Minimum Educational Qualifications
The candidate must hold a degree of any of 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.
Note I : Candidates who have appeared at an examination the passing of which
would render them educationally qualified for the Commission’s examination but
have not been informed of the results as also the candidates who intend to
appear at such a qualifying examination will also be eligible for admission to
the Preliminary Examination. All candidates who are declared qualified by the
Commission for taking the Civil Services (Main) Examination will be required to
produce proof of passing the requisite examination with their application for
the Main Examination failing which such candidates will not be admitted to the
Main Examination. The applications for the main examination will be called
sometime in the month of July/August, 2008.
Note II : In exceptional cases the Union Public Service Commission may treat a
candidate who has not any of the foregoing qualifications as a qualified
candidate provided that he has passed examination conducted by the other
Institutions, the standard of which in the opinion of the Commission justifies
his admission to the examination.
Note III : Candidates possessing professional and technical qualifications which
are recognised by Government as equivalent to professional and technical degree
would also be eligible for admission to the examination.
Note IV : Candidates who have passed the final professional M.B.B.S. or any
other Medical Examination but have not completed their internship by the time of
submission of their applications for the Civil Services (Main) Examination, will
be provisionally admitted to the Examination provided they submit along with
their application a copy of certificate from the concerned authority of the
University/Institution that they had passed the requisite final professional
medical examination. In such cases, the candidates will be required to produce
at the time of their interview original Degree or a certificate from the
concerned competent authority of the University/Institution that they had
completed all requirements (including completion of internship) for the award of
the Degree
Number of attempts
Every candidate appearing at the Civil Services Examination, who is otherwise
eligible, shall be permitted four attempts at the examination.
Provided that this restriction on the number of attempts will not apply in the
case of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe candidates who are otherwise
eligible.
Provided further that the number of attempts permissible to candidates belonging
to Other Backward Classes, who are otherwise eligible, shall be seven. This
relaxation will be available to the candidates who are eligible to avail of
reservation applicable to such candidates.
Provided further that a Physically handicapped will get as many attempts as are
available to other non-physically handicapped candidates of his or her
community, subject to the General Category shall be eligible for seven attempts.
The relaxation will be available to the physically handicapped candidates who
are eligible to avail of reservation applicable to such candidates.
Note:-
(i) An attempt at a Preliminary Examination shall be deemed to be an attempt at
the Examination.
(ii) If a candidate actually appears in any one paper in the Preliminary
Examination, he/she shall be deemed to have made an attempt at the Examination.
(iii) Notwithstanding the disqualification/cancellation of candidature, the fact
of appearance of the candidate at the examination will count as an attempt.
Age Limits
(a) A candidate must have attained the age of 21 years and must not have
attained the age of 30 years on 1st August, 2006, i.e. he must have been born
not earlier than 2nd August, 1976 and not later than 1st August, 1985.
(b) The upper age limit prescribed above will be relaxable:
(i) upto a maximum of five years if a candidate belongs to a Scheduled Caste or
a Scheduled Tribe.
(ii) upto a maximum of three years in the case of candidates belonging to Other
Backward Classes who are eligible to avail of reservation applicable to such
candidates.
(iii) upto a maximum of five years if a candidate had ordinarily been domiciled
in the State of Jammu & Kashmir during the period from the 1st January, 1980 to
the 31st day of December, 1989.
(iv) upto a maximum of three years in the case of Defence Services personnel
disabled in operations during hostilities with any foreign country or in a
disturbed area and released as a consequence thereof:
(v) upto a maximum of five years in the case of ex-servicemen including
Commissioned Officers and ECOs/SSCOs who have rendered at least five years
Military Service as on 1st August, 2006 and have been released (i) on completion
of assignment (including those whose assignment is due to be completed within
one year from 1st August, 2006) otherwise than by way of dismissal or discharge
on account of misconduct or inefficiency, or (ii) on account of physical
disability attributable to Military Service, or (iii) on invalidment.
(vi) upto a maximum of five years in the case of ECOs/SSCOs who have completed
an initial period of assignment of five years Military Service as on 1st August,
2006 and whose assignment has been extended beyond five years and in whose case
the Ministry of Defence issues a certificate that they can apply for civil
employment and that they will be released on three month's notice on selection
from the date of receipt of offer of appointment.
(vii) upto a maximum of 10 years in the case of blind, deaf-mute and
Orthopaedically handicapped persons.
NOTE I-Candidates belonging to the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes and
the Other Backward Classes who are also covered under any other clauses of para
3(ii) (b) above, viz. those coming under the category of Ex-servicemen, persons
domiciled in the State of J & K, blind, deaf-mute and orthopadically handicapped
etc. will be eligible for grant of cumulative age-relaxation under both the
categories.
NOTE II-The term ex-servicemen will apply to the persons who are defined as
ex-servicemen in the Ex-servicemen (Re-employment in Civil Services and Posts)
Rules, 1979, as amended from time to time.
Note III-The age concession under para 3(ii) (b) (v) and (vi) will not be
admissible to Ex-Servicemen and Commissioned Officers including ECOs/SSCOs who
are released on own reguest.
NOTE IV- Notwithstanding the provision of age-relaxation under para 3(ii) (b)
(vii) above, a physically disabled candidate will be considered to be eligible
for appointment only if he/she (after such physical examination as the
Government or appointing authority, as the case may be, may prescribe) is found
to satisfy the requirements of physical and medical standards for the concerned
Services/posts to be allocated to the physically disabled candidates by the
Government.
Save as provided above the age limits prescribed can in no case be relaxed.
The date of birth accepted by the Commission is that entered in the
Matriculation or Secondary School Leaving Certificate or in a certificate
recognised by an Indian University as equivalent to Matriculation or in an
extract from a Register of Matriculates maintained by a University, which
extract must be certified by the proper authority of the University or in the
Higher Secondary or an equivalent examination certificate.
These certificates are required to be submitted only at the time of applying for
the Civil Services (Main) Examination.
No other document relating to age like horoscopes, affidavits, birth extracts
from Municipal Corporation, service records and the like will be accepted.
The expression Matriculation/Secondary Examination Certificate in this part of
the instruction includes the alternative certificates mentioned above.
NOTE 1:- Candidates should note that only the Date of Birth as recorded in the
Matriculation/Secondary Examination Certificate or an equivalent certificate on
the date of submission of applications will be accepted by the Commission and no
subsequent request for its change will be considered or granted.
Note 2 :- Candidates should also note that once a Date of Birth has been claimed
by them and entered in the records of the Commission for the purpose of
admission to an Examination, no change will be allowed subsequently (or at any
other Examination of the Commission) on any grounds whatsoever.
Note 3 :- The candidate should exercise due care while entering their date of
birth in column 8 of the application form for the Preliminary Examination. If on
verification at any subsequent stage, any variation is found in their date of
birth from the one entered in their matriculation or equivalent Examination
certificate, disciplinary action will be taken against them by the commission
under the Rules.