UPSC Age Limit: For General, OBC, SC, ST Candidates

UPSC Age Limit

• UPSC Age Limit: The general age limit for UPSC exam is 21 years to 32 years. The minimum age to appear for the UPSC Civil Services Exam is 21 years across all categories. 
  • For example, if you are applying for the UPSC CSE 2025, you must have completed 21 years by August 1st, 2025.
    • A candidate must have attained the age of 21 years and must not have attained the age of 32 years on the 1st of August, 2025 i.e., the candidate must have been born not earlier than 2nd August, 1993 and not later than 1st August, 2004.
• However, the maximum age limit and the number of allowed attempts vary based on the candidate’s category: 
  • General Category & EWS: 32 years, 6 attempts.
  • OBC: 35 years (3 years relaxation), 9 attempts.
  • SC/ST: 37 years (5 years relaxation), unlimited attempts until the age limit is reached.
  • Persons with Benchmark Disability (PwBD):
    • General/OBC PwBD: 42 years (10 years relaxation), 9 attempts.
    • SC/ST PwBD: 47 years (15 years relaxation), unlimited attempts until the age limit is reached.
  • Disabled Defence Services Personnel: 35 years (3 years relaxation), 9 attempts.
  • Ex-Servicemen: 37 years (5 years relaxation), 9 attempts. 
• Note that these age limits are applicable as of August 1st of the year the exam is being held. 

Category	Maximum Age (years)	Age Relaxation (years)
General Category	32	No relaxation
Economically Weaker Section (EWS)	32	No relaxation
Other Backward Classes (OBC)	35	3 years
Scheduled Caste (SC) / Scheduled Tribe (ST)	37	5 years
Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD)		10 years
* General/EWS PwBD	42
* OBC PwBD	45
* SC/ST PwBD	47
Disabled Defence Services Personnel		3 years
Ex-Servicemen (ECOs/SSCOs)		5 years
J&K Domicile (1980-1989)		5 years

UPSC Age Limit: Category-wise Relaxations & Upper Limits

• The UPSC upper age limit mentioned above can be relaxed under certain circumstances:
  1. Candidates belonging to Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes are eligible for a maximum relaxation of five years.
  2. Candidates from Other Backward Classes (OBC) eligible for reservation can avail of a maximum relaxation of three years.
  3. Defence Services Personnel who were disabled in operations during hostilities with a foreign country or in a disturbed area and subsequently released can get a maximum relaxation of three years.
  4. Ex-servicemen, including Commissioned Officers, Emergency Commissioned Officers (ECOs), and Short Service Commissioned Officers (SSCOs), who have completed at least five years of military service as of August 1, 2025, and have been released due to completion of the assignment, physical disability attributable to military service, or invalidment, can avail a maximum relaxation of five years.
  5. ECOs/SSCOs who have completed an initial period of five years of military service as of August 1, 2025, and whose assignment has been extended beyond five years can get a maximum relaxation of five years. They must have a certificate from the Ministry of Defence stating their eligibility for civil employment with a three months notice period for release upon selection for the position.
  6. Candidates belonging to Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD) categories, such as blindness and low vision, deaf and hard of hearing, locomotor disability including cerebral palsy, leprosy cured, dwarfism, acid attack victims, muscular dystrophy, autism, intellectual disability, specific learning disability, and mental illness, can avail a maximum relaxation of ten years.

Category	Upper Age Limit	Age Relaxation
General / EWS	32 years	None
OBC	35 years	3 years
SC / ST	37 years	5 years
PwBD – General / EWS	42 years	10 years
PwBD – OBC	45 years	13 years
PwBD – SC / ST	47 years	15 years
Defence services personnel (disabled)	Up to 35 years*	3 years
Ex-servicemen / ECOs / SSCOs	Varies (“up to” as per category)	Up to 5 years

Number of Attempts in UPSC

• The number of attempts allowed for the UPSC Civil Services Examination varies based on the category of the candidate. Here are the attempt limits:
  • General Category: 6 attempts until the age of 32 years.
  • OBC Candidates: 9 attempts until the age of 35 years.
  • SC/ST Candidates: Unlimited attempts until the age of 37 years.
  • Persons with Benchmark Disability (PwBD): 9 attempts (General & OBC) / Unlimited for SC/ST, up to age limits as per category
  • EWS Category: 6 attempts until the age of 32 years.

Restrictions on Applying for the UPSC Exam

• Candidates appointed to the IAS or IFS posts, based on the results of a previous examination and currently serving in either of these two services, will not be eligible to appear in the exams for that specific year.
• Similarly, a candidate previously appointed to the IPS Position based on the results of a previous examination and currently serving as an IPS officer will not be eligible to select the IPS as an option in the exams for that particular year.

Calculation Date & Birth Date Eligibility

• Age is calculated as of 1 August every examination year.
• For 2025, eligibility spans 2 August 1993 to 1 August 2004 for General category

Important Notes

• Age is calculated as of August 1st of the examination year.
• EWS candidates have the same age and attempt limits as General Category candidates.
• Age relaxation is cumulative for candidates eligible under multiple categories (e.g., an OBC candidate with a disability).
• There is no separate age relaxation for female candidates; their eligibility depends on their specific category.
• An attempt is counted if a candidate appears in any one paper of the Preliminary Examination, regardless of qualification.
• Always refer to the official UPSC notification for the most accurate and up-to-date information on eligibility criteria, including age limits and relaxations.