Union Public Service Commission has released the schedule of UPSC Civil Services Examination 2023. The candidates who missed the UPSC Cut Off by 1 or 2 marks in 2023 can re-apply for UPSC 2023. Whether it is your first attempt or last, go through this article to learn about the UPSC Exam 2023 Application Process, Notification Date, Syllabus and more.
About UPSC Exam
UPSC Civil Services Examination is largely called UPSC Exam or IAS Exam. It is an annual examination conducted by the sole authority – Union Public Service Commission. Deriving its functions entailed under Article 320, UPSC conducts various examinations for appointment to the services of the Union. All such examinations are mentioned in the official UPSC Calendar 2023.
Civil Services Examination takes place in three stages:
UPSC 2023 Prelims
As per the official notice by the UPSC, IAS Exam Prelims 2023 is scheduled for 5th June 2023.
A few important points about CSE Prelims are briefly mentioned below:
- It is the first stage of the UPSC Exam.
- It has two papers: GS-I and CSAT.
- Both the papers are of objective type (MCQ).
- GS 1 has 100 questions, while CSAT has 80.
- There is a provision of negative marking for each wrong answer.
- CSAT paper is of qualifying nature. Only those candidates passing with the minimum of 66 marks in this paper get their GS Paper 1 checked.
- Marks of both the prelims papers are not considered for the final merit list.
To know about the syllabus, exam pattern, and negative marking in UPSC Prelims, visit the linked article.
Boosters for UPSC 2023 Prelims
To enhance your UPSC Prelims preparation, make use of the following links:
| Topic-wise UPSC Prelims Questions PDF | IAS Questions & Answers |
| CSAT | IAS Mock Test |
| NCERT Notes for UPSC | The Hindu – Daily News Analysis |
UPSC 2023 Mains
The official examination calendar released by the UPSC has notified the date of UPSC 2023 Mains. The CSE Mains is scheduled from 16th September 2023 onwards.
Learn about some important points about this stage of the UPSC exam, mentioned briefly below:
- It is a theory-based paper. Therefore, unlike prelims where a candidate has to select the right answer out of the given options (MCQ); in mains examination, one has to write subjective answers.
- There are nine papers, out of which two language papers are of qualifying nature.
- A candidate has to secure at least 30 percent in Indian language paper and 25 percent in English Language paper, failing which the remaining papers (GS, Essay & Optional) are not evaluated.
- Marks scored in the language papers are not considered in the final evaluation.
- The candidate has to select one optional subject from the list of 48 subjects listed by the Commission. There are two optional papers. (Please Note – Two Papers are based on the optional subject selected by the candidate).
- While language papers are of 300 marks; the remaining seven papers are of 250 marks each.
Boosters for UPSC 2023 Mains
To strengthen your UPSC Mains preparation, make use of the following links:
| UPSC Mains GS 1 Strategy, Structure & Syllabus | UPSC Mains GS 2 Strategy, Structure & Syllabus |
| UPSC Mains GS 3 Strategy, Structure & Syllabus | UPSC Mains GS 4 Strategy, Structure & Syllabus |
Once through the Mains syllabus, aspirants can start off with UPSC Mains Answer Writing. Here, we post questions tailored to suit the exam trend. This practice gets you familiar with your strengths and weaknesses when it comes to penning down what you have learnt so far.
UPSC 2023 Interview
The dates of the UPSC 2023 personality test are not out. Only those candidates who will qualify mains examination would be summoned to take UPSC 2023 interview. Usually, the number of candidates who take the personality test is twice the number of vacancies allotted for that year.
How to apply for UPSC 2023?
UPSC releases an official notification mostly in the month of February. An interested candidate has to download it from the official website of the Commission. After going through the instructions, syllabus and exam pattern of the CSE, the candidate has to apply for the preliminary stage online.
The UPSC Online registration and application process is explained elaborately in the linked article.
Note:
| UPSC 2023 Notification Date | 2nd February 2023 |
UPSC 2023 Eligibility
The Commission releases eligibility criteria for the recruitment year with its official notification. The eligibility criteria include:
- Eligibility Criteria for General Category
- Eligibility Criteria for SC/ST
- Eligibility Criteria for OBC
- Eligibility Criteria for PwBD
Candidates can also seek age exemption for the examination given they fulfil the required eligibility criteria.
The basic eligibility criteria for UPSC 2023 considering the general category:
- Minimum age limit – 21
- Maximum age limit – 32
- Number of attempts – 6
- Minimum Educational Qualification – Graduate Degree/Final Year Student
UPSC 2023 Preparation
Candidates must often hear the word ‘integrated preparation’ whenever it comes to UPSC preparation. It means one must prepare for prelims and mains together. As the sources of preparation don’t differ much for both these stages, candidates should opt for a blended strategy encompassing tips and tricks for each.
First, let us name all the important subjects asked in the UPSC Exam:
- History – Ancient, Medieval. Modern Indian, World
- Indian Polity – Governance, Constitution
- Geography – India, World
- Economy – Indian Economy
- Environment – Ecology
- Art & Culture
- Science & Technology
- Ethics
Each of these subjects can be studied using some very important books, some referred by even IAS toppers every year. Let us go through the list of some of these below:
| Subject | Books |
| History | NCERT Class 6-12 Tamil Nadu State Board Class 11-12 |
| Indian Polity | NCERT Class 11-12 M.Laxmikanth’s Indian Polity |
| Geography | NCERT Class 6-12 BlackSwan Atlas |
| Economy | NCERT Class 12 |
| Environment | NCERT Class 12 Chemistry, Biology [Relevant Chapters] |
| Art & Culture | NCERT Class 11-12 |
| Science & Technology | Class 6-10 |
The above-mentioned books can be complemented with the following reference books:
- Norman Lowe’s Mastering Modern World History
- Rajiv Ahir’s Brief History of Modern India
- Subhash Kashyap’s Constitution of India
- Ramesh Singh’s Indian Economy
- G.C. Leong’s Certification Physical and Human Geography
- Majid Hussain’s Environment & Ecology
One very important part of the UPSC Exam is Current Affairs. Though there is no dedicated section for this, questions from various subjects are influenced by the events of national and international importance.
Tips to study for UPSC Exam 2023:
- Download the UPSC Syllabus and rote learn it. One should get so comfortable with the syllabus that they know which topic comes under which paper after memorizing it completely.
- Start with NCERT Books as they form the base of the candidate in any topic. Further, one can use reference books to fill in the gaps.
- Make notes of only those topics that are harder to understand, and keep revising them often. Learn how to make notes for UPSC in the linked article.
- Candidates should opt for periodic revisions of the notes they prepare throughout their UPSC journey.
- Take one good prelims test series and appear for the mock tests religiously. Using these, learn, unlearn and relearn the important facts.
- One can start with UPSC Mains test series when they have covered more than 50 percent of their syllabus of each of the subjects.
UPSC 2023 – Frequently Asked Questions
How can I plan for UPSC 2023?
Can I apply for UPSC 2023?
What is the date of the UPSC exam 2023?
Will Optional be removed from UPSC 2023?
What is the syllabus for UPSC 2023?
The Union Public Service Commission releases prelims and mains syllabus along with its official civil services examination notification. Check the syllabus: