IAS 2025 - Mains Exam Admit Card (Soon), Question paper, Answer key, Cutoff, Toppers

IAS 2025 - The UPSC IAS Mains exam 2025 is going to be conducted on August 22, 23, 24, 30, & 31, 2025. Union Public Service Commission will soon release the UPSC IAS DAF 2025 for Mains on the official website at upsc.gov.in. The UPSC IAS 2025 Mains admit card is expected to released few days before examination. Candidates were able to check the UPSC CSE prelims result on June 11, 2025. The UPSC IAS prelims exam 2025 was held on May 25, 2025.

This Story also Contains

1. Check UPSC IAS Mains Exam Schedule 2025
2. UPSC IAS 2025 - Highlights
3. What is the UPSC CSE exam?
4. UPSC IAS Selection Process 2025
5. UPSC IAS 2025 - Posts
6. UPSC IAS 2025 Preparation
7. UPSC CSE 2025 Exam Date
8. UPSC IAS 2025 Application Form
9. UPSC IAS 2025 Eligibility Criteria
10. IAS Exam Pattern 2025
11. IAS 2025 Syllabus
12. UPSC IAS Exam Centre 2025
13. UPSC IAS 2025 Admit Card
14. UPSC IAS Exam Day Guidelines 2025
15. UPSC IAS 2025 Answer Key
16. UPSC IAS Exam Analysis 2025
17. UPSC IAS Question Papers 2025
18. UPSC IAS 2025 Cut off
19. IAS 2025 Result
20. UPSC IAS Vacancies 2025
21. UPSC IAS salary 2025

Candidates interested in appearing in the UPSC IAS exam can go through the material below for an in-depth discussion of every aspect of the exam. Candidates must ensure that they meet the UPSC IAS eligibility criteria 2025 before submitting the application form. Candidates who successfully submit the online application form will be issued the IAS 2025 admit card.

The UPSC Civil Services exam is considered one of India’s toughest competitive exams. The reasons for this include a vast UPSC syllabus, a low selection rate and the competition with the many lakhs of candidates attempting the exam each year. Therefore, IAS aspirants must pursue their preparation strategically and with the utmost care. Here, we also discuss UPSC 2025 preparation, including how to prepare an IAS study plan, tips and tricks, mistakes to avoid and much more.

Check UPSC IAS Mains Exam Schedule 2025

UPSC IAS 2025 - Highlights

What is the UPSC CSE exam?

The UPSC Civil Services exam 2025 (also known as the IAS exam) is a competitive exam conducted annually by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). The purpose of this exam is to recruit capable candidates to various posts in the government. The UPSC Civil services posts are considered prestigious and so they are extremely sought after. This makes the IAS exam one of the toughest, most competitive exams in India.

UPSC IAS Selection Process 2025

To be eligible for the above posts, candidates must go through the famously competitive IAS 2025 selection process. As a part of the UPSC CSE 2025 selection process, candidates must go through 3 stages. These are the IAS prelims exam, mains exam and interview round.

The UPSC Civil Services prelims exam is an objective type exam holding 400 marks in total. This round is a screening test, so the marks scored here will not be considered in the final UPSC 2025 selection process. The number of candidates considered successful in the prelims and deemed eligible to attempt the mains exam will be around 12 times the number of UPSC CSE 2025 vacancies.

The IAS mains exam 2025 consists of a series of 9 papers holding a total of 1750 marks. The IAS mains is a subjective, written exam, with each paper having a duration of three hours. The marks obtained in this round will be considered in the final UPSC IAS selection.

Finally, the IAS 2025 interview round will be held. In this round, candidates will be judged based on their intellectual qualities, social traits and awareness of current happenings. The IAS interview will be conducted by a panel of unbiased jury members. Candidates who clear this round of the UPSC IAS 2025 exam will be considered successful and will be appointed to a Civil Services post.

UPSC IAS 2025 - Posts

Candidates who pass all three rounds of the UPSC CSE exam 2025 will be appointed to one of many different kinds of government posts. UPSC CSE posts can largely be categorized into two types, All India Posts (of which is IAS, a highly sought after post where the colloquial name of the Civil services exam comes from) and posts in Central services. Below is a list of Civil Services posts candidates can be appointed to after cracking the UPSC IAS exam 2025.

UPSC Civil Services Posts

• Indian Administrative Service (IAS)

• Indian Police Service (IPS)

• Indian Foreign Services (IFS)

• Indian Audit and Accounts Service, Group ‘A’

• Indian Civil Accounts Service, Group ‘A’

• Indian Corporate Law Service, Group ‘A’

• Indian Defence Accounts Service, Group ‘A’

• Indian Defence Estates Service, Group ‘A’

• Indian Information Service, Group ‘A’

• Indian Postal Service, Group ‘A’

• Indian Post & Telecommunication Accounts and Finance Service, Group ‘A’

• Indian Railway Management Service (Traffic), Group ‘A’

• Indian Railway Management Service (Personnel), Group ‘A’

• Indian Railway Management Service (Accounts), Group ‘A’

• Indian Railway Protection Force Service, Group ‘A’

