The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) conducts the annual Civil Services Examination (CSE) for recruitment to various Indian administrative services including the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) and Indian Police Service (IPS), among others.
The CSE is widely considered to be one of the most challenging and prestigious examinations in India. It is estimated that only around 0.1% of candidates who appear for the examination are successful in securing a job with the Indian administrative services.
The examination consists of three stages – the preliminary examination, the main examination, and the interview. The preliminary examination is a multiple-choice question (MCQ) paper consisting of two papers of 200 marks each. The main examination is a written examination consisting of nine papers of 350 marks each. The interview is a personality test of around 275 marks.
Candidates who clear the preliminary examination are eligible to appear for the main examination. Candidates who clear the main examination are then called for the interview. The final merit list is prepared on the basis of the marks secured by the candidates in the main examination and the interview.
The UPSC has not specified any minimum marks that need to be secured in the preliminary examination in order to be eligible to appear for the main examination. However, it is generally believed that a candidate needs to secure around 40-50% marks in the preliminary examination in order to stand a good chance of clearing the main examination.
The cost of the UPSC books will depend on which books you purchase and from where you purchase them. Generally speaking, you can expect to spend around Rs. 1,500-2,000 on UPSC books.
You can find a list of recommended UPSC books here:
https://www.clearias.com/recommended-books-for-upsc-prelims-exam/
https://byjus.com/upsc-books/
