UPSC Selection Process: From Form to Final List

Selection through the Civil Services Examination runs in this order: you apply, sit the preliminary exam, write the main exam, face the personality test, and, if your total is high enough, appear in UPSC's final list of recommended candidates. The Government then allots you a service from the ones you asked for, in line with your rank.

Each step below follows the CSE 2026 notice, UPSC's latest. The numbers show how many candidates cleared each step in CSE 2025, from UPSC's results.

Step by step

1. The application

You apply online while the notice is open, with documents for every claim, such as your date of birth, category and degree. You also list, in order, the services you want: you will be considered only for those. UPSC admits everyone provisionally; it checks eligibility against original documents only after you qualify for the interview. See how to apply.

2. The preliminary exam

Two objective papers of 200 marks each on one day. UPSC's list for the mains takes candidates who score at least 33% in General Studies Paper II and reach the qualifying marks the Commission fixes in General Studies Paper I. It admits about 12 to 13 times the number of vacancies. Prelims marks are not counted for your final rank, and the notice says no mark sheets are supplied for this screening test.

3. The first update window

After the prelims result, UPSC opens a 10-day window. Every candidate who qualified for the mains must log in, update or reconfirm their details and submit the form, or they cannot take part in the later stages. Candidates who pay fees pay the ₹200 mains fee here.

4. The main exam (written)

Nine essay-type papers. You need 25% in each of the two qualifying language papers, or your other papers are not counted. Your marks in the seven papers that count, out of 1,750, decide whether you reach the interview: UPSC sets a minimum qualifying mark at its discretion and calls about twice the number of vacancies.

5. The second update window

After the written result, UPSC opens a 15-day window for candidates who qualified for the interview. You must upload proof of passing your degree and update other details, such as your employment and address. Your candidature is cancelled if you don't, and your e-summon letter for the interview is issued only after you submit.

6. The personality test

An interview by a board that has your record in front of it, to judge your personal suitability for a career in public service. It carries 275 marks, with no minimum qualifying mark. See the interview guide.

7. The final list

Your written marks and interview marks together, out of 2,025, decide your rank. UPSC publishes the list of recommended candidates in order of merit. Ties are broken first on the Essay, General Studies and interview marks together, then on the Essay and General Studies alone, then by age, the older candidate ranking higher.

UPSC also keeps a reserve list. For CSE 2025, its final-result note says it maintains a consolidated reserve list of 258 candidates and an extended list, under Rule 20(4) and (5) of the exam rules. The same note says the reservation claims of recommended candidates are subject to verification.

8. Service and cadre allocation

Allocation is done by the Government, not UPSC. It considers you only for the services you listed, keeping in view your rank and your preferences, subject to the other conditions in the rules. If you list no service, you are not considered at all. If you want the IAS or IPS, you also give your home cadre preference when UPSC asks for it. The notice points candidates to the Department of Personnel and Training's websites, dopt.gov.in and cseplus.nic.in, for information on service allocation and cadre allotment. The CSE-Plus portal has since moved to cseplus.dopt.gov.in; the old address no longer opens.

PwBD candidates are appointed only after the medical examination the Government prescribes finds that they meet the physical and medical standards of the service; the notice says only that examination's results count.

If you reach the interview but aren't selected

The notice describes UPSC's Pratibha Setu portal. If you appeared in the interview but were not recommended, UPSC can share a short biodata with registered private companies, public sector undertakings and statutory and autonomous government organisations looking for staff. It includes your qualifications, contact details and your percentile, not your marks. The lists are made available after the reserve list is used up or exhausted. You give or withhold consent in the exam-specific form, and your choice cannot be changed later.

Where to go next

• The marks needed at each stage: UPSC cut-off for the last 10 years.
• How results and the reserve list work: UPSC result.
• The services you can choose from: other services beyond IAS and IPS.
• Every paper and its marks: exam pattern.