UPSC CMS Exam Pattern — Paper I, Paper II and Personality Test

The UPSC Combined Medical Services exam is two objective papers followed by an interview. Here is how each paper is built, how it is marked, how long you get and what the personality test adds.

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Last verified: 30 September 2026 against UPSC CMS 2026 notice (9/2026-CMS), Appendix I, CMS 2026 time table and CMS 2026 press note.

Quick Answer

UPSC CMS has two objective papers of 120 MCQs, 250 marks and 2 hours each (500 marks). A wrong answer loses one third of that question’s marks. Candidates who qualify take a 100-mark personality test, so the final merit list is out of 600.

How is the UPSC CMS exam structured?

StageSubjectsQuestionsMarksDuration
Paper I (Code 1)General Medicine and Paediatrics1202502 hours
Paper II (Code 2)Surgery, Gynaecology & Obstetrics and Preventive & Social Medicine1202502 hours
Personality testInterview by a UPSC board—100—
Total240600

What is in Paper I?

Paper I is General Medicine and Paediatrics. The notice fixes how its 120 questions are split:

ComponentQuestionsShare
General Medicine9680%
Paediatrics2420%

General Medicine in the CMS syllabus is broad: it includes dermatology, psychiatry, emergency and critical care medicine, poisoning and snake bite, and tropical medicine. See the UPSC CMS syllabus for the full list.

What is in Paper II?

Paper II has three equal parts. Surgery here includes ENT, Ophthalmology, Traumatology and Orthopaedics, so those subjects are tested inside the Surgery block.

PartQuestionsShare
Surgery4033%
Gynaecology & Obstetrics4033%
Preventive & Social Medicine4033%

When are the papers held?

Both papers are written on the same day. In UPSC CMS 2026 (held Sunday 2 August 2026), Paper I ran from 9:30 AM – 11:30 AM and Paper II from 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM, with a gap in between. Candidates answered on an OMR sheet (black ball-point pen); the question booklets are set in English only.

Shortly after the exam, UPSC opens a five-day window (the 3rd to the 7th day, per the notice) to raise representations on the questions and the provisional answer keys through upsconline.nic.in.

How does negative marking work in UPSC CMS?

  • • Every question has 4 options.
  • • A wrong answer costs one third of the marks assigned to that question.
  • • Marking more than one option is treated as a wrong answer, even if one of them is right.
  • • A blank question costs nothing.

What this means for guessing: with four options and a one-third penalty, a blind guess has zero expected value (a 1-in-4 chance of full marks against a 3-in-4 chance of losing a third). Rule out one option and the guess is worth about one-ninth of the question’s marks on average; rule out two and it is worth one-third. So answer when you can eliminate at least one option, and skip pure guesses.

What is the UPSC CMS personality test?

Candidates who clear the written exam are called for an interview worth 100 marks. The notice describes it as a supplement to the written exam that tests general knowledge and ability in your academic field, and as a personality test of intellectual curiosity, critical powers of assimilation, balance of judgement, alertness of mind, social cohesion, integrity, initiative and leadership.

After the written result, qualified candidates must update their application and upload proof of passing MBBS in a 15-day window, or they are not allowed into the interview. Read more on the UPSC CMS cut-off and result page.

How does UPSC CMS compare with NEET-PG and INICET?

AspectUPSC CMSNEET-PGINICET
PurposeRecruitment as medical officerPG (MD/MS) admissionPG admission at AIIMS institutions, JIPMER, NIMHANS, PGIMER and SCTIMST
Conducted byUPSCNBEMSAIIMS New Delhi
Questions240 MCQs in 2 papers180 MCQs200 MCQs
Marking−one third of a question’s marks per wrong answer+4 / −1+1 / −1/3
Written marks500720200
InterviewYes, 100 marksNoNo

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the UPSC CMS exam pattern?▼
A written exam of two objective papers — Paper I (General Medicine and Paediatrics) and Paper II (Surgery, Gynaecology & Obstetrics and Preventive & Social Medicine) — each with 120 questions, 250 marks and 2 hours. Candidates who qualify face a 100-mark personality test, making 600 marks in all.
Is there negative marking in UPSC CMS?▼
Yes. For every wrong answer, one third of the marks assigned to that question is deducted. Marking more than one option counts as a wrong answer. A question left blank carries no penalty.
How many questions are there in each UPSC CMS paper?▼
120 in each. Paper I has 96 General Medicine and 24 Paediatrics questions. Paper II has 40 questions each from Surgery, Gynaecology & Obstetrics, and Preventive & Social Medicine.
Are both UPSC CMS papers on the same day?▼
In 2026 they were: Paper I from 9:30 AM – 11:30 AM and Paper II from 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM on Sunday 2 August 2026, according to UPSC's time table.
Is the UPSC CMS exam online or offline?▼
CMS 2026 was a pen-and-paper exam: UPSC's press note told candidates to fill the OMR sheet (black ball-point pen) in both papers. Check the notice for your year, because UPSC sets the mode each cycle.
What is tested in the UPSC CMS personality test?▼
According to the notice, it supplements the written exam by testing general knowledge and ability in your field of study, and assesses qualities such as intellectual curiosity, balance of judgement, alertness of mind, integrity, initiative and leadership.
Can I use a calculator in UPSC CMS?▼
No. The notice states that calculators are not permitted for the objective papers.
From the UPSC CMS 2026 notice
600 marks in all
Two papers, one interview

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