UPSC Civil Services (Prelims)
Build a foundation in history, polity, geography, economy, environment and general science.
Start / resume 10,000 questions →About the exam and career or admission route
UPSC Civil Services is a route to participating civil services such as IAS and IPS. The preliminary examination is a screening stage; successful candidates proceed to the written Main examination and, if shortlisted, the Personality Test. Indian Forest Service is a separate examination that uses the Civil Services preliminary screening; do not confuse the two selection processes.
Eligibility checklist
The examination normally requires a recognised graduate qualification. Nationality, age, attempts, category relaxations and proof of eligibility must be checked in the notice for your chosen year. Do not assume that eligibility for one service guarantees eligibility for every service.
Selection stages and exam pattern
Prepare General Studies Paper I and the qualifying CSAT Paper II separately. GS combines history, geography, polity, economy, environment, science and current events. CSAT assesses comprehension, reasoning, numeracy and data interpretation. Preliminary marks serve a screening purpose; use the official notice for paper totals, negative marking and qualification conditions.
Subject-wise syllabus map
History: build a chronology of modern India, link movements to their aims and compare similar events. Polity: connect constitutional provisions with institutions and their functions. Geography: use maps to study climate, rivers, agriculture and resources. Economy: understand inflation, fiscal policy, monetary policy and external trade through cause and effect. Environment: relate ecology concepts to conservation issues rather than memorising disconnected species lists.
How to prepare: from concepts to timed practice
Begin with a syllabus checklist and relevant school textbooks. Spend the first month building core concepts and reading maps. In the next phase, connect one daily current-affairs issue to a syllabus heading. In the final phase, solve previous papers and mixed revision sets. Reserve regular CSAT practice even if you are comfortable with mathematics; comprehension speed needs its own practice.
A practical daily timetable
A workable three-hour session is 75 minutes of one GS topic, 35 minutes of current events and syllabus connections, 40 minutes of CSAT and 30 minutes of error review. On a weekly revision day, replace new reading with maps, short notes and a timed previous paper.
Attempt strategy and mistake analysis
For statement questions, judge each statement independently before combining options. Watch absolute words such as only, always and all. Record why each eliminated option is wrong. Avoid guessing solely from familiar names, and apply the official negative-marking rule when planning your attempt strategy.
After the exam: results and next steps
After the preliminary stage, shift attention to descriptive answer writing, optional-subject depth and revision for the Main examination. For the Personality Test, practise explaining your reasoning clearly. This page’s bank is foundation practice, not a replacement for current affairs, CSAT passages or full-length official-pattern mocks.
A flexible 12-week preparation plan
Weeks 1–2: read the syllabus, take a diagnostic set and organise your study material. Weeks 3–6: study core topics and practise immediately after each lesson. Weeks 7–9: finish gaps and mix topics to test recall. Weeks 10–11: solve timed papers and review each mistake. Week 12: revise short notes, formulas and weak areas. This is a planning template, not a promise of readiness in 12 weeks; extend it if you are starting from the basics.
Application and document checklist
Open the official notification from the authority website. Record the application window, correction window, fee rules and examination dates in your own calendar. Prepare the requested identity, educational and category documents, photograph and signature in the stated formats. Check spelling and dates before submission, save the confirmation page and payment acknowledgement, and never share passwords or verification codes. Fees, dates and vacancy counts are not fixed in this guide because they can change by cycle.
Resources and revision system
Use the official syllabus as your checklist and official previous papers where provided. Start with the relevant school or subject textbooks, then add one reliable practice source per subject. Keep three short lists: concepts to relearn, facts or formulas to recall, and methods that need speed practice. Revisit mistakes after a day, a week and a month. Avoid collecting more books than you can revise. The reference library on this site can support formula and grammar revision.
How the 100-question practice works
Choose a batch of 10, 20, 50 or 100 displayed questions. You do not have to answer every question. Submit to see feedback only for the questions you attempted; unanswered solutions stay hidden. Continue opens the next questions without restarting. Save & stop preserves the current selections. Sign in to keep progress across devices and bookmark questions or tools. Reset clears progress for this exam after explicit confirmation. Scoring here is +1 for a correct answer and zero otherwise, rather than the official examination marking scheme.
Frequently asked questions
Is this an official examination website? No; it is an independent study resource. Are the questions previous-year questions? No; they are original foundation practice, with some shared core topics across related exams. Does completing 100 questions cover the whole syllabus? No; use the full syllabus and deeper practice to identify remaining gaps. Where should I check dates, age limits, fees and results? Open the authority notice linked in the official-information column. Can I stop after 10 questions? Yes; submit or save, then return to your existing progress. Are updates guaranteed to be complete? No; the column extracts matching official links and shows freshness or failure status, so the authority website remains the source of record.
Study references
Open formulas, conversion tables and grammar guides →
Guide prepared 16 September 2026. Preparation guidance is independent editorial content; the current official notification governs eligibility, dates, fees and examination rules.