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UPSC Exam 2025 begins with Prelims on May 25, 2025, followed by Mains from August 22. Get complete insights into pattern, dates, and eligibility for UPSC Exam 2025.
UPSC Exam 2025 stands as a gateway to India’s most prestigious civil services, offering aspirants the opportunity to serve the nation through administrative, diplomatic, and law enforcement roles. Conducted annually by the Union Public Service Commission, this examination is renowned for its stringency, competitiveness, and significance in shaping the bureaucratic framework of the country.
The UPSC Exam 2025 is being conducted in multiple stages as part of the Civil Services Examination to recruit candidates for prestigious posts like IAS, IPS, IFS, and others. The UPSC Prelims Exam 2025 was successfully held on May 25, 2025 (Sunday). As of now, the UPSC Prelims Result Date 2025 has not been officially announced by the Commission. However, based on previous trends, the UPSC Prelims Result 2025 is tentatively expected to be declared by most likely in the first or second week of June.
Candidates who qualify the Prelims will move on to the second stage—UPSC Mains 2025, which is scheduled to commence on August 22, 2025, and will span approximately one week. The Mains examination plays a crucial role in the selection process as it tests candidates through descriptive papers across various subjects.
Aspirants are advised to stay updated with official notifications and prepare systematically according to the prescribed syllabus to ensure success in each stage of the UPSC Exam 2025.
| UPSC Exam 2025 Overview | |
|---|---|
| Category | Details |
| Exam Name | UPSC Civil Services Examination 2025 |
| Conducting Body | Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) |
| Purpose | Recruitment for various prestigious civil services, including IAS, IPS, IFS, IRS, and other Group A & B services |
| Stages of Examination | Prelims, Mains, Personality Test (Interview) |
| UPSC Prelims Exam Date 2025 | May 25, 2025 (Sunday) |
| UPSC Mains Exam Date 2025 | August 22, 2025 (onwards) |
| Interview Date | Likely November-December 2025 (Tentative) |
| Exam Mode | Offline (Pen and Paper) |
| Prelims Exam Pattern | 2 Objective Papers: Paper 1: General Studies (200 marks) Paper 2: CSAT (Qualifying, 200 marks) |
| Mains Exam Pattern | 9 Descriptive Papers including: Essay, GS Papers I-IV, Optional Subject Papers I & II, Language Papers |
| Optional Subjects | Over 48 optional subjects offered (e.g., Public Administration, History, Geography, Political Science, Sociology) |
| Language Medium | English and Hindi for Mains descriptive papers and Interview |
| Result Announcement | Prelims Result: Expected Mid-June 2025 Mains Result: 2-3 months after the exam Final Result: After Interview |
| Syllabus Highlights | Prelims: General Studies, Current Affairs, CSAT Mains: Essay, GS Papers (Indian Heritage, Governance, Ethics) |
| Exam Duration | Prelims: 2 hours per paper Mains: 3 hours per paper |
| Official Website | www.upsc.gov.in |
The UPSC Prelims Result 2025 is a crucial milestone for candidates aspiring to clear the Civil Services Examination. It determines eligibility for the next stage—the UPSC Mains 2025. The result will be based solely on the marks obtained in General Studies Paper I, while the CSAT Paper is qualifying in nature, requiring only 33% to clear.
The UPSC Prelims Result 2025 will be released in PDF format on the official website www.upsc.gov.in, containing the roll numbers of qualified candidates. Please note that individual scores, marks, or ranks are not released at this stage—they are published later after the final result.
Although the UPSC Prelims Result Date 2025 has not been officially announced, the exam was held on May 25, 2025, and based on past trends, the result is tentatively expected by the first or second week of June 2025.
The UPSC Prelims is the first stage of the UPSC 2025 Exam and consists of two objective-type papers: General Studies I and General Studies II (or CSAT). These papers are conducted on the same day in two sessions in offline mode (pen-paper).
IAS aspirants can check the UPSC Prelims Exam Pattern in the given below table:
Type
General Studies Paper 1
GS Paper II- (CSAT)
Questions
100 Objective Types MCQ’s
80 Objective Type MCQ’s
Marks
200 Marks
200 Marks
Negative Marking
+2 Marks/Question and -0.66 Negative Marks/Question
+2.5 Marks/Question /Question and -0.83 Negative Marks/Question
Duration Of Exam
2 Hours
2 Hours
Qualifying Marks
Cut-Off List
Minimum 33%
Languages
English and Hindi
English and Hindi.
Presence
Mandatory
Mandatory.
Compulsory Papers: 7 Hindi Descriptive paper: Candidates can appear for language paper in 22 languages mentioned in schedule 8 of the Indian constitution. English Essay Optional I Optional II General studies and optional paper: 250 each General Studies: Medium chosen by the candidate. Optional: English, Hindi or the language of the literature.
