UPSC online registration procedure
The procedure of registration and online application for appearing in the UPSC examination has been changed since 2015. The committee of the UPSC determined to avail only online application form for registration. Every candidate is allowed to fill up a single application only. It is important to verify and see details of the procedure of registration before doing it.
Procedure:
At first, the candidate needs to open the mentioned website: https://upsc.gov.in/
It is important to follow the instructions given over there. Clicking on the webpage will open every detail immediately. Click on the ‘apply online’ button to examinations conducted by the UPSC. Then click on ‘online application’ for various examinations. Then Part I Registration and Part-II Registration buttons will come on display after clicking on Examination Menu. It is suggested to click on Part I examination first for completion of the first step of the procedure.
The UPSC online registration:
PART-I
Personal Information
Provide valid and official name, address, community details in the boxes. Parents’ names are also required. Then click on ‘continue’ to move forward to the next page.
Also Read: Indian Forest Service (IFS/IFoS) Exam – Eligibility Criteria
Preferences
Preferences for Naval Academy (NA), Indian Military Academy (IMA), Air Force Academy (AFA), Officers Training Academy (OTA) are to be given. At least one preference is mandatory to provide. Since women aspirants are eligible for OTA only, they should mention it that is ‘OTA ‘ as the only preference.
Candidates who prefer to join the Air Force Academy must indicate AFA as the foremost choice. If a one does not want to indicate AFA as the first preference, one must put ‘o’ against it.
Here one will have to mention if one already holds an NCC ‘Certificate (Sr. Division) and also mention if one is already in armed forces.
Here, on this page mention if one has ever belonged to a Sainik School. The response is to be mentioned with a ‘Yes’ or a ‘No’.
Now, click on the ‘Continue button’ to move towards the third page.
Preview
Here one can double-check the details one has provided. It is important to preview as it will not be allowed to do it further.
After verification of every detail click on the ‘continue’ button to move forward to the fourth page.
Registration ID
This page will provide a system-generated UPSC Registration ID along with with all the essential information about the concerned candidate including name, parents’ name, date of birth and address. This application and Registration ID will be needed in Part II also
Part I online registration completes in such a procedure. Now continue to Part II of application.
The UPSC Online Registration Part II
Following five steps will come for filling up Part II:
- Fee Payment
- Selection Examination centre
- Uploading Photograph of the candidate
- Uploading Signature of the candidate
- A Declaration part will appear after this considering to be read and followed by the candidate. After this click on ‘I have read Declaration & Agree’ for moving towards submission of the application.
Fee Payment for the UPSC online application
- One can pay cash at any branch of SBI (State Bank of India) after depositing a slip generated by the system.
- One can pay online with net banking facility of the SBI.
- Payment can also be done by any VISA/ Master Debit or even a Credit card.
The UPSC will accept only a completed application. It is mandatory to fillup both Part I and Part II with all criteria and details asked for.
Things to be noted
- The number of attempts of appearing in Prelims exams will be counted. But the number of applications and registration of a candidate will not be counted until one appears in the Prelims.
- The commission of UPSC does not entertain any withdrawal or cancellation once the form has been submitted by the candidate. So, it is important to follow the instructions and fulfill the details asked by the commission. There is no chance given for correction after submission.
- It is essential to provide only authentic details. If it is proved that details given in registration were false, the candidate will not be recruited even after passing the Interview in terms of Rule 14 by the Commission.
- If one follows all rules and regulations while doing the registration, it will be successfully executed.
Note:
If one starts with registration procedure it is suggested to keep voter ID, Adhar Card, Pan Card, Educational certificates and bank details at reach.
UPSC Syllabus: Prelims and Mains
UPSC Prelims Exam Syllabus
Preparation for the UPSC (Union Public Service Commission) Prelims is not a cup of tea. This syllabus is vast, detailed and needs specification before studying. The success rate of the exam is 0.1% to 0.3 %. It is important to go through the syllabus before starting with any other procedure of collecting materials, books and previous years’ papers.
