Civil Services – A Brief Glimpse | Crack Civil Services in First Attempt by Divey Sethi, IRS - UPSC PDF Download

 Page 1


Civil Services – A Brief Glimpse of Exam
This chapter details the structural aspects of the Civil Services 
recruitment process, such as eligibility criteria for the exam relevant 
to different categories of students, the number of attempts available 
to them, including relaxations, the different services to which one 
becomes eligible for recruitment, and finally, the examination structure 
and weightage to each stage thereof.
An analysis of the above aspects is important from the perspective 
of career planning, as the aspirants are at a crucial juncture of their 
careers, and knowledge of these aspects can help them plan better 
and, consequently, mitigate the danger of unknowns in the process. 
Furthermore, the approach here is tactical or utilitarian and not 
historical, implying that the glimpse of the exam is not a commentary 
on its evolution (for which we would have to turn back pages to the 
beginnings in the Pitts India Act, 1784, and the Charter Act of 1793 
when methods of recruitment were outlined). Only the present 
examination scenario and judgments related to any disputes regarding 
it are discussed.
?  Services covered by the Civil Services Examinations, 2018 (as per 
69
th
 Annual Report of UPSC)
i) Indian Administrative Service.
ii) Indian Foreign Service.
iii) Indian Police Service.
iv) Indian P&T Accounts & Finance Service, Group ‘A.’
v) Indian Audit and Accounts Service, Group ‘A.’
vi) Indian Revenue Service (Customs and Central Excise), Group ‘A.’
Page 2


Civil Services – A Brief Glimpse of Exam
This chapter details the structural aspects of the Civil Services 
recruitment process, such as eligibility criteria for the exam relevant 
to different categories of students, the number of attempts available 
to them, including relaxations, the different services to which one 
becomes eligible for recruitment, and finally, the examination structure 
and weightage to each stage thereof.
An analysis of the above aspects is important from the perspective 
of career planning, as the aspirants are at a crucial juncture of their 
careers, and knowledge of these aspects can help them plan better 
and, consequently, mitigate the danger of unknowns in the process. 
Furthermore, the approach here is tactical or utilitarian and not 
historical, implying that the glimpse of the exam is not a commentary 
on its evolution (for which we would have to turn back pages to the 
beginnings in the Pitts India Act, 1784, and the Charter Act of 1793 
when methods of recruitment were outlined). Only the present 
examination scenario and judgments related to any disputes regarding 
it are discussed.
?  Services covered by the Civil Services Examinations, 2018 (as per 
69
th
 Annual Report of UPSC)
i) Indian Administrative Service.
ii) Indian Foreign Service.
iii) Indian Police Service.
iv) Indian P&T Accounts & Finance Service, Group ‘A.’
v) Indian Audit and Accounts Service, Group ‘A.’
vi) Indian Revenue Service (Customs and Central Excise), Group ‘A.’
vii) Indian Defense Accounts Service, Group ‘A.’
viii) Indian Revenue Service (I.T.), Group ‘A.’
ix) Indian Ordnance Factories Service Group ‘A’ (Assistant Works 
Manager, Administration).
x) Indian Postal Service, Group ‘A.’
xi) Indian Civil Accounts Service, Group A.
xii) Indian Railway Traffic Service, Group A.
xiii) Indian Railway Accounts Service, Group A.
xiv) Indian Railway Personnel Service, Group A.
xv) Post of Assistant Security Commissioner in Railway Protection 
Force, Group ‘A.’
xvi) Indian Defense Estates Service, Group ‘A.’
xvii) Indian Information Service (Junior Grade), Group ‘A.’
xviii) Indian Trade Service, Group ‘A.’
xix) Indian Corporate Law Service, Group A.
xx) Armed Forces Headquarters Civil Service, Group B (Section 
Officer’s Grade).
xxi) Delhi, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Daman & Diu, 
and Dadra & Nagar Haveli Civil Service, Group B.
xxii) Delhi, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Daman & Diu, 
and Dadra & Nagar Haveli Police Service, Group B.
xxiii) Pondicherry Civil Service, Group B.
xxiv) Pondicherry Police Service, Group B.
