UPSC CSE Mains 2025 schedule out, to be held on THESE dates, check full timetable

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has released the timetable for the Civil Services Examination (CSE) Mains for 2025. The exams will be conducted on August 22, 23, 24, 30, and 31. The papers will be held in two three-hour sessions on each of these dates -- the first session will be from 9 am to 12 noon and the second session from 2:30 pm to 5:30 pm. You can check the complete timetable on the official website: upsc.gov.in.

CSE exam pattern
The UPSC CSE exam is divided into three stages: Preliminary, Mains, and Interview. The first stage includes two papers of 200 marks each, both objective-type. Both papers are conducted in English and Hindi. The Mains examination comprises two qualifying papers: Paper A (Indian Language) and Paper B (English), each carrying 300 marks. The papers that count for the merit list include Essay, General Studies I to IV, and two papers on an optional subject. Each of them is of 250 marks. Candidates who clear the first two stages are called in for the Interview round (also called Personality Test), which carries 275 marks. There are no minimum marks required in the final stage.

UPSC CSE 2025
The highly-competitive Civil Services Exam is held to induct officers in a range of key services, including the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), the Indian Foreign Service (IFS), and the Indian Police Service (IPS), forming the backbone of the Indian bureaucracy. This year, the exam is being held to fill up a total of 979 vacancies across services.