The commission of UPSC divides the selection process into three parts. These are:
- Preliminary examination
- Mains examination
- Personality test (interview)
The UPSC Prelims Exam syllabus
The commission of UPSC has set two papers for the Prelims exam: Paper I and Paper-II.
Paper I (General Studies – I of 200 marks)-
Duration: 2 hours
Current events of national and international importance
History of India and The Indian National Movement
Indian and World Geography-Physical, Social, Economic Geography of India and the World
Indian Polity and Governance – Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues, etc.
Economic and Social Development – Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector initiatives, etc.
General issues on Environmental Ecology, Bio-diversity, and Climate Change – that do not require subject specialization General Science
Syllabus for Paper II (CSAT/General Studies – II of 200 marks)-
Duration: 2 hours
- Comprehension
- Interpersonal skills including communication skills
- Logical reasoning and analytical ability
- Decision-making and problem-solving
- General mental ability
Basic numeracy (numbers and their relations, orders of magnitude, etc.) (Class X level) and data interpretation (charts, graphs, tables, data sufficiency, etc. – Class X level)
Note 1: The CSAT aptitude test or Paper-II of the Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination will be a qualifying paper only with a minimum of 33% to be secured to sit for the UPSC Mains exam.
Note 2: The questions in both Paper-I (current affairs) and Paper-II (aptitude test) will be of multiple-choice, objective type for 200 marks each and the time allotted for each paper is two hours
Note 3: The candidate must appear in both the papers of Civil Services (Prelims) examination for evaluation. Therefore a candidate will be disqualified in case he/she does not appear in both the papers of the (Prelims) exam.
UPSC mains syllabus [2019] – Download
The UPSC Mains Exam comprises nine theory papers. Mark of these papers is considered while tallying the final merit list. The other two papers, English and Indian Language are considered as qualifying papers. Candidates are instructed to score 25% or more in this section
The candidates who score above the cut-off in the first stage (Prelims) of the IAS exam will only be eligible for the Mains. While only objective-type or MCQs questions are asked in Prelims, the subjective Mains exam requires a deeper understanding of the topics. The upcoming UPSC Mains Exams will start on September 20, 2019.
The Mains Examination is schemed to test the skill of the eligible candidate with detailed knowledge, aptitude, and skill-based test. This is a written examination consisting of the following papers:
Paper A (consists of Modern Indian Languages) – 300 Marks
Duration: 3 hours
The candidates will have to take on the following areas as depicted:
- Comprehension of given passages
- Precise Writing
- Usage and Vocabulary
- Short Essay
Translation from English to the Indian language and vice-versa
Note 1: The Papers on Indian Languages and English will be of Matriculation or equivalent standard and will be of qualifying nature only. The marks obtained in these papers will not be counted for ranking.
Note 2: The candidates will have to answer the English and Indian Languages papers in English and the respective Indian language (except where the translation is involved).
One can select one of the languages as enlisted below:
- Assamese
- Telugu
- Sindhi
- Marathi
- Bengali
- Urdu
- Gujarati
- Dogra
- Bodo
- Kashmiri
- Hindi
- Kannada
- Malayalam
- Konkani
- Maithili
- Nepali
- Manipuri
- Tamil
- Punjabi
- Oriya
- Santali
- Sanskrit
Paper B (English)– 300 Marks
Duration: 3 hours
A candidate’s eligibility for understanding, reading, and writing of the English language will be tested in this paper.
The parameters are depicted below:
- Comprehension of given passages
- Precise Writing
- Usage and Vocabulary
- Short Essay
Note 1: The Papers on Indian Languages and English will be of matriculation or equivalent standard and will be of qualifying nature only. The marks obtained in these papers will not be counted towards the final ranking.
Note 2: The candidates will have to answer the English and Indian Languages papers in English and the respective Indian language (except where the translation is involved).
The following table gives a breakdown of the papers that will be counted for merit and thus affect the final ranking of the candidate.