Page 3


Civil Services – A Brief Glimpse of Exam
This chapter details the structural aspects of the Civil Services 
recruitment process, such as eligibility criteria for the exam relevant 
to different categories of students, the number of attempts available 
to them, including relaxations, the different services to which one 
becomes eligible for recruitment, and finally, the examination structure 
and weightage to each stage thereof.
An analysis of the above aspects is important from the perspective 
of career planning, as the aspirants are at a crucial juncture of their 
careers, and knowledge of these aspects can help them plan better 
and, consequently, mitigate the danger of unknowns in the process. 
Furthermore, the approach here is tactical or utilitarian and not 
historical, implying that the glimpse of the exam is not a commentary 
on its evolution (for which we would have to turn back pages to the 
beginnings in the Pitts India Act, 1784, and the Charter Act of 1793 
when methods of recruitment were outlined). Only the present 
examination scenario and judgments related to any disputes regarding 
it are discussed.
?  Services covered by the Civil Services Examinations, 2018 (as per 
69
th
 Annual Report of UPSC)
i) Indian Administrative Service.
ii) Indian Foreign Service.
iii) Indian Police Service.
iv) Indian P&T Accounts & Finance Service, Group ‘A.’
v) Indian Audit and Accounts Service, Group ‘A.’
vi) Indian Revenue Service (Customs and Central Excise), Group ‘A.’
vii) Indian Defense Accounts Service, Group ‘A.’
viii) Indian Revenue Service (I.T.), Group ‘A.’
ix) Indian Ordnance Factories Service Group ‘A’ (Assistant Works 
Manager, Administration).
x) Indian Postal Service, Group ‘A.’
xi) Indian Civil Accounts Service, Group A.
xii) Indian Railway Traffic Service, Group A.
xiii) Indian Railway Accounts Service, Group A.
xiv) Indian Railway Personnel Service, Group A.
xv) Post of Assistant Security Commissioner in Railway Protection 
Force, Group ‘A.’
xvi) Indian Defense Estates Service, Group ‘A.’
xvii) Indian Information Service (Junior Grade), Group ‘A.’
xviii) Indian Trade Service, Group ‘A.’
xix) Indian Corporate Law Service, Group A.
xx) Armed Forces Headquarters Civil Service, Group B (Section 
Officer’s Grade).
xxi) Delhi, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Daman & Diu, 
and Dadra & Nagar Haveli Civil Service, Group B.
xxii) Delhi, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Daman & Diu, 
and Dadra & Nagar Haveli Police Service, Group B.
xxiii) Pondicherry Civil Service, Group B.
xxiv) Pondicherry Police Service, Group B.
Civil Services – A Brief Glimpse of Exam
? The scheme of examination
The CSE is conducted in 3 stages – preliminary exam, mains exam, 
and personality test (interview). The preliminary examination is 
objective and qualifying in nature; that is, the preliminary score 
is not taken into consideration when calculating the overall merit 
of candidates. The main (subjective examination) score and the 
personality test score are added together to arrive at the final merit 
rankings.
? The competitive toughness of examinations
As per the 69
th
 Annual Report of USPC, the following are the statistics 
on the Civil Services Examination 2018. The selection rate is calculated 
by considering the successful candidates vis-a-vis the total number of 
candidates who actually appeared on the exam/test.
Examination Applications 
submitted
Candidates 
appeared
Successful 
candidates
Selection 
Rate
Selection Rate 
as a Percentage 
of Prelim 
Candidates
CS 
(Preliminary), 
2018
10,65,552 5,00,484 10419 2.08% 2.08%
CS (Mains), 
2018
10419 10246 1992 19.44% 0.40%
Personality 
Test for CS, 
2018
- 1992 759 38.10% 0.15%
Thus, only 150 students were selected for every 100,000 students 
who appeared in the Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination in 
2018, making it one of the toughest exams not just in India but in 
the world.
