UPSC Full Form is the Union Public Service Commission. Considered to be one of the most competitive and challenging exams, the Union Public Service Commission is responsible for conducting this exam. UPSC Civil Services Examination is conducted by UPSC in three phases- Prelims, Mains and Interview. The UPSC Prelims Exam is of objective type and the UPSC Mains is descriptive in nature. UPSC is responsible for conducting examinations for IAS, IPS, IFS and various other positions.
UPSC Full Form
UPSC Full Form is the Union Public Service Commission. Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) is a constitutional body in India, established under Articles 315 to 323 of the Indian Constitution.
Union Public Service Commission History
The Civil Service was set up in the year 1923 under the chairmanship of Lord Lee of Fareham with equal numbers of Indian and British members. In 1924, the Public Service Commission was set up after the recommendation of the report. According to the Lee Commission, the following points were important-
- 40% of future recruitment should be British
- 40% of Indians should be directly recruited
- 20% of Indians from provisional services should be promoted
In 1926, the first Public Service Commission was set up by Sir Ross Barker as the chairman on 1st October. The body was without any power as a limited advisory body. In 1935, the Government of India Act 1935, changed the Federal Union Public Service Commission and became the Union Public Service Commission on 26 January 1950.
UPSC Functions
The duties of UPSC are mentioned under Article 320 of the constitution. The UPSC Full Form is the Union Public Service Commission and the functions. Functions of UPSC include:
- Managing appointments to the services of the union.
- Development of recruiting schemes
- Consultation on matters relating to recruitment, appointment, pension claim, promotion or transfer, disciplinary cases, or other matters given to them.
Examination conducted by UPSC
UPSC conducts various examinations for group A, group B and various other positions. List of examinations include:
- Indian Statistical Service Examination (ISS)
- Indian Forest Service Examination (IFS)
- Indian Civil Services Examination (ICSE) for recruitment to IAS, IPS, IRS, etc officers
- Combined Medical Services Examination
- Combined Defence Services Examination (CDS)
- Various Recruitment Tests for UPSC EPFO, and other exams
- Indian Engineering Services Examination
- Combined Geo-Scientist and Geologist Examination
- National Defence Academy and Naval Academy Examination (NDA)
- Indian Economic Service Examination (IES)
- Central Armed Police Forces (ACs) Examination
UPSC 2025 Exam Dates
Event |
Date |
UPSC Exam Calendar 2025 |
26 April 2024 |
UPSC 2025 exam notification |
22 January 2025 |
UPSC 2025 exam application form |
22nd January 2025 to 18 February 2025 |
UPSC 2025 admit card |
To be released |
UPSC 2025 Civil Services Prelims exam |
25 May 2025 |
UPSC 2025 Civil Services Mains exam |
22 August 2025 |
UPSC Eligibility Criteria 2025
In order to appear for UPSC 2025, aspirants are required to meet the eligibility criteria. Following are the necessary eligibility criteria that have to be met:
Age Limit |
21 to 32 years |
Age relaxation |
As per the category (mentioned below) |
Educational Qualification for UPSC Civil Services |
Graduation from any recognized university |
Nationality |
Indian |
UPSC Exam Number of Attempts
The UPSC Exam allows candidates to take upto the following number of UPSC attempts:
- General Category/ EWS Category– 6 attempts
- OBC candidates – 9 attempts
- SC/ST – no bar on the number of attempts (they can take the exam until they reach the upper age limit)
UPSC Exam Pattern 2025
The UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam Pattern is as follows:
Name of the Paper |
No of Questions |
Marks Allotted |
Time Allotted |
Nature of Exam |
Paper I: General Studies (Objective-type) |
100 |
200 |
2 hours |
The score will be considered for Cut-off |
Paper-II: General Studies-II (CSAT) (Objective-Type) |
80 |
200 |
2 hours |
Qualifying Nature- Candidates will have to score 33% to qualify CSAT. |
Paper |
Subject |
Duration |
Total marks |
Time Allotted |
Nature of paper |
Type of Paper |
Paper A |
Compulsory Indian language |
3 hours |
300 |
3 hours |
Qualifying |
Descriptive |
Paper B |
English |
3 hours |
300 |
3 hours |
Qualifying |
Descriptive |
Paper I |
Essay |
3 hours |
250 |
3 hours |
Merit |
Descriptive |
Paper-II |
General Studies I |
3 hours |
250 |
3 hours |
Merit |
Descriptive |
Paper III |
General Studies II |
3 hours |
250 |
3 hours |
Merit |
Descriptive |
Paper IV |
General Studies III |
3 hours |
250 |
3 hours |
Merit |
Descriptive |
Paper V |
General Studies IV |
3 hours |
250 |
3 hours |
Merit |
Descriptive |
Paper VI |
Optional I |
3 hours |
250 |
3 hours |
Merit |
Descriptive |
Paper VII |
Optional II |
3 hours |
250 |
3 hours |
Merit |
Descriptive |
UPSC 2025 Important Books
The following books are important for UPSC 2025 Preparation-
Name of the Book |
Author’s name |
Indian Polity |
M. Laxmikanth |
Important Judgments that Transformed India |
Alex Andrews George |
Important Acts that Transformed India |
Alex Andrews George |
Ancient and Medieval India |
Poonam Dalal Dahiya |
Indian Art and Culture |
Nitin Singhania |
Certificate Physical And Human Geography |
Goh Cheng Leong |
Geography of India |
Majid Husain |
Modern Indian History |
Sonali Bansal and Snehil Tripathi |
Science and Technology |
Ravi P. Agrahari |
Environment and Ecology |
Vaishali Anand |
Lexicon for Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude |
Niraj Kumar |
Other Related Posts of UPSC 2025 | |
Last updated on Feb, 2025
→ UPSC Notification 2025 was released on 22nd January 2025.
→ The UPSC Vacancy 2025 were released 1129, out of which 979 were for UPSC CSE and remaining 150 are for UPSC IFoS.
→ As per UPSC Notification, the last date to apply is 18th February 2025.
→ The UPSC Prelims 2025 is scheduled to be conducted on 25th May 2025 and UPSC Mains 2025 will be conducted on 22nd August 2025.
→ Apply once through it and aspirants can apply for various government exams conducted by UPSC.
→ The UPSC Selection Process is of 3 stages-Prelims, Mains and Interview.
→ Also check Best IAS Coaching in Delhi
UPSC Full Form FAQs
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