UPSC Prelims (UPSC Preliminary Exam)

UPSC Prelims refers to the preliminary examination conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) in India. The UPSC is responsible for recruiting candidates for various government services and positions, including civil services like the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS), and many others.

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The UPSC Prelims examination, also known as the Civil Services Preliminary Examination, serves as the first stage of the selection process for these prestigious positions. It consists of two papers :

General Studies Paper I : This paper covers a wide range of subjects such as current events, Indian history, Indian and world geography, Indian polity, economic and social development, environmental ecology, biodiversity, and general science.
General Studies Paper II (CSAT) : This paper tests a candidate’s aptitude in areas like comprehension, interpersonal skills, logical reasoning, analytical ability, decision-making, problem-solving, basic numeracy, and English language comprehension.

The UPSC Prelims exam follows an objective multiple-choice question (MCQ) format. Candidates who clear the Prelims move on to the next stage of the selection process, which is the UPSC Main Examination. The Main Examination includes a set of descriptive papers covering a wider range of topics, followed by a personality test (interview).

It’s important to note that the UPSC examination process is highly competitive, and candidates need to prepare thoroughly to succeed in both the Prelims and subsequent stages.

According to the new examination system by the changes in 2011, the preliminary examination currently consists of two question papers. The first question paper is of ‘General Studies’ and the second (Civil Services Aptitude Test) or ‘CSAT’ which is also called ‘Civil Services Aptitude Test‘ in the Hindi language which is a qualifying paper

Both the papers are of 200-200 marks.
The first paper (General Studies) consists of 100 questions of 2–2 marks each.
80 questions of 2.5-2.5 marks in the second paper (CSAT).