UPSC 2025: Know the age limit and number of attempts to become an IAS, IPS, or IFS officer. Learn eligibility details for General, OBC, SC, and ST candidates applying for the civil services exam.
UPSC Exam 2025: The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) exam is regarded as one of the most challenging examinations in the country. Every year, hundreds of thousands of students prepare for the UPSC Civil Services Exam (CSE) to secure prestigious positions such as IAS, IPS, IFS, and IRS. Recently, the commission made a significant announcement for candidates. UPSC has decided to release the provisional answer key immediately after the Civil Services Preliminary exam. Previously, candidates had to wait an entire year, but this process will now be considerably faster. Alongside this announcement, UPSC Chairman Dr Ajay Kumar held a live interaction with Civil Services aspirants, during which he shared his views on several important matters, the most critical being the age limit and the number of attempts.
Are there any changes to the UPSC age limit?
The UPSC Chairman clarified that there are currently no plans to change the age limit. According to the existing rules, the minimum age for a candidate must be 21 years. The maximum age for a candidate should be less than 32 years (for the general category). The category-wise maximum age limit is as follows-
- General Category: 32 years
- OBC: 35 years
- SC, ST: 37 years
Setting August 1 as the cut-off date does not disadvantage graduates who complete their degrees in May-June. If it were changed to January 1, many students would lose a year of eligibility.
How many times can you take the UPSC exam?
For now, there will be no changes to the number of attempts for the UPSC exam. Speaking of the maximum attempts-
- General Category: 6 attempts
- OBC Category: 9 attempts
- SC, ST Category: Unlimited attempts
- Before 2014, candidates only got 4 attempts, but it was later increased to 6. No further changes are proposed at this time.
Is coaching necessary to crack UPSC?
According to the UPSC Chairman, coaching is not mandatory for success in the UPSC exam. Many students from smaller cities, i.e., Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities, are passing without coaching. He mentioned that nowadays, many students with an engineering background are also achieving success in the Civil Services Exam by opting for humanities subjects.
Verification of candidates’ certificates via DigiLocker
The commission is working towards verifying candidates’ certificates through DigiLocker. This will help curb fake documents. If a candidate uses fraudulent or fake certificates, they can not only be disqualified from the exam but also be banned from appearing in any UPSC exam for three years.