The UPSC Civil services prelims exam is scheduled to be conducted on 28th May 2023. Lakhs of people must be preparing day and night to clear this exam and secure the required cut-off that would earn them a place in the list of candidates eligible to take the UPSC mains exam. As you know, the pass percentage in the IAS exam is only about 0.2% – a very dismal number indeed. But don’t worry. All it takes to clear the UPSC exam and bag the prestigious IAS or IPS tag is a planned, systematic and devoted preparation for at least 12 months. Easier said than done, but it has been done before! This article gives you a glimpse of the competition you will be facing.
We don’t mean to scare you with all the numbers but this is just to give you an idea of the enormity of the task ahead of you. So in case you are not serious, it’s time to get your act together!
We give you the number of candidates who applied for the UPSC prelims exams, the number who actually took them (a lot of people back out even before taking the prelims), the number of people who took the mains exam, the number of candidates who were interviewed and finally, the number who actually were selected.
Number of Candidates appeared in UPSC
| Year | Number of candidates who applied | Number of candidates who took prelims | Number of candidates who qualified for mains | Number of candidates who took mains exam | Number of candidates who appeared for interview | Final number of candidates who got selected for posts |
| 2022 | 11.5 Lakh (approximately) | – | 13090 | – | 2529 | – |
| 2021 | 11 Lakh (approximately) | 508619 | 10000 | – | – | 761 |
| 2020 | 10.5 Lakh (approximately) | – | – | – | – | 796 |
| 2019 | 8 Lakh (approximately) | – | 11845 | – | 2034 | 829 |
| 2018 | 1065552 | 500484 | 10419 | 10246 | 1992 | – |
| 2017 | 969065 | 462848 | 13300 | 13060 | 2564(Number shortlisted) | 1056 |
| 2016 | 1128262 | 459659 | 15382 | 15149 | 2961 (Number shortlisted) | – |
| 2015 | 945908 | 465882 | 15008 | 15,008 | 2797 | 1078 |
| 2014 | 947428 | 446623 | 16706 | 16286 | 3308 | 1236 |
| 2013 | 776604 | 324279 | 14800 | 14178 | 3001 | 1122 |
| 2012 | 550080 | 271442 | 12795 | 12190 | 2674 | 998 |
| 2011 | 499120 | 243236 | 11837 | 11237 | 2415 | 999 |
| 2010 | 547698 | 269036 | 12271 | 11865 | 2589 | 965 |
| 2009 | 409110 | 193091 | 11894 | 11516 | 2431 | 989 |
| 2008 | 325433 | 167035 | 11669 | 11330 | 2136 | 881 |
| 2007 | 333680 | 161469 | 9158 | 8886 | 1883 | 734 |
| 2006 | 383983 | 195803 | 7692 | 7496 | 1408 | 553 |
The statistics lead people to think that the UPSC exam is one of the toughest in India and that it is unassailable. This is a myth. With the right kind of guidance and preparation, anyone can clear the IAS exam.
Visit BYJU’S Website for strategy and articles on free IAS prep and all the latest on UPSC IAS exam.
| Related Links | |||
| UPSC 2023 Calendar | UPSC Books | ||
| UPSC 2023 | UPSC Notes | ||
| UPSC Cut Off | IAS Eligibility | ||
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