UPSC Prelims 2025 notification will be released on January 22, 2025. Check out the complete UPSC Prelims 2025 schedule here.
UPSC Prelims 2025 notification will be released on the official website on January 22, 2025. Prelims is the first stage of the Civil Services Examination 2025, conducted by UPSC. Those who qualify for UPSC prelims will be eligible for UPSC mains. Candidates who are preparing for UPSC 2025 must know about the UPSC Prelims 2025 dates and schedule to prepare for the exams accordingly.
As per the UPSC 2025 calendar, UPSC prelims 2025 will be held on May 25, 2025, and the registration process will begin with the release of official notification on January 22, 2025. UPSC prelims 2025 consists of two papers: General Studies and CSAT. Check out the UPSC Prelims 2025 Overview here:
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UPSC Prelims 2025 Overview |
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| Name of Exam | UPSC Civil Services (Preliminary) Exam 2025 |
| Date of Notification | January 22, 2025 |
| UPSC 2025 Calendar | Click here |
| Application Start Date | January 22, 2025 |
| Last date to apply | February 11, 2025 |
| Date of Exam | May 25, 2025 |
| Date of Result | Yet to be informed |
| Nature of Exam | MCQ |
| Total Papers | Two, GS and CSAT |
| Total Marks | 200/Each |
| Duration | 2 Hours/Each |
| Official website | upsc.gov.in |
The UPSC Prelims 2025 exam date has been released in the UPSC 2025 calendar. The UPSC prelims exam will be conducted on May 25, 2025 in two shifts. Candidates had to report to the assigned exam center at the specified time with their admit card. The schedule for the IAS prelims 2025 are as follows:
| UPSC Prelims Exam Date 2025 | |
| Event | Date |
| UPSC Prelims 2025 | 25th May 2025 |
| Morning Shift (Paper I) | 9:30 AM – 11:30 AM |
| Afternoon Shift (Paper II) | 2:30 PM – 4:30 PM |
The Prelims are scheduled for May 25, 2025, with registration starting from January 22, 2025 till February 11, 2025. These dates are part of the broader UPSC exam calendar 2025, which outlines the entire examination timeline, including Mains exam date. Staying informed about these dates helps candidates plan their preparation and manage their study schedules effectively, ensuring they are well-prepared for each stage of the exam.
UPSC Prelims 2025 notification will be released on January 22, 2025 along with the application form. The detailed information regarding UPSC prelims 2025 exam, including pattern, syllabus, eligibility, and exam guidelines will be mentioned in the notification. Candidates must fulfill the requirements criteria in order to apply for the UPSC 2025 exam.
A candidate planning to apply for UPSC prelims has to fulfill certain criteria in terms of age, education, and attempts. The details of criteria are given below.
UPSC Prelims 2025 Age Criteria
The age criteria for UPSC prelims 2025 for candidates belonging to the General category is 21 to 32 years.
However, there are age limit relaxation for candidates belonging to certain categories:
| 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)
(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 |
10 years |
A candidate from a certain category has a distinct number of attempts for the exam. To apply for UPSC prelims 2025, attempt criteria must be fulfilled.
