Group 1 & 2

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) in India conducts a range of examinations to recruit candidates for various government services. Group 1 and Group 2 exams are commonly used terms to describe different sets of these examinations, but they don't officially correspond to specific UPSC exams. Instead, they are terms that are often used colloquially to categorize UPSC exams based on their level of difficulty and the services they recruit for.

Here's an explanation of Group 1 and Group 2 exams in the context of UPSC:

Group 1 Exams

1. Group 1 exams typically refer to the top-tier civil services examinations conducted by the UPSC. These exams are considered some of the most prestigious and competitive in India.
2. The most well-known Group 1 exam is the Civil Services Examination (CSE), which recruits candidates for the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS), and other central services.
3. The CSE consists of three stages: the Preliminary Examination (Prelims), the Main Examination (Mains), and the Personality Test (Interview).
4. Apart from the CSE, there are other Group 1 exams like the Indian Forest Service Examination (IFSE) conducted alongside the CSE Prelims.

Group 2 Exams

1. Group 2 exams typically refer to examinations that recruit candidates for various central services, but they are often considered less prestigious and competitive than the Group 1 exams.
2. These exams may include the Combined Defence Services (CDS) examination, the Combined Medical Services (CMS) examination, and the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) examination, among others.
3. The CDS examination is for recruiting officers in the Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force.
4. The CMS examination is for recruiting medical officers in various government health services.
5. The CAPF examination is for recruiting Assistant Commandants in various paramilitary forces like the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Border Security Force (BSF), etc.

It's important to note that the UPSC conducts numerous other exams for recruiting candidates for various other central and state government services. These exams may not fall neatly into the Group 1 or Group 2 categories but are still essential for various career opportunities in the Indian bureaucracy.

Candidates interested in appearing for UPSC exams should carefully check the specific exam notifications, eligibility criteria, and syllabi to understand the requirements and prepare accordingly for the examination they intend to take.