UPSC Calendar 2024: Key Dates for CSE 2024 Exam

UPSC Age Limit 2024: Await Official Notification

UPSC will release the 2024 Eligibility criteria soon and the official Notification regarding it will be posted on the website. 

UPSC Age Limit 2024: Nationality, Age, and Educational Criteria

UPSC Eligibility: Nationality Requirements Simplified

1. For the Indian Administrative Service, the Indian Foreign Service, and the Indian Police Service, a candidate must be a citizen of India. 
2. For other services, a candidate must be either:—
   1.  a citizen of India, or
   2.  a subject of Nepal, or
   3.  a subject of Bhutan, or 
   4.  a Tibetan refugee who came over to India before 1st January, 1962 with the intention of permanently settling in India, or 
   5. a person of Indian origin who has migrated from Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka, East African countries of Kenya, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Zaire, Ethiopia and Vietnam with the intention of permanently settling in India.  

Condition: Provided that a candidate belonging to categories (b), (c), (d) and (e) shall be a person in whose favor a certificate of eligibility has been issued by the Government of India. 

UPSC Age Limit 2024: Relaxations and Criteria Simplified

1. A candidate must have attained the age of  21 years and must not have attained the age of 32 years on the 1st of August, 2023 i.e., the candidate must have been born not earlier than 2nd August, 1991 and not later than 1st August, 2002 .  
2. The upper UPSC age limit 2024 prescribed above will be relaxable:  
   1. up to a maximum of five years if a candidate belongs to a Scheduled Caste or a Scheduled Tribe;  
   2. up to a maximum of three years in the case of candidates belonging  to Other Backward Classes who are eligible to avail of reservation applicable to such candidates;  
   3. up to a maximum of three years in the case of Defence Services Personnel, disabled in operations during hostilities with any foreign country or in a disturbed area and released as a consequence thereof;  
   4. up to a maximum of five years in the case of ex-servicemen including Commissioned Officers and Emergency Commissioned Officers (ECOs)/ Short Service Commissioned Officers (SSCOs) who have rendered at least five years Military Service as on 1st August, 2023 and have been released:  
   5. up to a maximum of five years in the case of ECOs/SSCOs who have completed an initial period of assignment of five years of Military Service as on 1st August, 2023 and whose assignment has been extended beyond five years and in whose case the Ministry of Defence issues a certificate that they can apply for civil employment and that they will be released on three months notice on selection from the date of receipt of offer of appointment. 
   6. up to a maximum of 10 years in the case of candidates belonging to Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD) categories viz.  
   7. blindness and low vision; 
   8. deaf and hard of hearing;  

Minimum Educational Qualification:  Degrees, Exceptions, and Clarifications

• A candidate must hold a Graduate degree of any of the Universities incorporated by an Act of the central or State Legislature in India or other educational institutions established by an Act of Parliament or declared to be deemed as a University under Section 3 of the University Grants Commission Act, 1956 or possess an equivalent qualification.

Note-I: Final Year Graduates

• Candidates who have appeared at a qualifying examination the passing of which would render them educationally qualified for the Commission’s Examination but have not been informed of the result as also the candidates who intend to appear at such a qualifying examination will also be eligible for admission to the Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination.
• All candidates who are declared qualified by the Commission for taking the Civil Services (Main) Examination will be required to produce proof of passing the requisite qualifying examination along with their application (i.e. Detailed Application Form-I) for the Main Examination, failing which such candidates will not be admitted to the Main Examination. Such proof of passing the requisite qualifying examination should have been issued latest by the closing date of Detailed Application Form-I of the Main Examination.  

Note-II: Rights of Commission

• In exceptional cases, the Commission may treat a candidate who does not have any of the foregoing qualifications as a candidate, provided that the candidate has passed an examination conducted by any other institution the standard of which in the opinion of the Commission justifies the admission to the Civil Services Examination. 

Note-III: Professional and Technical Qualification 

• Candidates possessing professional and technical qualifications which are recognised by the Government as equivalent to professional and technical degree would also be eligible for admission to the Civil Services Examination.  

Note-IV:  MBBS or other Medical Degree

• Candidates who have passed the final professional M.B.B.S or any other equivalent professional examination leading to a medical degree or certificate but have not completed their internship by the time of submission of their applications for the Civil Services (Main) Examination, will be provisionally admitted to the Civil Services Examination, provided they submit along with their application a copy of the certificate 

Number of attempts: Limits, Relaxations, and Category-wise Rules

1. Number of Attempts: Every candidate appearing at the examination, who is otherwise eligible, shall be permitted six (6) attempts at the CSE. 
2. Relaxations: However, relaxation in the number of attempts will be available to the SC/ST/OBC and PwBD category candidates who are otherwise eligible. 
3. Category-wise attempts: The number of attempts available to such candidates as per relaxation is as under:   

Note-I: An attempt at a Preliminary Examination shall be deemed to be an attempt at the Civil Services Examination.  

Note-II: If a candidate actually appears in any one paper in the Preliminary Examination, it will be deemed that the candidate has made an attempt at the Examination. 

UPSC CSE 2023: Physical Fitness Standards for Candidates

• Candidates must be physically fit according to physical standards for admission to the Civil Services Examination, 2023 as per guidelines given in Appendix-III of Rules for Examination published in the Gazette of India Extraordinary dated 1st Feb, 2023. 

UPSC CSE 2023: Restrictions on Serving IAS, IFS, and IPS Officers

• Serving IAS and IFS officer: A candidate who is appointed to the Indian Administrative Service or the Indian Foreign Service based on the results of an earlier Examination and continues to be a member of that Service will not be eligible to appear at the Civil Services Examination
• Applicability to Mains: In case such a candidate is appointed to the IAS or IFS after the Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination-2023 is over and the candidate continues to be a member of that Service, the candidate shall not be eligible to appear in the Civil Services (Main) Examination-2023 notwithstanding having qualified in the Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination-2023. 
• Serving IPS officer:  A candidate who is appointed to the Indian Police Service based on the results of an earlier Examination and continues to be a member of that Service shall not be eligible to opt for the Indian Police Service.