Exam guides

Conducted by

Union Public Service Commission

Eligibility

Graduate in any discipline from a recognised university

Age limit

21–32 years (General), with relaxations

Attempts

6 for General, 9 for OBC, unlimited (till age) for SC/ST

Selection stages

1. 1. Prelims (objective)
2. 2. Mains (9 descriptive papers)
3. 3. Personality Test / Interview

• Prelims has GS Paper I (100 Q, 200 marks) and CSAT Paper II which is qualifying at 33%
• Negative marking of one-third for each wrong answer in Prelims
• Mains total 1750 marks + 275 interview marks decide the final rank
• Recruits to IAS, IPS, IFS, IRS and 20+ other central services

Conducted by

Gujarat Public Service Commission

Eligibility

Graduate in any discipline; Gujarati/Hindi knowledge required

Age limit

20–35 years with category relaxations

Attempts

No limit within the age bracket

Selection stages

1. 1. Prelims (2 objective papers)
2. 2. Mains (descriptive, Gujarati & English)
3. 3. Interview

• Prelims Paper 1 covers General Studies; Paper 2 covers reasoning, maths and current affairs
• Gujarat-specific history, geography, culture and schemes carry heavy weightage
• Mains includes compulsory Gujarati and English language papers
• Posts include Deputy Collector, DySP, Deputy Section Officer and Mamlatdar

Conducted by

Staff Selection Commission

Eligibility

Bachelor's degree; some posts need Maths/Statistics background

Age limit

18–32 years depending on the post

Attempts

Unlimited within age limit

Selection stages

1. 1. Tier I (objective)
2. 2. Tier II (objective, multi-module)
3. 3. Document verification

• Tier I has 100 questions across Reasoning, GK, Quant and English in 60 minutes
• Speed matters more than depth — accuracy above 90% is the winning formula
• Recruits Inspectors, Assistant Section Officers, Auditors and Tax Assistants
• Negative marking of 0.50 in Tier I and 1.00 in Tier II

Conducted by

Respective State Public Service Commissions

Eligibility

Graduation; State domicile preferred for some posts

Age limit

Typically 21–40 years with wide relaxations

Attempts

Varies by State

Selection stages

1. 1. Prelims
2. 2. Mains
3. 3. Interview

• Roughly 60% syllabus overlap with UPSC — one preparation serves many exams
• State-specific GK (history, geography, polity, schemes) is the real differentiator
• Regional language paper is compulsory in most State Mains
• Vacancy cycles are less predictable, so continuous preparation pays off

Conducted by

Railway Recruitment Board

Eligibility

12th pass or graduate depending on the post

Age limit

18–33 years with relaxations

Attempts

Unlimited within age limit

Selection stages

1. 1. CBT 1
2. 2. CBT 2
3. 3. Skill test / Typing test
4. 4. Document verification

• CBT 1 is a 90-minute screening test of 100 questions
• General Awareness dominates — static GK plus last 12 months of current affairs
• Normalisation is applied across shifts, so consistency beats a single lucky shift
• Posts include Station Master, Goods Guard, Junior Clerk and Accounts Assistant

Conducted by

IBPS / State Bank of India

Eligibility

Graduate in any discipline

Age limit

20–30 years for PO

Attempts

Unlimited within age limit

Selection stages

1. 1. Prelims
2. 2. Mains
3. 3. Interview (PO only)

• Sectional timing in Prelims — English, Reasoning and Quant must each be cleared
• Mains adds General/Economy/Banking Awareness and a descriptive writing test
• Data Interpretation and Puzzles decide the Mains cut-off
• Banking awareness of the last 6 months is heavily tested