UPSC is the premier organisation that conducts multiple examinations every year to fill up the administrative vacancies in the all India and Central services. The best government jobs in India are provided by the UPSC. Today in this article we’ll do the full form and work of the UPSC. It is an important organisation of the nation and is often called the watchdog of merit. So let’s have a look at this elite organisation.
Also Read:-
IAS Full Form: Overview, Eligibility Criteria, Salary Structure, Exam Patterns, and Career Prospects
What is the Full form of UPSC?
The full form of UPSC is Union Public Service Commission. UPSC is an independent organisation for the recruitment of Level A and Level B employees . The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) was established on October 1, 1926. The official website of UPSC is https://www.upsc.gov.in/. The headquarters of UPSC is in New Delhi. UPSC conducts Civil Services Examination every year in the country. In this article, we will give the full form of the posts under UPSC and information related to it. UPSC conducts a national level examination for 24 services under the Central and State Government.
Functions of UPSC:-
Under Article 320 of the Constitution, among other things, the Commission has all the responsibilities related to recruitment for civil services and posts. The functions of UPSC under Article 320 of the Constitution are as follows:
- To hold examinations for appointment to the services of the Union
- Direct recruitment by selection through interview
- Appointment of officers by promotion/deputation/absorption
- Preparation of recruitment rules for various services and posts under the government and amendments in them.
- Disciplinary matters relating to various civil services
- To advise the Government on any matter referred to the Commission by the President of India
Post under UPSC Exams:-
There are almost 100 posts for which UPSC conducts examinations. However out those 100 the four most famous posts for UPSC are given below.
| Post | Full Form |
| IAS | Indian Administrative Service
Indian Administrative Service |
| IPS | Indian Police Service
Indian Police Service |
| IFS | Indian Foreign Service
Indian Foreign Service |
| IRS | Indian Revenue Service |
Other Exams Conducted by UPSC:-
Apart from the famous Civil Services Examination the UPSC also conducts various other examinations to fill the administrative and leadership posts in the government.
Indian Forest Service examination : Every year UPSC conducts an exam to select forest officers. The prelims of Indian forest service Examination is conducted with civil services examination however the mains exam and interview process is different for both of them.
Combined Defence Services Examination : To fill up the leadership posts in Indian Army, Airforce and Navy UPSC conducts CDS exam twice a year. This exam is for all the candidates who have completed their graduation or are in the final year. After clearing the written exam all the candidates have to go through the SSB interview process to get a final recommendation for service.
Engineering Services Examination : To select engineers for Central government UPSC comfort IES ( Indian Engineering Services) exam. It is a group A gazetted post and the candidates have to go through a rigorous procedure to get selected
National Defence Academy / Naval Academy Examination: For all the candidates who want a career in Armed forces UPSC conducts NDA/ NA exam twice a year for all the students who have cleared 10+2. After clearing the cutoff for written exam candidates have to go through SSB interview after that they undergo graduation at National Defence academy for 3 years and after that one year of training for Indian Army, Airforce or Navy.
Combined Medical Services Examination : To fill the position for administrative officers in the Medical wing of the Union Government, the UPSC conducts the CMSE exam every year. This is a highly competitive exam.
Indian Economic Service/Indian Statistical Service Examination: Through this exam UPSC recruits officers for NSSO , Finance department and various other ministries. There are a limited number of vacancies for this post. However it is a very prestigious and well paying job.
Combined Geoscientist and Geologist Examination : This exam is conducted by UPSC to recruit scientists for the ministry of earth sciences.
Central Armed Police Forces (Assistant Commandant) : UPSC conducts the exam on a yearly basis to fill up the administrative officers level vacancies in CISF, SSB , BSF , CRPF and ITBP. This is a prestigious job where lakhs of candidates appear every year.
Every year lakhs of candidates appear for the UPSC exams. As it is a very popular examination among the students, due to which it has good salary benefits and respectable posts.
UPSC Prelims Exam Pattern:-
| Exam Pattern for IAS UPSC CSE Prelims 2023 | |
| Two Compulsory Papers | ● General Studies Paper 1 (Merit)
● CSAT (Qualification) |
| Total Questions | ● GS Paper 1: 100 Questions
● CSAT: 80 questions |
| Total Marks | ● GS Paper-I: 200 marks
● CSAT: 200 marks ● Total Marks: 400 |
| Negative Marking | ● 1/3rd of the total marks determined will be deducted |
| Time | ● Two hours for each of the following papers: ○ gs paper 1 ○ csat |
Prelims exam is a qualifying stage in nature, marks obtained in Prelims are not counted in the final merit list. Both the papers in Prelims exam are objective type. General Studies II (CSAT) paper is qualifying in nature, you have to score 33% marks to qualify the second paper, there is also negative marking in the prelims exam. For each wrong answer, 1/3 marks will be deducted from the marks obtained.
UPSC Exam Pattern for Mains:-
| UPSC Mains Exam Pattern | |||
| Paper Type | Name Of Paper | Syllabus Overview | Score |
| Qualifying Paper: Paper A | The candidate must choose one Indian language from among the languages mentioned in the 8th Schedule of the Constitution . | ● Understanding
● Abstract writing ● Use ● vocabulary ● short essay |
300 |
| Qualifying Paper: Paper B | English | ● Short Essay (100 Marks)
● Comprehension of the given passage (60 marks) ● Accurate Writing (60 Marks) ● Grammar and Language Use (40 marks) ● Translation: English to Compulsory Language (20 marks) ● English as Compulsory Language (20 marks) |
300 |
| Paper 1 | Essay | Candidates can write as per their convenience | 250 |
| Paper 2 | General Studies 1 | ● Art And Culture
● History ● Geography ● Society |
250 |
| Paper 3 | General Studies 2 | ● Government
● Constitution ● Arrangement of the governance ● Social Justice ● International Relation |
250 |
| Paper 4 | General Studies 3 | ● Science and Technology ● Economics ● Environmental Biodiversity ● Intrinsic Safety ● Disaster management |
250 |
| Paper 5 | General Studies 4 | ● Ethics
● Integrity ● Skill |
250 |
| Paper 6 | Optional Subject-Paper 1 | The detailed IAS exam syllabus is mentioned in the official notification. | 250 |
| Paper 7 | Optional Subject-Paper 2 | – | 250 |
| Total | – | – | 1750 |
UPSC Mains exam consists of 9 papers, candidates who qualify the Prelims exam can appear for the Mains exam. All the papers of Mains examination are of descriptive type . The two language papers are qualifying in nature. UPSC Mains exam is conducted over a period of 5-7 days, Paper A and B are qualifying in nature, candidates must score at least 25% each in their Paper I to Paper VII.
UPSC Interview:-
Interview is the final stage of the UPSC exam. The merit list is prepared on the basis of Interview/Personality Test and Mains Examination. The maximum marks allotted for the interview stage is 275, thus the total marks for the merit list is 2025 . The interviewer will judge the mental and social traits of the student by asking questions of general interest. Some of the qualities they look for are mental alertness, critical powers of assimilation, clear and logical exposition, a balance of judgement, variety, and depth of interest, leadership, intellectual and moral integrity .
So this was all about the Union Public Service Commission. It is one of the most elite government organisations in India that make sure that the Indian Bureaucracy always remains in top notch condition.