UPSC Syllabus – Prelims, Mains and Interview
The UPSC board describes the standard IAS Exam Syllabus. At Madurai IAS, we have presented the UPSC Syllabus for Prelims and Mains Exam. The IAS aspirants should go through the syllabus in detail before starting with preparation. Moreover, the UPSC revises the syllabus on a yearly basis. The civil services exam has three consecutive stages.
1. What is UPSC Syllabus for Civil Services Exam?
UPSC Syllabus is broadly explained in the Civil Services exam notification every year. IAS syllabus is just like a tip of the iceberg afloat in the ocean of knowledge & information. Students should interpret and understand that the UPSC syllabus is much more elaborate than the defined topics in the IAS syllabus. It is the interchange of the subject-matter which makes the UPSC syllabus much rational as well as subjective and objective. Students should develop an understanding for the dynamic part of the different topics and hence focus to understand the theme. It will be helpful to go through previous year IAS questions papers and analyse them.
Note: IAS Prelims-will be on May/June and IAS mains exam will be on October/November for 5 days
UPSC Civil Services Syllabus – The complete syllabus prescribed by UPSC for the Civil Services Exam has been given here for the sake of the students and the IAS aspirants. The CSE is widely recognized as the toughest of all the competitive Exams across India.
2. Why Study the Syllabus thoroughly?
An IAS aspirant may very well reason that it is reading the books and the newspapers etc, that should be paid more of the attention to. So, why study the syllabus? UPSC notification refers the IAS Prelims syllabus & IAS mains syllabus at separate places, but in reality, it should be studied together. This helps in comprehending the topics in much more detail. Completing the UPSC syllabus is just the first or initial step of the IAS exam preparation. Civil Services exam questions for IAS prelims are framed in such a way that it needs in-depth knowledge about the topic, so requires holistic information.
The best method of IAS preparation for candidates is to study both IAS prelims syllabus and IAS mains syllabus together. Benefit of this plan is that you develop wider knowledge about all topics. The objective questions framed in IAS prelims are of somewhat confusing nature i.e. answer options given are very close and even a slight confusion may land to wrong answer. Thus, elaborate studies of IAS mains syllabus broaden your knowledge and helps to choose the exact correct answer.
Well, time is a resource that always gets depleted continuously. And if you read, and study the syllabus scrupulously, you would know better what to read and what not to. Staying away from all the diversions, no matter howsoever interesting they might be would finally help you save a lot of time.
Besides, preparing for the IAS Exam as per the UPSC syllabus also serves to keep your preparation well aligned with the CSE requirements. And it would serve to enhance your confidence for you would know that your preparation for the Exam has been moving ahead as per the syllabus that UPSC prescribes.
Structure of Syllabus
- Paper 1 – Prelims IAS Exam Syllabus (Download Pdf Here)
- Paper 2 – Prelims IAS Exam Syllabus (Download Pdf Here)
| IAS Prelims Papers | Time Limit & Number of Questions | Marks for Each Paper |
|---|---|---|
| Paper-I (General Studies) | 2 Hours – 100 Questions | 200 |
| Paper-II (CSAT – Civil Services Aptitude Test – Only Qualifying) | 2 Hours – 80 Questions | 200 (Qualifying nature and marks are not included in final total) |
| Total | 200 | |
IAS Prelims Syllabus
UPSC Prelims Syllabus Structure:
Let us have a look over IAS Prelims exam scheme, before knowing the IAS Prelims syllabus:
The syllabus of Civil Services prelims is a shortened version of IAS mains syllabus, except the portion of Ethics paper (GS Paper-IV). The IAS prelims exam contains MCQs i.e. multiple-choice questions. Here, the candidate must choose correct answer among the various options provided. There are two papers in IAS prelims exam, one is General Studies and the second paper is of CSAT. Both contains 200 marks each, but CSAT paper is just of qualifying nature.
Preliminary Stage – IAS Syllabus
The IAS candidates must clear prelims to attend the mains exam. The preliminary stage is a screening round. Its purpose is only to qualify the candidates to the next round. The estimation of the final IAS ranking does not consider the marks scored in prelims. As per the UPSC syllabus, the prelims stage has 2 papers. They are:
• General Ability Test – GAT
• Civil Service Aptitude Test – CSAT
The IAS Exam Syllabus is huge. As a result, the candidates must check the syllabus with caution. Madurai IAS understands the importance and has put an extra effort into helping you with better preparation. Here is the list of detailed UPSC prelims syllabus that helps you to attain success.
