Updated on: Aug 21, 2025 10:11 am IST
The exam will begin with the essay paper and end with the optional subject (paper 2) on August 31.
Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) will start the Civil Services Mains examination 2025 tomorrow, August 22. The exam will begin with the essay paper and end with the optional subject (paper 2) on August 31.
The exams will be held in two shifts: shift 1 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and shift 2 from 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Admit cards for the test have been released. Candidates can download it from upsc.gov.in. Here is the direct link:
UPSC CSE Mains admit card download link
As per the schedule, the exam will begin on August 22 (Friday) with the essay paper and end on August 31 with the optional subject (paper 2).
Steps to download UPSC Civil Services Mains exam 2025 admit card
Go to the official UPSC website at upsc.gov.in
Click on the link for “UPSC Mains e-Admit Card 2025”
Enter your login details and submit
Download the admit card
As per the schedule, UPSC will conduct the Civil Services Mains Examination 2025 on August 22, 23, 24, 30, and 31, 2025.
Only candidates who have cleared the Civil Services Preliminary Examination can appear for the Mains examination. The UPSC announced the prelims results in June, following the examination held in May this year.
UPSC CSE Mains 2025 timetable
| Date | Session 1 (9 am to 12 pm) | Session 2 (2:30 pm to 5:30 pm) |
|---|---|---|
| August 22 (Friday) | Paper-I Essay | No paper |
| August 23 (Saturday) | Paper-II General Studies-I | Paper-III General Studies-II |
| August 24 (Sunday) | Paper-IV General Studies-III | Paper-V General Studies-IV |
| August 30 (Saturday) | Paper-A Indian Language {Assamese / Bengali / Bodo / Dogri/ Gujarati / Hindi / Kannada / Kashmiri/ Konkani / Maithilli / Malayalam / Manipuri / Marathi / Nepali / Odia / Punjabi / Sanskrit / Santhali (Devanagari / Olchiki Script)/ Sindhi (Devanagari / Arabic Script) / Tamil / Telugu / Urdu} | Paper-B English |
| August 31 (Sunday) | Paper-VI Optional Subject-Paper-1 {Agriculture / Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Science / Anthropology / Botany / Chemistry / Civil Engineering / Commerce & Accountancy / Economics / Electrical Engineering / Geography / Geology / History / Law / Management /Mathematics / Mechanical Engineering /Medical Science / Philosophy / Physics / Political Science & International Relations / Psychology / Public Administration / Sociology / Statistics / Zoology / Literature of any one of the following languages: Assamese / Bengali / Bodo / Dogri / Gujarati / Hindi / Kannada / Kashmiri / Konkani / Maithilli / Malayalam / Manipuri / Marathi / Nepali / Odia / Punjabi / Sanskrit / Santhali / Sindhi / Tamil / Telugu / Urdu / English} | Paper-VII Optional Subject-Paper-2 {Agriculture / Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Science / Anthropology / Botany / Chemistry / Civil Engineering / Commerce & Accountancy / Economics / Electrical Engineering / Geography / Geology / History / Law / Management /Mathematics / Mechanical Engineering /Medical Science / Philosophy / Physics / Political Science & International Relations / Psychology / Public Administration / Sociology / Statistics / Zoology / Literature of any one of the following languages: Assamese / Bengali / Bodo / Dogri / Gujarati / Hindi / Kannada / Kashmiri / Konkani / Maithilli / Malayalam / Manipuri / Marathi / Nepali / Odia / Punjabi / Sanskrit / Santhali / Sindhi / Tamil / Telugu / Urdu / English |
Candidates must carry their admit cards along with all other prescribed documents to the exam venue.
They should also read the instructions given on the admit cards and follow them accordingly on the day of the examination.
