You must have heard about the UPSC examination, which is one of the most competitive examinations that is conducted in the country. Every year, more than 1 lakh candidates appear for the UPSC exam, but only a few get the chance to come in the golden rank list of candidates who have successfully cleared the examination.

But have you ever wondered what UPSC stands for and why people go to great lengths in order to clear this examination? Well, the term UPSC stands for the Union Public Service Commission, which is basically an organisation responsible for conducting the Civil Service Examination, i.e., the  UPSC exam.

The Civil Service Examination is divided into 3 parts: Prelims, Main and Interview. Candidates who successfully clear the Prelims examination become eligible to appear for the Main examination.The ones who successfully clear the Main examination round are called for the interview round.

Candidates who qualify for the interview round, too, are recruited by the Government of India, including the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS) and Indian Police Service (IPS).

According to the information released, the UPSC Prelim examination 2023 will be conducted on May 28, 2023, whereas the Main examination will be held on September 15, 2023. As per the latest UPSC notification 2023, which was released on February 1, 2023, the UPSC online portal will remain open till February 21, 2023.

What Are the Eligibility Criteria to Appear for the UPSC Examination?

Students planning to register themselves for the upcoming UPSC examination to check out the eligibility criteria mentioned below before applying.

Particulars	Criteria
Age Limit	●      All candidates aged between 21 and 32 are eligible to appear for the examination. The authorities have made age relaxation for certain categories. Candidates are advised to check the age relaxation policy, which is available on the official website, before applying.
Nationality	●      The candidates who are applying for recruitment at Indian administrative, police and foreign services need to be Indian citizens. ●      Citizens from Bhutan, Nepal and certain Tibetan refugees are also eligible to apply for the recruitment examination under certain circumstances. (Check out the official website of UPSC.)
Education	The candidates must have a degree from any government-recognised university.
Attempts	There are different rules for different categories, which are as follows: ●      ST/SC are eligible to apply till the age of 37 years. ●      OBCs, i.e., candidates who belong to other backward caste, are eligible to apply only  9 times, whereas the General category candidates can apply only 6 times

How to Register for The UPSC Examination?

Mentioned below is the procedure to follow for the UPSC 2023 examination.

●      Go to the UPSC website’s official application page (upsconline.nic.in).

●      Open the UPSC Civil Services Exam Link.

●      Select “Fill Part-I Registration.”

●      Use the registration number to complete Part-II Registration after it has been generated.

●      When finished, click “Submit.”

Is There a Registration Fee to Apply for the UPSC Examination?

As per the information mentioned on the official Union Public Service Commission, given below is the fee structure for the two written examinations, i.e., the UPSC Prelims and Main

●      General Category: The candidates who belong to the General category need to pay ₹ 100 for the UPSC Preliminary examination and ₹ 200 for Main examination.

●      Fees Exemption: candidates who are women or belong to Social Caste/Social Tribe/other reserved categories are exempted from paying the application submission fees.

Things to Be Considered While Paying the Registration Fees

Candidates are advised to keep the pointers mentioned below while paying their registration fees.

●      Candidates can make both cash as well internet payments in order to complete their registration process for the Preliminary examination. Candidates who are planning to make cash payments need to select the “Pay by Cash” mode and which will create a pay-in-slip. The fee should then be paid at an SBI branch the following business day.

●      To avoid any last-minute discrepancies, candidates must make sure to pay well in advance of the due date (unless they are exempt).

●      Candidates who pass the IAS Preliminary examination must reapply for the Mmain examination. The UPSC will also distribute the notification for it. Apply for the Main by the deadline and follow the procedure outlined in the announcement.

When Will the UPSC Admit Card Be Released?

Candidates who have successfully registered on the official website will receive their UPSC exam (Prelims) admit cards 3 weeks prior to the examination. The same must be downloaded by candidates from the UPSC website. Candidates must note that the admission cards won’t be delivered via postal mail. For additional information on the procedures involved in filling out the application form, see the UPSC Online Application Form 2023.

Which Are The Different Civil Service Posts for Which UPSC Examination Is Conducted?

The Civil Service Examination is conducted for the following posts:

●      Indian Administrative Service (IAS)

●      Indian Foreign Service (IFS)

●      Indian Police Service (IPS)

●      Indian P & T Accounts & Finance Service, Group ‘A’

●      Indian Audit and Accounts Service, Group ‘A’

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

●      Indian Defence Accounts Service, Group ‘A’

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

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

●      Indian Postal Service, Group ‘A’

●      Indian Civil Accounts Service, Group ‘A’

●      Indian Railway Traffic Service, Group ‘A’

●      Indian Railway Accounts Service, Group ‘A’

●      Indian Railway Personnel Service, Group ‘A’

●      Assistant Security Commissioner in Railway Protection Force, Group ‘A’

●      Indian Defence Estates Service, Group ‘A’

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

●      Indian Trade Service, Group ‘A’

●      Indian Corporate Law Service, Group ‘A’

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

●      Delhi, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Daman & Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli Civil Service, Group ‘B’

●      Delhi, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Daman & Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli Police Service, Group ‘B’

●      Pondicherry Civil Service, Group ‘B’

●      Pondicherry Police Service, Group ‘B’

Number of Vacancies Released

According to the official notification released, approximately a total of  861 vacancies have been released which includes, 34 vacancies that have been reserved for candidates with Benchmark Disability. The vacancy distribution for these 34 vacancies is as follows:

●      7 vacancies for blindness and low vision

●      11 vacancies for deaf and hard of hearing

●      8 vacancies for locomotor disability

●      8 vacancies for persons with multiple disabilities