Exam Pattern
UPSC CSE Exam Pattern
Union Public Service Commission: Civil Services Examination
The UPSC CSE exam pattern below is checked stage by stage, so one stage cannot inherit another stage's scoring rules.
GS Paper I
Official CSE 2026 pattern| Questions | 100 |
| Total marks | 200 |
| Duration | 120 minutes |
| Negative marking | 0.667 per wrong answer |
| Sections | History of India and Indian National Movement, Indian and World Geography, Indian Polity and Governance, Economic and Social Development, Environmental Ecology, Bio-diversity and Climate Change, General Science, Current events of national and international importance |
| Test | Qs | Marks | Min |
|---|---|---|---|
| History of India and Indian National Movement | 15 | 30 | 18 |
| Indian and World Geography | 15 | 30 | 18 |
| Indian Polity and Governance | 15 | 30 | 18 |
| Economic and Social Development | 15 | 30 | 18 |
| Environmental Ecology, Bio-diversity and Climate Change | 12 | 24 | 14 |
| General Science | 13 | 26 | 16 |
| Current events of national and international importance | 15 | 30 | 18 |
Timing: Single 120-minute timer for the whole paper: GS Paper I is not divided into separately timed sections..
GS Paper I marks count towards the qualifying threshold for the Main Examination. UPSC does not publish an official question-wise split across its syllabus topics: the breakdown below reflects how this mock test's questions are organized, not an official UPSC-published distribution.
Official source · checked 5 August 2026The UPSC CSE GS Paper I exam pattern is 100 questions carrying 200 marks, to be answered in 120 minutes. That works out to about 72 seconds per question on average, before any time spent reading instructions or revisiting marked answers. The 7 sections are History of India and Indian National Movement, Indian and World Geography, Indian Polity and Governance, Economic and Social Development, Environmental Ecology, Bio-diversity and Climate Change, General Science and Current events of national and international importance. All 7 sections are separately timed, so time saved in one cannot be carried into another. You cannot bank minutes by rushing an easy section.
UPSC CSE GS Paper I marking scheme
- Each correct answer is worth 2 marks.
- A wrong answer deducts 0.667 marks; an unattempted question scores zero.
- A guess therefore breaks even at 25% accuracy: above that it gains you marks on average, below it loses them. That is exactly the 25% a blind guess between four options gives you, so guessing at random is neither gaining nor losing marks over a long paper. The moment you can rule out even one option, it starts paying.
- Worked example: attempt 80 of the 100 questions and get 60 right and 20 wrong, and you score 106.66 out of 200.
Practising against the same clock is the point of a mock test: at 72 seconds a question, the difference between a good score and an average one is usually pacing rather than knowledge. Attempt a free UPSC CSE mock test to see where your time actually goes.
CSAT (Paper II)
Official CSE 2026 pattern| Questions | 80 |
| Total marks | 200 |
| Duration | 120 minutes |
| Negative marking | 0.833 per wrong answer |
| Sections | Comprehension, Interpersonal skills including communication skills, Logical reasoning and analytical ability, Decision making and problem solving, General mental ability, Basic numeracy and Data interpretation |
| Test | Qs | Marks | Min |
|---|---|---|---|
| Comprehension | 18 | 45 | 27 |
| Interpersonal skills including communication skills | 6 | 15 | 9 |
| Logical reasoning and analytical ability | 22 | 55 | 33 |
| Decision making and problem solving | 6 | 15 | 9 |
| General mental ability | 8 | 20 | 12 |
| Basic numeracy and Data interpretation | 20 | 50 | 30 |
Timing: Single 120-minute timer for the whole paper: CSAT is not divided into separately timed sections..
Paper II (CSAT) is qualifying only: candidates must score at least 33% (66/200) to qualify for the Main Examination; it does not count towards merit ranking. UPSC does not publish an official question-wise split across CSAT's syllabus topics: the breakdown below reflects how this mock test's questions are organized, not an official UPSC-published distribution.
Official source · checked 5 August 2026The UPSC CSE CSAT (Paper II) exam pattern is 80 questions carrying 200 marks, to be answered in 120 minutes. That works out to about 90 seconds per question on average, before any time spent reading instructions or revisiting marked answers. The 6 sections are Comprehension, Interpersonal skills including communication skills, Logical reasoning and analytical ability, Decision making and problem solving, General mental ability and Basic numeracy and Data interpretation. All 6 sections are separately timed, so time saved in one cannot be carried into another. You cannot bank minutes by rushing an easy section.
UPSC CSE CSAT (Paper II) marking scheme
- Each correct answer is worth 2.5 marks.
- A wrong answer deducts 0.833 marks; an unattempted question scores zero.
- A guess therefore breaks even at 25% accuracy: above that it gains you marks on average, below it loses them. That is exactly the 25% a blind guess between four options gives you, so guessing at random is neither gaining nor losing marks over a long paper. The moment you can rule out even one option, it starts paying.
- Worked example: attempt 64 of the 80 questions and get 48 right and 16 wrong, and you score 106.67 out of 200.
Practising against the same clock is the point of a mock test: at 90 seconds a question, the difference between a good score and an average one is usually pacing rather than knowledge. Attempt a free UPSC CSE mock test to see where your time actually goes.
UPSC CSE exam pattern: frequently asked questions
Is there negative marking in UPSC CSE?
UPSC CSE GS Paper I deducts 0.667 marks for a wrong answer; UPSC CSE CSAT (Paper II) deducts 0.833 marks for a wrong answer. An unattempted question always scores zero, so the choice is only ever between guessing and leaving it blank.
How many questions are there in UPSC CSE?
UPSC CSE GS Paper I has 100 questions, UPSC CSE CSAT (Paper II) has 80 questions. That leaves about 72 seconds per question in UPSC CSE GS Paper I and 90 seconds per question in UPSC CSE CSAT (Paper II).
What are the total marks in UPSC CSE?
UPSC CSE GS Paper I is out of 200 marks, UPSC CSE CSAT (Paper II) is out of 200 marks.
How long is the UPSC CSE exam?
UPSC CSE GS Paper I runs for 120 minutes, UPSC CSE CSAT (Paper II) runs for 120 minutes.
Does UPSC CSE have a sectional time limit?
Yes. UPSC CSE GS Paper I times its sections separately, UPSC CSE CSAT (Paper II) times its sections separately, so time left over in one section cannot be spent on another. Plan a per-section budget before you sit it.
How many stages does UPSC CSE have?
This site covers 2 objective stages: GS Paper I, CSAT (Paper II). Each stage is checked against the official notification separately, because scoring rules routinely differ between stages of the same exam.