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July 23, 2024 12:40
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UPSC Mains Exam Pattern 2024 has been released by UPSC in its official notification. Know more about the UPSC Mains Exam Pattern 2024 here.
UPSC Mains Exam Pattern 2024 is made public by the UPSC. Understanding the UPSC Mains exam pattern 2024 is crucial for the UPSC aspirants aiming to excel in the UPSC Mains exam.
The UPSC is a constitutional organisation that administers the Civil Service Exam (CSE) every year. The Union Public Service Commission determines the format of the UPSC mains Exam pattern. The three stages of the UPSC CSE are the preliminary, main, and interview. Entering IAS, IPS, IFS, or any other service requires passing all three phases.
Let us have a look at the UPSC Mains Exam Pattern 2024, along with the Marking Scheme of the UPSC Mains Exam. A Preparation Strategy for the UPSC Mains Exam 2024 is also given here.
UPSC Mains Exam Pattern 2024 states that there are nine written papers in the UPSC Mains Exam, two of which are language papers, four are general studies papers, one is essay paper and two are optional papers. English and one other Indian language (chosen by the candidate) are covered under language papers in the UPSC Mains exam papers. These are qualifying papers, and candidates need to receive the required minimum score of 25% to pass the UPSC Mains exam.
The table below contains the overview of UPSC Mains Exam Pattern 2024:
| UPSC CSE Mains Exam Pattern 2024 Overview | |
| Exam Details | Description |
| Exam Name | UPSC Civil Service Main Examination |
| Exam Language | English & Hindi |
| Exam Question Type | Descriptive |
| Total Papers | 9 papers
|
| Total Marks | 1750 (250 for each paper) |
| Examination Mode | Offline |
| Exam Duration | 3 hours for each paper |
| Negative Marking | No negative marking |
The written examination of UPSC Mains Exam Pattern 2024 consists of nine papers, out of which seven are compulsory and two are qualifying in nature.
The seven compulsory papers according to UPSC Mains Exam Pattern 2024 are:
Candidates should receive at least the announced cutoff in General Studies I and 33% in General Studies II in the UPSC prelims exam. Only then, they will be permitted to take the UPSC Mains Exam.
UPSC Mains exam pattern, which consists of a combination of merit and elective papers, is the fundamental assessment stage. UPSC Mains exam examines a candidate’s depth of subject knowledge, articulation skills, and analytical abilities.
For a total of 1750 marks, the UPSC Mains exam pattern consists of 9 papers with descriptive-based questions and no negative marking. All of the papers in UPSC main exams, except for Language Papers A and B, are merit-based. Aspirants must receive at least 25% in each of the qualifying Paper A and B exams. The passing marks for all the GS papers, optional papers, and one essay paper is 25 out of 250 (10%). In contrast to the objective-based questions of the UPSC Prelims exam pattern, students must prepare detailed answers for the UPSC Mains exam due to its subjective nature.
The table below contains the details of the minimum qualifying marks according to the UPSC Mains Exam Pattern 2024:
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UPSC Mains Exam Pattern 2024 and Minimum Qualifying Marks |
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UPSC Mains exam 2024 is conducted for five to seven days. There are a total of nine papers in the UPSC Mains exam. Seven of them are included in the final ranking. There is one essay paper, General Studies I, II, III, and IV, as well as two elective subjects that the applicants may choose from.
There are two qualifying papers out of the nine papers in the UPSC Mains Exam Pattern. These two papers are language-related. To pass both language papers, a candidate must receive 75 out of 300, or 25% of the total possible points.
Geography, political science, history, literature, and more, are represented in the optional subjects of UPSC Mains exam pattern 2024.
The table below shows the UPSC Mains Marking Scheme according to the UPSC Mains Exam Pattern 2024:
|
UPSC Mains Exam Pattern 2024 |
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| Papers | Subjects | Marks | Duration |
| Paper A | Any Indian language – Qualifying paper | 300 | 3 hours |
| Paper B | English – Qualifying paper | 300 | 3 hours |
| Paper I | Essay (Medium of your choice) | 250 | 3 hours |
| Paper II | General Studies I (Indian and World History, Culture, Heritage, Geography) | 250 | 3 hours |
| Paper III | General Studies II (Polity, Constitution, Governance, International Relations & Social Justice) | 250 | 3 hours |
| Paper IV | General Studies III (Economic Development, Technology, Disaster Management & Security, Biodiversity) | 250 | 3 hours |
| Paper V | General Studies IV (Aptitude, Ethics, & Integrity) | 250 | 3 hours |
| Paper VI | Optional Subject: Paper 1 | 250 | 3 hours |
| Paper VII | Optional Subject: Paper 2 | 250 | 3 hours |
Note: Candidates with hearing impairments and those from Meghalaya, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Manipur, and Nagaland are not required to take Paper A. However, to enrol in second or third-language classes, these candidates must show that their university or board has exempted them.
