UPSC Civil Services (IAS/IPS/IFS) Requirements & Prerequisites
Everything you need to know before registering for the UPSC Civil Services (IAS/IPS/IFS), eligibility, cost, format, and what to expect on exam day.
Cost
~$15 (INR 100)
Provider
Union Public Service Commission
Validity
Annual exam
Available
India
Education
Check official exam requirements
Experience
3-5+ years of professional experience typically required
Specific Requirements
- A graduate degree from a university incorporated by an Act of the central or a state legislature in India, from an institution established by an Act of Parliament, or from an institution declared a deemed university under Section 3 of the University Grants Commission Act, 1956, or an equivalent qualification. There is no minimum percentage, no subject requirement and no work experience requirement. Final-year students may apply and sit the written stages, but anyone called for the Personality Test must produce proof of passing within the time limit in Rule 13; MBBS, BDS and veterinary candidates must also show completion of internship. Age: at least 21 and under 32 on 1 August of the examination year. For the 2026 cycle that means born no earlier than 2 August 1994 and no later than 1 August 2005. The upper limit relaxes by five years for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe candidates, three years for Other Backward Classes candidates eligible for reservation, ten years for Persons with Benchmark Disability, five years for ex-servicemen with at least five years of military service, and three years for defence personnel disabled in operations. A candidate covered by both a category and a service-based clause may claim cumulative relaxation. UPSC states the age limits can in no case be relaxed beyond these provisions, and the date of birth accepted is the one in the matriculation or secondary school leaving certificate, with no later change permitted. Nationality: for the IAS, IPS and IFS the candidate must be a citizen of India. Certain other services are also open to subjects of Nepal and Bhutan, Tibetan refugees who came to India before 1 January 1962 with the intention of settling permanently, and persons of Indian origin who migrated from specified countries with the intention of settling permanently, subject to a certificate of eligibility issued by the Government of India. Candidates must also meet the physical standards in Appendix III of the Rules.
Number of Questions
Preliminary Examination: two objective papers of 200 marks each. UPSC's Examination Notice fixes the marks and the two-hour duration but does not state an item count; the count is printed inside the paper itself, and UPSC's published General Studies Paper I reads "This Test Booklet contains 100 items (questions)." UPSC publishes no equivalent count for Paper II in any document on its site, and the recent Paper II scans carry no text layer, so the widely quoted 80 is a figure UPSC does not itself print. Main Examination: UPSC's own 2025 question papers show TWENTY questions in each of General Studies Papers I, II and III, and TWELVE questions divided into two sections in General Studies Paper IV on Ethics. The Essay paper and both optional papers are conventional essay type.
Duration
Preliminary Examination: two papers of 120 minutes each, both on one day. Main Examination: nine written papers of 180 minutes each, spread across five days. Personality Test: one sitting at UPSC's Dholpur House office in New Delhi, with no duration published by the Commission. Persons with Benchmark Disability in the categories of blindness, locomotor disability affecting both arms and cerebral palsy receive compensatory time of 20 minutes per hour of examination.
Question Format
Preliminary: multiple choice items with four alternatives, including statement-based items answered through a code, Preliminary Paper II: comprehension, interpersonal and communication skills, logical reasoning, analytical ability, decision making, problem solving, basic numeracy and data interpretation, Main: conventional essay-type answers with a word limit and marks printed against each question or part, Main General Studies IV: case studies in a separate section alongside conceptual questions on ethics, integrity and aptitude, Main Essay paper: two essays chosen from a set of topics, written to a fixed word count, Personality Test: an unstructured interview by a UPSC board carrying 275 marks with no minimum qualifying mark
Passing Requirement
There is no fixed pass mark; the cut-off is whatever the last recommended candidate scored, and it moves every year with the vacancy count and paper difficulty. UPSC published the 2025 cut-offs as follows. Preliminary, on General Studies Paper I alone: General 92.66, EWS 89.34, OBC 92.00, SC 84.00, ST 82.66. Main written, out of 1,750: General 739, EWS 706, OBC 717, SC 700, ST 694. Final, out of 2,025: General 963, EWS 926, OBC 931, SC 905, ST 902.
How It Is Delivered
Pen and paper at UPSC-allotted centres. The Preliminary Examination is held at centres across India, the Main Examination at a smaller set of centres, and the Personality Test only in New Delhi. Candidates download an e-Admit Card from upsconline.nic.in on the last working day of the week preceding the examination; UPSC sends no admit card by post or email. Face authentication at the venue is mandatory for every candidate.
