Union Public Service Commission conducts the Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination which is common for the candidates applying for Civil Services Examination and Indian Forest Service Examination, and acts as a screening mechanism for selection of candidates for the Civil Services (Main) Examination and Indian Forest Service (Main) Examination.

Exam Dates :

Civil Services Mains: 3 December, 2016

CSAT (Prelims) Pattern :

The Preliminary Examination consists of two papers of Objective type (multiple choice questions) and carry maximum of 400 marks.

This exam is only a screening test; the marks obtained in the prelims are only for qualifying for main exam and are not counted for determining final order of merit.

Prelims Paper Duration Questions Marks
Paper I - General Studies 2 Hours 100 200
Paper II - Aptitude 2 Hours 80 200
Total 400

In General Studies Paper - II, minimum qualifying marks is 33%.

You will be selected for Mains exam based total qualifying marks of General Studies Paper - I.

Civil Services (Mains) Pattern


The pattern has changed from 2013 main examination.

The new pattern is:

# Paper Subject Marks
1 Paper A Indian Language (Qualifying) 300
2 Paper B English (Qualifying) 300
3 Paper I Essay 250
4 Paper II General Studies - I 250
5 Paper III General Studies - II 250
6 Paper IV General Studies - III 250
7 Paper V General Studies - IV 250
8 Paper VI Optional Subject Paper 1 250
9 Paper VII Optional Subject Paper 2 250
Total 1750
Interview (Personality Test) 275
Grand Total 2025