Page 4


Civil Services – A Brief Glimpse of Exam
This chapter details the structural aspects of the Civil Services 
recruitment process, such as eligibility criteria for the exam relevant 
to different categories of students, the number of attempts available 
to them, including relaxations, the different services to which one 
becomes eligible for recruitment, and finally, the examination structure 
and weightage to each stage thereof.
An analysis of the above aspects is important from the perspective 
of career planning, as the aspirants are at a crucial juncture of their 
careers, and knowledge of these aspects can help them plan better 
and, consequently, mitigate the danger of unknowns in the process. 
Furthermore, the approach here is tactical or utilitarian and not 
historical, implying that the glimpse of the exam is not a commentary 
on its evolution (for which we would have to turn back pages to the 
beginnings in the Pitts India Act, 1784, and the Charter Act of 1793 
when methods of recruitment were outlined). Only the present 
examination scenario and judgments related to any disputes regarding 
it are discussed.
?  Services covered by the Civil Services Examinations, 2018 (as per 
69
th
 Annual Report of UPSC)
i) Indian Administrative Service.
ii) Indian Foreign Service.
iii) Indian Police Service.
iv) Indian P&T Accounts & Finance Service, Group ‘A.’
v) Indian Audit and Accounts Service, Group ‘A.’
vi) Indian Revenue Service (Customs and Central Excise), Group ‘A.’
vii) Indian Defense Accounts Service, Group ‘A.’
viii) Indian Revenue Service (I.T.), Group ‘A.’
ix) Indian Ordnance Factories Service Group ‘A’ (Assistant Works 
Manager, Administration).
x) Indian Postal Service, Group ‘A.’
xi) Indian Civil Accounts Service, Group A.
xii) Indian Railway Traffic Service, Group A.
xiii) Indian Railway Accounts Service, Group A.
xiv) Indian Railway Personnel Service, Group A.
xv) Post of Assistant Security Commissioner in Railway Protection 
Force, Group ‘A.’
xvi) Indian Defense Estates Service, Group ‘A.’
xvii) Indian Information Service (Junior Grade), Group ‘A.’
xviii) Indian Trade Service, Group ‘A.’
xix) Indian Corporate Law Service, Group A.
xx) Armed Forces Headquarters Civil Service, Group B (Section 
Officer’s Grade).
xxi) Delhi, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Daman & Diu, 
and Dadra & Nagar Haveli Civil Service, Group B.
xxii) Delhi, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Daman & Diu, 
and Dadra & Nagar Haveli Police Service, Group B.
xxiii) Pondicherry Civil Service, Group B.
xxiv) Pondicherry Police Service, Group B.
Civil Services – A Brief Glimpse of Exam
? The scheme of examination
The CSE is conducted in 3 stages – preliminary exam, mains exam, 
and personality test (interview). The preliminary examination is 
objective and qualifying in nature; that is, the preliminary score 
is not taken into consideration when calculating the overall merit 
of candidates. The main (subjective examination) score and the 
personality test score are added together to arrive at the final merit 
rankings.
? The competitive toughness of examinations
As per the 69
th
 Annual Report of USPC, the following are the statistics 
on the Civil Services Examination 2018. The selection rate is calculated 
by considering the successful candidates vis-a-vis the total number of 
candidates who actually appeared on the exam/test.
Examination Applications 
submitted
Candidates 
appeared
Successful 
candidates
Selection 
Rate
Selection Rate 
as a Percentage 
of Prelim 
Candidates
CS 
(Preliminary), 
2018
10,65,552 5,00,484 10419 2.08% 2.08%
CS (Mains), 
2018
10419 10246 1992 19.44% 0.40%
Personality 
Test for CS, 
2018
- 1992 759 38.10% 0.15%
Thus, only 150 students were selected for every 100,000 students 
who appeared in the Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination in 
2018, making it one of the toughest exams not just in India but in 
the world.
