UPSC Civil Services (IAS, IPS, IFS and more) in India — eligibility, exams, fees, careers

The Civil Services Examination is how India recruits for the IAS, IPS, Indian Foreign Service and about twenty other central services such as the Indian Revenue Service and Indian Audit and Accounts Service. Any graduate aged 21 to 32 (more for reserved categories) can take it. It is open, fair and very hard: a few hundred to about a thousand posts a year against several lakh applicants.

Know this. Families often treat UPSC as a single exam you either crack or fail. In practice it is a long, uncertain project where most serious aspirants do not get selected, and the real question is what you will do if it does not work out after two or three years. The candidates who come through best set a time limit in advance, keep a degree or skill that stands on its own, and sit for related exams (state PSC, SSC CGL, RBI Grade B, CAPF) in parallel. The optional subject also matters more than people think: choose one you can study happily for two years, not the one a coaching centre says is 'scoring'.

Getting in

Civil Services Examination conducted by the Union Public Service Commission

Who can apply

A graduate degree in any subject from a recognised university; final-year students may apply and must show the degree before the interview. Age 21 to under 32 on 1 August of the exam year, with up to 5 years' relaxation for SC/ST, 3 years for OBC, and more for ex-servicemen and persons with benchmark disability. Six attempts for General/EWS, nine for OBC, unlimited for SC/ST within the age limit. Appearing in even one Prelims paper counts as an attempt.

How admission works

There is no counselling or college: the exam is the job route. UPSC notifies the exam early in the year (usually February). Stage 1 is the Preliminary exam: two objective papers of 200 marks and two hours each. General Studies Paper I decides who goes through; Paper II (CSAT) is only qualifying at 33%, and wrong answers cost one-third of the question's marks. About twelve to thirteen times the number of vacancies are called to the Mains. Stage 2 is the Mains: nine descriptive papers, of which an Indian language and English are only qualifying; the Essay, four General Studies papers and two papers of one optional subject (250 marks each, 1,750 in all) count for rank. About twice the number of vacancies are called for the Personality Test (275 marks). Your final rank out of 2,025, together with the order of service preferences you filed, decides which service you get. IAS and IPS officers are then given a state cadre. Training starts with a Foundation Course at LBSNAA, Mussoorie, followed by service academies.

Duration: One exam cycle takes about a year (Prelims in May–June, Mains in August–September, interview early the next year); most selected candidates prepare for 2–4 years
Entrance: UPSC Civil Services Exam

What you study

Prelims GS: Indian history and national movement, geography, polity and governance, economy, environment, science and current affairs
CSAT: comprehension, reasoning, basic numeracy and data interpretation (Class 10 level)
Essay: two essays on broad themes
GS I: Indian heritage and culture, world history, geography, society
GS II: Constitution, polity, governance, social justice, international relations
GS III: economy, agriculture, science and technology, environment, internal security, disaster management
GS IV: ethics, integrity and aptitude, with case studies
One optional subject from a list of about 25 subjects plus literature of Eighth Schedule languages and English (e.g. Sociology, Geography, Public Administration, Anthropology, PSIR, History, Law, Mathematics, Medical Science)
Daily newspaper reading and answer-writing practice across the whole preparation

Specialisations: Indian Administrative Service (IAS) · Indian Police Service (IPS) · Indian Foreign Service (IFS) · Indian Revenue Service (Income Tax; Customs and Indirect Taxes) · Indian Audit and Accounts Service · Indian Railway Management Service · Indian Postal Service, Indian Information Service, Indian Trade Service and other Group A services · Group B services such as DANICS, DANIPS, PONDICS and the Armed Forces Headquarters Civil Service

Is it you?

