Bhubaneswar, Oct. 3 -- Civil Services Examination conducted by the UPSC through three stages - preliminary, main and interview - to select officers for the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS), Indian Police Service (IPS) and Central Services perhaps continues to be the toughest and most keenly watched in the country.

How meticulously the examination has been designed and how few finally make it make a fascinating narrative. The preliminary examination consists of two papers of objective type (multiple choice) questions and carries a maximum of 400 marks. This stage serves as a screening test and marks obtained by the candidates are not considered for determining their final order of merit. Merit is determine...