What is the Full Form of UPSC?
UPSC Full Form: The full form of UPSC is the Union Public Service Commission. Read here to learn more about UPSC Exam 2024.
What is UPSC?
UPSC: Union Public Service Commission, conducts competitive exams for recruiting candidates for various central government services in India.
Table of Contents
Full form of UPSC
The full form of UPSC is Union Public Service Commission.
The UPSC exam is one of the toughest exams in the country. The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) is the prestigious and major exam-conducting authority. The UPSC conducts various examinations to recruit eligible candidates for the Indian Government, including the Civil Services Examination (CSE), also known as the IAS examination.
The IAS exam is conducted in two phases: the UPSC prelims and the mains. The preliminary examination is objective-based, while the mains exam is descriptive and includes essay writing. The UPSC is also responsible for conducting examinations for posts such as IAS, IFS, IPS, and more.
UPSC CSE Full Form
The full form of UPSC CSE is UPSC Civil Services Examination where UPSC is the conducting body.
Union Public Service Commission History
In 1923, the Royal Commission on Superior Civil Services was established under the chairmanship of Lord Lee of Fareham. This commission included an equal number of Indian and British members. In 1924, based on the recommendations of the commission’s report, the Public Service Commission was set up.
Some of the key pointers of the Lee Commission are as follows –
- 40% of future recruitment should be British
- 40% of Indians should be directly recruited
- 20% of Indians from provisional services should be promoted
Finally, on October 1, 1926, the first Public Service Commission was established under the chairmanship of Sir Ross Barker. Initially, it had a limited advisory role and lacked significant power. However, with the Government of India Act of 1935, the Federal Public Service Commission was restructured and eventually became the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) after independence on January 26, 1950.
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Functions of UPSC
Article 320 of the constitution talks about the duties of the UPSC. The main function of the UPSC is to conduct examinations for appointments to the services of the union.
The other functions of UPSC are –
In the development of various recruiting schemes.
Consultation on matters relating to recruitment, appointment, pension claim, promotion or transfer, disciplinary cases, or other matters given to them.
Examination conducted by UPSC
To understand the UPSC concept, the candidate needs to know the list of the examination conducted by the UPSC. Here they can check the complete list –
- Indian Statistical Service Examination (ISS)
- Indian Forest Service Examination (IFS)
- Indian Civil Services Examination (ICSE) for recruitment to IAS, IPS, IRS, etc officers
- Combined Medical Services Examination
- Combined Defence Services Examination (CDS)
- Various Recruitment Tests for UPSC EPFO, and other exams
- Indian Engineering Services Examination
- Combined Geo-Scientist and Geologist Examination
- National Defence Academy and Naval Academy Examination (NDA)
- Indian Economic Service Examination (IES)
- Central Armed Police Forces (ACs) Examination
UPSC 2024 Exam Dates
| Event | Date |
| UPSC Exam Calendar 2024 | 10-May-23 |
| UPSC 2024 exam notification | 14-Feb-24 |
| UPSC 2024 exam application form | 14 February 2024 to 5 March 2024 |
| UPSC 2024 admit card | To be released |
| UPSC 2024 Civil Services Prelims exam | 16-Jun-24 |
| UPSC 2024 Civil Services Mains exam | 20-Sep-24 |
UPSC Eligibility Criteria 2024
The candidates must check the below-provided eligibility criteria for the UPSC examination. If they fulfill the eligibility criteria, then only they can appear for the examination. It is necessary to fulfill the eligibility to fill out the application form. Let’s check the below-provided table for that –
| Age Limit | 21 to 32 years |
| Age relaxation | As per the category (mentioned below) |
| Educational Qualification for UPSC Civil Services | Graduation from any recognized university |
| Nationality | Indian |
Number of Attempts for the UPSC Exam
- General Category/ EWS Category– 6 attempts
- OBC candidates – 9 attempts
- SC/ST – no bar on the number of attempts (they can take the exam until they reach the upper age limit)
UPSC Exam Pattern 2024
| Name of the Paper | No of Questions | Marks Allotted | Time Allotted | Nature of Exam |
| Paper I: General Studies (Objective-type) | 100 | 200 | 2 hours | The score will be considered for Cut-off |
| Paper-II: General Studies-II (CSAT) (Objective-Type) | 80 | 200 | 2 hours | Qualifying Nature- Candidates will have to score 33% to qualify CSAT. |
Check here for the UPSC Mains Exam Pattern
| Paper | Subject | Duration | Total marks | Time Allotted | Nature of paper | Type of Paper |
| Paper A | Compulsory Indian language | 3 hours | 300 | 3 hours | Qualifying | Descriptive |
| Paper B | English | 3 hours | 300 | 3 hours | Qualifying | Descriptive |
| Paper I | Essay | 3 hours | 250 | 3 hours | Merit | Descriptive |
| Paper-II | General Studies I | 3 hours | 250 | 3 hours | Merit | Descriptive |
| Paper III | General Studies II | 3 hours | 250 | 3 hours | Merit | Descriptive |
| Paper IV | General Studies III | 3 hours | 250 | 3 hours | Merit | Descriptive |
| Paper V | General Studies IV | 3 hours | 250 | 3 hours | Merit | Descriptive |
| Paper VI | Optional I | 3 hours | 250 | 3 hours | Merit | Descriptive |
| Paper VII | Optional II | 3 hours | 250 | 3 hours | Merit | Descriptive |
Important Books for the UPSC Preparation 2024
Here, you can find the list of important books for the preparation of UPSC exam. Apart from the NCERT books, here are a number of books that play an important role in UPSC Preparation –
| Name of the Book | Author’s name |
| Indian Polity | M. Laxmikanth |
| Important Judgments that Transformed India | Alex Andrews George |
| Important Acts that Transformed India | Alex Andrews George |
| Ancient and Medieval India | Poonam Dalal Dahiya |
| Indian Art and Culture | Nitin Singhania |
| Certificate Physical And Human Geography | Goh Cheng Leong |
| Geography of India | Majid Husain |
| Modern Indian History | Sonali Bansal and Snehil Tripathi |
| Science and Technology | Ravi P. Agrahari |
| Environment and Ecology | Vaishali Anand |
| Lexicon for Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude | Niraj Kumar |
Appendix
Constitutional status
Part 14 of the Indian Constitution deals with Services under the Union and the States. Articles 315 to 323 under this part provide for the establishment of Public Service Commissions for the Union and each state.
