The UPSC (Union Public Service Commission) will conduct the Preliminary Examination of the Civil Services Examination on 20th May 2012.There are around 1037 vacancies which will be filled on the basis of the results of this examination. Reservation will be made for candidates belonging to Scheduled Castes. Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes and Physically Disabled Categories in respect of vacancies as may be fixed by the Government

Plan of the Civil Services Exam 2012:

1. The Civil Services examination 2012 comprises of two successive stages :

• Civil Services (Preliminary) Examinations (Objective Type) for the selection of candidates for Main Examination
• Civil Services (Main) Examination (Written and Interview) for the selection of candidates for the various services and posts

2. The Preliminary Examination will consist of two papers of Objective type (multiple choice questions) and carry a maximum of 400 marks in the subjects set out in subsection (A) of Section-II. This examination is meant to serve as a screening test only; the marks obtained in the Preliminary Examination by the candidates who are declared qualified for admission to the Main Examination will not be counted for determining their final order of merit. The number of candidates to be admitted to the Main Examination will be about twelve to thirteen times the total approximate number of vacancies to be filled in the year in the various Services and Posts. Only those candidates who are declared by the Commission to have qualified in the Preliminary Examination in the year will be eligible for admission to the Main Examination of that year provided they are otherwise eligible for admission to the Main Examination.

3. The Main Examination will consist of a written examination and an Interview Test. The written examination will consist of 9 papers of conventional essay type in the subjects. 

4. Candidates who obtain such minimum qualifying marks in the written part of the Main Examination as may be fixed by the Commission at their discretion, shall be summoned by them for an interview/for a Personality Test. However, the papers on Indian Languages and English will be of qualifying nature. 

The marks obtained in these papers will not be counted for ranking. The number of candidates to be summoned for interview will be about twice the number of vacancies to be filled. The interview will carry 300 marks (with no minimum qualifying marks). Marks thus obtained by the candidates in the Main Examination (written part as well as interview) would determine their final ranking. Candidates will be allotted to the various Services keeping in view their ranks in the examination and the preferences expressed by them for the various Services and Posts. 

Scheme and subjects for the Civil Services Preliminary and Main Examinations 2012:

A. Preliminary Examination

The Examination shall comprise two compulsory papers of 200 marks each.

NOTE

(i) Both the question papers will be of the objective type (multiple choice questions).
(ii) The question papers will be set both in Hindi and English. However, questions relating to English Language Comprehension skills of Class X level will be tested through passages from English Language only without providing Hindi translation thereof in the question paper.
(iii) Details of the syllabi are indicated in Part A of Section III.
(iv) Each paper will be of two hours duration. Blind candidates will however, be allowed an extra time of 20 minutes at each paper.

B. Main Examination

The written examination will consist of the following papers :

NOTE : The papers on Indian Languages and English will be of Matriculation or equivalent standard and will be of qualifying nature; the marks obtained in these papers will not be counted for ranking.

NOTE : Evaluation of the papers, namely,'Essay, 'General Studies' and Optional Subjects of all candidates would be done simultaneously along with evaluation of their qualifying papers on 'Indian languages' and English' but the papers on 'Essay', General Studies' and 'Optional Subjects' of only such candidates will be taken cognizance of as attain such minimum standard as may be fixed by the Commission at their discretion for the qualifying papers on 'Indian language' and 'English' and, therefore, the marks in 'Essay' 'General studies and Optional subjects' will not be disclosed to those candidates who fail to obtain such minimum qualifying standard in 'Indian language and 'English'.

NOTE : The paper-I on Indian Languages will not, however, be compulsory for candidates hailing from the North-Eastern States of Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Nagaland and also for candidates hailing from the State of Sikkim.

NOTE : For the Language papers, the script to be used by the candidates will be as under :–
            Language       Script

• Assamese     Assamese
• Bengali         Bengali
• Bodo            Devanagari
• Dogri            Devanagari
• Gujarati        Gujarati
• Hindi            Devanagari
• Kannada       Kannada
• Kashmiri       Persian
• Konkani        Devanagari
• Maithili         Devanagari
• Malayalam    Malayalam
• Manipuri       Bengali
• Marathi         Devanagari
• Nepali           Devanagari
• Oriya            Oriya
• Punjabi         Gurumukhi
• Sanskrit        Devanagari
• Santali          Devanagari or Olchiki
• Sindhi           Devanagari or Arabic
• Tamil            Tamil
• Telugu          Telugu
• Urdu             Persian

NOTE : For Santali language, question paper will be printed in Devanagari script; but candidates will be free to answer either in Devanagari script or in Olchiki.