? The plan of examination
The present structure consists of 4 stages of examination;
1. Preliminary examination – The examination consists of 
objective multiple-choice questions. This stage of the Civil 
Service Examination process is of a qualifying nature; that is, 
the marks attained in this exam are not added to the final score 
when deciding the rank and allocating the service. Yet, it is of 
utmost importance as this is the first stage of the examination 
process, and one needs to qualify for this stage to be eligible for 
the Civil Services (Mains) Examination. Moreover, due to the 
constantly changing nature of the exam and a high rejection 
percentage of ~98%, prelims become the most important stage, 
and one cannot ignore it at her peril. The prelims consist of 2 
papers, namely, paper 1 of general studies (GS) and paper 2 
of general intelligence/aptitude. Both papers are worth 200 
marks each. The GS paper consists of history, polity, economics, 
geography, ecology, science and technology, environment, and 
current affairs, while the general aptitude paper that is paper 
2, tests students on inferences of passages, mathematics up to 
class 10
th
 level, decision-making questions (which may or may 
not be there), data interpretation questions, and any other time-
tested dimensions of general intelligence and aptitude. However, 
only the Paper 1 score decides the merit of the candidates, and 
Paper 2 is a qualifying paper with set criteria of a minimum of 33 
percent marks.
2. Mains examination – This is the second stage of the examination 
process and follows a subjective pattern. There are a total of 9 
subjective papers, out of which 7 are considered for merit, while 
2 language papers are of a qualifying nature. The 7 papers that 
decide a candidate’s selection for the Interview stage are as 
follows:
Page 5


Civil Services – A Brief Glimpse of Exam
This chapter details the structural aspects of the Civil Services 
recruitment process, such as eligibility criteria for the exam relevant 
to different categories of students, the number of attempts available 
to them, including relaxations, the different services to which one 
becomes eligible for recruitment, and finally, the examination structure 
and weightage to each stage thereof.
An analysis of the above aspects is important from the perspective 
of career planning, as the aspirants are at a crucial juncture of their 
careers, and knowledge of these aspects can help them plan better 
and, consequently, mitigate the danger of unknowns in the process. 
Furthermore, the approach here is tactical or utilitarian and not 
historical, implying that the glimpse of the exam is not a commentary 
on its evolution (for which we would have to turn back pages to the 
beginnings in the Pitts India Act, 1784, and the Charter Act of 1793 
when methods of recruitment were outlined). Only the present 
examination scenario and judgments related to any disputes regarding 
it are discussed.
?  Services covered by the Civil Services Examinations, 2018 (as per 
69
th
 Annual Report of UPSC)
i) Indian Administrative Service.
ii) Indian Foreign Service.
iii) Indian Police Service.
iv) Indian P&T Accounts & Finance Service, Group ‘A.’
v) Indian Audit and Accounts Service, Group ‘A.’
vi) Indian Revenue Service (Customs and Central Excise), Group ‘A.’
vii) Indian Defense Accounts Service, Group ‘A.’
viii) Indian Revenue Service (I.T.), Group ‘A.’
ix) Indian Ordnance Factories Service Group ‘A’ (Assistant Works 
Manager, Administration).
x) Indian Postal Service, Group ‘A.’
xi) Indian Civil Accounts Service, Group A.
xii) Indian Railway Traffic Service, Group A.
xiii) Indian Railway Accounts Service, Group A.
xiv) Indian Railway Personnel Service, Group A.
xv) Post of Assistant Security Commissioner in Railway Protection 
Force, Group ‘A.’
xvi) Indian Defense Estates Service, Group ‘A.’
xvii) Indian Information Service (Junior Grade), Group ‘A.’
xviii) Indian Trade Service, Group ‘A.’
xix) Indian Corporate Law Service, Group A.
xx) Armed Forces Headquarters Civil Service, Group B (Section 
Officer’s Grade).
xxi) Delhi, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Daman & Diu, 
and Dadra & Nagar Haveli Civil Service, Group B.
xxii) Delhi, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Daman & Diu, 
and Dadra & Nagar Haveli Police Service, Group B.
xxiii) Pondicherry Civil Service, Group B.
xxiv) Pondicherry Police Service, Group B.
