The Union Public Service Commission was established under Article 315 according to the Constitution of India. The rules and conditions of the Commission are governed as per the Union Public Service Commission Regulations of 1969.The Commission includes  a Secretary with two Additional Secretaries. Also there will be a number of Joint Secretaries, Deputy Secretaries and other supporting staff. They recruit to various posts under UPSC by conducting competitive examinations.

Structure of UPSC CSE Main

The preliminary UPSC examination is divided into two parts. Questions come in multiple choice patterns from both parts. Each section carries 200 marks. The time allotted to solve the questions from each part is 2 hours.

Syllabus for UPSC CSE Main

Paper I

• Indian Languages
• Comprehension of given passages
• Precise Writing
• Usage and Vocabulary
• Short Essay

Translation from English to the Indian language and vice-versa

Paper II

• English Qualifying Paper
• Comprehension of given passages
• Precise Writing
• Usage and Vocabulary
• Short Essay

Paper III

• Essay

Paper IV & V

General Studies

• History of Modern India and Indian Culture
• Geography of India
• Constitution of India and Indian Policy
• Current National issues and topics of social relevance
• India and the World
• India’s Economic Interaction with the World
• Developments in the Field of Science & Technology, IT and space
• International Affairs and Institutions
• Statistical analysis, graphs and diagrams
• Papers VI, VII, VIII & IX

Two subjects should be selected from any of prescribed optional subjects

Eligibility Criteria

The candidates will be eligible for Indian Administrative Service as well as for Indian Police service only if the candidate is of Indian origin. Other than these courses, the candidate can be a citizen of India, Nepal, Bhutan or Tibet. The age of the candidate should fall within 21 and 30 years .The aspirant should not exceed 30 years of age as on 1st of August of the exam conducting year.

How to Apply?

Candidates can apply online through the official website of UPSC. Candidates can also apply offline by obtaining the Common Application Form from the prescribed head post offices by paying an amount of Rs 30/-. It can be used to apply for any one of the examination.

How to fill the Form?

On-line

Applicants can apply online by making a payment of Rs 25/- in any SBI branch. They can otherwise pay by net banking or through Visa/Master Card. A recent photograph of the candidate with signature has to be scanned and uploaded in .png format.

Off-line

The candidates those who are applying offline should fill the form all by themselves. HB pencils should be used for filling the circles. The boxes must be filled with blue or black pen.

Important Dates (Tentative)

Release of Notification: : On the Month April, 2012

Last date of submission of application form: : On the Month May, 2012

Date of Examination: : On the Month August, 2012

List of UPSC CSE Main Exam centers

• Agartala
• Ahamedabad
• Aizawl
• Aligarh
• Cuttack
• Dharwar
• Bangalore
• Bareilly
• Bhopal
• Chandigarh
• Chennai
• Cuttack
• Dehradun
• Delhi
• Dharwar
• Hyderabad
• Gangtok
• Imphal
• Itanagar
• Jaipur
• Jammu
• Jodhpur
• Jorhat
• Kochi
• Kohima
• Kolkata
• Lucknow
• Madurai
• Mumbai
• Panaji
• Patna
• Pondicherry
• Port Blair
• Raipur
• Sambalpur
• Shillong
• Shimla
• Srinagar
• Thiruvananthapuram
• Tirupati
• Udaipur
• Vishakhapatnam
• Dispur

Contact Address for the UPSC CSE Main

• Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), Dholpur House, Shahjan Road, New Delhi - 110-069

Reference Books for UPSC CSE Main

Indian History - India Struggle for Independence by Bipin Chandra

NCERT Books ( XI & XII )

Geography from Spectrum

Indian Polity - Constitution of India by Bakshi

Indian Economy

Plus One

Plus Two Books

Pratiyogita Darpan

General Science from Tata Mc Graw Hill Guide

Current Affairs

• The Hindu/The Times of India
• Frontline
• Civil Service Chronicle
• Chanakya
• Competition WIZARD
• Civil Services Today

General Studies

Books on Indian History & Culture:

• NCERT (+ 2 level) — Ancient India, Medieval India, Modern India.
• Publication Division : Gazetteer of India (Vol 2 : History & Culture)
• Gandhi Nehru Tagore & Ambedkar — Gopal Krishna
• Bipin Chandra - Modern India
• A.C.Banerjee - History of Modern India Raghavan Aiyer

Books on Geography:

• NCERT : Physical Geography of India for X - XII Std
• A Good School Atlas
• Sharma & Cotinho : Economic and Commercial Geography of India.
• Khullar : India- A Comprehnsive Geography
• Charles Farro : General Principles of World Geography
• Charles Farro : Monsoon Asia Reports published by Centre for Science and
• Enviornment And Tata Energy Research Institute
• National journal - Kurukshetra, Yojana

Books on Indian Economy:

• NCERT (+1 level)—Evolution of Indian Economy(I C Dhingra).
• Mishra & Puri or Dutt & Sundaram - Indian Economy
• Economic Survey
• The Economic Times,Business Standard, Yojana

Books on Social and National Issues :

• Social Problem - Ram Ahuja
• Social Welfare Magazine - Published by ministry of social welfare
• Yojana/Kurukshetra
• IIPa Journal

Books on Indian Polity:

• NCERT (+1 level)—Indian Political System
• N.L. Madan : Bhartiya Rajya Vyavastha
• D.D. Basu—Indian Constitution
• Kashyap—Constitution of India
• Publication Division—Subhash C. Kashyap : Our Parliament
• P.M. Bakshi—Indian Constitution
• Our Constitution : Subhash C. kashyap
• Perspective on Constitution : S.C. Kashyap
• Frontline Magazine
• IIPa Journal

Books on Science & Technology:

• NCERT : (10 level) : Science, (+2 level) : Biology.
• Popular Science Series (CSIR)
• Reports Of the Ministry of Science and Technology Yojana
• Science Reporter
• Science and Technology in India - Spectrum

Books on Statistics:

• (NCERT +1 level) Elementary Statistics
• S.C.Gupta : Statistical Methods

Books on India and the World

• Journal of peace Studies
• World Focus
• Strategic Analysis
• South Asian Journal

Other Books for General Studies

• India Year Book latest
• One competitive Magazine
• Guides like Tata Mc Graw Hill, Spectrum or Unique For General Reference
• The Pearson General Studies Manual

Coaching Centers for UPSC CSE Main

• Paradigm IAS
• New Delhi IAS
• Hamdard Study Circle
• Career Plus
• Anand Institute of Mathematics
• Political Science for IAS
• Mitra IAS
• Vision India Study Circle
• Geo Campus
• Brain Tree
• Jagan Civil Services
• Analog IAS Institute
• Target IAS
• Gandhi IAS Study Circle
• Lakshya IAS Academy
• Jai Bharat

Study Plan

• When you start preparing for the examination, aim at UPSC main examination so that you can perform well in the preliminary exam as the time between the preliminary exam and main exam is very less.
• Make sure that you choose your optional subjects wisely.
• The candidate must possess a firm grasp of the subject before the main examination.
• Secondly, keep in mind that you have to score maximum marks in your optional paper. The optional paper usually relates with the subjects that he/she have chosen for the graduation.
• Keep access to good and prescribed books.
• Don’t stick on to multiple choice questions while you study. You will find it difficult to answer the questions unless you go for a detailed study.
• Keep focused to the basic elements of the subjects while you study.
• Cover each and every corner of the syllabus

How and Where To Get the Results?

The results will be published on the UPSC official website ( http://www.upsc.gov.in/)

Score Validity

The score of UPSC exam is valid till the next official announcement of the notification of the exam.