UPSC CSE Handbook- Syllabus, Exam Dates, Notification, Exam Pattern and More PDF Download

If you aspire to be an IAS or IPS officer, then familiarizing yourself with the UPSC is essential. The full form of UPSC is the Union Public Service Commission, which serves as India's premier organization responsible for conducting examinations to recruit individuals for various civil servant positions within the country.

What is UPSC CSE 2023 Exam?

• UPSC CSE 2023 Exam which is popularly known as Civil Service Examination or IAS Examination is conducted by Union Public Service Commission. 
• The UPSC exam is conducted annually to recruit candidates for high-ranking position like IAS, IPS, IRS etc.
• A large number of candidates, approximately 10-12 lakhs appear every year for the UPSC CSE Exam with a dream of becoming an IAS, IPS, IRS officer. 
• It is held in a traditional, paper-based format (offline mode ) only.
• The Exam consists of three stages: Prelims, Mains and Interview.

Why should you give the UPSC CSE Exam?

Annually, countless individuals take the Civil Services Examination with the aspiration of becoming an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer. Although their end goal may be the same, their personal reasons and motivations for wanting to succeed in the exam may vary.

• Achieving the IAS designation upon successful completion of the exam will drastically alter one's life. This statement is not merely hyperbole; the consequences of being appointed as an IAS officer are truly remarkable.
• As an IAS officer, you will enjoy job security and the opportunity to use your legitimate authority to make a meaningful and positive impact on individuals and society.
• If you need more reasons to be convinced of civil services, this one is sure to inspire you. If you become an IAS or IFS or IPS and use your power in the right manner, you will be remembered by future generations as one of the greats who shaped the country’s future. For Example: Kiran Bedi, an accomplished Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, will be remembered by future generations for her lasting contributions to the country.

EduRev has helped more than 1 crore students prepare for their exams, providing them with the best educational courses and solving their doubts in real time with EduRev Infinity.

UPSC CSE 2023 Exam Overview

Before having in-depth knowledge about the UPSC CSE Exam pattern, eligibility, and other aspects, let’s get a brief overview of the UPSC CSE Exam as shown in the following table.

UPSC CSE 2023 Exam Dates 

UPSC generally releases the exam dates one year before the examination. The details of the examination for the year 2023 have been mentioned below:

You can also read about Eligibility Criteria for UPSC.

UPSC CSE Eligibility Criteria for 2023

Eligibility Criteria for UPSC is important for you to know as it determines if you can appear for the exam or not and helps to ensure a level playing field for all aspirants. It considers factors like age, nationality, educational qualifications and more. Adhering to the criteria ensures that only qualified aspirants take the exam, making the selection process fair and credible.

Failing to meet the eligibility criteria at any point during the Civil Services Examination (CSE) process can result in problems for the candidate. It is therefore critical to thoroughly review and understand the eligibility requirements before applying to avoid any potential issues.

To understand more about eligibility criteria, refer to the EduRev document of Eligibility Criteria.

UPSC CSE 2023 Application Process

To apply for the UPSC CSE 2023, you must visit the UPSC official website, fill out the online application, and turn it in. The official notification is released along with the application, and registration is done solely online.

1. Visit the official site of UPSC – www.upsc.gov.in  
2. Go to ''Apply Online'' tab.  
3. Click on ''Online Application for Various Examinations'' . 
4. Find the Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination  
5. Start UPSC CSE registration with Part-I. 
6. Fill-up the personal details, educational qualification and address.  
7. Pay the prescribed application fee using the prescribed payment methods (Google Pay, Paytm, Debit Card , Net Banking)
8. Choose the exam centre  
9. Upload the photo, signature and photo identity card.  
10. Accept the declaration.  
11. Check the complete details and submit.  
12. Take a printout of UPSC CSE application form for future reference. 

To know more, check out the EduRev document of UPSC CSE Registrations, click here.

UPSC CSE Exam Pattern 2023

UPSC CSE Exam Pattern is designed in such a way to select the most suitable candidates for a career in public service, based on a comprehensive evaluation of their knowledge, skills, and personal qualities.

As of now no changes has been made by UPSC regarding the exam pattern for UPSC CSE 2023.

UPSC CSE 2023 is divided into 3 stages. You are required to clear each stage to finally get the IAS , IPS, IRS position.

