UPSC Combined Geo-Scientist Examination 2027: 127 Vacancies, Eligibility, Exam Date, Syllabus & Apply Online

Introduction to UPSC Combined Geo-Scientist Examination 2027

Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has released the official notification for the Combined Geo-Scientist Examination 2027 under Examination Notice No. 01/2027-GEOL. A total of 127 tentative vacancies have been announced for Group A and Group B scientific posts in the Geological Survey of India (GSI), Ministry of Mines, and the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB), Ministry of Jal Shakti.

The online application process started on 2 September 2026 and will remain open until 22 September 2026 up to 6:00 PM. Candidates possessing the prescribed postgraduate qualification in Geology, Geophysics, Chemistry or Hydrogeology can apply through the UPSC online application portal.

The selection process consists of three stages: Preliminary Examination, Main Examination and Personality Test/Interview. The Preliminary Examination is scheduled for 10 January 2027, while the Main Examination will be held on 19 and 20 June 2027.

Candidates can also check the latest govt jobs notifications for other upcoming Central Government recruitment examinations.

UPSC Combined Geo-Scientist Examination 2027 Overview

The recruitment covers vacancies under two major categories. Category-I consists of posts in the Geological Survey of India, while Category-II covers scientific and assistant-level posts in the Central Ground Water Board.

UPSC Geo-Scientist 2027 At a Glance

Expert insight: Assistant Geophysicist and Assistant Geologist together account for 69 of the 127 vacancies, making the GSI Group B posts particularly significant in this recruitment. Candidates should select their examination stream carefully because both the Preliminary and Main examinations are highly subject-specific.

UPSC Combined Geo-Scientist 2027 Important Dates

The present notification relates to the Preliminary Examination. Candidates qualifying Stage-I will subsequently be permitted to appear in the Combined Geo-Scientist Main Examination.

UPSC Combined Geo-Scientist Vacancy 2027

UPSC has announced 127 tentative vacancies. Of these, 111 vacancies are in the Geological Survey of India and 16 vacancies are in the Central Ground Water Board.

Category-I: Geological Survey of India Vacancies

Category-II: Central Ground Water Board Vacancies

The vacancies are tentative and may be altered. PwBD reservation is applicable to identified posts as specified in the detailed notification.

UPSC Combined Geo-Scientist Eligibility Criteria 2027

Candidates must satisfy the prescribed requirements relating to nationality, age and educational qualification. Educational qualifications differ according to the post and examination stream.

UPSC Geo-Scientist Educational Qualification 2027

The qualifying degree must be obtained from a recognised university/institution as prescribed under the examination rules. Candidates should compare the exact nomenclature of their postgraduate degree with the official notification before submitting the application.

UPSC Combined Geo-Scientist Age Limit 2027

Candidates must have attained the age of 21 years and must not have attained the age of 32 years on 1 January 2027.

UPSC Geo-Scientist Age Relaxation

Relaxation is subject to fulfilment of UPSC and Government of India conditions applicable to the candidate's category.

UPSC Combined Geo-Scientist Application Fee 2027

The prescribed fee can be paid using the permitted online modes such as net banking, UPI or supported Debit/Credit Cards. Fee once paid is generally non-refundable.

UPSC Combined Geo-Scientist Selection Process 2027

The UPSC Combined Geo-Scientist Examination follows a three-stage selection process.

1. Stage-I - Preliminary Examination: Objective-type examination carrying 400 marks.
2. Stage-II - Main Examination: Conventional/descriptive examination carrying 600 marks.
3. Stage-III - Personality Test / Interview: Carries 200 marks.

Marks secured in the Preliminary Examination are counted for final merit along with the marks of the Main Examination and Personality Test.

UPSC Combined Geo-Scientist Preliminary Exam Pattern 2027

The Preliminary Examination consists of two objective-type papers for each stream. Paper-I is General Studies and Paper-II is the candidate's specialised scientific subject.

Geology / Hydrogeology Stream

Geophysics Stream

Chemistry Stream

Negative Marking: One-third of the marks assigned to a question is deducted for an incorrect answer in the objective-type Preliminary Examination.

UPSC Combined Geo-Scientist Main Exam Pattern 2027

Candidates qualifying the Preliminary Examination will appear in the Main Examination. The Main Examination is descriptive/conventional in nature and carries 600 marks. Each paper carries 200 marks and has a duration of 3 hours.

Candidates should verify the exact paper combination applicable to the specific post/stream from the official examination notification before beginning Main Examination preparation.

UPSC Geo-Scientist Personality Test 2027

Candidates qualifying the Main Examination will be called for the Personality Test / Interview, which carries 200 marks.

The Personality Test assesses the candidate's suitability for scientific Government service, including subject understanding, practical application of knowledge, intellectual curiosity, judgement, leadership qualities and overall personality.