Two papers of the prelims exam have a total of 200 marks. The candidates appearing for the exam will get 2 hours duration. In the prelims stage, paper 2 is a qualifying paper. 33 percent is the minimum score to be obtained by every candidate. On the other hand, the mark obtained in paper 1 is taken into consideration for the final ranking. All the questions are objective type and have multiple choices. The attendance to both the papers is compulsory. Failing to attend, the candidates are considered as disqualified. Paper 1 and paper 2 IAS Exam syllabus is as follows.
Paper 1 – UPSC Prelims Syllabus Chart
| Topic Name – Prelims UPSC Syllabus | Details |
|---|---|
| Current Events | Events in relation to national and international importance |
| Indian History | History of India, Indian National Movement |
| Indian Geography & World Geography | Physical Geography, Social Geography, Economic Geography (Both India and World) |
| Economic & Social Development | Poverty, Demographics, Sustainable Development, Inclusion, Social Sector Initiatives |
| Indian Polity & Governance | Constitution, Panchayati Raj, Rights Issues, Political System, Public Policy. |
| Environmental Studies | General issues of Environmental ecology, Climate change, Biodiversity. Subject specialization is not necessary. |
| General Science | – |
Note: UPSC prelims syllabus humbly mentions current events, but you should give it top importance. Every year lots of current affairs questions are asked in IAS prelims exam, directly or indirectly i.e. current affairs related to other topics like Polity, economics, geography, science & technology, ecology & environment etc. In fact, current affairs play a decisive role in clearing the prelims examination.
Paper 2 – CSAT – (Civil Services Aptitude Test) UPSC Prelims Syllabus Chart
- Comprehension
- Interpersonal skills, including communication skills
- Logical reasoning and analytical ability
- Decision-making and problem-solving
- General mental ability
- Basic numeracy (numbers and their relations, orders of magnitude, etc.) (Class X level), data interpretation (charts, graphs, tables, data sufficiency, etc. — Class X level)
UPSC Syllabus for Mains Examination
In the mains exam stage, the board examines the candidate’s complete intellectual traits. Every IAS aspirant must understand the subject in depth. Mugging up the information will not help in getting better scores. Commonly, the general studies paper (from paper 2 to paper 5) does not require specialized preparation. A well-educated person can easily answer without in-depth subject study. The questions are structured to test the candidate’s awareness of the subject on a general basis.
In turn, these questions from IAS Exam syllabus are related to the civil services career. How well has the candidate understood the current issues? Does he or she have the ability to analyze the situation? Grasp the ability to understand the socio-economic conflicting issues. Being an aspiring candidate, he or she must primarily focus on UPSC Syllabus. Consequently, the candidates can give meaningful and relevant answers. In the case of optional subjects, the syllabus is one level higher than the bachelor’s degree. On the other hand, the syllabus standard is below the master’s degree. Here is the IAS Exam syllabus as per the UPSC scheme.
Mains Exam Qualifying Papers Syllabus
Paper I Mains Exam Merit Papers Syllabus (Download Pdf Here)
Paper II Mains Exam Merit Papers Syllabus (Download Pdf Here)
Paper III Mains Exam Merit Papers Syllabus (Download Pdf Here)
Paper IV Mains Exam Merit Papers Syllabus (Download Pdf Here)
Paper V Mains Exam Merit Papers Syllabus (Download Pdf Here)
Paper VI & VII Mains Exam Merit Papers Syllabus (Optional Subject)
UPSC Mains Syllabus & IAS Mains Exam Chart
The UPSC mains examination is subjective in nature i.e. candidates have to write long descriptive answers for the given questions. Apart from General Studies’ four papers, one more additional paper is of Essay. Here candidate has to write two essays. Length of each essay should be between 1000 to 1200 words. Below you can find the allotted marks for IAS mains exam papers.
