Civil Services Mains exam begins!
Civil Services Examination (CSE) is perhaps the most prestigious and coveted professional exam of India. Conducted by Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), it leads to positions of power and authority in various departments of central and state governments. This year, Civil Services Preliminary Exam or CSAT 2012 was held on May 20, 2012 while Civil Services (Main) 2012 is being conducted over a period of 21 days – from October 5 to 26, 2012.
Know more about Career in the Civil Services
Students who will successfully crack the Civil Services Main exam, while have to appear for the personality test that will be conducted in New Delhi in March 2013.
This year, the number of vacancies that will be filled up through Civil Services Examination is around 1,037.
Exam Pattern for Civil Services Main Exam
| Paper-I |
One of the Indian languages to be selected by the candidate from the 18 languages included in the VIIIth Schedule to the Constitution (Qualifying Paper) |
300 Marks |
| Paper-II |
English (Qualifying Paper) |
300 Marks |
| Paper-III |
Essay |
200 Marks |
| Papers IV & V |
General Studies (300 Marks for each paper) |
600 Marks |
| Papers VI, VII, VIII & IX |
Any two subjects (each having 2 papers) to be selected from the prescribed optional subjects (300 marks for each paper) |
1200 Marks |
| Total Marks for Written Examination |
2000 Marks |
|
| Interview Test |
300 Marks |
|
| Grand Total |
2300 Marks |
|
There are a total of 51 optional subjects to choose from for Civil Services (Main) examination. These include:
| Agriculture |
Management |
| Animal Husbandry & Vetinary Science |
Mathematics |
| Anthropology |
Mechanical Engineering |
| Botany |
Medical Science |
| Chemistry |
Philosophy |
| Civil Engineering |
Physics |
| Commerce & Accountancy |
Political Science & International Relations |
| Economics |
Psychology |
| Electrical Engineering |
Public Administration |
| Geography |
Sociology |
| Geology |
Statistics |
| Indian History |
Zoology |
| Law |
|
In literature, one can choose any of the following languages:
| Arabic |
Gujarati |
Manipuri |
Sanskrit |
| Assamese |
Hindi |
Nepali |
Sindhi |
| Bengali |
Kannada |
Oriya |
Tamil |
| Chinese |
Kashmiri |
Pali |
Telugu |
| English |
Konkani |
Persian |
Urdu |
| French |
Marathi |
Punjabi |
|
| German |
Malayalam |
Russian |
|
Five last-minute tips for CSE Mains
- Remember 5 points for each topic that you study.
- Revise important facts, figures, definitions, theories and concepts. Have a look at the illustrations and flowcharts too.
- Statistics usually takes up a lot of time to solve. Hence, attempt that portion in the last 40-50 minutes of the exam.
- Time management is very important, so keep an eye on your watch when you take the exam.
- Eat healthy and sleep well.
Other interesting reads:
- Do certain subject combos help candidates score better in Civil Services Examination?
