What is UPSC CSE? Full Form, Stages and Posts

The full form of UPSC CSE is Union Public Service Commission Civil Services Examination. UPSC is the Union Public Service Commission, the body the Constitution of India sets up to hold examinations for appointments to the services of the Union. CSE is the Civil Services Examination, the exam UPSC holds every year to fill the Indian Administrative Service, the Indian Foreign Service, the Indian Police Service and 20 other services.

The exam has two stages and three tests: prelims, mains and interview. A preliminary exam (prelims) of two objective papers screens candidates, and a main exam (mains) of written papers followed by an interview decides your final rank. This guide explains what the Commission is, how the exam is built and which posts it fills, using the CSE 2026 notice and UPSC's own pages.

What the Union Public Service Commission is

UPSC is a constitutional body. Its own website sets out the articles of the Constitution that create it and define its work:

• Article 315 provides for a Public Service Commission for the Union and one for each State. References in the Constitution to the Union Public Service Commission mean the commission serving the Union.
• Article 316 says the President appoints the Chairman and other members of the Union Commission. A member holds office for six years or until the age of 65, whichever comes first, and cannot be reappointed to the same office.
• Article 320 makes it the Commission's duty to conduct examinations for appointments to the services of the Union. It also says the Commission shall be consulted on methods of recruitment to civil services and posts, on the principles for appointments, promotions and transfers, and on disciplinary matters affecting civil servants, except where regulations made by the President say it need not be.
• Article 323 requires the Commission to report on its work to the President every year. The report goes before each House of Parliament, with a memorandum explaining any case where the Commission's advice was not accepted.

The Commission is older than the Constitution. UPSC's history of the Commission says a Public Service Commission was set up in India for the first time on 1 October 1926. It became the Federal Public Service Commission when the Government of India Act, 1935 came into effect on 1 April 1937. With the inauguration of the Constitution on 26 January 1950, it came to be known as the Union Public Service Commission.

The CSE is one of many examinations UPSC holds. Its calendar for 2027 also lists, for example, the Engineering Services, Combined Medical Services and Combined Geo-Scientist examinations. There is no separate "IAS exam" in it: the IAS is one of the services filled through the CSE.

What the Civil Services Examination is

The CSE is held under rules that the Government of India's Department of Personnel and Training publishes in the Gazette each year. UPSC then issues an examination notice derived from those rules. For CSE 2026 this was Examination Notice No. 05/2026-CSE, dated 4 February 2026, based on rules published in the Gazette of India Extraordinary the same day. The notice covers eligibility, fees, centres, the plan of the exam and the syllabus of every paper.

The two stages, and the three tests inside them

1. Preliminary exam. Two objective (multiple choice) papers of 200 marks each, two hours each. It is a screening test only: its marks do not count towards your final rank. General Studies Paper II (CSAT) is qualifying, and you need 33% in it. UPSC admits about 12 to 13 times the number of vacancies to the next stage.
2. Main exam, written part. Nine essay-type papers. Two language papers are qualifying; the other seven carry 250 marks each, 1,750 in all, and count towards your rank.
3. Personality test (interview). 275 marks, with no minimum qualifying mark. UPSC calls about twice the number of vacancies for it.

Your final rank comes from the written marks plus the interview, out of 2,025. The exam pattern guide has every paper and its marks, and the selection process guide follows a candidate from the form to the final list.

The posts the exam fills

The CSE 2026 notice lists 23 services. Three are named first, without a group: the IAS, the Indian Foreign Service and the IPS. Then come 15 Group ‘A’ services and 5 Group ‘B’ services.

UPSC recommends candidates in order of merit. The Government then allots services, keeping in view your rank and the order of preference you gave in your application. You are considered only for the services you list. The guide to the other services explains what each one does.

Who can sit the exam

In short: you need a graduate degree, you must be at least 21 and under the upper age limit for your category on 1 August of the exam year, and you must have attempts left. The IAS, IFS and IPS are open only to citizens of India. The details, including relaxations, are in the guides to eligibility and age limit and attempts.

When the next exam is

UPSC's calendar for 2027 puts the CSE 2027 notification on 13 January 2027 and the prelims on 23 May 2027. UPSC notes that these dates can change. See the UPSC calendar for every date and the application guide for how to apply.