CSE (Preliminary) 2023

Ranjan K Baruah *

One of the lucrative career options in India is none other than joining civil services. Every year millions of aspirants appear for the exams and only few make it to the list of civil servants.

We are aware that the Civil Services Examination consists of two successive stages
(i) Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination (Objective type) for the selection of candidates for the Main Examination; and
(ii) Civil Services (Main) Examination (Written and Interview) for the selection of candidates for the various Services.

Applications are now invited for the Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination only to be held on 28th May in different examination centres all over India.

A candidate must have attained the age of 21 years and must not have attained the age of 32 years on the 1st of August, 2023 i.e., the candidate must have been born not earlier than 2nd August, 1991 and not later than 1st August, 2002 if they appear in this year's exam to be held on 28th May . There are age relaxations for the aspirants belonging to scheduled tribes, scheduled caste or similar categories.

The minimum academic qualification is graduation means a candidate must hold a Graduate degree of any of the Universities incorporated by an Act of the central or State Legislature in India or other educational institutions established by an Act of Parliament or declared to be deemed as a University under Section 3 of the University Grants Commission Act, 1956 or possess an equivalent qualification.

Preliminary Examination of the Civil Services Examination for recruitment to the Services and Posts mentioned below will be held by the Union Public Service Commission on 28th May, 2023 in accordance with the Rules published by the Department of Personnel & Training in the Gazette of India Extraordinary dated 1st Feb, 2023.

All candidates must carefully read the Civil Services Examination-2023 Rules together with all the Appendices along with the Annexures thereof and this Examination Notice derived from the CSE Rules-2023 in entirety for gaining awareness of the current Rules and Regulations as changes may have been incorporated since the previous Examination Rules. The services are as follows:

o Indian Administrative Service
o Indian Foreign Service
o Indian Police Service
o Indian Audit and Accounts Service, Group 'A'
o Indian Civil Accounts Service, Group 'A'
o Indian Corporate Law Service, Group 'A'
o Indian Defence Accounts Service, Group 'A'
o Indian Defence Estates Service, Group 'A'
o Indian Information Service, Group 'A'
o Indian Postal Service, Group 'A'
o Indian P&T Accounts and Finance Service, Group 'A'
o Indian Railway Protection Force Service, Group 'A'
o Indian Revenue Service (Customs & Indirect Taxes) Group 'A'
o Indian Revenue Service (Income Tax) Group 'A'
o Indian Trade Service, Group 'A' (Grade III)
o Indian Railway Management Service, Group 'A'
o Armed Forces Headquarters Civil Service, Group 'B' (Section Officer's Grade)
o Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Daman & Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli Civil Service (DANICS), Group 'B'
o Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Daman & Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli Police Service (DANIPS), Group 'B'
o Pondicherry Civil Service (PONDICS), Group 'B'
o Pondicherry Police Service (PONDIPS), Group 'B'

The number of vacancies to be filled through the examination is expected to be approximately 1105 which include 37 vacancies reserved for Persons with Benchmark Disability Category. Reservation will be made for candidates belonging to Scheduled Castes. Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes, the Economically Weaker Sections and Persons with Benchmark Disability in respect of vacancies as may be fixed by the Government.

Aspirants may read the details from the official website of UPSC. This is one of the toughest examinations in the country and hence one needs to plan and prepare well to crack it. Aspirants may apply on or before 21st February 2023.