Country edition: India
Student Journey Blueprint

How to become a Civil Servant — your road, class by class

Class 8 to working life ·Last checked 25 Oct 2026

The one-line route: Any graduate aged 21–32 (more for SC, ST, OBC and others) → Preliminary (screening) → Main (9 written papers) → Personality Test → service by rank and preference. [1]

Pick your class and the road below starts where you stand.

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01 Your road, stage by stage

What to do from your class onward

  1. You are here Class 8 · Class 9

    Read widely and write every week

    • Prelims General Studies and the Main Essay and GS papers cover heritage, history, geography, polity, economy, environment, technology and ethics — your school Social Science and Science books are the first layer. [1]
    • Read a newspaper daily and write short answers on what you read. Writing speed matters: every Main paper is a 3-hour essay-type paper. [1]
  2. You are here Class 10

    Any stream is fine — choose what you can score in

    • The exam asks only for a graduate degree in any subject from a recognised university. No Class 10 or 12 stream or percentage is checked. [1]
    • Pick a Class 11 stream you enjoy; a degree subject you like often becomes your Optional paper later.
  3. You are here Class 11 · Class 12

    Plan your language — you may write Main in it

    • You may answer every Main paper except the two qualifying language papers in any language of the Eighth Schedule (including Hindi, Gujarati, Marathi and Bengali) or in English. Prelims papers are set in Hindi and English. [1]
    • Main Paper A (an Indian language) and Paper B (English) are of Matriculation standard and only need 25% each; they do not count for rank. [1]
  4. You are here In college · Graduated

    Final-year students can apply

    • You can sit Prelims while your final degree exam is pending; proof of passing is needed only if you reach the interview. [1]
    • Age 21–32 on 1 August of the exam year (CSE 2026); upper limit +5 years for SC/ST and +3 for OBC. Attempts: 6 (General / EWS), 9 (OBC and PwBD), unlimited for SC/ST. [1]

Your school board

If your state language is in the Eighth Schedule, you may write Main in it; Prelims is in Hindi and English. [1]

CBSE, CISCE and state-board certificates count the same for every national exam on this page. Notes for particular state boards are under State rules below.

02 Exam anatomy

The exam, stage by stage

UPSC Civil Services Examination 2026 (Notice 05/2026-CSE) · Union Public Service Commission

Vacancies (approx.)
933, incl. 33 for PwBD [1]
Prelims date
24 May 2026 [1]
Fee
₹100 Prelims + ₹200 Main · women, SC, ST, PwBD exempt [1]
Age
21–32 on 1 Aug 2026 (relaxations by category) [1]
UPSC Civil Services Examination 2026 (Notice 05/2026-CSE) stages
StagePapersMarkingRule
PreliminaryGS Paper I + GS Paper II (CSAT): 200 marks each, 2 hours each, objective−1/3 of the question's marks per wrong answerScreening only; GS II needs 33%; about 12–13 times the vacancies go to Main
Main — writtenEssay, GS I–IV and two Optional papers (250 marks each, 1,750 in all) + qualifying Paper A (Indian language) and Paper B (English), 300 each; 3 hours per paperConventional essay typePapers A and B need 25% each and do not count for rank
Personality TestInterview, 275 marksNo minimum qualifying marksAbout twice the vacancies are called
Final meritMain written + interview = 2,025 marks—Ties: compulsory papers + interview, then compulsory papers, then the older candidate

Stage table source [1]

  • Services are allotted by your rank and the order of preference you give for services and posts. [1]
  • This is the 2026 notice. UPSC publishes the CSE 2027 notice early in 2027 on upsc.gov.in — check age, attempts and vacancies there.
Open the full exam guide
03 State rules

Rules for all of India — and your state

  • Paper A (Indian language) is not compulsory for candidates from Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Sikkim. [1]
  • Selection is on one all-India rank list; the notice prints no state quota for candidates. Your state language matters through the medium you choose for Main. [1]

State notes we have checked (4 states / UTs)

Gujarat2 notes
  • GSEB — Gujarat State Board: Gujarati is an Eighth Schedule language: you may choose it for Main Paper A and write the GS, Essay and Optional papers in it. [1]
  • CBSE — studying in Gujarat: You may write Main in English or in an Eighth Schedule language such as Gujarati or Hindi; Prelims is in Hindi and English. [1]
Gujarat exam & career cockpit
Maharashtra1 note
  • MSBSHSE — Maharashtra State Board: Marathi is an Eighth Schedule language: you may choose it for Main Paper A and write the GS, Essay and Optional papers in it. [1]
Maharashtra exam & career cockpit
Uttar Pradesh1 note
  • UPMSP — Uttar Pradesh Board: You may write Main in Hindi and pick Hindi for Paper A; Prelims papers are also set in Hindi. [1]
Uttar Pradesh exam & career cockpit
West Bengal2 notes
  • The West Bengal Student Credit Card loan covers coaching for competitive exams such as IAS, IPS and WBCS (see Money help). [2]
  • WBBSE / WBCHSE — West Bengal boards: Bengali is an Eighth Schedule language: you may choose it for Main Paper A and write the GS, Essay and Optional papers in it. [1]
West Bengal exam & career cockpit

Not in this list? The national route above applies — we found nothing in this career's official rules that changes in your state.

04 Career multiverse

Where this path can take you next

IAS, IPS, IFS and more

One exam fills many central services; your rank and preference decide which.

Explore →

State civil services

Your state PSC exam (GPSC, UPPSC, MPSC, WBCS) runs on a similar pattern.

Explore →

CAPF Assistant Commandant

UPSC's exam for officer posts in the central armed police forces.

