CMS Selection Process
Last verified 31 Jul 2026
UPSC CMS selection runs through the stages below, each of which must be cleared in sequence.
- Computer Based Examination (Paper-I and Paper-II)
- Personality Test / Interview
Exam pattern by stage
| Paper | Subjects | Questions | Marks | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paper-I | General Medicine and Paediatrics | 120 | 250 | 2 hours |
| Paper-II | Surgery, Gynaecology & Obstetrics, and Preventive & Social Medicine | 120 | 250 | 2 hours |
| Personality Test | Interview board | — | 100 | — |
Document verification
UPSC verifies eligibility against original documents only after a candidate has qualified for the Interview or Personality Test. Until that point, admission to every stage is purely provisional — the issue of an e-Admit Card does not mean your candidature has been cleared. A candidate can therefore sit and clear a paper and still be found ineligible later.
Final merit
Merit is prepared from the marks that count for this examination, and posts are allotted by merit-cum-preference against the confirmed vacancies. Ties are broken by rules published by the Commission — typically the marks in the compulsory papers, and where those are equal, seniority in age.