The competitive examination comprises two successive stages:

Stage 1: Civil Services (Preliminary) Examinations (Objective Type) for the selection of candidates for Main Examination; and
Stage 2: Civil Services (Main) Examination (Written and Interview) for the selection of candidates for the various services and posts.

Preliminary 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 12 to 13 times the total approximate number of vacancies to be filled in the year in the various Services and Posts. Only those candidates who have qualified in the Preliminary Examination in a year will be eligible for admission to the Main Examination.

• The Main Examination will consist of a written examination and an interview test.
• Candidates who obtain minimum qualifying marks in the written part of the Main
• Examination, will be summoned 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.