What is the structure?

Prelims: two objective papers (GS Paper I counts for the cutoff; CSAT is qualifying at 33%). Mains: nine descriptive papers — two qualifying language papers, Essay, GS I–IV and two optional papers, 1,750 marks. Interview: 275 marks.

For 2026: Prelims on 24 May, Mains from 21 August. Notification is usually in February with about three weeks to apply.

Can I write Mains in Hindi or a regional language?

Yes. Mains answers (except the language papers themselves) can be written in English or any Eighth Schedule language; the choice is made on the DAF.

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Prepare for the UPSC Civil Services Examination

Prelims in late May, nine Mains papers from late August, and an interview the following spring — the three-stage structure, the attempt and age rules, and a 15-month plan.

Time: 12–18 months of preparation · Prelims May · Mains Aug–Sep · Interview Jan–Apr next year
Cost: ₹100 application fee (women/SC/ST/PwBD exempt); books and optional coaching extra
Reviewed: 5 Sept 2026; 8 steps · 19 checks

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The Civil Services Examination is a three-stage filter run once a year by the Union Public Service Commission: a screening Prelims, a nine-paper Mains, and a Personality Test. Roughly ten lakh apply, about a thousand are selected, and the whole cycle from notification to final list runs a year. The single most important planning fact is that Prelims and Mains are the same syllabus at different depths.

Check age, attempts and eligibility

Age is counted on 1 August of the exam year: 21–32 general, up to 35 OBC, 37 SC/ST, with PwBD relaxation.
Attempts: 6 general, 9 OBC, unlimited SC/ST within age. Sitting any Prelims paper uses one.
Degree from a recognised university; final-year students may apply for Prelims and must produce the degree before Mains.

Read the syllabus and the last ten years' papers first

Download the official syllabus PDF; it is short and precise, and every question maps to a line in it.
Read ten years of Prelims and Mains papers before opening a book. It sets the depth for everything after.

Choose the optional early

Shortlist by your degree, interest, and material availability; write one previous-year answer for each shortlisted optional.
Commit by month two. The optional is 500 marks and needs a year of answer writing.

The 15-month plan

Months 1–8: NCERTs (VI–XII in History, Geography, Polity, Economy, Science) then one standard book per GS subject; daily newspaper with a monthly current-affairs compilation.
Months 9–12: Mains answer writing three times a week, optional Paper I and II fully covered, essay practice fortnightly.
Last 3 months before Prelims: Prelims-only mode — 30+ full-length tests, CSAT practice weekly, revision of facts.

Apply when the notification appears

Register on upsconline.gov.in (One Time Registration) before the February notification, then apply within the window (about three weeks).
Fee ₹100; women, SC/ST and PwBD candidates are exempt.
Choose Prelims centre and Mains centre carefully; changes are limited to the correction window.

Prelims (24 May 2026)

Two papers on one day: GS Paper I (100 questions, 200 marks, −⅓ negative) and CSAT (80 questions, qualifying at 33%).
Attempt strategy: three passes — sure, probable, skip; do not touch the skip pile.

Mains (from 21 August 2026)

Nine papers over about a week: Essay, GS I–IV, Optional I–II, plus the two qualifying language papers (25% to pass).
Fill the Detailed Application Form (DAF) carefully when Prelims results come; the interview board reads it line by line.

Interview and final list

Personality Test of about 30 minutes for 275 marks, at UPSC's Delhi office, between January and April.
Final rank = Mains 1,750 + Interview 275; service allocation follows rank and preference.

Questions

What is the structure?: Prelims: two objective papers (GS Paper I counts for the cutoff; CSAT is qualifying at 33%). Mains: nine descriptive papers — two qualifying language papers, Essay, GS I–IV and two optional papers, 1,750 marks. Interview: 275 marks.
When is it?: For 2026: Prelims on 24 May, Mains from 21 August. Notification is usually in February with about three weeks to apply.
Can I write Mains in Hindi or a regional language?: Yes. Mains answers (except the language papers themselves) can be written in English or any Eighth Schedule language; the choice is made on the DAF.

Sources

The numbers above come from these pages. If a fee or date here disagrees with the source, the source wins.

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Where people get this wrong

Counting an attempt only if you write Mains. Appearing in even one Prelims paper counts as an attempt: six for general, nine for OBC, unlimited for SC/ST within the age limit.
Preparing Prelims and Mains separately. The syllabus overlaps heavily; a Mains-first reading with Prelims fact-drilling in the last three months beats two separate cycles.
Treating CSAT as a formality. Paper II (CSAT) is qualifying at 33%, and it fails a meaningful number of strong Paper I candidates every year.
Choosing the optional by popularity. The optional carries 500 of the 1,750 Mains marks; pick the one you can write two 250-mark papers in, not the one topping last year's list.

Tools used

UPSC Online (OTR) (official) — One Time Registration and applications for UPSC examinations.

More, by task, on find.do.

Prepare for the UPSC Civil Services Examination

Check age, attempts and eligibility

Read the syllabus and the last ten years' papers first

Choose the optional early

The 15-month plan

Apply when the notification appears

Prelims (24 May 2026)

Mains (from 21 August 2026)

Interview and final list

Questions

Sources

See also

Prepare for CAT (MBA entrance)

Prepare for GATE

1Check age, attempts and eligibility

2Read the syllabus and the last ten years' papers first

3Choose the optional early

4The 15-month plan

5Apply when the notification appears

6Prelims (24 May 2026)

7Mains (from 21 August 2026)

8Interview and final list

Questions

Sources

See also

Prepare for CAT (MBA entrance)

Prepare for GATE

Check age, attempts and eligibility

Read the syllabus and the last ten years' papers first

Choose the optional early

The 15-month plan

Apply when the notification appears

Prelims (24 May 2026)

Mains (from 21 August 2026)

Interview and final list