| Conducting body | Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPSC). Official website ↗ |
|---|---|
| Posts | Deputy Collector (SDM), Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), Block Development Officer (BDO), Assistant Regional Transport Officer (ARTO), Assistant Commissioner (Commercial Tax), Sub-Registrar, District Commandants, Treasury Officer / Accounts Officer and other state services |
| Qualification | A bachelor's degree in any discipline from a recognised university as on the last date for receipt of application. Specific posts require designated qualifications—such as a Law degree for Sub-Registrar, post-graduation in Economics/Sociology/Social Work for Assistant Labour Commissioner, or a Commerce degree for Audit/Account posts. |
| Age limit | 21–40 years on 1 July of the recruitment year (general category) |
| Domicile | Not required |
| Selection stages | Preliminary examination: two objective OMR papers of 200 marks each (GS Paper I decides the Mains shortlist; GS Paper II CSAT is qualifying at 33%) → Main examination: eight compulsory descriptive papers carrying 1500 marks (General Hindi, Essay and General Studies Papers I to VI) → Personality test (Interview) of 100 marks; final merit is out of 1600 marks (1500 Mains + 100 Interview) |
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About UPPSC PCS
The Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPSC) conducts the Combined State / Upper Subordinate Services (PCS) Examination to recruit Group A and Group B gazetted officers across Uttar Pradesh, led by Deputy Collector (SDM) and Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP). Selection takes place in three stages: a two-paper OMR Preliminary exam, an eight-paper descriptive Main exam (1500 marks, where Optional subjects have been replaced by two Uttar Pradesh-specific General Studies papers, GS V and GS VI) and a 100-mark personality test (interview).
Eligibility
Age limit
General category: 21–40 years, counted on 1 July of the recruitment year.
Age relaxation
- OBC: 5 years
- SC: 5 years
- ST: 5 years
- PwBD: 15 years
- Ex-servicemen: 5 years
- SC, ST and OBC candidates who are native residents of Uttar Pradesh, skilled players of UP and UP state government employees get 5 years of upper age relaxation (up to 45 years).
- Persons with benchmark disabilities (Divyangjan) of Uttar Pradesh get 15 years of relaxation (up to 55 years).
- Emergency Commissioned Officers, Short Service Commissioned Officers and Ex-Servicemen of UP with at least 5 years of military service get 5 extra years.
Qualification
A bachelor's degree in any discipline from a recognised university as on the last date for receipt of application. Specific posts require designated qualifications—such as a Law degree for Sub-Registrar, post-graduation in Economics/Sociology/Social Work for Assistant Labour Commissioner, or a Commerce degree for Audit/Account posts.
Other conditions
- One Time Registration (OTR) on otr.pariksha.nic.in / uppsc.up.nic.in is mandatory before filling the PCS application form.
- Posts such as Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), Superintendent of Jail, District Commandant Home Guards and Excise Inspector have physical measurement standards (height and chest) specified in the notice.
- Application fee: Rs 125 for Unreserved/EWS/OBC, Rs 65 for SC/ST/Ex-Servicemen, and Rs 25 for PwBD candidates.
Selection process
- Preliminary examination: two objective OMR papers of 200 marks each (GS Paper I decides the Mains shortlist; GS Paper II CSAT is qualifying at 33%)
- Main examination: eight compulsory descriptive papers carrying 1500 marks (General Hindi, Essay and General Studies Papers I to VI)
- Personality test (Interview) of 100 marks; final merit is out of 1600 marks (1500 Mains + 100 Interview)
Exam pattern
Preliminary examination (objective OMR, screening)
Mode: Offline (OMR) · Negative marking: 1/3 (0.33) of the marks assigned to a question is deducted for each wrong answer
| SUBJECT | QUESTIONS | MARKS |
|---|---|---|
| Paper I: General Studies I (counted for Mains cut-off) | 150 | 200 |
| Paper II: General Studies II (CSAT, qualifying at 33%) | 100 | 200 |
Main examination (written descriptive, 1500 marks)
Mode: Descriptive written papers · Duration: 3 hours per paper
| SUBJECT | MARKS |
|---|---|
| General Hindi | 150 |
| Essay (3 essays of 50 marks each) | 150 |
| General Studies I (Indian Heritage, Culture, History & World/Indian Geography) | 200 |
| General Studies II (Polity, Governance, Constitution, Social Justice & International Relations) | 200 |
| General Studies III (Economy, Science & Technology, Environment, Disaster Management & Internal Security) | 200 |
| General Studies IV (Ethics, Integrity & Aptitude) | 200 |
| General Studies V (Uttar Pradesh History, Culture, Polity, Society & Governance) | 200 |
| General Studies VI (Uttar Pradesh Economy, Budget, Schemes, Geography, Environment & Science) | 200 |
Personality test
| SUBJECT | MARKS |
|---|---|
| Interview / Viva-Voce | 100 |
UPPSC PCS syllabus
Prelims Paper I: General Studies I (150 questions, 200 marks)
- Current events of national and international importance
- History of India and Indian National Movement
- India and World Geography: physical, social and economic geography of India and the world