UPSC Geo-Scientist Preliminary Syllabus 2027

General Studies

• Current events of national and international importance
• History of India and Indian National Movement
• Indian and World Geography
• Indian Polity and Governance
• Economic and Social Development
• Environment, Ecology, Biodiversity and Climate Change
• General Science

Geology / Hydrogeology

• Physical Geology
• Structural Geology
• Geomorphology
• Remote Sensing
• Sedimentology
• Palaeontology
• Stratigraphy
• Economic Geology
• Engineering Geology
• Environmental Geology
• Hydrogeology

Geophysics

• Solid Earth Geophysics
• Geophysical Signal Processing
• Remote Sensing and Geohydrology
• Solid-State Physics
• Basic Electronics
• Laser Systems
• Geophysical Exploration
• Associated applied-geophysics topics

Chemistry

The Chemistry stream covers postgraduate-level topics from Physical Chemistry, Inorganic Chemistry and Organic Chemistry together with related areas prescribed in the detailed syllabus.

Hydrogeology

• Occurrence and distribution of groundwater
• Groundwater movement
• Well hydraulics
• Water wells and groundwater levels
• Groundwater exploration
• Groundwater quality and management
• Aquifer properties
• Groundwater flow
• Groundwater recharge and resource management

UPSC Combined Geo-Scientist Examination Centres 2027

Preliminary Examination Centres

The Preliminary Examination is scheduled at 21 centres:

Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Chandigarh, Chennai, Cuttack, Delhi, Dispur, Ghaziabad, Gurugram, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Jammu, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Patna, Prayagraj (Allahabad), Shillong, Shimla and Thiruvananthapuram.

Centre allotment may be subject to capacity and the applicable first-apply-first-allot system. Candidates should therefore apply early if a particular examination city is important to them.

Main Examination Centres

The Main Examination is scheduled to be conducted at:

Bhopal, Chennai, Delhi, Dispur (Guwahati), Hyderabad, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai and Shimla.

Documents Required for UPSC Geo-Scientist Application 2027

• Aadhaar Card or other accepted photo identity document.
• Matriculation / Secondary School certificate for date of birth.
• Relevant Bachelor's and Master's degree details / certificates.
• Educational mark sheets.
• SC / ST certificate, if applicable.
• OBC-NCL certificate, if applicable.
• EWS Income and Asset Certificate, if applicable.
• PwBD certificate, if applicable.
• Recent photograph.
• Live photograph as required through the application system.
• Signature in the prescribed format.
• Valid mobile number and email address.

How to Apply Online for UPSC Combined Geo-Scientist Examination 2027

1. Visit the UPSC online application portal at upsconline.nic.in.
2. Create your UPSC applicant account if you have not already done so.
3. Complete the required Universal Registration / applicant profile process.
4. Fill the Common Application Form with personal, identity and educational details.
5. Open the examination-specific module for Combined Geo-Scientist Examination 2027.
6. Select the appropriate examination stream and post/category for which you satisfy the eligibility requirements.
7. Select your preferred Preliminary Examination centre.
8. Upload your photograph, live photograph and signature according to UPSC specifications.
9. Pay the Rs 200 application fee if you are not exempt.
10. Carefully preview every field before final submission.
11. Submit the online application before 6:00 PM on 22 September 2026.
12. Save or print the final submitted application details for future reference.

UPSC Combined Geo-Scientist 2027 Important Exam Instructions

• Applications are accepted through online mode only.
• Applicants must satisfy the prescribed age and educational qualification for their selected post.
• The Preliminary Examination contains negative marking for incorrect answers.
• Electronic devices such as mobile phones, smart watches, Bluetooth devices and similar equipment are prohibited at examination venues.
• Entry to the examination venue closes before the commencement of the examination session as prescribed by UPSC.
• Candidates must undergo the required identity verification / face-authentication procedure.
• Black ball-point pen should be used where prescribed for the OMR examination.
• e-Admit Cards will be made available through the UPSC website; candidates should not expect a hard-copy admit card by post.
• Applicants should regularly monitor the UPSC website for corrigenda, admit cards and examination updates.

UPSC Geo-Scientist 2027 Preparation Strategy

The Preliminary Examination carries 400 marks, of which the specialised Paper-II alone carries 300 marks. Candidates should therefore give the largest share of preparation time to their chosen scientific discipline while maintaining consistent preparation for the 100-mark General Studies paper.

For General Studies, candidates should revise topics such as polity, history, geography, environment, economy and general science while also following daily current affairs.

Since marks obtained in the Preliminary Examination count toward the final merit and incorrect answers attract a one-third penalty, accuracy matters considerably. Attempting unfamiliar questions purely by guesswork can reduce the effective score.

Main Examination preparation should begin well before the Preliminary result because the descriptive papers require detailed conceptual understanding, scientific diagrams, structured explanations and subject-specific problem solving.

UPSC Combined Geo-Scientist 2027 Important Links

UPSC Combined Geo-Scientist 2027 - Key Points Before Applying

• Total vacancies: 127.
• GSI vacancies: 111.
• CGWB vacancies: 16.
• Applications close at 6:00 PM on 22 September 2026.
• Minimum age is 21 years and normal maximum age is 32 years.
• A relevant Master's degree is required.
• Preliminary Examination will be held on 10 January 2027.
• Main Examination will be held on 19 and 20 June 2027.
• Preliminary Examination carries 400 marks.
• Main Examination carries 600 marks.
• Personality Test carries 200 marks.
• There is negative marking in the objective Preliminary Examination.

Explore More on thejobsme.com

Candidates preparing for UPSC and other Central Government examinations can check the latest govt jobs notifications, revise factual topics through Static GK, and follow daily current affairs regularly.