According to the UPSC exam pattern, the IAS Mains exam has a total of 9 descriptive type papers. There is no negative marking and all the papers are of 3 hours each. The exam pattern for Mains is as follows:
Out of the 9 papers, there are 2 are language papers which are qualifying in nature with 300 marks for each, the candidate is required to score a minimum of 25% marks in the two language papers with 300 marks each
Among the remaining 7 papers, there is 1 essay paper, 4 General Studies papers, and 2 papers based on the optional subject that a candidate chooses. All the papers are maximum marks of 250 each.