The UPSC Civil Services Examination (UPSC CCE) is a national-level exam conducted to shortlist candidates for prestigious positions in All India Services and various Central Civil Services. Every year, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) organizes the UPSC CSE Exam, attracting thousands of aspirants. The examination process starts with a Preliminary Examination, followed by the Main Examination and an Interview (or group discussion).
If you are a UPSC aspirant preparing for the upcoming UPSC CSE 2025 Exam, it is essential to understand the UPSC Exam Pattern for 2025. In this article, we will discuss the exam patterns for both the prelims and mains, along with a detailed marking scheme and other important points.
UPSC Exam Pattern 2025
The selection of the candidates for the UPSC Civil Service Examination will be done through three stages- Prelims, Mains, and Interviews. There are 2 papers in the UPSC CSE Prelims Exam which are of Objective type while there are 9 papers in the UPSC CSE Mains Exam of descriptive type. The elaborated details for UPSC Exam Pattern 2025 for both Prelims and Mains have been tabulated below.
| UPSC CSE Exam Pattern 2025 | ||
| Parameters | UPSC Prelims | UPSC Mains |
| Medium of Exam | English & Hindi | English & Hindi (Except for language) |
| Type of Questions | MCQs (Objective) | Descriptive |
| Number of Questions | CSAT: 80 questions GS: 100 questions |
Usually, 20 questions per paper |
| Total Marks | 400 | 1750 |
| Mode of Exam | Offline | Offline |
| Exam Duration | 2 papers | 9 papers |
| Exam Duration | 2 hours for each paper | 3 hours for each paper |
| Negative Marking | 1/3rd of 2 marks | No negative marking |
UPSC Mains Exam Pattern 2025
The second phase of the UPSC CSE Exam is the Mains Examination which consists of 9 papers with different subjects. The marks scored in the UPSC Mains Exam 2025 will be counted in preparing the merit list for final selection. The important points to remember for UPSC Mains Exam Pattern 2025 are as follows-
- Paper 1 (Language Paper) and Paper 2 (English language) are qualifying in nature with 300 marks each. The minimum qualifying marks in papers 1 and 2 is 25%.
- Attempting all papers is compulsory.
- The duration of each paper is 3 hours (180 minutes).
- The subject-wise papers consist of 250 marks.
- In case you don’t qualify in Paper 1 and Paper 2, the rest of the mark sheets shall not be considered for evaluation and you will be declared disqualified/failed.
| UPSC Mains Exam Pattern 2025 | |||
| Papers | Subjects | Marks | Duration |
| Paper A | Any Indian language (compulsory) – [Qualifying paper] | 300 | 3 hours |
| Paper B | English – [Qualifying paper] | 300 | 3 hours |
| Paper I | Essay (you can choose to write it in a medium of your choice) | 250 | 3 hours |
| Paper II | General Studies 1 (Indian and World History, Culture, Heritage, &Geography) | 250 | 3 hours |
| Paper III | General Studies 2 (Polity, Constitution, Governance, International Relations & Social Justice) | 250 | 3 hours |
| Paper IV | General Studies 3 (Economic Development, Technology, Disaster Management & Security, Biodiversity) | 250 | 3 hours |
| Paper V | General Studies 4 (Aptitude, Ethics, & Integrity) | 250 | 3 hours |
| Paper VI | Optional Subject: Paper 1 | 250 | 3 hours |
| Paper VII | Optional Subject: Paper 2 | 250 | 3 hours |