• Stage 1: Preliminary Stage 
• Stage 2: Mains Examination 
• Stage 3: UPSC CSE Personality Test (Interview)

Stage -1: Preliminary Stage

• The questions in the UPSC CSE Exam (Prelims) are of the objective type or Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs).
• There is ‘Negative Marking’ in the UPSC CSE  Exam for each incorrect answer but only in the Prelims stage. The negative marking for incorrect answers will be 1/3rd (0.33) of the allotted marks of that question.
• The GS Paper I includes subjects like History, Polity, Geography, Science and Technology , Environment , Current Affairs and various other events of national and international importance
• in the UPSC CSE exam is of merit ranking nature. You are required to pass the cut off as prescribed by UPSC . Generally the cut off varies depending upon the category.
• The GS Paper II (CSAT) in UPSC CSE exam is of qualifying nature and you should score a minimum of  33 per cent in this paper to qualify to the next stage of the UPSC CSE exam i.e. the Mains.
• Blind candidates are given an extra time of 20 minutes for each paper in the UPSC CSE Exam (Prelims).
• It is mandatory for you to appear in both the papers of civil services prelims exam for the evaluation.
• The marks scored by you in the preliminary examination are not counted for the final score. It is only a screening test where if you are not securing the cut-off marks are eliminated.

Stage : 2 UPSC Mains

The second stage of the  UPSC CSE Exam is called the Mains Exam, which is a written descriptive examination and comprises 9 papers. The 9 papers in UPSC CSE Exam (Mains) are as follows: Paper-A (Compulsory Indian Language); Paper –B (English) which are qualifying in nature, while the other papers like Essay, General Studies Papers I, II, III, and IV, and Optional Papers I and II are considered for the final ranking.

There are a few points which are kept to be in mind while appearing for mains: 

• You can select the medium of writing the UPSC Civil Services IAS Exam as Hindi or English or any other language listed in the 8th Schedule of the Indian Constitution.
• The Indian Languages included in the UPSC CSE exam are as per languages listed in the 8th Schedule of the Indian Constitution.
• If you score above the prescribed cut-off marks in the UPSC CSE exam (Mains) you will get the summons for the Personality Test (last stage of the IAS exam).
• Generally the marks scored by the toppers like Shubham Kumar (AIR 1) 2020 , Shruti Singh (AIR 1) 2021 are 52 - 55 percent. 
• The final ranking is done on the basis of the marks obtained by you in the Main Examination and Personality Test/Interview Round of the UPSC CSE  exam.

Stage 3: UPSC Exam – UPSC Interview/Personality Test

If you  clear the Mains stage of the UPSC CSE exam with the required cut-off marks you would be qualify for the final stage of the IAS exam i.e., the Personality Test or Interview round with the UPSC Board Members.  If you qualify to the final stage will be sent an e-summon by the Commission for a face-to-face discussion round with the board members. In this round, the board assesses the personality traits of the aspirants and questions will be asked on their hobbies, current affairs, general knowledge, situation questions, etc. to evaluate if they you are fit for a career in the civil services or not. The UPSC personality test will be held only in the UPSC Bhavan in New Delhi.

The following table shows how the complete percentage is calculated : 

To know in detail about Exam Pattern for UPSC CSE 2023, refer to the EduRev Document on  UPSC Exam Pattern

UPSC CSE 2023 Syllabus

Knowing the syllabus for the UPSC exam is important for several reasons.

• Firstly, it helps you to prepare for the exam in a systematic manner and for this one has to be well aware of the entire syllabus. This ensures that no important topics are missed out in the preparation. 
• Secondly, it helps you to manage time efficiently to cover all the topics while preparing for the exam. 
• Thirdly, syllabus helps you to identify the important topics that are given more weightage in the exam. This helps you to focus on such topics more. 
• Finally, understanding the syllabus also you helps to evaluate your preparation and identify the areas that require more attention.