The General Studies (GS) Papers in the UPSC Mains exam pattern encompass a broad spectrum of subjects crucial for evaluating candidates’ knowledge, analytical prowess, and ethical understanding.
GS Paper I delves into Indian heritage, culture, history, and global geography, while GS Paper II scrutinises governance structures, constitutional provisions, social justice, and international relations. GS Paper III focuses on technology, economic development, biodiversity, environment, security, and disaster management, while GS Paper IV evaluates ethics, integrity, and aptitude.
The table below contains the overview of 4 general studies papers according to the UPSC Mains Exam Pattern 2024:
|
UPSC Mains Exam GS Papers Overview |
|||
| General Studies I | General Studies II | General Studies III | General Studies IV |
| Indian Heritage and Culture | Governance | Technology | Ethics |
| History | Constitution | Economic Development | Integrity |
| Society | Polity | Biodiversity | Aptitude |
| Geography | Social Justice | Environment | |
| International relations | Security and Disaster Management | ||
As previously indicated, the UPSC Mains Exam Pattern 2024 consists of two optional papers. Every paper is worth 250 marks by the UPSC mains Marking Scheme. Applicants are allowed to choose any subject they like from the UPSC Optional Subjects list.
The table below contains the entire list of electives according to the UPSC Mains Exam Pattern 2024:
| List of Optional Subjects in UPSC Mains Exam 2024 | |||
| S.No | List of Optional Subjects | S.No | List of Literature Subjects |
| 1 | Agriculture | 1 | Assamese |
| 2 | Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science | 2 | Bengali |
| 3 | Anthropology | 3 | Bodo |
| 4 | Botany | 4 | Dogri |
| 5 | Chemistry | 5 | Gujarati |
| 6 | Civil Engineering | 6 | Hindi |
| 7 | Commerce & Accountancy | 7 | Kannada |
| 8 | Economics | 8 | Kashmiri |
| 9 | Electrical Engineering | 9 | Konkani |
| 10 | Geography | 10 | Maithili |
| 11 | Geology | 11 | Malayalam |
| 12 | History | 12 | Manipuri |
| 13 | Law | 13 | Marathi |
| 14 | Management | 14 | Nepali |
| 15 | Mathematics | 15 | Oriya |
| 16 | Mechanical Engineering | 16 | Punjabi |
| 17 | Medical Science | 17 | Sanskrit |
| 18 | Philosophy | 18 | Santhali |
| 19 | Physics | 19 | Sindhi |
| 20 | Political Science & International Relations | 20 | Tamil |
| 21 | Psychology | 21 | Telugu |
| 22 | Public Administration | 22 | Urdu |
| 23 | Sociology | 23 | English |
| 24 | Statistics | ||
| 25 | Zoology | ||
Candidates must take a thorough and methodical approach if they want to perform well on the UPSC Mains exam. Here are a few crucial tactics to follow in the UPSC Mains Exam Pattern analysis:
Candidates should thoroughly go over each paper’s syllabus in the UPSC exam and comprehend the main ideas and subjects. Targeted preparation is ensured by a thorough comprehension of the syllabus.
In the UPSC Mains exam, time management is essential because of the long curriculum and constrained amount of time. Candidates should plan their time carefully for each paper, focusing on both required and elective subjects.
Selecting the appropriate optional paper is essential if you want to do well on the UPSC Mains exam. The topic that candidates choose should be one for which they are well-versed and for which they can prepare extensively. It can also be helpful to take into account the scoring trends and overlap with other studies.
Writing responses is a skill that requires constant practice to become proficient. To increase speed and accuracy, candidates should write their solutions to past years’ questions and replicate exam conditions.
Particularly in general studies exams, current events are a big part of the UPSC Mains exam. Incorporating pertinent examples and case studies into their responses, candidates should stay up to date on current affairs.
The purpose of the UPSC Mains exam is to assess a candidate’s analytical skills and depth of understanding as opposed to their memorization of facts. The UPSC Mains exam is extremely competitive and necessitates extensive study in a variety of subject areas. The UPSC Mains Exam Pattern is extensive and aspirants should go through pattern analysis to understand the exam.
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| UPSC Mains Previous Year Papers | UPSC Test Series 2024 |
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| 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
| 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 |
| 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 |
| 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 |
| 30 | 31 | |||||
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