UPPCS Exam Pattern 2025: Latest Changes & Marking Scheme

The Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPSC) conducts the Provincial Civil Services (PCS) Examination every year for Group A and B services. To crack this prestigious exam, aspirants must have complete clarity about the exam pattern, stages, marking scheme, and recent changes introduced by the commission.

This article covers:

UPPCS Exam Stages (Prelims, Mains & Interview)

Detailed Exam Pattern for each stage

Marking scheme and negative marking

Latest changes in UPPCS Exam 2025

Preparation approach as per updated exam structure

 Overview of UPPCS Exam 2025

StageNature of ExamMarksPurpose

Prelims

Objective (MCQ)

400

Screening Test

Mains

Descriptive

1500

Merit Ranking

Interview

Personality Test

100

Final Selection

 Final merit list = Mains Marks (1500) + Interview Marks (100)

 UPPCS Prelims Exam Pattern 2025

The Prelims exam is the first stage and acts as a qualifying test.

 Paper I – General Studies

Questions: 150

Marks: 200

Duration: 2 Hours

Negative Marking: 0.33 (1/3rd of allotted marks per wrong answer)

Syllabus: Current Affairs, Indian History, Polity, Geography, Economy, Environment, General Science.

 Paper II – CSAT (Qualifying Paper)

Questions: 100

Marks: 200

Duration: 2 Hours

Qualifying Criteria: 33% (66 Marks minimum)

Nature: Qualifying only

Syllabus: Comprehension, Logical Reasoning, Decision Making, Mathematics (Class X level), General English & Hindi.

Important: Only Paper I marks are considered for cut-off.

 UPPCS Mains Exam Pattern 2025

The Mains exam is descriptive and consists of 8 papers.

PaperSubjectMarksDuration

Paper I

Hindi

150

3 Hours

Paper II

Essay

150

3 Hours

Paper III

GS I

200

3 Hours

Paper IV

GS II

200

3 Hours

Paper V

GS III

200

3 Hours

Paper VI

GS IV (Ethics)

200

3 Hours

Paper VII

Optional Paper I

200

3 Hours

Paper VIII

Optional Paper II

200

3 Hours

 Total Marks = 1500

 Subject-Wise Weightage in Mains

General Hindi & Essay: Language and writing skills tested.

General Studies (I–IV): Core subjects – History, Polity, Economy, Environment, Ethics.

Optional Subject (2 Papers): Candidate’s choice from UPPSC optional list.

 UPPCS Interview (Personality Test)

Marks: 100

Nature: Face-to-face interaction with a board.

Tests: Personality, leadership, decision-making, knowledge of state/national issues, administrative aptitude.

 Latest Changes in UPPCS Exam 2025

More weightage given to General Studies papers.

Reduced optional subjects from 2 to 1 optional subject with 2 papers.

Mains Exam Pattern Revamped (recent years):

Strict implementation of 1/3rd negative marking for wrong answers.

Negative Marking in Prelims:

More questions in Prelims & Mains linked to Uttar Pradesh’s history, culture, economy, geography.

Focus on UP-specific Content:

But difficulty level has increased, aspirants cannot ignore it.

CSAT (Paper II Prelims) remains qualifying:

 Marking Scheme at a Glance

Prelims: 400 Marks (GS Paper I counts, CSAT qualifying).

Mains: 1500 Marks (8 descriptive papers).

Interview: 100 Marks.

Final Merit: Out of 1600 Marks.

 Preparation Tips as per Latest Exam Pattern

Focus on GS Papers: Since GS carries the maximum marks, dedicate extra time to Polity, Economy, Environment, and Current Affairs.

Practice CSAT regularly: Even though qualifying, do not underestimate its difficulty.

Essay & Hindi: Improve writing speed, vocabulary, and presentation.

Optional Subject: Choose based on your interest, scoring trend, and availability of study material.

Answer Writing Practice: Start from day one for Mains descriptive papers.

Stay Updated: Read newspapers (The Hindu/Indian Express + UP-specific dailies).

 FAQs on UPPCS Exam Pattern 2025

Q1. How many stages are there in UPPCS Exam 2025?
 Three stages – Prelims, Mains, and Interview.

Q2. What is the marking scheme of UPPCS Prelims?
 Paper I = 200 marks, Paper II = 200 marks (qualifying), 1/3rd negative marking.

Q3. How many papers are there in UPPCS Mains?
 Total 8 papers including Hindi, Essay, GS (4), and Optional (2).

Q4. Is CSAT compulsory in UPPCS?
 Yes, it is compulsory and qualifying with 33%.

Q5. What is the weightage of the Interview in final selection?
 100 marks, added to Mains (1500) = Total 1600 marks.