How Many Attempts Are There for the UPSC?

A huge population of Indian youth is running the race for government jobs. Once they complete their high school education, they start planning to prepare for government jobs. Similarly, cracking UPSC is a dream of lakhs of students in India. Some wish to serve the nation and some dream of prestige. Every year, lakhs of candidates appear for the exam, but only a few can clear it. The journey of a UPSC aspirant is purely based on motivation and the commitment to achieve their goal. That is why, those who are unable to make it to the end, continue with their hard work for subsequent attempts.

Is it possible to appear in the same exam multiple times? Hw many attempts are there for UPSC? The questions most of the aspirants struggle with. Therefore, we took this blog to discuss the total number of attempts in UPSC and whether there is any age relaxation.

Overview of the UPSC Exam

UPSC stands for Union Public Service Commission. It is a constitutional body as per the Constitution of India. The Commission conducts various examinations to make merit-based selection and recommendation of candidates for Group A and Group B jobs of the Indian Government. Among the other exams, CSE (Civil Services Exam) is the most popular and the toughest exam in the country. The UPSC exam is conducted in three stages: Preliminary (objective-based), Mains (Written) and a Personality Test (Interview). The entire process takes around 10 to 12 months and is conducted every year. The exam is bilingual and the applicant must be an Indian citizen.

Highlights of the UPSC Exam

How Many Attempts are there for UPSC?

As said earlier, UPSC conducts exams for various posts and each has different criteria. For general category students who wish to appear for the UPSC exam, a total of 6 attempts are available. Depending upon the reserved category, the number of attempts will differ.

The upper age limit for the UPSC is calculated on August 1, 2024, for prelims. This means that the applicant must not be over the age limit before the mentioned date. In some cases like OBC/SC/ST, there is a relaxation of the age limit. For instance, OBC ex-servicemen get 8 years of relaxation, so their upper age limit becomes 40 years.

There’s another question that bothers aspirants. Whether applying for UPSC count as an attempt? No, if you have only filled out the UPSC exam form, but did not appear in the preliminary exam, it won’t be counted as an attempt.

Various Exams Conducted by UPSC

Here are a few exams conducted by the Union Public Service Commission:

• CBI (DSP)

• CISF AC (EXE)

• Central Armed Police Forces Examination</>

• Combined Defence Services Examination (CDS)

• Combined SO (Grade B) LDC Examination

• India Forest Service Examination

• Civil Services Examination

• National Defence Academy and Naval Academy Examination

• CISF AC (EXE)

• Combined Defence Services Examination

• Indian Economic Service

• Combined Medical Services Examination

• Combined Geo-Scientist (Main) Examination

• Civil Services Examination

Summing Up

The number of attempts you get in the UPSC depends on the category. The minimum attempts you get are 6 provided you are not above 32 years of age. To clear the confusion again, simply filling out the form does not count as an attempt if you did not appear in the preliminary exam. In this case, you still have all your attempts. Being one of the toughest exams, it is normal to take multiple attempts to crack it. You should not pressurise yourself to clear it on one attempt. Stay motivated and determined to achieve your goal.

FAQs

Q1. How many times can UPSC be attempted?

For general category students, the number of attempts is 6 till 32 years of age, OBC category student has 9 attempts till 35 years of age and SC/ST have unlimited attempts till 37 years of age.

Q2. How many attempts are there for UPSC prelims?

A general category student has 6 attempts to appear in the UPSC prelims till the age of 32.

Q3. How many attempts for UPSC for the OBC category?

An OBC category student can appear in the UPSC exam 9 times.

Q4. Which subject is best for IAS?

Arts or humanities is considered the best graduation subject to pursue IAS.

Q5. What is the salary of IAS?

The basic salary of an IAS starts from INR 56,100 which can increase up to INR 1,32,000 per month.