Paper I – (Essay) 250 marks:
Duration: 3hours
Candidates will have to write two essays from a list of topics. The candidates are advised to present ideas in a strategic and advanced manner. The topic will be according to the subject matter. There is no such syllabus for this.
Paper-II – (General Studies- I) 250 marks:
Duration: 3 hours
- Modern Indian History
- Important events, issues, persons of the middle of the eighteenth century (the 1750s) till the date.
- Various stages and contributors and contributions from various parts of the country titled as the ‘The Freedom Struggle’.
- Post-independence consolidation and reorganization within the country.
- History of the world
- Series of events, forms and effect on society since the 18th century including world wars, the industrial revolution, colonization, redraw of national boundaries, decolonization, political philosophies like communism, capitalism, socialism and so on.
- Society
- Indian society and diversity and salient aspects of these.
- Role of women and women’s organizations, population and associated issues, poverty, and developmental issues, urbanization related problems, and remedies.
- Communalism, social empowerment, regionalism & secularism.
- Effects of globalization on Indian society in detail.
- Geography
- Distribution of natural resources across the world including South Asia and the Indian sub-continent; factors responsible for the location of primary, secondary, and tertiary sector industries in various parts of the world including India in detail.
- Earthquakes, Tsunami, Volcanic activity, cyclone, etc – these geophysical phenomena.
- Geographical features including their location, changes in critical geographical features (including water-bodies and polar ice caps) and, in flora and fauna and the effects of such changes.
- Salient features of the world’s physical geography.
Paper III –(General Studies – II)250 marks
Duration: 3 hours
- Indian Constitution
- Historical underpinnings, evolution, features, amendments, significant provisions, and basic structure
- Functions and responsibilities of the Union and the States, issues, and challenges about the federal structure, devolution of powers and finances (up to local levels and challenges therein).
- Comparison of the Indian constitutional scheme with that of other countries
- Separation of powers between various organs, dispute redressal mechanisms and institutions
- Structure, organization, and functioning of the Executive and the Judiciary
- Parliament and State Legislatures structure, functioning conduct of business powers along with privileges and issues arising out of these
- Ministries and Departments of the Government; pressure groups and formal/informal associations and their role in the Polity.
- Appointment to various Constitutional posts, powers, functions, and responsibilities of various Constitutional Bodies.
- Salient features of the Representation of People’s Act
- Statutory, regulatory and various quasi-judicial bodies.
- Government policies and interventions aimed at development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.
- Development processes and the development industry – the role of NGOs, SHGs, various groups and associations, institutional and other stakeholders.
- Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and the States and the performance of these schemes; mechanisms, laws, institutions, and Bodies constituted for the protection and betterment of these vulnerable sections.
- Issues relating to the development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources
- Issues relating to poverty and hunger
- Important aspects of governance, transparency, and accountability, e-governance- applications, models, successes, limitations, and potential; citizens charters, transparency & accountability and institutional and other measures
- Role of civil services in a democracy
- International Relations
- India and its neighbourhood – International relations
- Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting the Indian interests
- Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests, Indian diaspora.
- Important International institutions, agencies, their structure, and mandates
Paper IV – (General Studies – III) 250 marks:
Duration: 3 hours
Economy
- Indian Economy and issues related to planning, mobilization of resources, development, growth, and employment.
- Government Budgeting.
- Inclusive growth and associated issues/challenges
- Effects of liberalization on the economy (post-1991 changes), changes in industrial policy and their effects on industrial growth.
- Infrastructure includes Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways, etc.
- Investment models (PPP etc)
- Agriculture
- Major cropping patterns in various areas of the country, different types of irrigation and irrigation systems storage, transport and marketing of agricultural produce and issues and related constraints; e-technology in the aid of farmers.
- Economics of animal rearing.
- Food processing and related industries in India include scope and significance, location, upstream and downstream requirements, supply chain management.
- Issues related to direct and indirect farm subsidies and minimum support prices; Public Distribution System objectives, functioning, limitations, revamping; issues of buffer stocks and food security; Technology missions
- Land reforms in India.
