of liberalization on the economy, changes in industrial policy and their effects on industrial growth.
Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways etc.
Investment models. Science and Technology- developments and their applications and effects in everyday life Achievement of Indians in science & technology; indigenization of technology and developing new technology.
Awareness in the fields of IT, Space, Computers, robotics, nano-technology, bio-technology and issues relating to intellectual property rights.
Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment Disaster and disaster management.
Linkages between development and spread of extremism.
Role of external state and non-state actors in creating challenges to internal security.
Challenges to internal security through communication networks, the role of media and social networking sites in internal security challenges, basics of cyber security; money-laundering and its prevention.
Security challenges and their management in border areas; linkages of organized crime with terrorism Various Security forces and agencies and their mandate

Paper-V (General Studies- IV: Ethics, Integrity, and Aptitude)

This paper will include questions to test the candidates’ attitude and approach to issues relating to integrity, probity in public life and his problem-solving approach to various issues and conflicts faced by him in dealing with society. Questions may utilize the case study approach to determine these aspects.

The following broad areas will be covered. Ethics and Human Interface: Essence, determinants and consequences of Ethics in human actions; dimensions of ethics; ethics in private and public relationships.

Human Values – lessons from the lives and teachings of great leaders, reformers and administrators; the role of family, society and educational institutions in inculcating values.
Attitude: content, structure, function; its influence and relation with thought and behaviour; moral and political attitudes; social influence and persuasion.
Aptitude and foundational values for Civil Service, integrity, impartiality and non-partisanship, objectivity, dedication to public service, empathy, tolerance and compassion towards the weaker sections.
Emotional intelligence-concepts, and their utilities and application in administration and governance. Contributions of moral thinkers and philosophers from India and the world.
Public/Civil service values and Ethics in Public administration: Status and problems; ethical concerns and dilemmas in government and private institutions; laws, rules, regulations and conscience as sources of ethical guidance; accountability and ethical governance; strengthening of ethical and moral values in governance; ethical issues in international relations and funding; corporate governance.
Probity in Governance: Concept of public service; Philosophical basis of governance and probity;
Information sharing and transparency in government, Right to Information, Codes of Ethics, Codes of Conduct, Citizen’s Charters, Work culture, Quality of service delivery, Utilization of public funds, challenges of corruption. Case Studies on the above issues.

Exam Name	UPSC Civil Services Exam (Popularly known as IAS Exam)
Conducting Body	Union Public Service Commission (UPSC)
Exam Level	National
Frequency	Once a year
Application Mode	Online
Selection Process	Prelims Mains Personality Test or Interview
Mode of Exam	Offline
Official Website	https://www.upsc.gov.in/