UPSC IAS 2021: Union Public Service Commission has released admit card for UPSC IAS 2021 prelims exam at the official website, upsc.gov.in. The prelims Civil Services Exam is scheduled to take place on October 10, 2021. On the basis of the result of the Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination candidates are qualified for the Civil Services (Main) Examination. Candidates are advised to visit the website on a regular basis, in order to stay updated. Candidates can scroll below to check the important dates of the upcoming year, how to apply for UPSC IAS, know important preparation tips, and more.
Latest: Admit Card for UPSC IAS 2021 is now available. Download here.
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UPSC IAS 2021
On this page, candidates can get all the important updates related to UPSC IAS 2021. Check all the important dates of the prelims exam from the table given below.
UPSC IAS 2020-2021
| Important Events | Dates 2020 | Dates 2021 |
| Start Date of Application Submission | 12 Feb 2020 | 04 Mar 2021 |
| Last Date of Application Submission | 03 Mar 2020 | 24 Mar 2021 |
| Application form withdrawal | 12 to 18 Mar 2020 | 31 Mar to 06 Apr 2021 |
| Re-start of Application form withdrawal | 01 -08 Aug 2020 | To be announced |
| Window for submission of revised choice of centers | 07-13 Jul 2020 20-24 Jul 2020 | To be announced |
| Issue of admit card (prelims) | 01 Sep 2020 | To be announced |
| IAS Prelims Exam Date | 04 Oct 2020 | 10 Oct 2021 |
| IAS Prelims 2020 Result | 23 Oct 2020 | To be announced |
| Date of DAF-I for IAS Main exam | 28 Oct – 11 Nov 2020 | – |
| Issue of admit card (mains) | 17 Dec 2020 | To be announced |
| IAS Main Exam 2020 | 8, 9, 10, 16, 17 Jan 2021 | To be announced |
| Mains Result Declaration | 23 Mar 2021 | To be announced |
| Detailed Application Form-II | 25 Mar – 05 Apr 2021 | To be announced |
| Date of interview | 02 Aug – 22 Sep 2021 | To be announced |
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Overview Of UPSC Civil Service
The national level Indian Administrative Service (IAS) exam is conducted by the Union Public Service Commission every year. It is one of the most prestigious and hardest competitive examinations in the country. Some few lakh applicants apply for the UPSC IAS exam every year. It is also informally referred to as the Civil Service exam. This is because UPSC IAS qualifiers are recruited as IAS Officers in administrative roles. Here are some important facts and a brief overview of the UPSC IAS.
| Name of Exam | Indian Administrative Service |
| Conducting Body | Union Public Service Commission |
| Frequency | Once a year |
| Last Conducted in | 2019 |
| Minimum Eligibility | Graduation |
| Key Stages | Preliminary Main Personal Interview |
| Vacancies | 796 |
| Exam Fees | Rs 100/- |
| Mode of application | Online |
| Mode of exam | Offline |
| Official Website | upsc.gov.in |
UPSC Civil Service 2021 – Latest News
September 16, 2021: UPSC Civil Services Prelims Admit Card 2021 out, Important Instructions in e-Admit Card. Read More
UPSC IAS Admit Card 2021
UPSC issues e-admit cards to eligible candidates to appear in each stage of the exam. IAS Admit Card 2021 is released through the official website of the Commission as per schedule. Candidates must download the admit card from the website by entering the registration id or roll number to log in. It is not sent by the Commission by post. However, UPSC IAS 2021 admit card is mandatory to be produced at the exam hall. Candidates are not allowed to enter the exam hall at any cost if they fail to produce the admit card. Follow the simple steps below to download the admit card.
#1: Go to the website of the UPSC at upsc.gov.in
#2: There is a link to download the admit card. Click on it.
#3: Within this link, there are all the links to download admit card for various UPSC exams. Click on the one for UPSC IAS 2021 exam.
#4: Enter login credentials to log in and open the admit card when released.
#5: Download and print out the admit card.
UPSC IAS Syllabus 2021
The syllabus is perhaps the first point where preparations for the UPSC IAS exam commences. We advise that one should carefully go through the IAS syllabus, prescribed by the authorities even before devising any plans for preparation. Now that the written exam of UPSC IAS 2021 is conducted in two phases viz. the Preliminary exam and Main exam, the syllabus of both stages of the exam are given below.
UPSC IAS Syllabus For Preliminary
Paper 1:
- Current events of national and international importance.
- History of India and Indian National Movement.
- Indian and World Geography
- Indian Polity and Governance
- Economic and Social Development
- General issues on Environmental ecology, Bio-diversity and Climate Change
- General Science.
