Exam Pattern Prelims Mains
Exam Mode Offline Offline
Exam Duration 2 papers of 2 hours each 9 papers of 3 hours each
Type of Paper Objective Descriptive
Type of Questions MCQs Descriptive
Total Number of Questions CSAT: 80 questions
GS: 100 questions		 Usually, 20 questions per paper
Total Marks 400 1750
Marking Scheme +2 for correct answer, negative marking of 1/3 of 2 marks No negative marking
Essentially, knowing the UPSC test pattern 2022 is critical to acing the UPSC exams. Everything you learn and prepare for during your IAS preparations must be calibrated to the IAS exam pattern in the end. That is how crucial the UPSC exam pattern topic is.
The UPSC test is divided into three levels in order to get to the real deal. The Prelims round, according to the test structure, is essentially an elimination round aimed to weed out the majority of unsuitable candidates.
Then comes the second phase, often known as the Mains round, which is the heart of the UPSC tests and the most critical step in the selection process.
Finally, the Personal interview round, which is designed to examine your personality and bureaucratic acumen, is the third level of the examination pattern.
IAS Exam Pattern for UPSC Prelims

The Prelims’ stage of IAS exam pattern 2022 consists of 2 papers, both conducted on the same day. The question type in both papers is objective with one right answer out of several multiple choices.

UPSC CSE Exam Pattern for Prelims - General Studies & CSAT

Assuming that the table given above is able to sufficiently inform you about the total marks and time duration of the 2 papers of the Prelims exams, there are some important points that I’d like to add: 

  • Paper 1, often known as the GS paper, consists of 100 questions with negative marking. Every correct answer will get you 2 points, while each incorrect response will cost you 1/3rd of that, or 66 points  You will not receive or lose any marks if you opt to leave questions unanswered.
  • Paper 2, often known as the CSAT paper, has 80 questions, the majority of which have negative grading. Each correct answer is worth 2.5 points, whereas incorrectly answering a question with negative marking is worth 1/3rd of that, or.83 points. Certain questions designed to test your decision-making abilities will not penalise you if you answer them incorrectly. In addition, queries that are left unanswered will not earn or cost you any points.
As I previously stated, the prelims paper is effectively a qualifying stage aimed to weed out unsuitable individuals from the examination process.

IAS Exam Pattern for UPSC Mains

The UPSC Mains examination consists of nine papers that are administered over a period of 5-7 days.
Only if you passed the prelims exam can you sit for the IAS Mains.
This entails obtaining more than the declared cut-off marks in Paper  1 and a minimum of 33% in Paper 2 of the  Prelims test.
UPSC CSE Exam Pattern for Mains - Qualifying (Language) & Merit (Esaay, GS & Optionals) Papers
Having said that, unlike the UPSC Prelims test, the UPSC Mains exam comprises of just Descriptive/subjective type questions for a total of 1750 marks, which means you’ll have to painstakingly write your responses rather than selecting the correct ones from a plethora of options.

Assuming you understood the table, here are some important points I’d like to add:  

  • Two of the UPSC Mains exam’s nine papers are qualifying language papers, namely English and any other Indian language. Each language paper has a maximum score of 300. In these two papers, a score of 25% is required to pass. The grades earned in these papers will not be used to determine a student’s ranking.
  • Both language papers feature 100-point essay questions, 60-point reading comprehension questions, 60-point precis writing questions, 40-point translation-based questions, and 40-point grammar-based questions.
  • If you don’t get at least 25% of the total 300 points in the two language papers, UPSC will not examine the remainder of your mains papers for further examination.
  • Apart from the two language papers, you can write all of the papers in any language you like as long as it is listed in the Indian Constitution’s 8th schedule.

IAS Exam Pattern for UPSC Interview Round  

The interview round is the final stage of the UPSC exams. If you are able to make it into this round, know that you did so by clearing through the written segments of one of the toughest exams in the world, and give yourself a pat on the back.

In this round, a panel of unbiased and competent individuals will take your interview in order to test your personality. 

The maximum marks allotted for the interview round for a candidate is 275, which brings the maximum marks of the final merit list to 2025 (1750 of the Mains exams + 275 of the interview round) 

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