Explore →

Coaching

UPSC coaching centres near you.

Explore →
05 Money help

Scholarships, stipends and fee help

Government schemes, professional-body scholarships and paid training on this path. Pick your class above and schemes you have already passed are hidden.

Scholarship Open to you now From Class 8

National Means-cum-Merit Scholarship (NMMSS)

Ministry of Education, through your state

₹1,000 a month, Class 9 to 12 [3]

Who
Class 8 students of government schools who passed Class 7 with 55% (50% SC/ST, as in Nagaland's notice) and clear the state's NMMSS test. Family income limit: see the scheme rules on the National Scholarship Portal.
How
Your state's SCERT announces the test in Class 8; renewals are on scholarships.gov.in.
Scholarship Open to you now From Class 11

Central Sector Scheme of Scholarships (PM-USP CSSS)

Ministry of Education

₹12,000 a year for the first 3 years of a degree; ₹20,000 a year in years 4–5 of a 5-year integrated course (and in PG) [4]

Who
Above the 80th percentile of your board's Class 12 pass-outs in your stream, in a regular degree course (not diploma or distance), family income up to ₹4.5 lakh, and not taking any other scholarship — including state schemes.
How
On the National Scholarship Portal after Class 12; renewal needs 50% marks and 75% attendance each year.
Scholarship Open to you now From Class 11

Post-Matric Scholarship for SC students

Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, through your state

Compulsory non-refundable fees (tuition included) plus a yearly academic allowance — the college cannot ask you to pay the fee first [5]

Who
SC students after Class 10 (ITI, diploma, degree and CA/CMA/CS courses count), family income up to ₹2.5 lakh. Separate post-matric schemes exist for ST, OBC and minority students on the same portal.
How
Your state scholarship portal or scholarships.gov.in. The printed guidelines cover 2020-21 to 2025-26; check the 2026-27 rules on the portal.
Fee help Open to you now From In college

UPSC Civil Services fee exemption

Union Public Service Commission

No fee at all — others pay ₹100 for Prelims and ₹200 more for Main [1]

Who
Women, SC, ST and Persons with Benchmark Disability candidates.
How
Choose the category in the online form on upsconline.nic.in; the exemption is automatic.
State scheme Open to you now From Class 10West Bengal only

West Bengal Student Credit Card (WBSCC)

Government of West Bengal

Loan up to ₹10 lakh at 4% simple interest a year; 1% interest concession if the interest is fully serviced during the study period [2] [6]

Who
Students from West Bengal aged 40 or under when applying — school (Class X onward), UG, PG, professional degree courses in India or abroad, and coaching for competitive exams such as Engineering, Medical, Law, IAS, IPS and WBCS. The state's scheme page asks for 10 years' residence in West Bengal and a co-borrower (usually a parent).
How
On wbscc.wb.gov.in. Repayment runs up to 15 years, including the moratorium (course duration + 1 year); no margin money up to ₹4 lakh.
State scheme Open to you now From Class 10Gujarat only

Mukhyamantri Yuva Swavalamban Yojana (MYSY)

Government of Gujarat

Who
Gujarat students joining a diploma or degree course on merit: it pays part of the tuition fee and, in some cases, a hostel grant for students who must study away from home. [7]
How
mysy.guj.nic.in. We could not open the official portal on 24 Oct 2026, so we print no amounts or cut-offs — read them in the current year's resolution on the portal.
06 Official sources & verification

Where these facts come from

Every number on this page comes from the official files below. Lines with no number are Margdarshan guidance. Rules change every year — open the current notice before you apply.

  1. UPSC — Civil Services Examination 2026, Examination Notice No. 05/2026-CSE (4 Feb 2026) (opens in a new tab) 933 vacancies, Prelims 24 May 2026, age, attempts, degree, fee and exemptions, Prelims / Main / interview scheme, negative marking, Eighth Schedule media, Paper A exemptions, tie-break · Last checked 25 Oct 2026
  2. Government of West Bengal — West Bengal Student Credit Card portal (About) (opens in a new tab) ₹10 lakh at 4% simple interest, 1% concession, age 40, courses and competitive-exam coaching covered, 15-year repayment · Last checked 25 Oct 2026
  3. SCERT Nagaland — NMMSS Examination 2027 advertisement (27 Jul 2026) (opens in a new tab) Class 8 eligibility, 55% / 50% Class 7 marks, ₹1,000 a month from Class 9 to 12 (one state's notice of the central scheme) · Last checked 24 Oct 2026
  4. Ministry of Education — PM-USP Central Sector Scheme of Scholarships guidelines (2022-23 onwards), copy hosted by NIT Kurukshetra (opens in a new tab) 80th percentile, ₹4.5 lakh income, regular degree only, no other scholarship, ₹12,000 / ₹20,000 rates, renewal rules · Last checked 24 Oct 2026
  5. Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment — Post Matric Scholarship for SC students, guidelines 2020-21 to 2025-26 (copy hosted by Goa Social Welfare) (opens in a new tab) ₹2.5 lakh income limit, fees + academic allowance, no pre-payment of fees, CA/ICWA/CS students covered · Last checked 24 Oct 2026
  6. Government of West Bengal — Information Centre: West Bengal Student Credit Card Scheme (opens in a new tab) 10 years' residence, co-borrower, moratorium course + 1 year, no margin money up to ₹4 lakh · Last checked 25 Oct 2026
  7. Government of Gujarat — MYSY scholarship portal (opens in a new tab) scheme portal; could not be opened on 24 Oct 2026, so no amounts are printed here

Spotted something out of date? Email margdarshan07support10@gmail.com with the official link and we will update it.