| Category | Number of Attempts | Maximum Age (Years) |
| General and EWS | 6 | 32 |
| OBC | 9 | 35 |
| PwBD | 9 | 42 |
| SC and ST | Unlimited | 37 |
| Ex-Servicemen | 9 | 37 |
| Disabled Defence Services Personnel | 9 | 35 |
| General/OBC/EWS PwBD candidates | 9 | See below Description |
| SC/ST categories PwBD candidates | Unlimited | See below Description |
Age Relaxation for PWD CandidateThe prescribed upper age-limit of an examination (wherever applicable) is relaxable up to a maximum of 10 years in the case of candidates belonging to PwBD categories as below (a) low vision and blindness; (b) deaf and hard of hearing; (c) Locomotor disability, including cerebral palsy, leprosy cured, dwarfism, acid attack victims and muscular dystrophy; (d) Autism, intellectual disability, specific learning disability and mental illness; (e) Multiple disabilities from amongst persons under clauses (a) to (e) including deaf, blindness. PwBD candidates, who also belong to either SC or ST or OBC or Ex-servicemen, are eligible for grant of cumulative age-relaxation under both categories. |
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UPSC prelims 2025 was held in MCQ format, consisting of two papers: General Studies and CSAT. Exam pattern includes the number of questions, marks, cutoff, etc. Check out the complete UPSC prelims 2025 exam pattern:
| Particulars | General Studies (Paper 1) | CSAT (Paper 2) |
| Mode of Examination | Pen and Paper | Pen and Paper |
| Nature of Questions | MCQ | MCQ |
| Exam Duration | 2 hours | 2 hours |
| Medium of Examination | English and Hindi | English and Hindi |
| Session | Morning (9.30 to 11.30) | Afternoon (2.30 to 5.30) |
| Number of Questions | 100 | 80 |
| Total Marks | 200 | 200 |
| Marks for Correct Answer | +2 | +2.5 |
| Marks for Negative Answer | -0.66 | -0.83 |
| Marks for No Response | 0 | 0 |
| Qualifying Marks | Varies according to Category | 66.67 |
The syllabus of UPSC prelims 2025 is divided into two parts based on the two papers. The marks scored in General Studies will determine if a candidate qualifies for the mains exam. The cutoff mark for the CSAT paper is 33% out of 200 marks which is approximately 66 marks.
The GS syllabus will include core subjects such as polity, geography, etc. The CSAT paper will include reasoning, comprehension etc. The details of the syllabus are given below.
The UPSC prelims 2025 syllabus for General Studies paper is given here.
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The UPSC prelims 2025 syllabus for CSAT paper is given here.
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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 examination. 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.
UPSC prelims 2025 results will be announced on the UPSC official website around June or July. Candidates can check their results by following these steps;
Candidates preparing for UPSC prelims 2025 and beyond will need to refer to certain books in order to complete the syllabus. The detailed book list for UPSC prelims 2025 is provided below.
| Subject | Books |
| Polity |
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| History |
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| Geography |
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| Environment and Ecology |
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| International Relation |
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| Science and Technology |
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| Economy |
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| Art and Culture |
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| CSAT (Complete Syllabus) |
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| Current Affairs | All Relevant Topics frequently in News |
Candidates who will clear the UPSC Prelims 2025 should begin their Mains preparation immediately after the results are declared. If you have already prepared for Mains, you should start revising your GS static notes as well as your optional subject notes.
All successful candidates will have to apply again for the Civil Services (Main) Examination, 2025 by filling out the Detailed Application Form-I (DAF-I). The UPSC will announce the important instructions for filling out the DAF-I and its submission in due course on its official website.
Candidates must not restrict their mains preparation to just revision. They must practice answer writing daily to prepare for the rigours of writing mains papers. Before the actual examination, candidates must enroll in any good test series, such as Physics Wallah Mains Test Series to have a very good chance of clearing mains.
Get a curated plan to clear UPSC prelims 2025 by enrolling in top courses from Physics Wallah. Begin your journey now!
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UPSC Exam 2025 Related Articles |
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| UPSC Preparation 2025 | |
| UPSC Calendar 2025 | One Year Plan For UPSC 2025 |
| UPSC Age Limit 2025 | UPSC Free Study Material 2025 |
The UPSC Prelims 2025 is scheduled for May 25, 2025.
The last date to submit the UPSC Prelims 2025 application is February 11, 2025.
UPSC Prelims 2025 consists of two papers: General Studies (Paper I) and CSAT (Paper II).
Candidates must score at least 33% in the CSAT paper to qualify.
The detailed syllabus for UPSC Prelims 2025 will be available in the official UPSC notification and on the UPSC website.
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