UPSC Exam 2025 Mains Pattern
Total Number of Papers
Qualifying Papers: 2
Language of Papers
English
Subjects
Compulsory Indian language
Marks
Part A and B: 300 each
Maximum Marks
1750
Exam Duration
3 hours for each paper
Medium of Examination
Part A and Part B: Respective Languages
Candidates who successfully clear the Mains stage of the UPSC 2025 Exam with the required cut-off marks move on to the final stage, which is the Personality Test or Interview round conducted by the UPSC Board Members.
Total Interview Marks
275
Interview Location
Dholpur House, New Delhi
Interview Medium
English, Hindi, or any other regional language chosen by the candidates.
Dress Code
Formal attire or any other dress that is presentable.
Eligibility
Candidates qualifying the UPSC Mains
The UPSC 2025 Exam has kept very low eligibility criteria for candidates to appear. This is the reason why lakhs of candidates apply for the exam, compared to specific services such as Engineering Services. For a candidate to appear for the IAS Exam, he/she has to majorly fulfil two types of criteria: age criteria and educational criteria. In addition, there are limits imposed on the number of attempts a candidate can give, the physical qualifications and citizenship criteria. The minimum qualification for IAS is as follows:
The UPSC 2025 Exam age limit for the candidates belonging to the General category is 21 to 32 years.
For being eligible for UPSC 2025 Exam, candidates must be at least 21 years old and not more than 32 years old as of August 1, 2025.
However, there are age limit relaxation for candidates belonging to certain categories:
(a) blindness and low vision; (b) deaf and low hearing; (c) autism, intellectual disability, specific learning disability and mental illness; (d) locomotor disability including cerebral palsy, leprosy, dwarfism, acid attack victims and muscular dystrophy; and (e) multiple disabilities from amongst persons under clauses (a) to (d) including deaf-blindness
Category of Candidates
Age Relaxation
Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes
5 years
Other Backward Classes (OBC)
3 years
Defence Services Personnel disabled in operations
3 years
Ex-servicemen (Commissioned Officers, Emergency Commissioned Officers and Short Service Commissioned Officers) with at least five years of service
5 years
Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD)
10 years
There is a citizenship qualification for Grade-A Services such as IAS, IPS and IFS in UPSC 2025 Exam.
Service
Citizenship Requirements
IAS
A Citizen of India
IPS
A Citizen of India
IFS
A Citizen of India or a Person of Indian origin (PIO) who has migrated from Pakistan, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Zambia, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Malawi, Ethiopia, Zaire, and Vietnam, for permanently settling in India.
Other Services
Candidates who are citizens of Nepal, citizens of Bhutan, a Tibetan refugee or a Person of Indian origin (PIO) who has migrated from Pakistan, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Zambia, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Malawi, Ethiopia, Zaire, and Vietnam, for permanently settling in India, must furnish a certificate of eligibility issued by the Government of India for getting appointed, even though they are eligible to write exam without it.
The UPSC imposes a limit on the number of times a candidate can appear for the UPSC 2025 Exam. This number varies according to the category of the candidate.
Candidates aspiring to clear UPSC 2025 Exam have to maintain certain physical fitness and capabilities. Without minimum standards, they may not be considered for the service.
Candidates are required to pass a medical fitness examination to assess their physical capabilities to become civil servants.
For being appointed as IPS officers for districts, Indian Railway services and the police services of Pondicherry, candidates need to have necessary weight, height, and chest measurements.
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The medical test for assessing the physical fitness will be conducted at the following hospital in Delhi:
The UPSC 2025 Exam Syllabus is an essential aspect that aspirants need to understand thoroughly when preparing for UPSC exams. The syllabus is comprehensive and includes subjects like General Studies, Essay Writing, Indian History, Indian Polity, Economy, Geography, Environment, Science & Technology, Current Affairs, and more.
Moreover, the UPSC Syllabus also includes optional subjects that candidates can choose based on their interests and expertise. The detailed syllabus for UPSC prelims and Mains is given below.
UPSC 2025 Exam prelims will be in MCQ format. Candidates will have to attempt two papers: General Studies and CSAT. The marks scored in only General Studies paper will be considered for qualification for mains. The candidates have to secure a fixed cutoff of 66.66 marks in the CSAT paper.
Candidates have to study subjects such as polity, history, economy etc as part of General Studies. The detailed prelims General Studies syllabus for UPSC 2025 Exam is as below.
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Comprehension, reasoning and numerical abilities make up the syllabus of the CSAT paper in UPSC 2025 Exam. The detailed CSAT syllabus is given below.
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Also Read: How to Prepare for Prelims?