Article 315 of the Indian Constitution calls for the establishment of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) at the Union level. The UPSC is one of the few institutions that operates with full freedom and autonomy, similar to the Election Commission.
Appointment
Article 316 of the Indian Constitution addresses the appointment of the chairman and other members of the UPSC. According to this article, the President shall appoint the chairman and other members of the Commission.
If the office of the chairman becomes vacant, the duties are performed by another member of the Commission as decided by the President.
Tenure
The member of the UPSC commission shall hold the office for a term of six years or 64 years whichever is earlier.
Members
As per Article 318 of the Indian Constitution, the President is empowered to determine the number of members of the Commission and their service conditions. Similarly, the President can make provisions regarding the number of staff members and their conditions of service.
Conditions of reappointment
Article 319 of the Indian Constitution states that the chairman of the UPSC cannot be reappointed to the same position after the expiry of their term. However, other members of the UPSC can be appointed as the chairman of the UPSC or as the chairman of a State Public Service Commission. They cannot, however, be appointed to any other government employment at the state or union level.
Removal
Article 317 talks about the removal of the officials of the Union Public Service Commission.
The president can remove the chairman on the ground of misbehaviour after the SC in the report said that the chairman or the member ought to be removed.
The grounds of the Removal of the officials are as follows -:
- Is an insolvent or one can say he /she is bankrupt
- If he/ she involved in any paid employment outside the duties of their office
- If he/ she is unfit to hold the office because of the infirmity of mind or body according to the opinion of the president
- If he/she holds an office of profit
Expenses
The salaries, expenses, pensions, and other allowances of the members and the staff if the commission are all charged by the consolidated fund of India. This is mentioned in Article 321.
Extension of function
The UPSC may be entrusted with other additional functions concerning the union as per Article 321 of the constitution.
Reporting
The president presents annually a report in the parliament which talks about the work done by the commission mentioned in article 323. Further on receipt of such a report, a copy will be submitted before each house, and reasons for not accepting the advice of the commission will be explained.
Organisational structure
The commission consists of the chairman and other members who are appointed. President.
The commission generally has 9 to 11 members including the chairman and tenure is six years or until they reach the age of 64 years whichever is earlier.
Further, the conditions of service are decided based on the Union Public service commission (members) regulations, of 1969. The chairman and members can any time submit their resignation to the president of India.
Secretariat
The Commission is serviced by a secretariat headed by a secretary with four additional secretariats.
Conclusion
The full form of UPSC is the Union Public Service Commission. It is a constitutional body in India responsible for conducting civil service examinations, selecting candidates for various prestigious positions in the government, and advising the President on matters related to recruitment, promotions, and disciplinary actions for civil servants.
FAQ's - Your Quick Reference Guide
The full form of UPSC is the Union Public Service Commission.
The preceding agencies were – Federal Public Service Commission and the Public service commission.
The headquarters of the UPSC is located at Dholpur House, Shahjahan Road, New Delhi. The main function of the UPSC is to conduct recruitment exams for various government positions. Additionally, the UPSC provides consultation on matters related to promotions, transfers, pensions, and disciplinary actions.
The parent department is the Government of India and the ministry responsible is the Ministry of Personnel, Public grievances, and pensions.
Sir Ross Barker was the first chairman and the Current chairman is Dr. Manoj Soni
In 1926 on 1st October UPSC was formed.
The UPSC Exam refers to the Union Public Service Commission Exam, a highly competitive examination conducted by the Government of India to recruit candidates for various civil services positions.