- Indian Polity and Governance: Constitution, political system, Panchayati Raj, public policy and rights issues
- Economic and Social Development: sustainable development, poverty, inclusion, demographics and social sector initiatives
- Environmental ecology, biodiversity and climate change; General Science
- Uttar Pradesh specific knowledge: history, culture, art, architecture, festivals, folk dances, literature, geography, natural resources and state government schemes
Prelims Paper II: CSAT (100 questions, 200 marks, qualifying at 33%)
- Comprehension and interpersonal skills (including communication skills)
- Logical reasoning, analytical ability, decision making and problem solving
- General mental ability and Elementary Mathematics up to Class 10 level (arithmetic, algebra, geometry and statistics)
- General English and General Hindi up to Class 10 level
Mains: General Hindi (150 marks) & Essay (150 marks)
- General Hindi: unseen passage comprehension and précis, government and semi-government letter/circular/telegram/office memo drafting, vocabulary (upasarga, pratyaya, vilom, one-word substitution), vartani/sentence correction, and idioms & proverbs (muhavare & lokoktiyan)
- Essay: three essays (around 700 words each) in Hindi, English or Urdu—Section A (literature/culture, social sphere, political sphere), Section B (science/environment/technology, economic sphere, agriculture/industry/trade) and Section C (national/international events, natural calamities, national development programmes)
Mains: General Studies Papers I to IV (200 marks each)
- GS I: Modern Indian history (1757 to 1947), freedom struggle, post-independence consolidation, world history, Indian society, role of women, poverty/urbanisation and physical/human geography
- GS II: Indian Constitution, federalism, separation of powers, Parliament and state legislatures, judiciary, welfare schemes, health/education/human resources, governance/e-governance and India's international relations
- GS III: Economic planning in India, inclusive growth, government budgeting, major crops, food processing, land reforms, infrastructure, science and technology, environment/disaster management and internal security
- GS IV: Ethics and human interface, attitude, aptitude and foundational values for civil service, emotional intelligence, moral thinkers, probity in governance and case studies
Mains: Uttar Pradesh Special — GS Papers V & VI (200 marks each)
- GS V (UP History, Culture, Society & Polity): history of UP from ancient times to 1857 and the freedom struggle, architecture, folk culture, rural/urban/tribal issues, state political system, Governor, CM, Council of Ministers, High Court, Lokayukta, Panchayati Raj, land reforms and internal security in UP
- GS VI (UP Economy, Geography & Environment): overview of UP economy, state budgets, ODOP (One District One Product), infrastructure, agriculture, MSMEs, industrial policies, physical divisions, climate, rivers, soil, forests, wildlife sanctuaries, mineral resources and science/technology initiatives in UP
What they ask
UPPSC removed optional subjects from the PCS Mains and replaced them with two compulsory 200-mark papers on Uttar Pradesh (GS Papers V and VI). That means 400 of the 1500 Mains marks—plus a major share of Prelims GS I questions—test Uttar Pradesh history, polity, economy, state budget, ODOP and geography directly. In Prelims, only Paper I (150 questions, 200 marks) counts toward the Mains cut-off, while Paper II (CSAT) requires 33% to qualify, with one-third negative marking in both papers.
How to prepare
- Treat GS Papers V and VI as your core scoring advantage: together they carry 400 marks in Mains and cover every aspect of Uttar Pradesh history, governance, economy and geography.
- Practise General Hindi (150 marks) and Essay (150 marks) regularly—official letter drafting (Sarkari/Ardh-Sarkari Patra, Office Memo) and idioms/vocabulary have high scoring potential.
- Solve at least 10 years of official UPPSC Prelims GS Paper I and CSAT papers to master factual matching and chronological questions.
- Do not neglect Hindi and elementary maths in CSAT Paper II; clearing the 33% threshold comfortably avoids last-minute surprises.
- Use daily topic-wise quizzes on the free Improvam app to revise Indian polity, history, geography and current affairs.
UPPSC PCS is one of the exams in the Improvam app. Open it to start a practice quiz.
Open in the Improvam appHow to apply
- Complete One Time Registration (OTR) on uppsc.up.nic.in and obtain your OTR number.
- Log in with your OTR number when the PCS notification opens, verify your personal and educational details, and select any post-specific qualifications.
- Pay the prelims examination fee online and submit the form before the closing date.
UPPSC PCS FAQs
No. UPPSC removed optional subjects from the PCS Main examination and replaced them with two compulsory 200-mark papers on Uttar Pradesh (General Studies Paper V and General Studies Paper VI).
Sources
- UPPSC official portal: notifications, syllabus and OTR instructions ↗ (official, checked )
Checked against official sources on . Rules change with each notification, so read the latest one before you apply.
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