Here, we have provided the UPSC CSE  Prelims 2023 syllabus. You can check the paper one syllabus for the prelims and start your UPSC 2023 preparation

UPSC CSE Prelims Syllabus for General Studies (Paper I)

• History of India and the Indian National Movement
• Current Affairs (Events) of National and International importance
• Indian and World Geography – Social, Physical, and Economic Geography of India & World
• Economic and Social Development – Poverty. Social Sector Initiatives, Demographics. Etc.
• Indian Polity and Governance
• General Science
• General Issues on Environmental

UPSC CSE  Prelims Syllabus for CSAT (Paper-II)

You can check the syllabus for the CSAT paper here. This section requires a lot of practice, reading newspapers, and articles, solving mock tests etc.

• Interpersonal skills
• Communication skills
• Comprehension
• Decision-making and problem-solving skills
• Logical reasoning and analytical skills
• General mental ability

To know the syllabus for UPSC CSE 2023 in detail, check EduRev Document click here : 

UPSC CSE Mains Syllabus 2023

UPSC Mains exam includes 9 papers and you will need to score minimum qualifying marks for each subject. Except for the language paper, the rest of the tests will be scored. The language papers are qualifying in nature.

To know the syllabus for UPSC CSE 2023 in detail, check EduRev Document click here : 

Optional Subjects for UPSC CSE 2023

Choosing the optional subject for UPSC CSE is important because:

• It can give an edge over the other candidates, especially in the personality test. 
• An optional subject can help you demonstrate your knowledge and interests, as well as your critical thinking and analytical skills. 
• It can give you an edge by highlighting your strengths in a particular area and can help you stand out from the crowd. 
• Additionally, it can help you gain knowledge in a particular area, which can come in handy during the interview and the main examination.

UPSC CSE gives you the choice of 48 optional subjects. You can choose one optional subject out of the list provided. 

• UPSC Optional Subject Syllabus: Agriculture
• UPSC Optional Subject Syllabus: Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Science
• UPSC Optional Subject Syllabus: Anthropology
• UPSC Optional Subject Syllabus: Botany
• UPSC Optional Subject Syllabus: Chemistry
• UPSC Optional Subject Syllabus: Commerce and Accountancy
• UPSC Optional Subject Syllabus: Civil Engineering
• UPSC Optional Subject Syllabus: Economics
• UPSC Optional Subject Syllabus: Electrical Engineering
• UPSC Optional Subject Syllabus: Geography
• UPSC Optional Subject Syllabus: Geology
• UPSC Optional Subject Syllabus: History
• UPSC Optional Subject Syllabus: Law
• UPSC Optional Subject Syllabus: Management
• UPSC Optional Subject Syllabus: Maths
• UPSC Optional Subject Syllabus: Mechanical Engineering
• UPSC Optional Subject Syllabus: Medical Science
• UPSC Optional Subject Syllabus: Philosophy
• UPSC Optional Subject Syllabus: Physics
• UPSC Optional Subject Syllabus: Political Science and International Relations
• UPSC Optional Subject Syllabus: Psychology
• UPSC Optional Subject Syllabus: Public Administration
• UPSC Optional Subject Syllabus: Sociology
• UPSC Optional Subject Syllabus: Statistics
• UPSC Optional Subject Syllabus: Zoology

Choosing an Optional Subject for UPSC should be based on the following factors:

• Average success rate of UPSC optional papers, a higher success rate would be a good indicator of the availability of IAS study material for those subjects
• You should’ expertise in the optional subject, for example, a practicing doctor would have considerable expertise on Medical Science and should ideally choose this as the optional subject to reduce effort and time spent on IAS preparation.
• UPSC optional subjects chosen by IAS toppers in the past also indicate high scoring potential and availability of preparation material for IAS topper’s optional subjects.

To know in details about the Optional subjects and their importance, check the EduRev document , click here

UPSC Exam Study Material

Focus on your “Why”?

• You should know why you want to clear the UPSC CSE exam. This is most important question which will help you in the interview. So you should start thinking now the answer to this question . 

Understand the Exam Pattern and syllabus: 

• Understanding the UPSC CSE exam pattern and syllabus is important for you to plan a systematic strategy to crack the exam and to get an idea of the topics to be covered and the weightage of each topic.

Refer to the Previous Year Question

• Understanding the previous year's questions for the UPSC CSE exam are important for several reasons. Firstly, they provide you valuable insight into the types of questions that are asked and the format of the exam. Secondly, they help you to familiarize the candidate with the pattern and the expected level of difficulty of the exam. Finally, they can help the candidate to identify areas where they may need further revision and practice.