A good fit if

You read newspapers and non-fiction without being told to, and like understanding why things work the way they do
You can study alone for 6–8 hours a day for months without an external timetable
You want work that touches many people's lives, and can accept transfers, public scrutiny and slow promotion by seniority
You can write clear, structured answers under time pressure
Your family can support 2–3 years of preparation, or you can prepare while holding a job

Think twice if

You want a result in one year and have no plan if it does not come
You are choosing it mainly for status or power; the day-to-day work is files, meetings, crises and politics
You dislike reading broadly across history, polity, economy and ethics
You need a high private-sector salary early in your career
You would be unhappy being posted to a remote district or a department you did not pick

The honest part

Selection is a small fraction of one percent of applicants; the typical selected candidate has made more than one attempt.
Which service you get depends on rank; many who dream of IAS are allotted IRS, IA&AS or a Group B service, and accepting it limits later attempts under the current rules.
Coaching is not required. Many toppers use limited coaching plus self-study; what cannot be skipped is answer-writing practice and revision.
Years in Delhi's coaching hubs are costly and isolating; mental health and a fallback plan matter as much as the syllabus.
The work after selection is administrative and field-heavy: long hours, transfers every few years, political pressure and public scrutiny.

What it costs

Government: The exam fee is small (about ₹100 for General/OBC men; women, SC/ST and PwBD candidates are exempt). Self-study with standard books and free material can cost under ₹30,000 a year.
Private: Coaching in Delhi, Prayagraj, Hyderabad or Bengaluru typically runs ₹1–2.5 lakh for a GS course, plus optional coaching and test series; living in Delhi's coaching hubs adds roughly ₹15,000–30,000 a month.
Help: Several states and central ministries run free coaching schemes for SC, ST, OBC, minority and economically weaker candidates (for example state 'Super 30'-style academies and the central free coaching scheme). Jamia Millia Islamia's Residential Coaching Academy and some state institutes offer free or nearly free residential coaching through their own entrance tests.

Rough 2026 ranges to compare routes. Fees differ by college and state and change every year.

After this

Study next

Or start work as

Sub-Divisional Magistrate, then District Collector (IAS)
Assistant Superintendent of Police, then Superintendent of Police (IPS)
Third Secretary in an Indian embassy (IFS)
Assistant Commissioner of Income Tax or Customs (IRS)
Assistant Accountant General or Assistant Audit Officer grade posts (IA&AS)
Railway, postal, defence accounts and trade service officer posts

Starting pay

All Group A services start at Pay Level 10 of the central pay matrix (basic about ₹56,100 a month). With DA and allowances a new officer usually takes home roughly ₹80,000–1.2 lakh a month depending on posting, plus government housing, a vehicle in field posts and a pension-linked service. Pay rises by seniority, not performance; the value is in security, housing and responsibility rather than cash. Group B services start lower.

Or study it abroad

Careers this leads to

Each opens a full career guide — the work, a week in the life, skills and pay.

Questions families ask

Which degree is best for UPSC?

None is required or preferred; any recognised graduate degree makes you eligible, and engineers, doctors and arts graduates are all selected every year. Choose a degree you will do well in and that gives you a job option if UPSC does not work out. If you enjoy a subject that is also on the optional list, such as geography, sociology or economics, studying it at college gives you a head start.

Can I start preparing in college?

Yes, and it helps to start with the basics: NCERT books from Class 6 to 12, a daily newspaper, and the Constitution. You can take the Prelims in your final year of graduation. Heavy coaching while in college usually hurts your degree marks, which you may need later.

How many attempts do I get and until what age?

General and EWS candidates get six attempts until they turn 32 on 1 August of the exam year. OBC candidates get nine attempts and three extra years; SC and ST candidates have no attempt limit and five extra years. Persons with benchmark disability get nine attempts (unlimited if SC/ST). Sitting in even one Prelims paper uses an attempt, so do not appear 'just to see'.

Can I write the exam in Hindi or another Indian language?

Yes. The Prelims papers are set in Hindi and English. In the Mains you may write your answers in any language of the Eighth Schedule or in English, subject to the rules in the notification. Material and peer groups are thinner outside Hindi and English, so plan for that.

Should I leave my job to prepare?

Only with savings for about two years and a clear plan to return. Many successful candidates prepare while working, especially for the first attempt, and leave only after clearing Prelims once or when they are sure they can put in full-time hours. A job also keeps your CV alive if you stop.

What if I clear Prelims and Mains but not the final list?

UPSC publishes the marks of candidates who reached the interview but were not recommended, with their consent, under its Public Disclosure Scheme, so other government bodies and private employers can consider them. Many such candidates clear it the next year, or move to state PSC or other Group A exams.

Sources, checked 2026-09-28: UPSC: Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2026 notice · UPSC active examinations page

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