# 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. - **Section:** Entrance exams · **Region:** India · **Difficulty:** hard - **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 - **You end up with:** A final rank allocating IAS, IPS, IFS and other Group A/B services - **Last reviewed:** 2026-09-05 · **Canonical:** https://for.do/p/upsc-civil-services/ ## Before you start - A bachelor's degree from a recognised university (final-year students may sit Prelims) - Age 21–32 on 1 August of the exam year for general; 35 OBC; 37 SC/ST; further relaxation for PwBD and ex-servicemen 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. ## 1. 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. ## 2. 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. ## 3. 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. ## 4. 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. ## 5. 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. ## 6. 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. ## 7. 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. ## 8. 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. ## 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. ## 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. ## Tools used - [UPSC Online (OTR)](https://find.do/t/upsc-online/) (official) — One Time Registration and applications for UPSC examinations. ## Sources - [UPSC — official notifications](https://upsc.gov.in) - [Insights on India — UPSC CSE 2026 notification summary](https://www.insightsonindia.com/2026/02/04/upsc-2026-notification/) - [Vajiram & Ravi — UPSC exam pattern 2026](https://vajiramandravi.com/upsc-exam/upsc-exam-pattern/)