Choosing an Optional Subject:

• Optional subjects in UPSC CSE are very important as they can be used to enhance the overall score and can also be used to compensate for a weaker performance in other papers. It gives you an opportunity to choose a subject of your interest and can help in developing your expertise in that particular subject.

Role of NCERT in UPSC CSE: 

• NCERT plays an important role in the UPSC CSE exam. It will help you to build a strong foundation for the base. EduRev provides you with complete NCERT summaries along with chapter-wise tests

Read Newspaper Daily:

• Reading newspapers and staying updated with the current happenings is very important for UPSC CSE Exam. UPSC generally asks questions by relating the static content with the current. EduRev provides daily, weekly and monthly current affairs for the UPSC CSE exam.

You can also watch the tips and tricks provided by IRS Divey Sethi, which helped him to crack the exam.

How to Prepare for UPSC with EduRev Infinity? 

The EduRev Infinity Package for UPSC is an incredible package designed to help students reach their full potential and crack the UPSC exams. It is a special pass that unlocks all the EduRev Infinity courses for preparing UPSC Prelims & Mains. With this package, you can study through thousands of videos & documents and take unlimited tests.

Though EduRev Infinity is more about quality than quantity, if we have to put a number, you would get around 90+ EduRev courses, which include 1000+ tests, 2000+ docs, and 500+ videos for each field under the courses of EduRev Infinity!

Some of the famous courses in the EduRev Infinity Package:

• Subject-wise courses for History, Geography, Indian Polity, Economics, Science & Technology, and others.
• Summaries & MCQ Tests of famous books (Laxmikanth, Spectrum, Nitin Singhania, GC Leong, Ramesh Singh & others)
• UPSC Prelims Mock Test Series & Past Year Papers
• Crash Course, CSAT & Mains Answer Writing Courses
• Current Affairs (Daily, Weekly & Monthly)
• Old & New NCERTs along with text & video summaries, MCQ tests and much more

And this is just the tip of the iceberg, any new course that is added under EduRev Infinity Package for UPSC over the year will also be a part of the package, with detailed solutions to every question, higher preference for questions asked, early access to new features and upcoming deeper analysis are all a part of EduRev Infinity!

All the content offered on EduRev has been curated by the mentors of AIR 1 2017, Anudeep Durishetty & other experts.

You can refer to this video which will help you to understand more about EduRev Infinity Package for UPSC:

All of this is available at an unbelievably affordable price! So what are you waiting for? Get the EduRev Infinity Package today and get ready to ace the UPSC exams! 

Best Books for UPSC CSE 2023

1. History, Indian Heritage and Culture

• India after Independence by Bipin Chandra
• India’s Struggle for Independence by Bipin Chandra
• History of Modern India by Bipin Chandra
• India’s Ancient Past by RS Sharma
• Contemporary World History for class 12th
• Mastering Modern World History by Norman Lowe
• An Introduction to Indian Art Part 1: Textbook in Fine Arts for Class 11th

2. Geography

• NCERT Class 12 – Human Geography
• NCERT Class 11 – Physical Geography
• World Geography by Majid Husain
• World Atlas
• Certificate in Physical and Human Geography by G C Leong
• World Geography by Majid Husain

3. Polity

• Indian Polity by M Laxmikanth
• Introduction to the Constitution of India by DD Basu
• Ethics in Governance ARC Report
• From Government to Governance by Kuldeep Mathur
• Human Development Report
• World Development Report

4. International Relations 

• Current Affairs
• NCERT 12th class

5. Economy

• Introductory Macroeconomics 12th class NCERT
• Indian Economy by Ramesh Singh
• The Hindu or Indian Express Newspaper
• Economy Survey
• Indian Economy by Sanjiv Verma

6. CSAT

• CSAT-Arihant
• TMH CSAT Manual
• Verbal and Non-verbal reasoning  – RS Aggarwal

7. Social Justice 

• NCERT 12th class
• NCERT 11th class on Indian Society
• Human Development Report
• The Hindu or Indian Express Newspaper
• World Development Report

8. Indian Relation

• The Hindu or Indian Newspaper
• India’s Foreign Policy Since Independence by VP Dutt
• India’s Foreign Policy by Rajiv Sikri

