UPSC CSE 2025 Exam: Complete Preparation Guide

UPSC CSE 2025 notification is extended till 18 February 2025. Now you can fill out your UPSC exam form on or before this date. Earlier the last date was 11 February 2025. UPSC CSE notification 2025 was officially released on 22nd January 2025, announcing a total of 979 Vacancies for posts such as IAS, IPS, IFS and more. As per the notification, the exam is scheduled on 25 May 2025. The exam is concluded via 3 stages: prelims, mains and personality tests. Any graduate can appear for this exam. Read the blog further to know more in detail about its eligibility, important dates and preparation strategy tips.

What is the UPSC CSE Exam?

The Union Public Service Commission is India’s most prestigious exam-conducting body, which conducts several examinations to recruit the most eligible candidates for the Government of India. The Civil Services Exam (CSE) conducted by UPSC is popularly known as the ‘IAS exam’ and is considered the toughest exam in India. Through this exam, UPSC recruits candidates for various posts, including IAS, IPS, IRS, IFS, etc.

The UPSC CSE exam is conducted in three stages: Preliminary exam (objective), Mains (written), and Personality Test (Interview). It takes around 10-12 months to complete the entire exam process. This exam is conducted annually across the country.

Must Read: How to Prepare for UPSC in 6 Months

Highlights & Exam Pattern of the UPSC CSE 2025

Eligibility Criteria for the UPSC CSE Exam

📌 Note: This is a general eligibility criteria; for more specifications, read the official notification on the UPSC website.

UPSC CSE Exam Date 2025

📌 Note: All the dates are subject to alteration as per the circumstances. Keep track of the official notification.

Registration Process & Fee

All interested candidates must register first at the “One Time Registration” (OTR) platform on the official website and then proceed with the application process. The OTR has to be registered once in a lifetime, which can be done anytime in a year.

For Prelims

(Part I)  OTR Profile

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  On the official UPSC website, click on the “Apply Online” tab on the right panel of the home page and select Online Application for Various Examinations.
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  Then choose ‘online application for various examinations of UPSC’.
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  Click on the registration link for part 1.
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  After this, important guidelines to fill out the application are displayed, and the applicants are advised to read them carefully.
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  Once you are done reading the instructions, click yes, and the part I form is displayed.
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  Fill in all the personal details, educational details, and contact details.
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  After all the asked details are filled in, you can preview the details and edit them if required.
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  Submit the form. Then, you would be given a registration ID, which you must note down for future reference.

(Part II) Application Form

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  Using the registration ID, proceed with part II of the application process.
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  In this section, you have to submit photo identity details, the number of attempts made, and graduation marks.
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  Choose the exam details such as optional subjects, medium of the exam in mains etc.
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  Upload all the required documents (photograph, signature, and photo ID).
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  Once done with all the submissions, a final declaration is displayed on the screen. Check the box and submit the application.

(Part III) Detailed Application Form or DAF

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  Once you complete part II, you need to fill this part III known as DAF.
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  This part contains details such as service preferences (IAS, IPS, IFS) and other relevant data.
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  After filling out all the necessary details, click on submit and this part is completed.

(Part IV) Payment & Examination Centre Selection

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  This is the final step for completing the UPSC CSE 2025 application.
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  You need to pay the UPSC application fees of Rs 100 for general candidates, no fee for SC/ST/SC/ST/Female/PWD candidates. You can use online banking or credit/debit cards.
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  You have to choose the preferred exam centre from the list.
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  Now, click submit and your form is submitted.

For Mains

Once the result for the UPSC CSE prelims is out, all the qualified candidates need to fill out the Detailed Application Form (DAF) or form provided by the UPSC thereafter, to appear for the mains exam. To complete the DAF procedure, visit the official website and click on the ‘DAF for Various Examinations of UPSC.’ Choose your respective exam and complete the application form.

Application Fee

UPSC CSE Admit Card

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  For UPSC CSE 2025, the commission may release the admit card 3 weeks (tentative) before the exam. The applicants can download their e-admit card from the official website for a prescribed period mentioned in the notification.
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  Moving further, the Mains hall ticket shall be released a couple of weeks prior to the exam.
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  Candidates who qualify in the mains exam are called for the personality test. The interview call letter for them is released accordingly on the official website.

UPSC CSE Exam Centres

Here you can see a list of exam centres for prelims and mains exams.

For Prelims

For Mains

UPSC CSE 2025 Exam Syllabus

The Civil Services Examination (CSE) consists of three stages: prelims, mains, and interviews. Both preliminary exams and mains have different papers; some of them are qualifying in nature, while others are considered for merit.

UPSC Syllabus for Prelims

Paper I: General Studies (GS)

• Current affairs of national and international importance
• Indian History and the Indian National Movement
• Indian and world geography
• Indian polity and governance
• Economic and social development
• General issues on environmental ecology, biodiversity and climate change
• General Science

Paper II: Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT)

• Comprehension
• Interpersonal skills, communication skills
• Logical reasoning and analytical ability
• Decision-making and analytical ability
• General mental ability
• Basic numeracy (class 10th level)

UPSC Syllabus for Mains

• Paper A: (qualifying in nature) Candidates can choose any one Indian language mentioned in the eighth schedule of the constitution.
• Paper B: English (qualifying in nature)
• Paper I: Essay
• Paper II: GS I – (Indian Heritage, Culture, History and Geography)
• Paper III: GS II – (Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice and International Relations)
• Paper IV: GS III – (Technology, Economic Development, Biodiversity, Environment, Security and Disaster Management)
• Paper V: GS IV – (Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude)
• Paper VI: Optional Paper 1
• Paper VII: Optional Paper 2 (anyone subject from the prescribed list by UPSC for both the optional papers)

Section-Wise Distribution of Question Paper

Here you can see the section-wise distribution of question papers for prelims and mains.

For Prelims

For Mains

UPSC CSE 2023: Number of Attempts

UPSC CSE Preparation Tips

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  Understand syllabus: Before starting your preparation, understand your syllabus properly. This may help in planning and making an effective study plan.
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  Read NCERT: Start by reading the NCERT. Do remember extremely important points and avoid highlighting the entire book. It is just to create a base.
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  Read newspapers to stay updated: Make it a habit to read one national newspaper daily. Most of the aspirants prefer reading The Hindu or The Indian Express.
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  Practice answer writing: Once it becomes a habit, you may be able to structure your answer swiftly without a hassle.
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  Join a test series: This may help you analyse your progress.
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  Endless Revision: For UPSC, revision is the key. The more you revise, the better it is. That is why it is advised to revise daily and keep weekends completely for revision.