In the UPSC Civil Services Mains Examination, each paper has a time limit of 3 hours (180 Minutes).
General Studies Papers:
- Out of 3 hours (180 min) the student has to spend his/her first 5 minutes on reading the question paper, and the last 5 minutes should be given for reviewing the answers.
- So, the student has remaining 2 hours 50 minutes (170 minutes) of time to write the exam.
| Number of Questions | Marks | Word Limit | Time to Spend on each Question | Total Time (Maximum time 180 min) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 10 | 150 Words | 6.5 min | 65 min |
| 10 | 15 | 250 Words | 7 min | 105 min |
| Total Questions 20 | Total Marks 10 * 10 + 10* 15 = 250 | 170 Min |
Essay:
- Here, the student has 3 hours of time to write two Essays. So, 3 hours is divided into two halves (90 minutes for each question).
- For each question, the student has to spend his/her first 10 min to think and structure the answer and 70 minutes for writing the answer and the last 10 min to review the answer that has been written.
| Number Questions Given in the Paper | Number questions to be write | Word Limit | Time to spend on each Question | Total Time (Maximum time 180 min) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | 2 | 1000 - 1200 | 70 min | 140 min |
