UPSC Syllabus

The purpose of the UPSC curriculum is to evaluate applicants’ knowledge, aptitude, and analytical skills. It consists of two parts: the Main Examination (Mains) and the Preliminary Examination (Prelims), which are followed by a personality test and interview. The General Studies Paper I and General Studies Paper II (commonly known as the CSAT or Civil Services Aptitude Test) are two required papers in the UPSC Syllabus for Prelims. Numerous topics are covered in these articles, such as current events, science, geography, economics, politics, history, and environment.                      Nine papers total—four General Studies papers, two optional topic papers, two qualifying language papers, and one essay paper—make up the more specialized syllabus for the UPSC Mains test.

UPSC Prelims Syllabus

The first stage of the exam, i.e., the Civil Services Preliminary Exam is only a screening test and is conducted to shortlist candidates for the Main Examination. Marks secured in the Preliminary Exam are not taken into account while preparing the final merit.                                                        Preliminary Exam consists of two papers of objective type carrying a maximum of 400 marks.

No. of Papers2 compulsory papers
Type of QuestionsObjective (MCQ) type
Total Maximum Marks400 (200 each paper)
Duration of Exam2 hrs. each (20 minutes per hour extra time for blind candidates & candidate with Locomotor Disability & Cerebral Palsy [minimum 40% impairment])
Negative Marking 1/3rd of the marks assigned to a question
Medium of Exam Bilingual (Hindi & English)

General Studies Paper-I Syllabus

  It has 100 questions broadly covering the following topics, carrying a maximum of 200 marks to be solved in 2 hours. 

  • Current events of National & International importance.
  • History of India & Indian National Movement.
  • Indian & World Geography – Physical, Social, Economic Geography of India & the World.
  • Indian Polity & Governance – Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues, etc.
  • Economic & Social Development – Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives, etc.
  • General issues on Environmental ecology, Bio-diversity & climate change – that do not require subject specialization.
  • General Science.

General Studies Paper-II Syllabus

It comprises of 80 questions from the following topics carrying a maximum of 200 marks to be solved in 2 hours.

  • Comprehension.
  • Interpersonal skills including communication skills.
  • Logical reasoning & analytical ability.
  • Decision making & problem solving.
  • General mental ability.
  • Basic numeracy (numbers & their relations, orders of magnitude, etc.) (Class X level), Data interpretation (charts, graphs, tables, data sufficiency, etc. – Class X level)

UPSC Mains Syllabus

Civil Services Main Examination consists of written examination and interview (personality test). Civil Services Main Examination consists of following papers divided into 2 categories – qualifying & papers to be counted for merit.

Qualifying PapersSubjectMarks
Paper-AOne of the Indian Language to be selected by the candidate from the Languages included in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution300
Paper-BEnglish300
Paper-IEssay250
Paper-IIGeneral Studies-I (Indian Heritage and Culture, History and Geography of the World and Society)250
Paper-IIIGeneral Studies-II (Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice and International relations)250
Paper-IVGenera Studies-III (Technology, Economic Development, Bio-diversity, Environment, Security and Disaster Management)250
Paper-VGeneral Studies-IV (Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude)250
Paper-VIOptional Subject – Paper 1250
Paper-VIIOptional Subject – Paper 2250
Sub Total (Written Test)1750
Personality Test275
Grand Total2025