List of optional subjects for Civil Services Main Examination 2012:

• Agriculture
• Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Science
• Anthropology
• Botany
• Chemistry
• Civil Engineering
• Commerce and Accountancy
• Economics
• Electrical Engineering
• Geography
• Geology
• History
• Law
• Management
• Mathematics
• Mechanical Engineering
• Medical Science
• Philosophy
• Physics
• Political Science and International Relations
• Psychology
• Public Administration
• Sociology
• Statistics
• Zoology

Literature of one of the following languages :

Arabic, Assamese, Bodo, Bengali, Chinese, Dogri, English, French, German, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Maithili, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Oriya, Pali, Persian, Punjabi, Russian, Sanskrit, Santali, Sindhi,Tamil, Telugu, Urdu.

NOTE

(i) Candidates will not be allowed to offer the following combinations of subjects:–

• Political Science & International Relations and Public Administration;
• Commerce & Accountancy and Management;
• Anthropology and Sociology;
• Mathematics and Statistics;
• Agriculture and Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Science.
• Management and Public Administration;
• Of the Engineering subjects, viz., Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering–not more than one subject.
• Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Science and Medical Science.

(ii) The question papers for the examination will be of conventional (essay) type.
(iii) Each paper will be of 3 hours duration. Blind candidates will, however, be allowed an extra time of thirty minutes at each
paper.
(iv) Candidates will have the option to answer all the question papers, except the language papers viz. Papers I and II above in any one of the languages included in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution or in English.
(v) Candidates exercising the option to answer papers III to IX in any one of the languages included in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution may, if they so desire, give English version within brackets of only the description of the technical terms, if any, in addition to the version in the language opted by them.

General Instructions (Preliminary as well as Main Examination) :

(i) Candidates must write the papers in their own hand. In no circumstances, will they be allowed the help of a scribe to write the answers for them. However, blind candidates will be allowed to write the examination with the help of a scribe.

(ii) An extra time of twenty minutes per hour shall be permitted for the candidates with locomotor disability and cerebral palsy where dominant (writing) extremity is affected to the extent of slowing the performance of function (minimum of 40% impairment) in the Civil Services (Main) Examination only. However, no scribe shall be permitted to such candidates.

NOTE:

• The Commission have discretion to fix qualifying marks in any or all the subjects of the examination.
• If a candidate’s handwriting is not easily legible, a deduction will be made on this account from the total marks otherwise accruing to him.
• Marks will not be allotted for mere superficial knowledge.
• Credit will be given for orderly, effective and exact expression combined with due economy of words in all subjects of the examination.
• In the question papers, wherever required, SI units will be used.
• Candidates should use only international form of Indian numerals (i.e. 1,2,3,4,5,6 etc.) while answering question papers.
• Candidates will be allowed the use of Scientific (Non-Programmable type) Calculators at the conventional (Essay) type examination of UPSC. Programmable type calculators will however not be allowed and the use of such calculators shall tantamount to resorting to unfair means by the candidates. Loaning or interchanging of calculators in the Examination Hall is not permitted.
• It is also important to note that candidates are not permitted to use calculators for answering objective type papers (Test Booklets). They should not therefore, bring thesame inside the Examination Hall.

C. Interview test

• The candidate will be interviewed by a Board who will have before them a record of his/her career. He/she will be asked questions on matters of general interest. The object of the interview is to assess the personal suitability of the candidate for a career in public service by a Board of competent and unbiased observers. The test is intended to judge the mental calibre of a candidate. In broad terms this is really an assessment of not only his intellectual qualities but also social traits and his interest in current affairs. Some of the qualities to be judged are mental alertness, critical powers of assimilation, clear and logical exposition, balance of judgement, variety and depth of interest, ability for social cohesion and leadership, intellectual and moral integrity.
• The technique of the interview is not that of a strict cross-examination but of a natural, though directed and purposive conversation which is intended to reveal the mental qualities of the candidate.
• The interview test is not intended to be a test either of the specialised or general knowledge of the candidates which has been already tested through their written papers. Candidates are expected to have taken an intelligent interest not only in their special subjects of academic study but also in the events which are happening around them both within and outside their own state or country as well as in modern currents of thought and in new discoveries which should rouse the curiosity of well educated youth.

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