Civil service exams are one of the most competitive government exams in the country and also believed to be one of the toughest to crack. It is conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) every year to recruit for IAS, IPS, IFS and many other government jobs and responsibilities. The number of vacancies varies every year for UPSC exam. UPSC conducts the civil service exams in three phases- a preliminary exam (prelims), a main exam (mains) and a personal interview (PI).
UPSC notification for the prelims comes out by March/ April. The prelims are conducted around July- August every year and the mains falls in November. UPSC releases the list of candidates for the interview which is held in March- April every year. Final UPSC results come out by May/June.
UPSC syllabus is broadly classified and specially designed for prelims and mains. The syllabus is available in the official site of UPSC. The preliminary syllabus is designed to assess the current affairs, general aptitude and reasoning of the candidate. Mains syllabus focuses on testing academic knowledge in the chosen topics. One needs to clear prelims and mains to appear for interview. The interview focuses on testing the candidates’ mental alertness, clear and logical reasoning. The questions asked in the interview are on matters of general interest, and also of events happening in the country and world. Final selection of candidates is done once interview results are out.
An aspirant can choose from a wide range of books and study materials available to prepare for the upcoming government exams.