Paper 2:
- Comprehension
- Interpersonal skills including communication skills
- Logical reasoning and analytical ability
- Decision making and problem solving
- General mental ability
- Basic numeracy (numbers and their relations, orders of magnitude, etc.) of class 10th level, Data interpretation (graphs, charts, tables, data sufficiency, etc.Class 10th level)
UPSC IAS Syllabus For Main
| Paper | Subject |
| Paper 1 | Essay |
| Paper 2 | General Studies – 1 |
| Paper 3 | General Studies – 2 |
| Paper 4 | General Studies – 3 |
| Paper 5 | General Studies – 4 |
| Paper 6 | Optional subject – Paper 1 |
| Paper 7 | Optional subject – Paper 2 |
Click here to download UPSC IAS Syllabus 2021.
UPSC IAS 2021 Exam Pattern
Knowing the examination pattern helps the candidate to have an idea about the duration, number of questions, etc. It helps a candidate to know about the weightage of sections asked in UPSC IAS 2021. Read on through the details given below to know the exam pattern of both the phases.
Pattern of Preliminary Exam:
- Language: Question paper of preliminary exam is set in both English and Hindi language.
- Exam Mode: Offline mode.
- Sections: Preliminary exam is divided into 02 sections.
- Negative Marking: 0.33 marks assigned to the question will be deducted in case of wrong answer.
- Type of Questions: Preliminary exam is based on Multiple Choice Questions.
- Minimum Qualifying Marks: Candidates have to score minimum of 33% marks to qualify the preliminary exam.
Pattern of Main Exam:
- Language: Question papers for main exam are set in English and Hindi, except for the literature of language papers.
- Exam Mode: Offline mode.
- Sections: It consists of 9 papers, out of which 2 are qualifying papers and rest 7 are taken into consideration to prepare the merit list.
- Type of Questions: Main exam or the written test consists of descriptive type questions.
- Duration: Each paper of main exam is of 03 hours.
- Total Marks: Descriptive/main exam is of 1750 marks
Personality Test/Interview:
Candidates qualifying the Main exam of IAS 2021, will be called for the Interview round. This round is of 275 marks, where personal suitability is judged by the experts. Not just the intellectual qualities, an interview helps in assessing the social traits of the candidate. This also helps to know, what knowledge a candidate has of current affairs.
How to Prepare for UPSC IAS?
IAS Preparation by Let’s Crack UPSC CSE
Complete 1 Year Preparation Strategy by UPSC Topper 2018 Akshat Jain by Let’s Crack UPSC CSE
IAS 2021 – Self Study Strategy by Raj Malhotra’s IAS Coaching in Chandigarh
UPSC IAS Prelims 2021 Preparation Tips
Most of the IAS aspirants wish to crack examination in the first attempt. Hard work and smart work together is required to crack UPSC IAS. Here are some preparation tips that will help the IAS aspirants to prepare for their big day.
IAS 2021 Preparation Tips
Syllabus of IAS and Exam Pattern: Why is it so important to know the syllabus and exam pattern? The answer is, knowing the syllabus and pattern well, gives the right direction to the preparation. It is necessary to divert the efforts towards correct side, and syllabus and exam pattern helps in doing the same.
Right Guidance: Seek the right supervision for the preparation of prelims examination. Aspirants can either join coaching centres or go for self-study. Listen to the interviews of previous year IAS toppers, understand what strategy they adopted. Accordingly, prepare your own strategy, do not try to follow the routine of somone else.
Test Knowledge Regularly: Studying regularly for hours is good. However, testing the knowledge which aspirants have accumulated after studying for a while, is great. Cadidates should refer to previous year question papers and mock test and score their performance, after attempting them. Candidates should keep check on their strong and weaker areas. This helps in creating a right preparation strategy.
Dedication and Determination: Having persistence and perseverance during the complete procedure for IAS recruitment 2021 is important. Never lose hope thinking about the long path ahead. Just keep in mind that as a civil service aspirant it is mandatory to main the calm and composure. Out of all these seats, candidate need only one and by pure dedication and hope it will surely be there.