Languages Offered
English, Hindi (both Preliminary papers are set in Hindi and English), Any of the 22 languages in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution as the medium for the Main Examination merit papers
Visit the official Union Public Service Commission certification page
Create an account and select your exam
Choose a test center or online proctoring option
Pay the exam fee and schedule your date
Score Scale
Preliminary Examination: two papers of 200 marks each, 400 in total, none of which counts toward the final merit list. Main Examination: two qualifying papers of 300 marks each, then seven merit papers of 250 marks each for a written total of 1,750, plus a Personality Test of 275 marks, giving a grand total of 2,025.
Score You Need
There is no fixed pass mark; the cut-off is whatever the last recommended candidate scored, and it moves every year with the vacancy count and paper difficulty. UPSC published the 2025 cut-offs as follows. Preliminary, on General Studies Paper I alone: General 92.66, EWS 89.34, OBC 92.00, SC 84.00, ST 82.66. Main written, out of 1,750: General 739, EWS 706, OBC 717, SC 700, ST 694. Final, out of 2,025: General 963, EWS 926, OBC 931, SC 905, ST 902.
How It Is Calculated
Raw marks, not scaled scores. The Preliminary Examination is compensatory within General Studies Paper I but conjunctive against General Studies Paper II, which must reach 33 per cent independently. Wrong answers cost one-third of the marks for that question, and marking more than one option is treated as wrong. At the Main stage the two language papers are conjunctive gates at 25 per cent each, and the Mains cut-off is additionally subject to 10 per cent in each of the seven merit papers; above those floors the seven papers and the Personality Test are compensatory and simply add. Ties are broken first on the five compulsory papers plus the Personality Test, then on the five compulsory papers alone, then in favour of the older candidate.
When You Get Results
There is no unofficial or provisional score at any stage. The 2025 cycle ran as follows: Preliminary Examination on 25 May 2025, Main Examination in August 2025, Main written result on 11 November 2025, final result on 6 March 2026. For the 2026 cycle the Preliminary Examination was held on 24 May 2026 and the written result name list was published on 18 June 2026. UPSC releases marks, cut-offs and answer keys for a cycle only after the entire cycle closes, which is typically several months after the final result.
In raw terms: UPSC publishes no scaling table because it does not scale. The published cut-offs are raw marks. For the 2025 General category, 92.66 of 200 at Prelims is 46.3 per cent, 739 of 1,750 at Mains is 42.2 per cent, and 963 of 2,025 in the final reckoning is 47.6 per cent.
- Two forms of valid ID (one government-issued with photo)
- Appointment confirmation email
- For online proctoring: webcam, microphone, clean desk, stable internet
What are the prerequisites for the UPSC Civil Services (IAS/IPS/IFS)?
A graduate degree from a university incorporated by an Act of the central or a state legislature in India, from an institution established by an Act of Parliament, or from an institution declared a deemed university under Section 3 of the University Grants Commission Act, 1956, or an equivalent qualification. There is no minimum percentage, no subject requirement and no work experience requirement. Final-year students may apply and sit the written stages, but anyone called for the Personality Test must produce proof of passing within the time limit in Rule 13; MBBS, BDS and veterinary candidates must also show completion of internship. Age: at least 21 and under 32 on 1 August of the examination year. For the 2026 cycle that means born no earlier than 2 August 1994 and no later than 1 August 2005. The upper limit relaxes by five years for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe candidates, three years for Other Backward Classes candidates eligible for reservation, ten years for Persons with Benchmark Disability, five years for ex-servicemen with at least five years of military service, and three years for defence personnel disabled in operations. A candidate covered by both a category and a service-based clause may claim cumulative relaxation. UPSC states the age limits can in no case be relaxed beyond these provisions, and the date of birth accepted is the one in the matriculation or secondary school leaving certificate, with no later change permitted. Nationality: for the IAS, IPS and IFS the candidate must be a citizen of India. Certain other services are also open to subjects of Nepal and Bhutan, Tibetan refugees who came to India before 1 January 1962 with the intention of settling permanently, and persons of Indian origin who migrated from specified countries with the intention of settling permanently, subject to a certificate of eligibility issued by the Government of India. Candidates must also meet the physical standards in Appendix III of the Rules..
How much does the UPSC Civil Services (IAS/IPS/IFS) cost?
The UPSC Civil Services (IAS/IPS/IFS) exam costs ~$15 (INR 100). This includes the exam fee only, study materials are additional.
How do I register for the UPSC Civil Services (IAS/IPS/IFS)?
Visit the official Union Public Service Commission certification page → Create an account and select your exam → Choose a test center or online proctoring option → Pay the exam fee and schedule your date
What should I bring to the UPSC Civil Services (IAS/IPS/IFS)?
Two forms of valid ID (one government-issued with photo). Appointment confirmation email. For online proctoring: webcam, microphone, clean desk, stable internet.
Ready to prepare for UPSC Civil Services (IAS/IPS/IFS)?
Get the complete exam guide with study plan, tips, and practice questions.
View UPSC Civil Services (IAS/IPS/IFS) Guide