- Science and Technology
- Recent developments and their applications and effects in everyday life
- Significant achievements of Indians in science & technology.
- Indigenization of technology and developing new technology.
- General awareness in the fields of IT, Space, Computers, Robotics, Nanotechnology, bio-technology
- Issues relating to intellectual property rights
- Environment
- Conservation,
- Environmental pollution and degradation
- Environmental impact assessment
- Disaster Management includes laws and Acts etc.
- Security challenges to internal security (external state and non-state actors)
- Linkages between development and spread of extremism
- Challenges to internal security through communication networks, the role of media and social networking sites in internal security challenges,
- Basics of cybersecurity and money-laundering and its prevention
- Security challenges and their management in border areas; linkages of organized crime with terrorism
Paper V – (General Studies – IV) 250 marks:
Duration: 3 hours
- Ethics and Human Interface
- The essence of Ethics, Determinants, and Consequences of Ethics in Human Interaction
- Dimensions of Ethics
- Ethics in private and public relationships
- Human Values – lessons from the lives and teachings of great leaders, administrators, and reformers
- Role of family, society and educational institutions in inculcating moral and ethical values
- Attitude
- Structure, content, and function of attitude
- Influence of attitude in thought and behaviour
- Relation of attitude to thought and behaviour
- Moral and Political attitudes
- Social influence and persuasion
- Aptitude
- Aptitude and foundational values of Civil Service
- Integrity
- Impartiality and non-partisanship
- Objectivity
- Dedication to public service
- Empathy, tolerance, and compassion towards the weaker sections of the society
- Emotional Intelligence
- Concepts of emotional intelligence
- Utility and application of emotional intelligence in administration and governance
- Contributions of Thinkers and Philosophers
- Contributions of moral thinkers and philosophers from India and the world to the concepts of morality
- Public/Civil Service Values and Ethics in Public Administration
- Status and associated problems
- Ethical concerns and dilemmas in government and private institutions
- Laws, rules, regulations, and conscience as sources of ethical guidance
- Accountability and ethical governance
- Strengthening of ethical and moral values in governance
- Ethical Issues in international relations and funding
- Corporate governance
- Probity in Governance
- Concept of public service
- The philosophical basis of governance and probity
- Information sharing along with transparency in government
- Right to Information
- Codes of ethics
- Codes of Conduct
- Citizen’s Charters
- Work culture
- Quality of service delivery
- Utilization of public funds
- Challenges of corruption
Paper VI (Optional Paper – I) 250 marks
Duration: 3 hours
Topics will be decided according to the optional subject chosen by the candidate.
Paper VII (Optional Paper-II) 250 marks
Duration: 3Hours
Topics will be decided according to the optional subject chosen by the candidate.
Total marks: 1750
Choices of optional subjects:
For the Mains exam, candidates are allowed to choose out of the following optional subjects as enlisted:
- Agriculture
- Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science
- Anthropology
- Chemistry
- Botany
- Commerce and Accountancy
- Civil Engineering
- Electrical Engineering
- Economics
- Geology
- Geography
- Law
- History
- Mathematics
- Management
- Medical Science
- Mechanical Engineering
- Physics
- Philosophy
- Psychology
- Political Science
- Sociology
- Public Administration
- Zoology
- Statistics
Candidates also allowed to select the literature of one of the following languages as the optional subject:
| Assamese | Hindi | Manipuri | Sanskrit | Urdu |
| Bengali | Kannada | Marathi | Santhali | English |
| Bodo | Konkani | Nepali | Sindhi | |
| Dogri | Maithili | Odia | Tamil | |
| Gujarati | Malayalam | Punjabi | Telegu |
Interview (250marks)
Interview or Personality test comes after selection in the Mains exam. This part filters the candidate’s ultimate eligibility for the selected post of the Civil Services. This is the final part of examination and syllabus.
For more details visit: https://upsc.gov.in/