Civil Services – A Brief Glimpse of Exam
? The scheme of examination
The CSE is conducted in 3 stages – preliminary exam, mains exam, 
and personality test (interview). The preliminary examination is 
objective and qualifying in nature; that is, the preliminary score 
is not taken into consideration when calculating the overall merit 
of candidates. The main (subjective examination) score and the 
personality test score are added together to arrive at the final merit 
rankings.
? The competitive toughness of examinations
As per the 69
th
 Annual Report of USPC, the following are the statistics 
on the Civil Services Examination 2018. The selection rate is calculated 
by considering the successful candidates vis-a-vis the total number of 
candidates who actually appeared on the exam/test.
Examination Applications 
submitted
Candidates 
appeared
Successful 
candidates
Selection 
Rate
Selection Rate 
as a Percentage 
of Prelim 
Candidates
CS 
(Preliminary), 
2018
10,65,552 5,00,484 10419 2.08% 2.08%
CS (Mains), 
2018
10419 10246 1992 19.44% 0.40%
Personality 
Test for CS, 
2018
- 1992 759 38.10% 0.15%
Thus, only 150 students were selected for every 100,000 students 
who appeared in the Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination in 
2018, making it one of the toughest exams not just in India but in 
the world.
? The plan of examination
The present structure consists of 4 stages of examination;
1. Preliminary examination – The examination consists of 
objective multiple-choice questions. This stage of the Civil 
Service Examination process is of a qualifying nature; that is, 
the marks attained in this exam are not added to the final score 
when deciding the rank and allocating the service. Yet, it is of 
utmost importance as this is the first stage of the examination 
process, and one needs to qualify for this stage to be eligible for 
the Civil Services (Mains) Examination. Moreover, due to the 
constantly changing nature of the exam and a high rejection 
percentage of ~98%, prelims become the most important stage, 
and one cannot ignore it at her peril. The prelims consist of 2 
papers, namely, paper 1 of general studies (GS) and paper 2 
of general intelligence/aptitude. Both papers are worth 200 
marks each. The GS paper consists of history, polity, economics, 
geography, ecology, science and technology, environment, and 
current affairs, while the general aptitude paper that is paper 
2, tests students on inferences of passages, mathematics up to 
class 10
th
 level, decision-making questions (which may or may 
not be there), data interpretation questions, and any other time-
tested dimensions of general intelligence and aptitude. However, 
only the Paper 1 score decides the merit of the candidates, and 
Paper 2 is a qualifying paper with set criteria of a minimum of 33 
percent marks.
2. Mains examination – This is the second stage of the examination 
process and follows a subjective pattern. There are a total of 9 
subjective papers, out of which 7 are considered for merit, while 
2 language papers are of a qualifying nature. The 7 papers that 
decide a candidate’s selection for the Interview stage are as 
follows:
Civil Services – A Brief Glimpse of Exam
Subject Paper Maximum marks Weightage
Essay Essay 250 14.29%
General Studies GS 1 250 57.14%
GS 2 250
GS 3 250
GS 4 250
Optional subject Paper 1 250 28.57%
Paper 2 250
Total marks 1750
Thus, General Studies accounts for more than half of the 
marks and has become very important from the examination 
perspective. In fact, it may be argued that the effective weightage 
of General Studies is 71.43% since there is a high correlation 
between the syllabus of the GS papers and the Essay. The 
latter just tries to capture the analytical skills of the student in 
a more thorough manner, while the content of the essay would 
inevitably have to be borrowed heavily from the knowledge of 
the syllabus of general studies. In terms of the reward-to-effort 
ratio, the optional subject still tops the list and is, hence, very 
important. Paper 1 is the theory of the optional, while Paper 2 
focuses on applications of theoretical premises. Thus, the choice 
of the right optional becomes an important decision with huge 
ramifications on the final result. What all optional subjects are 
available, why only 4 or 5 options sell like hotcakes, what is the 
game of normalization in the score of optional subjects, and how 
to scientifically choose an optional subject that aligns with your 
area of interest and graduation is discussed in the next chapter 
“Deciding the Optional Subject.”
The marks required for clearing the Mains examination are 
decided by the UPSC based on its wisdom and discretion. The 
UPSC may also fix the minimum qualifying marks individually