What is the penalty for wrong answer in UPSC prelims?

In UPSC Prelims, there's a penalty for wrong answers, deducting one-third (1/3rd) of the marks assigned to the question, discouraging random guessing. For General Studies Paper-I, each 2-mark question has a 0.66 mark deduction; for CSAT Paper-II, each 2.5-mark question has a 0.83 mark deduction. Unanswered questions carry no penalty.

What is the penalty for wrong answer in UPSC exam?

Negative Marking in UPSC Prelims Paper 1 (General Studies)

Paper 1 is the General Studies (GS) paper, consisting of 100 questions worth 200 marks. Each correct answer is worth 2 marks, and for each wrong answer, 0.66 marks are deducted.

What is the 7 5 3 rule in UPSC?

The 7-5-3 technique is a simple framework that helps UPSC aspirants structure their answers in a logical and impactful way. 7 – Write 7 points in the body of your answer. 5 – Finish your answer in 5 paragraphs (Intro, Body – 3 Paras, Conclusion).

What is the 80 20 rule in UPSC?

The 80/20 UPSC principle, inspired by the Pareto Principle, suggests that roughly 20% of the syllabus fetches nearly 80% of the marks. Understanding this distribution is the real secret behind efficient, innovative, and strategic preparation.

How many marks for one correct answer in UPSC prelims?

Calculation of marks for Paper I:

Correct answers 75 x 2 = 150 marks. Each incorrect answer carries a negative marking of o. 33%, which means for every wrong answer 0.66 marks will be deducted.

Tukka lagane ka sahi tarika | Tukka kaise lagaye, negative marking | Tukka trick by Vikas Divyakirti

Is 800 a good score in UPSC?

Generally, a score of 800 may be considered good if it falls within or above the cutoff range for the UPSC Civil Services Exam for that year. Subject and Paper Weightage: Different papers and optional subjects have different weightages.

Who got 175 marks in essay UPSC?

Apurva Pandey is a ForumIAS Academy Student. She has secured Rank 39 and is the Topper from Uttarakhand. She has secured 175 marks in Essay which is the highest score this year among selected candidates.

Who is the rank 1 girl in UPSC?

Shakti Dubey emerged as the All India Rank 1 holder for the UPSC Civil Services Examination 2024. She is the top-ranked candidate among the 1009 successful aspirants. In fact, she is the top female candidate to secure All India Rank 1 in UPSC in the past few years.

Is PT 365 sufficient for prelims?

Nearly 40 to 50 questions in Prelims directly or indirectly assess contemporary knowledge. PT365 tracks these patterns and ensures important topics get adequate coverage.

What is the safe score in UPSC prelims?

What is the “Safe Score” for 2025? UPSC Prelims Cutoff. Based on our analysis of the UPSC Prelims Cutoff trends, here is your target for 2025: Target Score: 95+ Marks.

What is the strategy to clear UPSC?

What are the best tips to clear UPSC Prelims on the first try? To succeed in UPSC Prelims on your first attempt, focus on understanding the syllabus, using quality study materials, creating a timetable, practicing with mock tests, and staying updated on current affairs.

What are the three stages of UPSC?

The UPSC Civil Services exam for IAS is divided into three stages. These are: 1) Preliminary or prelims (which is an entry-level, objective-type test), 2) Mains examination (subjective, written exam), and the final stage is 3) Interview and Personality Test.

How are prelims cut off calculated?

Prelims Cut-Off: Based only on General Studies Paper I (out of 200 marks). CSAT (Paper II) is qualifying and not counted. Each category (General, OBC, SC, ST, EWS, PwBD) has its own qualifying threshold in Prelims. Scoring above this mark (e.g., 87.98 for General in 2024) means the candidate qualifies for the Mains.

How many attempts for UPSC are allowed?

How many UPSC attempts are allowed? The number of attempts for IAS exam: General Category: 6 attempts till 32 years of age. The number of attempts for IAS exam: OBC: 9 attempts till 35 years of age. The number of attempts for IAS exam: SC/ST: unlimited attempts till 37 years of age.

Why does UPSC give penalty marks?

Bad/Illegible Handwriting

Clear and legible handwriting is essential. If the handwriting is too difficult to read, it can result in Penalty Marks in UPSC Mains Exam as it hampers the examiner's ability to evaluate the answer properly.

What is the 80 20 rule for UPSC?

The Pareto Principle. 80% of your results come from 20% of your effort.

Who cleared UPSC in 4 months?

Simi Karan and Taruni Pandey both achieved remarkable success in the UPSC civil services examination with just four months of preparation, scoring all-India ranks of 31 and 14 respectively.

How many hours did Tina Dabi study?

Tina Dabi, secured AIR 1 in 2016 with a disciplined schedule of 11 hours of study daily. Her routine included waking up at 7:00 AM. Her timetable has gone viral over the years!

Who is the youngest IAS girl?

The distinction of the youngest female IAS officer is shared by Tina Dabi and Smita Sabharwal. Their achievements at the age of 22 exemplify the remarkable potential of young women in assuming pivotal roles within civil services.

How much did Tina Dabi score?

In the UPSC Civil Services Examination, she secured 868 marks in the written exam and 195 in the personality test, bringing her total to an impressive 1063 marks. According to media reports, Tina cleared the UPSC exam on her very first attempt at the age of just 22.

Who got 1126 marks in UPSC?

The record for the highest marks ever in the UPSC Civil Services Examination is held by Anudeep Durishetty, who topped the exam in 2017 with a staggering total of 1126 marks out of 2025.

What is the score of Srushti Deshmukh?

With a total score of 1068 marks, including outstanding performances in subjects like the Essay paper and Optional-1 (Sociology), Srushti's achievement underscored her remarkable intellect and dedication to excellence.

Who is the topper of IAS 2025?

The UPSC Final Result 2024 was announced on April 22, 2025. SHAKTI DUBEY is the topper. HARSHITA GOYAL got the second rank. DONGRE ARCHIT PARAG and SHAH MARGI CHIRAG got the third and fourth ranks.

How to score 120 in UPSC prelims?

The general strategy to prepare for prelims is given below:

1. Make a study plan with dedicated time to revise a subject, current affairs notes and solve at least 50 questions daily. ...
2. Focus on the NCERT books and revise what you have already read.
3. After covering the basics, revise sources other than the NCERTs.