| Qualifying Papers | Topics | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Paper-A | One of the Indian Languages to be selected by the candidate from the Languages included in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution | 300 |
| Paper-B | English | 300 |
| Papers to be Counted for Merit | ||
| Paper-I | Essay | 250 |
| Paper-II | General Studies-I (Indian Heritage and Culture, History and Geography of the World and Society) | 250 |
| Paper-III | General Studies-II (Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice and International relations) | 250 |
| Paper-IV | General Studies-III (Technology, Economic Development, Bio-diversity, Environment, Security and Disaster Management) | 250 |
| Paper-V | General Studies-IV (Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude) | 250 |
| Paper-VI | Optional Subject – Paper 1 | 250 |
| Paper-VII | Optional Subject – Paper 2 | 250 |
| Sub Total (Written Test) | 1750 | |
| Personality Test | 275 | |
| Grand Total | 2025 | |
UPSC mains examination is the real passage towards success in Civil Services. For final selection in Civil Services IAS mains, written marks and Interview marks are added. Every year in official notification UPSC syllabus is published. The IAS syllabus is mentioned in paper-wise format and students prepare for Civil Services examination in same pattern.
Mains Exams Papers
- Comprehension Passages
- Precise Writing
- Vocabulary Usage
- Short Essays
| Assamese | Bengali | Bodo | Dogri | Gujarati |
| Hindi | Kannada | Konkani | Maithili | Malayalam |
| Marathi | Nepali | Oriya | Punjabi | Sanskrit |
| Santhali | Sindhi | Tamil | Telugu | Urdu |
| Topic Name | UPSC Syllabus Details |
|---|---|
| Indian Culture | Salient aspects of art forms, architecture, and literature from ancient times to modern times |
| Modern Indian History | History from the middle of the 18th century, significant events, issues, and Personalities |
| The Freedom Struggle | Various stages of freedom struggle, Its Important contributors/contributions from various parts of the country |
| Post – Independence | Reorganization and consolidation events within the country |
| History Of World | Events from the 18th century, the Industrial revolution, Redrawal of national boundaries, world wars, colonization, decolonization, and political philosophies such as capitalism, socialism, and communism their effect on society. |
| Indian Society | Salient features of Indian diversity and society. |
| Role Of Women in India | Importance of Women’s organization, populations & associated issues, developmental issues, and poverty. Urbanization, problems faced, & their remedies. |
| Importance of Women’s organization, populations & associated issues, developmental issues, and poverty. Urbanization, problems faced, & their remedies. | Effects of globalization on the Indian Society |
| Social Empowerment | Communalism, secularism, and regionalism |
| World Geography | World’s physical geography, salient features. |
| Natural Resources | Distribution of all the key natural resources all over the world. It includes the Indian subcontinent and South Asia. Factors responsible for the Presence of Primary, Secondary & Tertiary Industry sectors in several parts of the world. It includes India too. |
| Geophysical Phenomena | Phenomena like Tsunami, Earthquakes, cyclones, Volcanic activity, many more. Geographical features, Location changes in critical geographical features like ice caps and water bodies, flora & fauna, consequences of such changes. |
| Topic Name | UPSC Syllabus Details |
|---|---|
| Indian Constitution | Basic Structure, Significant Provisions, Historical, Underpinnings, Evolution, Amendments and Features. |
| Functions & Responsibilities of Union and States | Challenges pertaining to the devolution of powers, issues, and challenges faced by federal structure, and finances up to local level. |
| Separation Of Powers | Separating powers between the various organs, institutions and redressal mechanisms. |
| The Freedom Struggle | Comparing the Indian Constitutional Scheme with other Countries. |
| Parliament & State Legislatures | Issues arising due to the Conduct of Business, Powers and Privileges, Functioning and Structure of the Parliament and its State Legislatures. |
| Ministries and Departments of Government | Functioning, Structure, and Organization of the Executive and Judiciary. Also, the role of Pressure groups & Formal/informal associations. |
| People’s Act | Representation of the salient features – People’s Act. |
| Appointment to Different Constitutional Posts | Appointing different functions, powers, posts, and responsibilities of different constitutional bodies. |
| Quasi-Judicial Bodies | Regulatory & Statutory measures, Different Quasi-Judicial Bodies. |
| Government Policies | Issues arising due to design and implementation, the intervention of development in various sectors by the government policies. |
| Development Processes & Development Industry | The role of NGO’s, SHG’s, donors, stakeholders, associations and other groups in the development process. |
| Welfare Schemes | Schemes for protecting the betterment of vulnerable sections based by the population such as mechanisms, schemes, laws, governing institutions. |
