Paper I – Essay Syllabus for UPSC Main

In fact, Essay paper has no direct mention of syllabus in the notification of UPSC. Official notification of UPSC just provides a broad outline. But notification indicates to follow some expected guidelines from the candidates. “They will be expected to keep closely to the subject of the essay to arrange their ideas in orderly fashion, and to write concisely. Credit will be given for effective and exact expression.” Some of the topics in which UPSC nearly always gives ‘essay questions’ are from social issues, International relations, Economic scenario, Public Administration and Philosophy. Through these essays they wish to test the world view of the candidates. How the candidate is able to comprehend the problem – its past (origin), present (scenario) and future (solutions).

According to IAS Exam Syllabus, the paper one has essay type subjective questions. It is surely not an objective type question. The questions examine the writing skills of IAS candidate. The marks obtained in Paper I to Paper VII affects final IAS ranking. All the candidates must answer the Paper I questions in English only. The questions appear for the total marks of 250 in Paper I. The IAS Exam Syllabus mentions that the candidate must write essays on various topics. The panel members expect the candidate to answer the essay concisely. Good marks in essay demand an effective and expressive answer. Focus on UPSC Syllabus under the language section while practicing essays.

Paper II – Mains Exam Merit Papers – UPSC Syllabus

Paper-II has questions about Indian Heritage and Culture. It also asks about History & Geography of the world as well as society. The questions are objective type with multiple choices. Paper-II has a total of 250 marks based on IAS Exam Syllabus. It is known as General Studies Paper I of IAS mains exam.

Paper II – UPSC Mains Syllabus Chart

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 sub-continent 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.

Paper III – Mains Exam Merit Papers – UPSC Syllabus

The paper III has questions about Governance and Constitution. It also asks about Polity, international relations, and social justice. The Paper III has a total of 250 marks based on UPSC Syllabus. It is known as General Studies Paper II of IAS mains exam.

Paper III – UPSC Mains Syllabus Chart

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.

Paper IV – Mains Exam Merit Papers – UPSC Syllabus

The paper IV has questions about Technology and Economic Development. It also asks about biodiversity, security & disaster management, and the environment. The Paper IV has a total of 250 marks based on IAS Exam Syllabus. It is known as General Studies Paper III of IAS mains exam.

Paper IV – IAS Mains Syllabus Chart

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 its 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.

Paper V – Mains Exam Merit Papers – UPSC Syllabus

The paper V has questions about ethics. It also asks about Integrity and aptitude. The Paper V has a total of 250 marks based on IAS Syllabus. It is known as General Studies Paper IV of IAS mains exam.

The questions in this paper tests the candidate’s way of approach to integrity in public life. How can he or she approach the conflicts and issues while dealing with society? As a result, questions can be case-study based. The broad areas covered in the IAS Syllabus are below.

Paper V – Mains IAS Syllabus Chart

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 issues.

Paper VI & VII – Mains Exam Merit Papers – IAS Syllabus

In the UPSC mains exam, every candidate must attend two optional subject papers. Choose any one of the subjects from the below list. They prepare the in-depth subject questions for this paper. The optional paper II questions are generally asked from current affairs and subject based. The optional paper II questions are generally theoretical. Here is the list of optional subjects you can choose from:

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

UPSC Syllabus for Interview Phase

If a candidate successfully clears the mains exam with a good score, he/she is called for a final interview. The maximum marks allotted to this round is 275. UPSC board panel members test the overall suitability of the appearing candidate. There is no particular Syllabus for an interview. However, here is the list of things you should learn about.

• 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.

UPSC Syllabus – Prelims, Mains and Interview

Q1. What are the three phrases of the Civil Service Examination?

The Civil Service Examination is conducted in three different phases – Preliminary Examination, Mains Examination, and Personal Interview. The preliminary examination consists of Objective type (MCQ) questions focusing on general awareness whereas the syllabus for mains is quite comprehensive with nine theory papers. The personal interview is based on personality tests. Candidates who qualified preliminary and mains examination are called for a personal interview, which is conducted by the UPSC board members.