9. Biodiversity, Environment

• India Year Book
• NCERT 12th Book on Biology
• Economy Survey
• The Hindu or Indian Express Newspaper

10. Security and Disaster Management

• The Hindu or Indian Express Newspaper
• India’s Security in a Turbulent World by Jasjit Singh, published by the National Book Trust of India

11. Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude

• ARC Report
• Lexicon
• Ethics in Governance
• Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude for Civil Services Main Examination by Subba Rao and P.N. Roy Chaudhary

12. Science and Technology

• NCERT Books on 8th, 9th, and 10th Biology
• Monthly Magazine ‘Science Reporter for Science & Technology
• The Hindu or Indian Express Newspaper

13. Essay Writing 

• Mastering Essay & Answer Writing for UPSC Civil Services IAS/ IPS & State PSC Main Exam 
• Essays for Civil Services

UPSC 2023 Admit Card

The UPSC is responsible for releasing the admit card. Aspirants who submitted their online applications successfully can download the admit card from the UPSC official website. The admit card will be released separately for preliminary and main examinations. The admit card download process is similar to the preliminary and main examinations. 

Check the steps to access IAS E-admission certificate.  

You need to visit the official website of UPSC - https://upsconline.nic.in/ 

• Visit the E-Admit Cards tab.  
• Click on the ''E-Admit Cards for Various Examinations of UPSC'' 
• Select the UPSC CSE 2023 Preliminary Examination and enter your registration ID and Password.
• Download the UPSC CSE admit card.

To know more about Admit Card for UPSC CSE 2023 , you can check the EduRev Document, click here 

UPSC CSE 2023 Exam Centers

Delhi is renowned for being the prime location for civil services aspirants, as it attracts numerous candidates from all over India who relocate to the city to prepare for the UPSC IAS exam. The UPSC 2023 civil services prelims exam is scheduled for May 28, 2023, and the UPSC has designated 356 examination centres in Delhi NCR for this purpose.
If you wish to choose Delhi as your exam centre, you can download the PDF of the list of UPSC prelims exam centres in Delhi by clicking on the provided link. This list remains unchanged from the one released in the UPSC Notification for the Civil Services Exam 2023. Any changes to the centres will be promptly updated here. The UPSC exam will be conducted at the following centres.

UPSC Centers for Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination

The list of examination centres for IAS Prelims are given below:

UPSC Centres for Civil Services (Mains) Examination

The IAS Mains Examination Centres are mentioned below:

UPSC CSE 2023 Answer Key

The Union Public Service Commission will release the answer key after the declaration of the final result. You can check the correct answer for the UPSC 2023 exam in the official answer key of UPSC 2023. You can use the prelims answer key to calculate their estimated scores. The final answer key for the UPSC CSE 2023 exam will be released after the commencement of the recruitment process. Along with the UPSC 2023 answer key, you can also download the IAS questionnaire.

UPSC CSE Result

UPSC Result Date

How To Check UPSC CSE Main Result 2022?  

The UPSC CSE Main Result 2022mreleased for the Civil Services Preliminary and Main Examination. Aspirants who have appeared for the examination can check their results by following the below steps. 

• Step 1: Visit the official website "upsc.gov.in".
• Step 2: On the home page, you will find the "Civil Service Main result link".
• Step 3: A New page will open up in the form of a PDF.
• Step 4: Search for your roll number in the PDF.
• Step 5: Download the PDF and take a printout for future reference.

UPSC CSE 2023 Cut-off

Union Public Service Commission will release the UPSC IAS 2023 cut-off on their official website i.e. upsc.gov.in in the online mode. This cut-off will be released in PDF format. UPSC will release the cut-off separately for each stage of the civil services examination along with the final result. UPSC IAS 2023 cut-off will be determined based on various factors such as the number of vacancies, question paper level, etc. This exam has 3 stages such as preliminary, mains and interview process. To know more about the cut-off you can also refer to the previous year’s cut-off, which will give you an idea of how much preparation you need for the exam.

