UPSC Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination
Exam Date: 27/06/2021 Exam State: All India Last Date: 24/03/2021

Exam Details

Preliminary Examination of the Civil Services Examination for recruitment to the Services and Posts mentioned below will be held by the Union Public Service Commission on 27 June 2021 in accordance with the Rules published by the Department of Personnel & Training in the Gazette of India Extraordinary dated 04 March 2021.

(i) Indian Administrative Service.

(ii) Indian Foreign Service.

(iii) Indian Police Service.

(iv) Indian P & T Accounts & Finance Service, Group ‘A’.

(v) Indian Audit and Accounts Service, Group ‘A’.

(vi) Indian Revenue Service (Customs and Central Excise), Group ‘A’.

(vii) Indian Defence Accounts Service, Group ‘A’.

(viii) Indian Revenue Service (I.T.), Group ‘A’.

(ix) Indian Ordnance Factories Service, Group ‘A’ (Assistant Works Manager, Administration).

(x) Indian Postal Service, Group ‘A’.

(xi) Indian Civil Accounts Service, Group ‘A’.

(xii) Indian Railway Traffic Service, Group ‘A’.

(xiii) Indian Railway Accounts Service, Group 'A'.

(xiv) Indian Railway Personnel Service, Group ‘A’.

(xv) Post of Assistant Security Commissioner in Railway Protection Force, Group ‘A’

(xvi) Indian Defence Estates Service, Group ‘A’.

(xvii) Indian Information Service (Junior Grade), Group ‘A’.

(xviii) Indian Trade Service, Group 'A'.

(xix) Indian Corporate Law Service, Group ‘A’.

(xx) Armed Forces Headquarters Civil Service, Group ‘B’ (Section Officer’s Grade).

(xxi) Delhi, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Daman & Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli Civil Service, Group 'B'.

(xxii) Delhi, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Daman & Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli Police Service, Group 'B'.

(xxiii) Pondicherry Civil Service, Group 'B'.

(xxiv) Pondicherry Police Service, Group ‘B’

The number of vacancies to be filled through the examination is expected to be approximately 712 which include 22 vacancies reserved for Persons with Benchmark Disability Category, i.e. 5 vacancies for candidates of

(a) blindness and low vision; 6 Vacancies for

(b) deaf and hard of hearing; 6 Vacancies for

(c) locomotor disability including cerebral palsy, leprosy cured, dwarfism, acid attack victims and muscular dystrophy; and 5 Vacancies for

(e) multiple disabilities from amongst persons under clauses (a) to (c) including deaf-blindness. The final number of vacancies may undergo change after getting firm number of vacancies from Cadre Controlling Authorities.

Reservation will be made for candidates belonging to Scheduled Castes. Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes, the Economically Weaker Sections and Persons with Benchmark Disability in respect of vacancies as may be fixed by the Government.

Number of Attempts

Every candidate appearing at the Examination, who is otherwise eligible, shall be permitted six attempts at the examination.

Provided that this restriction on the number of attempts will not apply in the case of  SC/ST candidates who are otherwise eligible.

Provided further that the number of attempts permissible to candidates belonging to OBC who are otherwise eligible, shall be nine.

Provided further that a person with benchmark disability will get as many attempts as are available to other candidates who do not belong to person with benchmark disability of his or her community, subject to the condition that a person with benchmark disability belonging to the General and EWS Category shall be eligible for nine attempts.. The relaxation will be available to the persons with benchmark disability who are eligible to avail of reservation applicable to such candidates.

Note:

(i) An attempt at a Preliminary Examination shall be deemed to be an attempt at the Examination.

(ii) If a candidate actually appears in any one paper in the Preliminary Examination, as a candidate for the Indian Forest Service (Main) Examination, it will be deemed that the candidate has made an attempt at the Examination.

(iii) Notwithstanding the disqualification/cancellation of candidature, the fact of appearance of the candidate at the examination will count as an attempt.

(V) Medical and Physical Standards:

Candidates must be physically fit according to physical standards for admission to Indian Forest Service Examination, 2021 as per regulations of the rules for the Indian Forest Service Examination, 2021 published in Gazette of India dated 04th March, 2021.