The Mains syllabus of UPSC 2025 Exam consists of nine papers. There are two language papers (qualifying), one essay paper, four General Studies Papers and two optional papers. The details of the syllabus are given below.
UPSC 2025 Exam Mains includes two qualifying papers: Paper A: Indian Language and Paper B: English. Each paper has a weightage of 300 marks. The minimum qualifying mark is 25% (75 marks) in these language papers. The marks scored in these papers will not be considered for merit rank calculation. The details of the syllabus are provided below.
Candidates writing UPSC 2025 Exam mains have to select one of the optional subjects from the list below.
1. Anthropology
2. Political Science and International Relations
3. Public Administration
4. Sociology
5. History
6. Physics
7. Chemistry
8. Zoology
9. Botany
10. Medical Science
11. Statistics
12. Philosophy
13. Psychology
14. Law
15. Geography
16. Geology
17. Literature Language
18. Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science
19. Agriculture
20. Economics
21. Civil Engineering
22. Commerce and Accountancy
23. Mechanical Engineering
24. Mathematics
25. Management
26. Electrical Engineering
Available Literature Languages:
Assamese, Bodo, Bengali, Dogri, English, Gujarati, Hindi, Kashmiri, Konkani, Kannada, Manipuri, Marathi, Santhali, Sanskrit, Maithili, Malayalam, Nepali, Odia, Punjabi, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu. (Total 23 Languages)
Also Read: UPSC Mains Optional Syllabus
The UPSC 2025 Exam requires extensive knowledge and clarity of concepts. This is the reason why candidates have doubts when it comes to selecting the books for preparation. Following are some of the core books that are vital for IAS Preparation, both prelims and mains.
Subject
Books
Polity
History
Geography
Environment and Ecology
Disaster management
Internal Security
International Relation
Science and Technology
Ethics
Economy
Art and Culture
Also Read: UPSC Prelims Question Paper
Test series are of utmost importance for any candidate preparing seriously for the exam. Attempting test series will help them get used to the rigorous challenge they are likely to encounter during the actual exam. Test series will also help in managing time effectively and address any weakness in their preparation.
Join Test Series for UPSC 2025 by Physics Wallah!
An admit card is an official document that contains the name of the candidate, their photograph and signature, roll number, parents’ details, location of the exam centre and examination session, etc.
A candidate has to carry the admit card in order to attend the UPSC 2025 Exam. UPSC releases admit cards for each stage of the examination – prelims, mains and interview. Without an admit card, a candidate is not allowed to attend the examination.
Also Read: UPSC Prelims Admit Card
Candidates preparing for UPSC 2025 Exam require certain planning to increase their chances of qualification. Through systematic planning, dedication and hard-work, UPSC 2025 preparation can be simplified:
Analysis of PYQs gives an idea about the types of questions asked in the exam. A closer look at PYQs will help candidates predict the themes that are most likely to be repeated again in UPSC 2025 Exam, both prelims as well as mains. Solving PYQs can also help candidates answer the questions correctly in case the themes are repeated. The following table contains links of PYQs for the UPSC Exam:
UPSC releases exam results after each stage of the exam, i.e. after prelims, mains, and final results. Candidates appearing for UPSC 2025 Exam can check their results on the official website of UPSC.
The Union Public Service Commission will publish the UPSC Cutoff marks for the Civil Service Preliminary, Mains, and Final rounds on its official website, upsc.gov.in, along with the UPSC Final Result 2024.
Candidates who will appeared in the exam and are preparing for UPSC 2025 Exam can check the cut off marks from previous years.
UPSC releases the marksheet of candidates who will appeared for the prelims, mains and interview. The marksheet is released only after the final results are announced. Candidates can check their marks by accessing their marksheet in UPSC’s official website through following steps:
Planning to Appear for UPSC Exam 2025? Enroll in Physics Wallah’s top courses to boost your score!
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Related Articles |
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| UPSC Notification 2025 | UPSC Exam Pattern 2025 |
| UPSC 2025 Exam Date | UPSC Free Study Material 2025 |
| UPSC Prelims Syllabus 2025 | Recommended UPSC Books 2025 For Prelims & Mains |
No. UPSC mandates candidates to have a minimum educational qualification of graduation for being eligible for the exam. Candidates in their final year of graduation can also apply.
Candidates applying for UPSC 2025 must have completed a minimum age of 21 years on August 1st 2025.
UPSC Prelims 2025 admit card is expected to be released by 17th may 2025 before the exam.
UPSC prelims 2025 will be held on May 25, 2025.
Candidates can select any test series that has been developed keeping in mind UPSC question paper format. There are many good quality test series available in the market.
PYQs help candidates understand the demand of the exam and the types of questions that may be asked. Careful analysis of PYQs can also help in predicting repeated themes.
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