Important Books for UPSC IAS 2021 Preparations
Candidates can refer these books to prepare for IAS 2021:
| Important Books | Links |
| India’s Struggle for Independence – Bipan Chandra | Click Here |
| Certificate Physical Geography – G C Leong | Click Here |
| Indian Polity – M Laxmikanth | Click Here |
| Indian Economy by Ramesh Singh | Click Here |
| Tata McGraw Hill CSAT Manual | Click Here |
UPSC IAS Previous Year Question Papers
In order to prepare well to be an IAS officers, question papers help alot. Below are given the previous year question papers that candidates can use and prepare for the exam.
| Subject | Link to Download |
| General Studies Paper-I | Click Here |
| General Studies Paper-II | Click Here |
Mock Tests for UPSC IAS 2021
Everybody knows that IAS is one of the vital tests that need lots of preparation and dedication. Keeping this in mind, we have created some free mock tests that can help the candidates to prepare better for the exam.
UPSC IAS 2021 Exam Centres
The exam center is allocated to candidates on an availability basis. Refer to the table below to know more about the IAS exam centers.
IAS Exam centre for Preliminary Exam:
| Agartala | Gorakhpur |
| Panaji (Goa) | Agra |
| Gurgaon | Patna |
| Ajmer | Gwalior |
| Port Blair | Ahmedabad |
| Hyderabad | Prayagraj (Allahabad) |
| Aizawl | Imphal |
| Puducherry | Aligarh |
| Indore | Pune |
| Anantpur (Andhra Pradesh) | Itanagar |
| Raipur | Aurangabad |
| Jabalpur | Rajkot |
| Bangalore | Jaipur |
| Ranchi | Bareilly |
| Jammu | Sambalpur |
| Bhopal | Jodhpur |
| Shillong | Bilaspur |
| Jorhat | Shimla |
| Chandigarh | Kochi |
| Siligudi | Chennai |
| Kohima | Srinagar |
| Coimbatore | Kolkata |
| Thane | Cuttack |
| Kozikhode (Calicut) | Thiruvananthapuram |
| Dehradun | Lucknow |
| Tiruchirapalli | Delhi |
| Ludhiana | Tirupati |
| Dharwad | Madurai |
| Udaipur | Dispur |
| Mumbai | Varanasi |
| Faridabad | Mysore |
| Vellore | Gangtok |
| Nagpur | Vijayawada |
| Gaya | Navi Mumbai |
| Vishakhapatnam | Ghaziabad |
| Gautam Buddh Nagar | Warangal |
| Leh | Patna |
| Kozhikode |
IAS Exam centres for Main Exam:
| Ahmedabad | Delhi |
| Patna | Aizawl |
| Dispur (Guwahati) | Prayagraj (Allahabad) |
| Bengaluru | Hyderabad |
| Raipur | Bhopal |
| Jaipur | Ranchi |
| Chandigarh | Jammu |
| Shillong | Chennai |
| Kolkata | Shimla |
| Cuttack | Lucknow |
| Thiruvananthapuram | Dehradun |
| Mumbai | Vijayawada |
UPSC Civil Service 2021 Latest Updates
Notice for candidates to submit the choice of exam centre
The UPSC has released the notice regarding the submission of the revised choice of Centres by the candidates and it will be operational in two phases i.e. July 12- 19, 2021 (06.00 PM) and July 26- 30, 2021 (06.00 PM) on the Commission’s website upsconline.nic.in.
Click here to check the Notice for candidates to submit choice of exam centre.
Interview Schedule: Civil Services (Main) Examination, 2020
The Commission has decided to commence the Personality Tests (Interviews) of the Civil Services (Main) Examination, 2020 from August 02, 2021. The e-call Letters of Personality Tests (Interviews) of the candidates will be made available at the official website.
Click here to check detailed schedule of Interview Schedule: Civil Services (Main) Examination, 2020.
UPSC IAS 2021 Prelims Exam Postponed; Exam on October 10, 2021
Civil Services (Main) Examination, 2020 Interview Postponed
The civil services examination 2020 interview which was earlier scheduled for April 26 to June 18, 2021 stands deferred till further notice. Check official notice below.
Notice 1
Notice 2
Interview Schedule: Civil Services (Main) Examination, 2020
On the basis of the results of the Civil Services (Main) Examination, 2020, the Commission has decided to commence the Personality Tests (Interviews) of Civil Services (Main) Examination, 2020 from April 26, 2021 onwards. Check the detailed schedule below.
Click here to check Interview Schedule of Civil Services (Main) Examination, 2020.
SC Asks Centre to consider the idea of age relaxation
The Supreme Court of India has asked Centre to consider the idea of one time age relaxation for UPSC IAS students who took the exam during pandemic and have exhausted their last attempt. As we know, several candidates have reported that they were unable to focus on the exam due to COVID-19. Also, some of the candidates were serving essentials needs at the time of requirement. The Centre will look into this matter and announce the final decision soon.