UPSC CSE Prelims Cut off for last 5 years: 

UPSC CSE Mains +  Interview  Cut off for last 5 Years 

UPSC CSE Exam 2023 Selection Procedure

The selection procedure for the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Civil Services Examination (CSE) typically involves the following stages:

• Preliminary Examination (Prelims): The preliminary examination is the first stage of the CSE and is a screening test to shortlist candidates for the main examination.
• Main Examination: The main examination is the second and final stage of the CSE. It consists of written papers and is conducted to assess the candidate's knowledge and understanding of various subjects and their ability to analyze and solve problems.
• Personality Test (Interview): The personality test, also known as the interview, is the final stage of the CSE. It is conducted by the UPSC to assess the candidate's leadership qualities, mental and intellectual caliber, and other qualities required for a successful administrative career.
• Final Merit List: The final merit list is prepared based on the marks obtained by the candidate in the main examination (written and interview) and the personality test. The final merit list determines the rank of the candidate and their eligibility for appointment as an IAS officer.

The exam has its difficulty level and pattern.

• UPSC Prelims Exam -The UPSC prelims exam acts as the screening exam for this. It is the objective type paper or MCQ type. It is important to qualify for this exam.
• UPSC Mains Exam – UPSC Mains exam is subjective. This examines the candidate’s ability on a different ground. It helps the UPSC to filter out and get the best ones. The Mains paper comprises essay writing, General Studies, English and an optional subject.
• Interview Process – UPSC interview round is quite interesting as the track of the questions is very dynamic and can move in any direction. It is meant to test the candidate’s critical thinking. UPSC exam has a limited no of attempts for everyone as per their eligibility. For the UPSC exam, General category candidates have 6 attempts, OBC has 9, and for SC/ST there are unlimited attempts.

You can also read about: Tips and tricks to crack UPSC exam in first attempt

Various other examinations conducted by UPSC 

Along with UPSC CSE, UPSC also conducts various other examinations. The list of the same has been provided below. 

1. National Defence Academy and Naval Academy Examination (NDA)
2. Indian Statistical Service Examination (ISS)
3. Indian Economic Service Examination (IES)
4. Indian Forest Service Examination (IFS)
5. Combined Geo-Scientist and Geologist Examination
6. Indian Civil Services Examination (ICSE) for recruitment to IAS, IPS, IRS, etc officers
7. Indian Engineering Services Examination
8. Combined Medical Services Examination
9. Central Armed Police Forces (ACs) Examination
10. Combined Defence Services Examination (CDSE)
11. Various Recruitment Tests for UPSC EPFO, and other exams

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) related to UPSC CSE 2023

What is the full form of UPSC?

UPSC stands for Union Public Service Commission. 

What is the job profile of an IAS Officer?

The Indian Administrative Service (IAS) is a highly prestigious career option. The IAS officer performs a number of varied tasks which mostly involve an administrative charge of a district/area/department, policy formulation, policy implementation, heading PSUs, etc.

What is AIS?

AIS stands for All India Services. It comprises the three prestigious civil services of India: the Indian Administrative Service (IAS); the Indian Police Service (IPS); and the Indian Forest Service (IFS).

How many times is the UPSC recruitment held in a year?

It is an annual recruitment process and the official notification is released once every year 

When are the exam dates for the recruitment released?

A calendar is released by the Commission at the beginning of every year, wherein the tentative schedule for all the exams is released by the conducting body. The final dates are released along with the official notification

Is there an offline mode for payment of application fees?

Yes, there is an option to pay the fees offline. For offline payment, you can download the e-challan and submit the fee in cash at SBI bank branches on the next day itself.

Can I fill multiple online applications?

Submission of multiple application forms is not recommended. However, in case a candidate has made an error and registers multiple times, the last form submitted (i.e. a form with the highest RID number) will be accepted by the body

What is RID and TID?

RID is Registration ID, which is generated on completion of Part I of the form. On the other hand, TID is Transaction ID, which is  given by the SBI when the applicant deposits his/her fee in cash; and automatically generated in case of online payment

I am facing issues with uploading my photograph and signature online. What should I do?

the correct dimensions and size of the image that can be uploaded online are mentioned clearly in the official notification. Candidates must refer to these criteria and accordingly upload the required documents

Do we need to upload a black and white or coloured photograph in the application form?

Both, black and white and coloured photographs are acceptable by the Commission as long as they are clear (not blurred) and of the prescribed size.