UPSC CSE Prelims 2025: The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) will conduct the Civil Services Preliminary Examination on Sunday, May 25. Candidates who have registered for the exam can now access and download their e-admit cards from the official website - upsconline.gov.in. The exam will be conducted in two shifts: Paper 1 (General Studies): 9.30am to 11.30am and Paper 2 (CSAT)- 2.30pm to 4.30pm.
To appear for the examination, candidates must carry a printed copy of their e-admit card along with a valid photo ID card mentioned in the admit card. Entry to the exam centre will not be permitted without these documents. UPSC has also urged candidates to go through the instructions printed on the admit card to avoid last-minute confusion.
UPSC CSE Prelims 2025: Screening Test Only, Not Counted For Final Merit
The preliminary exam is a screening test. The marks secured in this exam will not be counted towards the final merit list. Only those who qualify the prelims will be eligible to appear for the Main examination, the marks of which play a crucial role in determining the final rank.
Exam Pattern And Papers
- The preliminary exam comprises two objective-type papers, each carrying 200 marks.
- General Studies Paper I: Covers topics like history, geography, polity, economics, and current developments in science and technology.
- General Studies Paper II (CSAT): Includes comprehension, logical reasoning, and analytical ability.
- The question papers will be in Hindi and English and the duration of each paper will be of two hours
- The CSAT paper is qualifying in nature, with candidates required to score a minimum of 33% to be considered for the next stage.
Negative Marking
- Candidates should be aware that wrong answers attract negative marking:
- One-third of the marks alloted to a question will be deducted for every incorrect response.
- If more than one option is marked, it will be treated as an incorrect answer, even if one of them is correct.
- No marks are deducted for unanswered questions.
For complete details on the syllabus and exam rules, candidates are advised to refer to the official Examination Notice and Rules issued by the UPSC.
With the exam date approaching, the UPSC aspirants are advised to ensure timely downloading of admit cards and thorough familiarisation with the exam pattern and rules.