Q2. Elaborate the UPSC Syllabus for Civil Service Examination.

The syllabus is available on the official website of the UPSC Board. The three different stages of the UPSC Examination have a different syllabus. The different sections such as Indian Administrative Service, Foreign Affairs, Indian Polity, Revenue Service, and Police services are some of the important topics covered in both prelims and mains. The test pattern of preliminary exams is objective types and for mains exam, descriptive-types questions are asked for nine theory subjects. UPSC syllabus is broadly explained by the board every year in the notification issued for Civil Service Examination.

Q3. How is the UPSC Syllabus for different services across Civil Service Examination?

The UPSC Syllabus is common for all the services across the Civil Service Examination. The syllabus differs according to the examination of the prelims and mains. The syllabus includes different services such as the Indian Administrative Service, Indian Police Service, Indian Foreign Service, and Indian Revenue Services. The syllabus is consistent across all the services of the Civil Service Examination. However, the exam pattern and syllabus varied across three different levels of the UPSC Examination.

Q4. What are the two components of the preliminary phase of the Civil Service Examination?

There are two major components of the preliminary examination of UPSC i.e., General Studies paper and Civil Service Aptitude Test (CSAT). The general studies paper consists of objective type questions of 200 marks. The duration for this paper is 2 hours and it contains 100 multiple-choice questions focusing on societal awareness and general knowledge, including geography, Indian polity, history, Indian economy, environment and ecology, science and technology, and international relations in the syllabus.

The Civil Service Aptitude Test (CSAT) consists of 80 questions with 200 marks. The duration of 2 hours will be provided to solve the paper. The exam will contain logical questions from reasoning and analytical questions. The concepts of decision-making ability and reading comprehension are sometimes asked during CSAT. The main aim of the preliminary examination is for the screening of candidates and the total marks obtained in the prelims are not added to the final merit list.

Q5. What is the syllabus of the Mains Examination of Civil Service Examination?

After a candidate successfully qualifies the preliminary examination, the candidates will be allowed to give IAS mains examination. The total marks allotted to the mains exam is 1750. The questions are not objective type, but descriptive and there are two qualifying papers of 300 each and seven other important papers. The first paper of the total seven papers consists of essay writing in 200 marks, four general studies paper of 250 marks each, and two optional subject papers of 250 marks each. These seven papers can be attempted in any Indian language stated in the Eighth Schedule of the constitution of India. The two qualifying papers are based on any Indian language and English language. There are 48 Indian languages stated in the syllabus of the UPSC examination. The types of questions asked are essay, reading comprehension, precis writing, translation, grammar, and basic language evaluation.

Q6. How is the Interview Examination or Personality Test conducted during the IAS final stage?

A candidate reaches the final stage of the IAS Examination after qualifying the preliminary and mains. It is usually considered to be a part of the UPSC Mains Examination for the merit ranking of the deserved candidates. As per the exam pattern, the UPSC board members take the personal interviews for the evaluation of the candidate based on the candidate’s suitability in the designed field. The judges will evaluate a candidate on its decision-making skills, problem-solving, mental alertness, assimilation power communication skills, and intellectual and moral ability. A non-biased judgment, leadership skills, and depth of knowledge in the allied field is evaluated by the judges. The impaneled members then allot marks with 275 being the highest. The merit list is prepared on the collaborative score of mains examination and personal interview. Therefore, the total marks for the merit list become 2025 making the exam more comprehensive and intense.

Q7. Where will I find the UPSC Syllabus for Civil Service Examination?

The syllabus is published every year on the official website of the UPSC Examination. Candidates can download the syllabus in pdf format and it is available for all the 48 allowed languages in UPSC. However, for the convince of our candidates, we have provided the download link on the website.

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