9. Eligibility for Availing Reservation:
- A candidate will be eligible to get the benefit of community reservation only in case the particularcaste to which the candidate belongs is included in the list of reserved communities issued by theCentralGovernment.
- The OBC candidates applying for CSE-2024 must produce OBC (Non-Creamy Layer) certificatebased on the income for the Financial Year (FY) 2020-2021, 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 and issuedon/after 01.04.2023 (after the completion of FY 2022-23) but not later than the closing date of theapplicationforCivilServices(Preliminary)Examination-2024i.e.5thMarch,2024.
- A candidate will be eligible to get the benefit of the Economically Weaker Section reservation onlyincasethecandidatemeetsthecriteriaissuedbytheCentralGovernmentandisinpossessionof
requisite Income & Asset Certificate based on income for Financial Year (FY) 2022-2023 and issuedon/after 01.04.2023 (after the completion of FY 2022-23 ) but not later than the closing date of theapplicationforCivilServices(Preliminary)Examination-2024i.e.5thMarch,2024.
- Candidatesseekingreservation/relaxationbenefitsavailableforSC/ST/OBC/EWS/PwBD/Ex-servicemen must ensure that they are entitled to such reservation/relaxation as per eligibility prescribed intheRules/Notice.TheyshouldalsobeinpossessionofalltherequisitecertificatesintheprescribedformatinsupportoftheirclaimasstipulatedintheRules/Noticeforsuchbenefitsbytheclosingdateof theapplicationofCivilServices(Preliminary)Examination,2024.
- The closing date fixed for the receipt of the application of Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination -2024will betreatedasthedatefordeterminingtheOBCstatus(includingthatofcreamylayer)ofthecandidates.
12. Change of Category:
IfthecategoryindicatedbyacandidateintheapplicationformforCivilServices(Preliminary)Examination is Unreserved category but the candidate subsequently writes to the Commission to changethe category to a reserved one, such request shall not be entertained by the Commission. Further, once acandidate has chosen a reserved category, no request shall be entertained for change to other reservedcategoryviz.SCtoST,STtoSC,OBCtoSC/STorSC/STtoOBC,SCtoEWS,EWStoSC,STtoEWS,EWSto ST, OBC to EWS, EWS to OBC. No Reserved category candidates other than those who qualified eachstage of the Examination on General standard, shall be allowed to change (on their request or as decidedbytheCommission/Governmentbasedonthedocumentssubmittedbythem)theircategoryfromreservedto unreserved or claim the vacancies (Service/Cadre) for unreserved category after the declaration of finalresult by UPSC. In cases where such candidates do not qualify on General Standard, their candidature shallbe cancelled. Further, no candidate belonging to any sub-category of Persons with Benchmark Disabilities(PwBD)shallbeallowedtochangethesub-categoryofdisability.
Whiletheaboveprinciplewillbefollowedingeneral,theremaybeafewcaseswheretherewasagapofnotmorethan3monthsbetweentheissuanceofaGovernmentNotificationenlistinga particularcommunityin thelistof any of the reserved communities and the date of submission of the application bythecandidate.Insuchcases,therequestofchangeofcategoryfromUnreservedtoReserved may beconsideredbytheCommissiononmerit.
Incaseofacandidatebecominga Candidate belonging to Person with Benchmark Disability duringthecourseoftheexaminationprocess,thecandidatemustproducevaliddocumentofacquiringadisabilityto the extentof 40% or more as defined under theRPwD Act,2016 to consider drawing the benefits ofreservationasavailabletothePersonswithBenchmarkDisability(PwBD)category.
- Withdrawal of applications: The cadidates will not be allowed to withdraw their applications afterthesubmissionofthesame.
Debabrata BanerjeeJOINTSECRETARY
UNIONPUBLICSERVICECOMMISSION
APPENDIXI
SECTIONI:PLANOF EXAMINATION
TheCivilServicesExaminationcomprisestwosuccessive stages:
- CivilServices(Preliminary)Examination(ObjectiveType)fortheselectionofcandidatesforCivilServices(Main)Examination;and
- CivilServices(Main)Examination(WrittenandInterview/PersonalityTest)fortheselectionofcandidatesforthevariousServicesandposts.
- TheCivilServices(Preliminary)ExaminationwillconsistoftwopapersofObjective type (multiplechoicequestions)andcarryamaximumof400marksinthesubjectssetoutinsub-section(A)ofSection
II.Thisexaminationismeanttoserveasa screeningtestonly;themarksobtainedin theCivilServices(Preliminary) Examination by the candidates who are declared qualified for admission to the Civil Services(Main)Examinationwillnotbecountedfordeterminingtheirfinalorderofmerit.ThenumberofcandidatestobeadmittedtotheCivilServices(Main)Examinationwillbeabouttwelvetothirteen timesthetotalapproximate number of vacanciestobe filled in theyear through this Examination. Only those candidateswho are declared by the Commission to have qualified in the Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination in theyear will be eligible for admission to the Civil Services (Main) Examination of that year provided they areotherwiseeligibleforadmissiontotheCivilServices(Main)Examination.
Note I : The Commission will draw a list of candidates to be qualified for Civil Services (Main) Examinationbased on the criterion of minimum qualifying marksof 33% in General Studies Paper-IIof Civil Services(Preliminary)ExaminationandtotalqualifyingmarksofGeneralStudiesPaper-Iof Civil Services(Preliminary)ExaminationasmaybedeterminedbytheCommission.
NoteII:Therewillbenegativemarkingforincorrectanswersasdetailedbelow:
- There are four alternatives for the answers to every question. For each question for which a wronganswer hasbeen given bythe candidate, one-third (0.33) ofthemarks assigned to that question willbedeductedaspenalty.
- If acandidategivesmore thanoneanswer, itwill betreatedasa wrong answer even if one of thegivenanswershappentobecorrectandtherewillbesamepenaltyasaboveforthatquestion.
- If a question is left blank i.e. no answer is given by the candidate, there will be no penalty for thatquestion.
- TheCivilServices(Main)ExaminationwillconsistofaWrittenExaminationand anInterview/PersonalityTest.TheWrittenExaminationwillconsistof9papersofconventionalessaytypeinthesubjects set out in sub-section(B) ofSection-II out of which two paperswill beofqualifying in [Also see Note (ii) under Para-I of Section II-(B)]. Marks obtained for all the compulsory papers (Paper-I toPaper-VII)andMarksobtainedinInterview/PersonalityTestwillbecountedforranking.
- Candidates who obtain such minimum qualifying marks in the written part of the Civil Services (Main)Examination asmaybefixedbytheCommissionattheir discretion,shallbesummonedbythemforanInterview/PersonalityTest,videsub-section(C)ofSection-II.ThenumberofcandidatestobesummonedforInterview/PersonalityTestwillbeabouttwiceofthenumberofvacanciestobefilled.TheInterview/PersonalityTestwillcarry275marks(withnominimumqualifyingmarks).
- Marksthus obtained by the candidates in the Civil Services (Main) Examination (Written part as wellas Interview/Personality Test) would determine their final ranking. Candidates will be allotted to the variousServiceskeepinginviewtheir ranksintheexaminationandthepreferencesexpressed by them for thevariousServicesandposts.