Scheme Of The Civil Services Examination

 

The Civil Services Examination comprises two successive stages:

a)    Civil Services Preliminary Examinations (Objective Type) - for the selection of candidates for Main Examination; and

b)   Civil Services Main Examination (Written Test and Interview) - for the selection of candidates for the various services and posts

The Preliminary Examination will consist of two papers of Objective type (multiple choice questions - there are four alternatives for the answer to every question) and carry a maximum of 400 marks.

1.   General Studies Paper-I: 200 marks; and

2.   General Studies Paper-II (CSAT): 200 marks.

This examination is meant to serve as a screening test only; the marks obtained in the Preliminary Examination by the candidates who are declared qualified for admission to the Main Examination will not be counted for determining their final order of merit. The number of candidates to be admitted to the Main Examination will be about twelve to thirteen times the total approximate number of vacancies to be filled in the year in the various Services and Posts. Only those candidates who are declared by the Commission to have qualified in the Preliminary Examination in a year will be eligible for admission to the Main Examination of that year provided they are otherwise eligible for admission to the Main Examination.

The Main Examination will consist of a

1.   Written examination and

2.   An interview test.

The written examination will consist of 9 papers of conventional essay type in the subjects mentioned in section Civil Services Mains Exam. Candidates, who obtain such minimum qualifying marks in the written part of the Main Examination as may be fixed by the Commission at their discretion, shall be summoned by them for an Interview or a Personality Test.

The number of candidates to be summoned for interview will be about twice the number of vacancies to be filled. The Interview will carry 275 marks (with no minimum qualifying marks). Marks thus obtained by the candidates in the Main Examination (written part as well as interview) would determine their final ranking. Candidates will be allotted to the various Services keeping in view their ranks in the examination and the preferences expressed by them for the various Services and posts.