Selection for Indian Civil Services will be held by a competitive examination which comprises two successive stages: Civil Services (Preliminary) Examinations (Objective Type) also called as Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT) for the selection of candidates for Main Examination. Civil Services (Main) Examination (Written and Interview) for the selection of candidates for the various services and posts. The Preliminary Examination will consist of two compulsory papers of Objective type (multiple choice questions) and carry a maximum of 400 marks. The two compulsory Papers will carry 200 marks each and of two hours duration each. Questions from General Studies will be in Paper-I to measure the candidates awareness on General awareness. Paper-II will consist of questions to measure the candidates General Aptitude and Analytical ability of the Candidate. This examination is meant to serve as a screening test only; the marks obtained in the Preliminary Examination by the candidates who are declared qualified for admission to the Main Examination will not be counted for determining their final order of merit. The number of candidates to be admitted to the Main Examination will be about twelve to thirteen times the total approximate number of vacancies to be filled in the year in the various Services and Posts. Only those candidates who are declared by the Commission to have qualified in the Preliminary Examination in a year will be eligible for admission to the Main Examination of that year provided they are otherwise eligible. The Main Examination will consist of a written examination and an interview test. The written examination will consist of 9 papers of conventional essay type in the subjects set out in the examination notification by UPSC. Candidates who obtain such minimum qualifying marks in the written part of the Main Examination as may be fixed by the Commission at their discretion, shall be summoned by them for an interview for a Personality Test. However, the papers on Indian Languages and English will be of qualifying nature. The marks obtained in these papers will not be counted for ranking. The number of candidates to be summoned for interview will be about twice the number of vacancies to be filled. The interview will carry 300 marks (with no minimum qualifying marks). Marks thus obtained by the candidates in the Main Examination (written part as well as interview) would determine their final ranking. Candidates will be allotted to the various Services keeping in view their ranks in the examination and the preferences expressed by them for the various Services and posts.