Find a Civil Service Exam
How Countries Select Civil Servants
Most governments recruit officials through open, merit-based competition. Some hold one large national exam; others recruit job by job.
Most national civil services are open only to that country’s citizens. Always check the official website for eligibility and dates.
South Asia
Large three-stage exams: a screening test, a written exam and an interview.
India — UPSC Civil Services
Prelims, Mains and Interview for the IAS, IPS, IFS and other central services. Our full guide →
India — State PSC exams
Each state’s Public Service Commission recruits for state civil services, usually in three stages.
State PSC websites
Pakistan — CSS
Central Superior Services exam by the Federal Public Service Commission: screening test, written exam and interview.
Bangladesh — BCS
Bangladesh Civil Service exam by the Bangladesh Public Service Commission: preliminary, written and viva.
Nepal — Lok Sewa Aayog
Nepal’s Public Service Commission runs open competitions for government officer posts.
Sri Lanka — SLAS
Open competitive examination for the Sri Lanka Administrative Service.
Sri Lanka Department of Examinations
East and South-East Asia
From some of the world’s largest written exams to scholarship-based selection.
China — National Civil Service Exam
Known as the guokao: a yearly written test followed by interviews for central government posts. One of the largest exams in the world.
National Civil Service Administration
Japan — National Public Service Exam
Run by the National Personnel Authority; the comprehensive-track exam selects career officials for ministries.
South Korea — Public Service Exams
Grade 5, 7 and 9 national exams for central government posts, run by the Ministry of Personnel Management.
Ministry of Personnel Management
Singapore — Public Service
No single exam: officers join through Public Service Commission scholarships or direct application.
Philippines — Civil Service Exam
Professional and Sub-Professional exams by the Civil Service Commission are needed for most government jobs.
Europe, the Americas and Australia
Graduate schemes, online tests and assessment centres rather than one national exam.
United Kingdom — Civil Service Fast Stream
A graduate leadership scheme with online tests and an assessment centre. Intake varies by year.
United States — Foreign Service
The Foreign Service Officer Test (FSOT) leads to US diplomatic careers. Most other federal jobs are filled through USAJOBS without one common exam.
Canada — Federal Public Service
No single exam: the Public Service Commission runs job-specific tests and graduate recruitment.
Australia — Australian Public Service
Graduate programmes and job-by-job selection through APSjobs.
International Organisations
Competitive exams for careers beyond a single country.
European Union — EPSO
The European Personnel Selection Office runs competitions for EU institutions, such as the Administrator (AD) competitions. Open to EU citizens.
United Nations — Young Professionals Programme
A yearly competitive exam for nationals of participating countries, aged 32 or under with at least a first degree. The country list changes each year.
What Most Civil Service Exams Test
The details differ, but the stages are often similar.
Screening test
Objective questions on general knowledge, reasoning and aptitude.
Written exam
Essays and subject papers on governance, economy, law, history or an optional subject.
Assessment
Group exercises, case studies or psychological tests in some countries.
Interview
A personality or competency interview with a panel.
Training
Selected candidates join a training academy before their first posting.
Preparing for UPSC?
Our UPSC pages cover the Civil Services Exam stage by stage — Prelims, Mains and Interview.
FAQs
Can Indian citizens apply for foreign civil services?
Usually not. Most national civil services are open only to their own citizens. Indian citizens can compete for the UN Young Professionals Programme only in years when India is on the participating list, and for other international organisations’ vacancies.
Which is the toughest civil service exam?
Exams such as India’s UPSC CSE and China’s guokao attract millions of applicants for limited posts, making them among the most competitive in the world.
Do all countries have a single civil service exam?
No. Countries like India, Pakistan, China and Japan use large national exams. Others, like the USA, Canada and Singapore, mostly recruit job by job.
What skills help in every civil service exam?
General knowledge and current affairs, analytical reasoning, essay and report writing, and the ability to discuss policy clearly in interviews.