Civil Service Aptitude & Governance Values

Aptitude and foundational values for Civil Service, integrity, impartiality and non-partisanship, objectivity, dedication to public service, empathy, tolerance and compassion towards the weaker sections.— UPSC Mains Syllabus

The values a civil servant must embody: the Nolan Principles, empathy for marginalised communities, and the operational demands of a public servant who must be simultaneously loyal to the Constitution, responsive to the political executive, and honest to the citizen. The aptitude dimension tests whether the aspirant would actually behave with integrity under pressure — not whether they know what integrity means.