UPSC IAS 2020 Mains Exam Date
Union Public Service Commission has released the Examination Time Table: Civil Services (Main) Examination, 2020 at the official website. The main stage examination is scheduled to be held from January 08 to 10, 16 and 17, 2021. Check details from below.
UPSC Civil Service 2021 Official Notification
UPSC has released the application form for Indian Administrative Services. Aspirants exam refer to the snapshot below to download and check the IAS 2021 notification.
UPSC IAS 2021 Eligibility Criteria
In order to apply for the IAS exam, one must have the minimum educational qualifications and meet with the other specified qualifications first. Even if the application form is accepted, chances are, an ineligible candidate will be rejected when the Commission eventually finds out during the later stages. Read on through this section and learn about all the eligibility aspects in detail for the UPSC Civil Services 2021 exam.
Nationality: Only those having an Indian citizenship are eligible to apply for UPSC IAS.
Age Limit: One must be compliant with the maximum and minimum age limits as specified by the Commission. The details for the same can be checked below.
| Minimum Age to Apply | 21 years |
| Maximum Age to Apply | 32 years |
Check out the applicable age relaxation for candidates belonging to reserved categories below
| Category | Age Relaxation |
| SC/ST | 05 years |
| OBC | 03 years |
| Defence Services Personnel, | 03 years |
| Ex-servicemen | 05 years |
| PwBD | 10 years |
Educational Qualifications: One must be compliant with the specified minimum educational qualification to apply for the UPSC IAS exam. Read about the minimum educational qualification below.
- It is mandatory for the candidate to hold a graduation or post-graduation degree to apply for the UPSC IAS exam.
- The degree should be awarded either by a deemed, State or Central University.
- Candidates who received a degree through distance or correspondence mode of education are also eligible to apply.
- Candidates who obtained their degree from an open university are also eligible to apply for UPSC IAS.
Physical Standards:
Candidates should be physically fit and comply with physical standards as specified by the Commission. These standards are set and notified through the official UPSC IAS notification.
UPSC IAS Application Form 2021
Candidates who wish to apply for the UPSC IAS 2021 can do so through the official website i.e. upsc.gov.in. The application link remains active till the last date of application. During the process of submitting the IAS Application Form 2021, one must exercise the utmost care so as to not make any mistake.
The application form for the Preliminary stage exam of UPSC IAS 2021 can be filled up in two stages as indicated below.
Part I – Application form fill up.
Part II – Selection of examination center, payment, uploading of documents, final submission.
Click Here to know the step by step process of filling the UPSC IAS 2021 Application Form.
Application Fee of UPSC Civil Service 2021
An application fee is charged by the Commission from all unreserved candidates to apply for the exam. Candidates belonging to reserved categories are allowed an exemption from payment of the application fee. Check out the categories that are exempted from the table below.
| Category | Application Fee |
| Unreserved Category | 100 Rs |
| SC/ST/ Female/ Persons with Benchmark Disability | Exempted |
Mode of Fee Payment
The application fee must be deposited during the online application process through the available modes. The UPSC provides the facility to pay the fees through both online and offline modes.
- Candidates can pay the fee by depositing the cash in any branch of State Bank of India
- The application fee can also be paid using the State Bank of India’s internet banking facility or RuPay Credit/Master/Visa/Debit Card.
- Candidates who opt for ‘Pay by Cash’ mode must generate a pay-in-slip and deposit the fee at an SBI branch.
UPSC Civil Service Application Form Withdrawal 2021
The UPSC offer the opportunity to withdraw applications for the first time in the history of the IAS exam in India. Previously, there was no option to withdraw applications once submitted. However, many a time, a candidate might decide that they do not want to appear for the exam even after they have already applied online. The application form withdrawal process initiated in 2021 allows such unwilling candidates to withdraw application form after the registration process. Know about the complete process of application form withdrawal below.
1. Only complete applications can be withdrawn. This includes only those applications that are finally submitted. There are no provisions to withdraw incomplete application forms.
2. The UPSC does not refund the application fee. Therefore, candidates are not given back any refund even if they withdraw the application form.
3. Application form withdrawal can be made only during the schedule notified by the UPSC. Candidates are not allowed to withdraw applications before or after the schedule.
4. Candidates need to enter the registration number. Besides, OTPs are sent to the registered mobile number and email ID. These are necessary to withdraw application forms.
5. In such cases when the candidate has submitted more than one application, the one with the higher registration number is considered for withdrawal. All the other applications are considered canceled.
6. Candidates must take care to generate the authenticated receipt after the successful withdrawal of the UPSC IAS application form.