Restrictions on applying for the examination:

A candidate who is appointed to the Indian Administrative Service or the Indian Foreign Service based on the results of an earlier Examination and continues to be a member of that Service will not be eligible to appear at the Civil Services Examination-2021. In case such a candidate is appointed to the IAS or IFS after the Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination-2021 is over and the candidate continues to be a member of that Service, the candidate shall not be eligible to appear in the Civil Services (Main) Examination-2021 notwithstanding having qualified in the Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination-2021. If such a candidate is appointed to the IAS or IFS after the commencement of the Civil Services (Main) Examination-2021 but before the result thereof is declared by the Commission and continues to be a member of that Service, the candidate shall not be considered for appointment to any Service/Post on the basis of the result of the CSE-2021.

 A candidate who is appointed to the Indian Police Service based on the results of an earlier Examination and continues to be a member of that Service shall not be eligible to opt for the Indian Police Service on the basis of the result of the CSE-2021.

Medical and Physical Standards: Candidates must be physically fit according to physicalstandards for admission to Civil Services Examination, 2021 as per guidelines given inAppendix-III of Rules for Examination published in the Gazette of India Extraordinary dated 4thMarch, 2021.

The Civil Services Examination comprises two successive stages:

 (i) Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination (Objective Type) for the selection of candidates for Civil Services (Main) Examination; and

 (ii) Civil Services (Main) Examination (Written and Interview/Personality Test) for the selection of candidates for the various Services and posts.

Withdrawal of applications: The online Applications can be withdrawn from 31st March,2021 to 6th April, 2021 till 6.00 PM after which the link will be disabled.

Detailed instructions regarding withdrawal of Applications is available at information brochure.

No request for withdrawal of candidature will, however, be entertained after the expiry of the specified period by theCommission under any circumstances. 

Eligibility

(I) Nationality

(1) For the Indian Administrative Service, the Indian Foreign Service and the Indian Police Service, a candidate must be a citizen of India.

(2) For other services, a candidate must be either:

(a) a citizen of India, or

(b) a subject of Nepal, or

(c) a subject of Bhutan, or

(d) a Tibetan refugee who came over to India before 1st January, 1962 with the intention of permanently settling in India, or

(e) a person of Indian origin who has migrated from Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka, East African countries of Kenya, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Zaire, Ethiopia and Vietnam with the intention of permanently settling in India.

Provided that a candidate belonging to categories (b), (c), (d) and (e) shall be a person in whose favour a certificate of eligibility has been issued by the Government of India. 

A candidate in whose case a certificate of eligibility is necessary, may be admitted to the examination but the offer of appointment may be given only after the necessary eligibility certificate has been issued to him/her by the Government of India.  

(II) AgeLimits:

(a) A candidate must have attained the age of 21 years and must not have attained the age of 32 years on the 1st of August 2021 i.e., he must have been born not earlier than 2nd August 1989 and not later than 1st August, 2000.

Necessary action to make corresponding changes in respective Rules/Regulations pertaining to various services is being taken separately.

(b) The upper age-limit prescribed above will be relaxable:

(i) up to a maximum of five years if a candidate belongs to a SC/ST;

(ii) up to a maximum of three years in the case of candidates belonging to OBC who are eligible to avail of reservation applicable to such candidates;

(iii) up to a maximum of three years in the case of Defence Services Personnel, disabled in operations during hostilities with any foreign country or in a disturbed area and released as a consequence thereof;

(iv) up to a maximum of five years in the case of ex-servicemen including Commissioned Officers and ECOs/SSCOs who have rendered at least five years Military Service as on 1st August 2021 and have been released;

(a) on completion of assignment (including those whose assignment is due to be completed within one year from 1st August 2021 otherwise than by way of dismissal or discharge on account of misconduct or inefficiency; or

(b) on account of physical disability attributable to Military Service; or

(c) on invalidment.

(v) up to a maximum of five years in the case of ECOs/SSCOs who have completed an initial period of assignment of five years of Military Service as on 1st August, 2020 and whose assignment has been extended beyond five years and in whose case the Ministry of Defence issues a certificate that they can apply for civil employment and that they will be released on three months’ notice on selection from the date of receipt of offer of appointment.

(vi) up to a maximum of 10 years in the case of

(a) blindness and low vision;

(b) deaf and hard of hearing;

(c) locomotor disability including cerebral palsy, leprosy cured, dwarfism, acid attack victims and muscular dystrophy;

(d) autism, intellectual disability, specific learning disability and mental illness; and

(e) multiple disabilities from amongst persons under clauses (a) to (d) including deaf-blindness.