• Indian Revenue Service (Customs & Indirect Taxes) Group ‘A’

• Indian Revenue Service (Income Tax) Group ‘A’

• Indian Trade Service, Group ‘A’ (Grade III)

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

• Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Daman & Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli Civil Service (DANICS), Group ‘B’

• Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Daman & Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli Police Service (DANIPS), Group ‘B’ (xxii) Pondicherry Civil Service (PONDICS), Group ‘B’

• Pondicherry Police Service (PONDIPS), Group ‘B’

Also read:

• Difference between IAS and IPS

• UPSC Career Guidance

UPSC IAS 2025 Preparation

Given the competitive nature of the UPSC Civil Services exam, aspirants must be extremely diligent in their preparation efforts. It is quite a challenge to cover such a vast portion so thoroughly, and many candidates beginning preparation may not know where to start. Here, we discuss some general preparation tips to help candidates attempting the exam get a general idea of how to prepare for the UPSC CSE 2025.

How to prepare for the UPSC exam

• First and foremost, look up the UPSC IAS syllabus and exam pattern. This will let you know the structure of the exam paper paper and the topics that will be covered there. Overall, after this, you will get a good idea of how the UPSC IAS paper will be.

• To get an even more thorough idea of how the paper will look and how much weightage each topic will hold, consider looking into previous years’ UPSC IAS exam analysis.

• Formulate a proper UPSC IAS study plan based on the above. Be sure to give all the topics in the exam appropriate attention in your IAS 2025 study strategy and be mindful of your strengths and weaknesses. Ensure your IAS study plan is practical and realistic. That being said, don’t spend too much time in the planning stage and actually implement your UPSC IAS study plan. If any amendments are required you can make them later.

• Listen to the interviews of successful IAS toppers for additional advice.

• Study using the best books for UPSC IAS 2025 preparation. It is important to pick out up to date and reliable study material for the IAS exam. Take notes from the study material and revise it frequently.

• Apply what you have learned using mock tests and old UPSC IAS question papers.

For more in- depth preparation tips and guidance, candidates are encouraged to visit these pages:

• UPSC IAS 2025 Essay topics
• How to prepare from the UPSC exam from zero level
• UPSC IAS exam last minute preparation
• How to prepare for UPSC IAS 2025 interview round
• How to prepare for UPSC IAS 2025 without coaching

UPSC CSE 2025 Exam Date

UPSC announced the UPSC CSE 2025 exam dates online in the official calendar. Candidates must keep track of the official exam dates of UPSC CSE 2025 so as not to miss any important events pertaining to the exam. Candidates can find the UPSC IAS exam dates 2025 in the table below.

UPSC IAS Important Dates 2025

UPSC IAS 2025 Application Form

UPSC will soon release the UPSC IAS 2025 DAF. Candidates could access the UPSC IAS DAF for a certain duration of time. The IAS 2025 application form will be released online on the official website. Candidates looking to attempt the UPSC CSE Mains 2025 exam must ensure that they fulfil the eligibility criteria before filling out the application form.

The UPSC IAS application process consists of 2 stages, One Time Registration (OTR) and the UPSC CSE application form. The UPSC IAS application form 2025 is only be released in online mode at upsconline.nic.in. The IAS application fee is Rs 100 for general category candidates. Reserved category candidates are exempt from paying the Civil Services exam fee.

How to apply for UPSC IAS exam

Candidates can follow the instructions given below to fill out the IAS 2025 application form.

• Visit the official UPSC portal, upsconline.nic.in.

• Complete one time registration (otr process)

• In case you have already completed your OTR, log in to the website using your credentials.

• After logging in, check your dashboard and click on the apply online link.

• Fill out the UPSC IAS application form as prompted

• Upload the necessary documents only to the website

• Pay the UPSC CSE application fee as prompted

• Submit the form

Note: In case you notice any mistake in the IAS application form after submitting, there is still an opportunity to fix it. The Commission activates an IAS application form correction window for a few days to allow candidates to rectify any mistakes in the application form.

UPSC IAS 2025 Eligibility Criteria

Before filling out the application form, it is important for candidates to check if they fulfil the UPSC IAS 2025 eligibility criteria. Union Public Services Commission prescribes the IAS eligibility criteria 2025 based on nationality, age and educational qualifications. The UPSC IAS eligibility criteria are as follows:

IAS Eligibility Criteria

Additionally, there are limits on the number of times a candidate can attempt the UPSC Civil Services Examination. The limit on the number of times one can attempt the IAS exam is as follows:

Category wise limit on UPSC attempts

IAS Exam Pattern 2025

UPSC specified the IAS 2025 exam pattern online in the official notification. Candidates must be aware of the UPSC CSE 2025 exam pattern so that they can plan their studies accordingly. The UPSC IAS exam pattern 2025 contains information about the division of marks in the exam, the duration of the exam, topics covered by that particular exam and much more. Candidates appearing for the UPSC CSE 2025 exam can find out about the exam pattern from the tables below.