7. In any case, if a candidate does not withdraw the form but a get a message regarding the same at registered mobile/e-mail, we advise contacting the UPSC at [email protected] immediately.
UPSC IAS 2021 Selection Procedure
The UPSC conducts selection for the IAS recruitment through the Civil Service exam. The exam consists of three stages. The first stage is a preliminary exam, the second stage is the main exam and the final stage is the personality test. Read about the details of all the selection stages below.
Preliminary exam
This is the first stage of the complete selection process for IAS recruitment. It consists of two compulsory papers of 200 marks each. The candidates are allowed 04 hours duration to complete the two papers consisting of objective type questions only. Candidates who qualify in the preliminary exam by securing a minimum of 33% marks are shortlisted for the main stage exam.
Main exam
This is the next stage and can only be taken by candidates who clear the preliminary exam first. It is a descriptive paper of 1750 marks in total. It consists of compulsory as well as optional subjects to choose from. Each paper is of 03 hours duration.
Personality test
This is the final stage of the UPSC IAS 2021 recruitment. Candidates qualifying in the main stage exam are shortlisted and notified through the results. These candidates are allowed to appear in the personality test. Finally selected candidates are offered appointment in the Indian Administrative Services as per vacancies advertised by the Commission.
UPSC IAS Answer Key 2021
The Commission releases the answer keys of all objective questions in the UPSC IAS exam. As the preliminary exam consists of only objective type questions, therefore, the official answer keys of the UPSC IAS preliminary exam is available for the year 2021 as per schedule. It is released by the Commission shortly after the exam has concluded.
UPSC IAS Answer Key 2021 contains all the correct answers to the preliminary question paper. Therefore, it can be used to estimate the score before the result. Furthermore, candidates who do not qualify in the first attempt can also check the correct answer to improve in subsequent attempts. Besides, unofficial answer keys are also available right after the exam. Although not official, these can be useful to unofficially predict the score.
UPSC IAS Result 2021
The results of UPSC IAS 2021 are published at the website as per schedule. Preliminary results are available after the preliminary exam. Similarly, the results of the main exam are available after the exam. Final results of the UPSC IAS exam are available after the completion of the final interview. The final results are compiled on the basis of the marks obtained in the main exam and the interview.
UPSC IAS 2021 Tie Breaking Rule
The Commission implements a two-stage tie-breaking rule in cases where two or more candidates secure the same aggregate marks. In order to determine the candidate with higher merit, the tie-breaking rule uses two factors. The marks scored in compulsory papers and personality test, taken together is used in the first stage. If the marks still remain the same, then the factor of seniority is used where the candidate with higher age is allowed the merit.
UPSC IAS 2021 Cut Off Marks
Refer the cutoff of previous year to get an idea of the IAS 2021 Cut Off.
Cut-off List of IAS 2020:
Cut-off List of IAS 2019:
Cut-off List of IAS 2018:
Cut-off list of IAS 2017:
UPSC IAS 2021 Vacancy Details
2021 Vacancies
2020 Vacancies
The Commission has notified that 24 vacancies are reserved for PWD candidates in the total number of vacancies advertised for recruitment through UPSC IAS 2020.
| Category | No. of Vacancies |
| Total vacancies | 796 |
| PwBD | 24 |
UPSC IAS 2021 Pay Scale
IAS officers are one of the highest-paid government servants in India. Besides the basic salary, these officers are also entitled to receive allowances, perks, and benefits. The salary of the IAS officer is governed by the provisions of the 7th Pay Commission.
Recommended: Click here to know more about the salary of an IAS officer
About UPSC
The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) conducts the recruitment for Civil Services for the Government of India. This includes the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS) and Indian Police Service (IPS). Exams of civil services are based upon the tests conducted in the British era, Mughal Era, and Mauryan Empire. It is considered one of the toughest exams and requires years of rigorous preparation by the candidate. IAS is considered as the permanent part of the nation’s bureaucracy and remains inseparable to the executive as well as to the Government of India.
Important Download
| Official Website | upsc.gov.in |
| 2021 Notification | Click here |
| 2020 Notification | Click here |
Archive
FAQs
Ans : Online applications for the IAS 2021 exam can be submitted at upsc.gov.in. It is the official website of the UPSC.
Ans : To apply for UPSC IAS, candidates must have a graduation degree from any recognized university.
Ans : Yes. 2/3 marks will be deducted for every incorrect answer candidate marks in the answer booklet.
Ans : Yes. The exam fee is Rs.100/-. However, candidates from reserved categories are exempted.