Fees

Candidates applying (excepting Female/SC/ST/PH candidates who are exempted from payment of fee) for Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination are required to pay a fee of Rs. 100/- (Rupees One Hundred only) either by depositing the money in any Branch of SBI by cash, or by using net banking facility of State Bank of India or by using Visa/Master/RuPay Credit/Debit card.

Admission process

(a) Candidates are required to apply Online using the link www.upsconline.nic.in for Civil Services(Preliminary) Examination which will act as a screening mechanism for selection of candidates forthe Indian Forest Service (Main) Examination.

Candidates who wish to apply for Civil Services Examination also, [subject to their satisfying the prescribed eligibility conditions] have to apply once by appropriately indicating in the on-line application form that they intend to appear for both theIndian Forest Service Examination and the Civil Services Examination.

Candidates, who will qualifyfor the Indian Forest Service (Main) Examination, will have to fill in a Detailed Application Formsubsequently as per further instructions to be provided to the candidates through the website(www.upsconline.nic.in) of the Commission.

Detailed instructions for filling up Online Applications areavailable on the above mentioned website.

The applicants are advised to submit only single application, however, if due to any un avoidable situation, ifhe/she submits another/multiple applications, then he/she must ensure that application with the higher RIDis complete in all respects like applicants details, examination centre, photograph, signature, fee etc.

Theapplicants who are submitting multiple applications should note that only the applications with higher RID (Registration ID) shall be entertained by the Commission and fee paid against one RID shall not be adjusted against any other RID.

(b) All candidates, whether already in Government Service, or in Government owned industrial undertakings or other similar organizations or in private employment should submit their applicationsdirect to the Commission.

Persons already in Government service, whether in a permanent or temporary capacity or as workcharged employees other than casual or daily rated employees or those serving under Public Enterprises are however, required to inform their Head of Office/Department that they have applied forthe Examination.

Candidates should note that in case a communication is received from their employer by the Commission with holding permission to the candidates applying for/appearing at the examination, their applications will be liable to be rejected/candidature will be liable to be cancelled.

Test Centres

Test Centres

  • Agartala
  • Agra
  • Ajmer
  • Ahmedabad
  • Aizawl
  • Aligarh
  • Ananthapuru
  • Aurangabad
  • Bengaluru
  • Bareilly
  • Bhopal
  • Bilaspur
  • Chandigarh
  • Chennai
  • Coimbatore
  • Cuttack
  • Dehradun
  • Delhi
  • Dharwar
  • Dispur
  • Faridabad
  • Gangtok
  • Gautam buddh nagar
  • Gaya
  • Ghaziabad
  • Gorakhpur
  • Gurgaon portblair
  • Gwalior prayagraj (allahabad)
  • Hyderabad puducherry
  • Imphal pune
  • Indore raipur
  • Itanagar rajkot
  • Jabalpur ranchi
  • Jaipur sambalpur
  • Jammu
  • Jodhpur
  • Jorhat
  • Kochi
  • Kohima
  • Kolkatta
  • Kozhikode (calicut)
  • Leh
  • Lucknow
  • Ludhiana
  • Madurai
  • Mumbai
  • Mysur
  • Nagpur
  • Navi mumbai
  • Panaji (goa)
  • Patna
  • Portblair
  • Prayagraj (allahabad)
  • Puducherry
  • Pune
  • Raipur
  • Rajkot
  • Ranchi
  • Sambalpur
  • Shillong
  • Shimla
  • Siliguri
  • Srinagar
  • Thane
  • Thiruvananthapuram
  • Tiruchirapalli
  • Tirupati
  • Udaipur
  • Varanasi
  • Vellore
  • Vijayawada
  • Vishakhapatnam
  • Warangal

Notwithstanding the aforesaid provision, Commission reserves the right to change the Centres at their discretion if the situation demands.

Important Dates

UPSC Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2021

UPSC Civil Services (Preliminary) 2021

27 June 2021

Date of notification

4 March 2021

Last date for receipt of applications

24 March 2021

Comments
Contact:
UPSC Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2021
Commission's website - www.upsc.gov.in