The UPSC CMS is an abbreviation for “Union Public Service Commission-Combined Medical Services” Examination. It is a competitive examination that the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) of India administers. The CMSE is held every year to fill various medical positions in government agencies including the Indian Railways, Central Health Service, Municipal Corporation of Delhi, and several other central government health institutions. The CMS exam allows medical professionals to join the esteemed Indian government healthcare service organizations and support the country’s healthcare system.

The difficulty level of the exam is self-explanatory by the term UPSC; UPSC CMSE is a hard nut to crack. With smart study, consistent efforts, and a lot of practice, you will pass with flying colours. Make sure to start early and stick to a realistic study plan and reliable study resources.

In this blog, you will get detailed information about the UPSC CMS exam recruitment category, eligibility criteria, exam pattern, selection procedure, and syllabus.

To be eligible to sit in the exam, a candidate must be either:

(a) an Indian citizen, or

(b) a subject of Nepal, or

(c) a subject of Bhutan, or

(d) a Tibetan refugee who came over to India before the 1st January 1962 to permanently settle in India, or

(e) a person of Indian origin who has migrated from Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka, or East African Countries of Kenya, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, 6 Malawi, Zaire, and Ethiopia or Vietnam to permanently settle in India.

Provided that a certificate of eligibility has been issued by the Government of India in favour of the candidate belonging to categories (b), (c), (d), and (e) mentioned above.

UPSC CMS Recruitment Category

UPSC CMS exam is conducted for the recruitment for the following categories and positions:

Category-I:

Medical Officers Grade in General Duty Medical Officers Sub-cadre of Central Health Services

Category-II:

Assistant Divisional Medical Officer in the Railways

General Duty Medical Officer in New Delhi Municipal Council

General Duty Medical Officer Gr-II in Municipal Corporation of Delhi

There are reservations for candidates belonging to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes, Economically Weaker Sections, and Persons with Benchmark Disability as per the vacancies by the Government.

UPSC CMS Exam Pattern

Medical graduates with an MBBS degree along with completion of internship are eligible to apply for the UPSC CMS exam. There are two parts of CMSE, one is a written examination and the other is an interview. The CMSE comprises two theory papers followed by a personality test or interview. Here’s a breakdown of the exam pattern:

Part-I: Written Examination

The written examination comprises two papers:

Paper-I: This paper includes questions from General Medicine and Pediatrics subject. The exam Pattern 2024 for UPSC CMSE Paper-I is mentioned in the below table:

Paper-II: This paper includes questions from Surgery, Obstetrics & Gynecology, and Preventive and Social Medicine subjects. The Surgery subject also includes ENT, Ophthalmology, Traumatology, and Orthopaedics subjects. The table below mentions the exam scheme for UPSC CMSE Paper-II 2024:

Part-II: Interview/Personality Test

After passing the written test, candidates are invited by the Union Public Service Commission for an interview/personality test to determine their fit for the open positions.

The personality test carries 100 marks. The interview is designed to complement the written examination for measuring the general knowledge and academic study skills of the applicants as well as to function as a personality test to evaluate the candidate’s critical thinking skills, absorption capacity, and overall capacity for social cohesiveness, sound judgment, and moral character, initiative, and leadership potential. Basically, it aims to assess the candidate’s personality, communication skills, and suitability for the posts in medical services.

Final Selection

The final selection is done based on the combined marks obtained in Paper-I, Paper-II, and the Interview/Personality test.

Recruitment of a number of candidates is based on the vacancies in the particular position. Succeeding applicants are assigned to different Group-A positions within the public health system. The particular positions and openings change every year.

It’s significant to note that the Paper-I and Paper-II syllabuses contain a broad variety of medical science-related topics. A wide range of medical topics, including clinical disciplines, general knowledge, and current events, are covered in the CMSE curriculum. To score well on the test, candidates must have a solid comprehension of these topics. It is a crucial aspect of a good preparation strategy to know and understand the syllabus of the CMS exam. It leads to effective time management.