IAS prelims exam pattern

IAS mains exam pattern

IAS 2025 Syllabus

UPSC shared the syllabus of IAS 2025 in the official notification. The UPSC CSE 2025 syllabus is a comprehensive list of topics prescribed by the commission that appears in the exam. It is important for candidates to have a good understanding of the kinds of topics that will appear in the exam before starting their preparation.

Also read:

• UPSC Political Science Syllabus
• UPSC Psychology Syllabus 2025
• UPSC Sociology Syllabus 2025
• UPSC Polity and Governance Syllabus

UPSC IAS Exam Centre 2025

UPSC released the list of IAS 2025 exam centres in the official notification. The list of exam centres of IAS 2025 are different for both prelims and mains. Candidates must pick the UPSC CSE 2025 exam centre most convenient to them during the application process. Please note that the UPSC IAS exam centres 2025 will be allotted on a first come first serve basis and if candidates do not get their chosen IAS exam centre, they must choose from the remaining centres in the list.

UPSC IAS 2025 Admit Card

UPSC will soon release the IAS 2025 admit card on the official website. Eligible candidates can download the admit card from the official website. The UPSC IAS 2025 admit card contains important information about the IAS exam including the candidate's personal details, exam centre details, exam day guidelines, and much more.

To download the UPSC IAS admit card 2025, candidates must enter their registration ID and date of birth. Candidates must bring a valid photo ID along with the UPSC Civil Services admit card to the examination centre on the exam day.

Also read: Common mistakes in the IAS exam and how to avoid them

UPSC IAS Exam Day Guidelines 2025

Candidates must follow the exam day guidelines below on the day of the exam

• Candidates arrive at the exam centre an hour before the exam.

• Along with the IAS 2025 admit card, candidates must ensure that they have a valid photo ID proof for identity verification at the exam centre.

• Candidates are not permitted to leave the exam hall without permission from the invigilator.

• No mobile phones and other electronic communication devices are allowed in the exam hall.

• Candidates must bring a black ball point pen to the exam hall to mark for the purpose of marking OMR sheets in the prelims exam.

UPSC IAS 2025 Answer Key

UPSC will release the IAS 2025 answer key online on the official website. The IAS answer key is only released for the prelims exam. The UPSC Civil Services answer key will be made available after the release of the final result.

However, many major coaching institutes will make the UPSC IAS 2025 answer key available on the same day as the exam. Candidates will be able to use these unofficial UPSC CSE 2025 answer keys to gauge their performance in the IAS 2025 prelims exam.

Also read:

• UPSC IAS Answer key by Career Launcher
• UPSC Civil Services Answer key by Chanakya IAS Academy
• UPSC IAS Answer key by Vajiram & Ravi

UPSC IAS Exam Analysis 2025

While the UPSC does not provide any official IAS 2025 exam analysis, many notable coaching institutes will release one shortly after the exam. The UPSC CSE 2025 exam analysis is prepared based on the feedback of candidates who have just attempted the exam. Candidates can go through the Exam analysis of UPSC Civil Services after the exam to get a good idea of how they performed in the paper as well as the overall difficulty of the paper.

UPSC IAS Question Papers 2025

The UPSC will release the IAS 2025 question papers online on the official website. The UPSC CSE 2025 question papers will be released after the conclusion of those exams.

Previous years’ UPSC Civil Services question papers are also available online, so candidates will be able to use them to practice writing answers in the actual exam.

Solving past question papers is beneficial in that it helps candidates apply what they have learnt through their studies and helps them identify their weak points. Additionally, candidates who solve old IAS 2025 question papers get to hone their time management skills, which helps them in the actual exam.

UPSC IAS 2025 Cut off

The minimum marks that a candidate must obtain to be able to advance to the next round of the exam is the IAS 2025 cut off. UPSC declares the UPSC CSE cutoff marks separately for each stage of the exam. The UPSC CSE 2025 cut off is determined based on a variety of factors including difficulty of the paper and the number of vacancies.

IAS 2025 Result

The Commission will release the IAS 2025 result pdf online on the official website. The result of UPSC CSE 2025 is a list of the names and roll numbers of candidates who have cleared that round of the IAS exam. Candidates will also be able to obtain a UPSC Score card from the official website shortly after the result.

UPSC IAS Vacancies 2025

The UPSC announced the IAS vacancy in the official notification. Candidates who successfully clear all three levels of the UPSC IAS exam 2025 will be eligible to occupy a government post within the UPSC CSE 2025 vacancy. In the tables below, candidates can find details regarding category wise vacancies of UPSC IAS 2025 as well as previous years vacancy trends.

UPSC Civil Services Vacancy- Previous years’ vacancies

UPSC IAS Category Wise Vacancy 2025

UPSC IAS salary 2025

The 7th Pay Commission prescribes the salary of candidates successful in the UPSC CSE 2025 exam. The salary of an IAS officer consists of various components, with base pay and grade pay and a variety of perks and allowances such as HRA, DA, TA, medical allowances and more. In the beginning, the salary of an IAS officer is Rs 56,100.

As the years pass and the officer gains promotions and increments, their salary is increased. The highest salary of an IAS officer is that of the cabinet secretary who earns around 2,50,000 a month.