| Social Service Issues | Issues related to the development and management of the social service sector which relates to Human Resource, Education and Healthcare. |
| Poverty Issues | Serious issues of Poverty and Hunger. |
| Important Aspects Of the Governance | Important aspects based upon the transparency, governance, and accountability of applications, models, success, citizens charters, accountability, and their other measures. |
| Role of Civil Services | Features of Civil Services in Democracy. |
| India and Neighborhood Relations | The relation between India and its neighboring countries. |
| Groupings and Agreements | Global, Regional or Bilateral groupings; Agreements which can conflict interests between India and its neighbors. |
| Effect of Policies | The role of policy and politics by the developing countries on India’s interest and Indian diaspora. |
| Salient International Institutions | The important International institutions, agencies and their mandate structure. |
| Topic Name | UPSC Syllabus Details |
|---|---|
| Indian Economy | Issues pertaining to planning and mobilization of employment, growth, development, and resources; Government Budgeting. |
| Major Crops and Cropping Pattern | Different types of irrigation & irrigational storing systems, issues related to the mode of transport and marketing of agricultural products. Usage of e-technology and its benefit to farmers. |
| Public Distribution System | Issues related to the direct and indirect minimum support price and farm subsidies; Objective, functioning, revamping and limitations of Public Distribution System; problems of Buffer stocks and Food Security; Animal Rearing, technology mission and economics. |
| Food Processing | Scope and Significance of Food Processing and its related industries. Location Upstream and Downstream requirements; Supply Chain Management. |
| Effects of Liberalization | Land reforms in India. |
| Infrastructure | Investment Models. |
| Science and Technology | Applications and Development of Science in everyday life. |
| Achievements of Indians | The role of Indians in developing new technology, achievements, and indigenization. |
| Awareness in Technology fields | Issues related to Intellectual Property Rights and awareness in the fields of Robotics, Nanotechnology, Bio-Technology, and Space. |
| Conservation of Environment | Assessment of Environmental Hazards, Pollution, and degradation. |
| Environment Disaster | Types of Disaster and Combating of Disasters. |
| Extremism | The linkage between the development and spread of extremism. |
| Internal Security and its challenges | The challenges faced by internal security through communication, social networking sites, and preventive measures of money laundering; Security challenges faced by border areas, organized terrorism crimes and the role of various security forces. |
| Topic Name | UPSC Syllabus Details |
|---|---|
| Ethics & Human Interface | Consequences, determinants, and essence of Human behavior on ethics. Preaching the lessons of lives by moral leaders, reformers and administrators. Role of society, educational institutions to inculcate core human values. |
| Attitude | The influence of attitude such as content, structure, and thought function behavior. The attitude of moral and political influencers. |
| Aptitude & Foundational Values | Promoting dedication to public service, Foundational values for civil service. Integrity, Impartiality, Empathy, Tolerance, and Compassion towards the weaker section of society. |
| Emotional Intelligence | The contribution of moral thinkers, philosophers from India & World. |
| Public or Civil Service Values – Ethics in the Public Administration | Dilemmas and ethical concerns in government and private institutions. Rules and regulations, laws pertaining to ethical guidance, strengthening of moral and ethical values, ethical issues in funding and international regulations; Corporate Governance; Status and Problems of Public Administration and Civil Services. |
| Probity in Governance | The concept of the Public Service; Transparency in government and Information sharing such as Right to Information, Citizen Charter, Quality of Service given, utilization of public allocated funds, Codes of Ethics, Code of Conduct and Work Culture; Challenges faced due to corruption. |
| Case Studies in all the above issues | The detailed case study of above-listed Studies. |
| Agriculture | Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Science | Anthropology | Botany | Chemistry |
| Civil Engineering | Commerce and Accountancy | Economics | Electrical Engineering | Geography |
| Geology | History | Law | Literature (Any Non-English Language From Above List) | Management |
| Mathematics | Mechanical Engineering | Medical Science | Philosophy | Physics |
| Political Science & International Relations | Psychology | Public Administration | Sociology | Statistics |
| Zoology | Tamil Literature |
- The interviewer asks questions from the candidate’s detailed application form.
- Based on the details in the application form, the interviewer asks questions to test the candidate’s morality, Mental alertness, and Reasoning ability.
- Candidates are not only tested from academic study syllabus. In turn, they must learn about the current affairs happening in and around the state they live.