UPSC CMS Syllabus 

UPSC CMS Syllabus Paper I:

General Medicine subject includes the following topics:

• Cardiology
• Respiratory diseases
• Gastro-intestinal
• Genito-Urinary
• Neurology
• Hematology
• Endocrinology
• Metabolic disorders
• Infections/Communicable Diseases

1. 1. Virus
   2. Rickets
   3. Bacterial
   4. Spirochetal
   5. Protozoan
   6. Metazoan
   7. Fungus

• Nutrition/Growth
• Diseases of the skin (Dermatology)
• Musculoskeletal System
• Psychiatry
• General
• Emergency Medicine
• Common Poisoning
• Snakebite
• Tropical Medicine
• Critical Care Medicine
• Emphasis on medical procedures
• Patho physiological basis of diseases
• Vaccines-preventable diseases and Non-vaccines preventable diseases
• Vitamin deficiency diseases
• In psychiatry – Depression, psychosis, anxiety, bipolar diseases, and Schizophrenia

Pediatrics subject includes the following topics:

• Common childhood emergencies
• Basic newborn care
• Normal developmental milestones
• Accidents and poisonings in children
• Birth defects and counselling including autism
• Immunization in children
• Recognizing and managing children with special needs
• National programmes related to child health

UPSC CMS Syllabus Paper II:

Surgery subject includes the following topics:

• General Surgery
  • Wounds
  • Infections
  • Tumours
  • Lymphatic
  • Blood vessels
  • Cysts/sinuses
  • Head and neck
  • Breast
  • Alimentary tract

1. 1. Oesophagus
   2. Stomach
   3. Intestines
   4. Anus
   5. Developmental

• • Liver, Bile, Pancreas
  • Spleen
  • Peritoneum
  • Abdominal wall
  • Abdominal injuries

• Urological Surgery
• Neurosurgery
• Otorhinolaryngology/E.N.T.
• Thoracic surgery
• Orthopaedic surgery
• Ophthalmology
• Anaesthesiology
• Traumatology
• Diagnosis and management of common surgical ailments
• Pre-operative and post-operative care of surgical patients
• Medico-legal and ethical issues of surgery
• Wound healing
• Fluid and electrolyte management in surgery
• Shock pathophysiology and management

Obstetrics and Gynecology subject includes the following topics:

• Questions on applied anatomy
• Questions on applied physiology of menstruation and fertilization
• Questions on infections in the genital tract
• Questions on neoplasm in the genital tract
• Questions on displacement of the uterus
• Normal delivery and safe delivery practices
• High-risk pregnancy and management
• Abortions
• Intra Uterine growth retardation
• Medicolegal examination in OBGYN including the rape

Family Planning subject includes the following topics:

• Conventional contraceptives
• D. and oral pills
• Operative procedure, sterilization, and organization of programmes in the urban and rural surroundings
• Medical Termination of Pregnancy

Preventive Social & Community Medicine subject include the following topics:

• Social and Community Medicine
• Concept of Health, Disease and Preventive Medicine
• Health Administration and Planning
• General Epidemiology
• Demography and Health Statistics
• Communicable Diseases
• Environmental Health
• Nutrition and Health
• Non-communicable Diseases
• Occupational Health
• Genetics and Health
• International Health
• Medical Sociology and Health Education
• Maternal and Child Health
• National Programmes
• Management of common health problems
• Ability to monitor national health programmes
• Knowledge of maternal and child wellness
• Ability to recognize, investigate, report, plan, and manage community health problems including malnutrition and emergencies.

You can also enroll in online MBBS courses to get conceptual clarity over MBBS subjects by the top medical faculty of India. You have the opportunity to learn and get your concepts clear in Surgery by Dr. Sriram Bhat M, Microbiology by Dr. Apurba S Sastry, Dr. Sandhya Bhat and Dr. Deepashree R, Medicine by Dr. Archith Boloor, Pathology by Prof Harsh Mohan, Prof Ramadas Nayak, and Dr. Debasis Gochhait, and similarly other MBBS subjects by subject’s eminent faculty. The comprehensive knowledge of MBBS subjects and problem-solving capabilities will directly impact your CMS exam.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):

Q1. Is UPSC CMS conducted every year?

Ans. Yes, the UPSC CMS exam is conducted every year and the recruitment is based on the number of vacancies for a particular post in various government health organizations.

Q2. What is a career after CMS?

Ans. UPSC CMSE is conducted for the recruitment of the Medical Officers Grade in General Duty Medical Officers Sub-cadre of Central Health Services, Assistant Divisional Medical Officer in the Railways, General Duty Medical Officer in New Delhi Municipal Council, and General Duty Medical Officer Gr-II in Municipal Corporation of Delhi

Q3. Who conducts the CMS exam?

Ans. The CMS exam is a competitive examination conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) of India.

Q4. What is the pattern of UPSC CMS exam?

Ans. There are two parts of CMSE in which part-I is a written examination and the part-II is an interview. The CMSE comprises two theory papers followed by a personality test or interview.

The Part-I written examination comprises two papers: Paper-I and Paper-II.