UPSC Civil Service exam date announced; prelims to be held on October 4, mains on Jan 8

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) prelims examination will be held on October 4, 2020, while the main exam will be conducted on January 8, 2021. The commission, which announced the new date on Friday, had postponed the exam from its original scheduled date May 31 in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The personality test of candidates selected in last year's civil services examination will resume from July 20.

Commenting on the development, Union Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Dr. Jitendra Singh, said the announcement of civil services exam date would allay apprehensions in some quarters of it being cancelled.

READ | UPSC To Decide Date For Civil Services Prelims On June 5

READ | NIT Warangal Exams Evaluation Details And Marking Scheme After Cancellation Of Exams

Exams for civil servant aspirants

The civil services examination is held annually in three stages – prelims, main and interview – by the commission to select officers for the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) and the Indian Police Service (IPS), among others. Lakhs of aspirants take the examination every year to be part of the coveted civil services. The exams are considered to be one of the most competitive in India and requires in-depth study of current affairs and social sciences.

As many as 796 vacancies were announced by the commission to be filled through the civil services examination 2020. A decision regarding deferring of the preliminary examination was taken on May 4 during a meeting by the UPSC to review the situation after the second phase of the nationwide lockdown was announced.

READ | Class 10, 12 Students With Special Needs Availing Scribe Facility Can Skip Pending Board Exams: CBSE

READ | Backlog Exam News: Maharashtra Education Minister Reassures Students Of Fair Decision