UPSC Syllabus – Civil Services Exam Prelims, Mains and Interview

UPSC Syllabus for Civil Service Exam (CSE) can be accessed and downloaded from this page. Aspirants may bookmark this page to refer the latest UPSC syllabus for IAS exam (CSE Prelims, Mains and Interview). Syllabus for individual subjects in IAS mains (including optional subject) is provided on the corresponding links. Scroll down to refer and download the same.

Jump to:

• Syllabus by UPSC for Civil Services Preliminary Exam
• Syllabus by UPSC for Civil Services Mains Exam
• Syllabus by UPSC for Civil Services Interview

UPSC Syllabus – Civil Services Preliminary Exam

The Civil Services Preliminary exam comprises of two compulsory papers of 200 marks each (General Studies Paper I and General Studies Paper II). The questions will be of multiple choice, objective type. The marks in prelims will not be counted for final ranking, but just for qualification for the main exam.

The Commission will draw a list of candidates to be qualified for Civil Service (Main) Examination based on the criterion of minimum qualifying marks of 33% in General Studies PaperII of Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination and total qualifying marks of General Studies Paper-I of Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination as may be determined by the Commission.

UPSC Syllabus for Paper I – (200 marks) Duration: Two hours (Counted for the merit rank in the Prelims)

• Current events of national and international importance.
• History of India and Indian National Movement.
• Indian and World Geography – Physical, Social, Economic Geography of India and the World.
• Indian Polity and Governance – Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues, etc.
• Economic and Social Development Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector initiatives, etc.
• General issues on Environmental Ecology, Bio-diversity and Climate Change – that do not require subject specialization.
• General Science.

UPSC Syllabus for Paper II- (200 marks) Duration: Two hours (Not counted for the merit rank in Prelims but a qualifying Paper; just needs 33% marks)

• 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 – Civil Services Mains Exam

A candidate’s rank in UPSC Civil Service Exam depends only on the mark scored in Main and Interview. The main exam has 1750 marks while interview has 275 marks.

The written examination (main) will consist of the following nine papers, but only 7 papers will be counted for final merit ranking. For the rest two papers, the candidate should secure minimum marks prescribed by UPSC each year.

Qualifying Papers – Not counted for final ranking:

• Paper ‐ A – Indian Language – Syllabus. (One of the Indian Languages to be selected by the candidate from the Languages included in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution. This paper will not be compulsory for candidates hailing from the States of Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Sikkim.) 300 Marks.
• Paper‐ B – English Language – Syllabus. 300 Marks.

Papers to be counted for merit ranking:

1. Paper‐I Essay – Syllabus. 250 Marks.
2. Paper‐II General Studies – I – Syllabus. 250Marks. (Indian Heritage and Culture, History and Geography of the World and Society).
3. Paper‐III General Studies –II – Syllabus. 250 Marks. (Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice and International relations).
4. Paper‐IV General Studies –III – Syllabus. 250 Marks. (Technology, Economic Development, Bio‐diversity, Environment, Security and Disaster Management).
5. Paper‐V General Studies –IV – Syllabus. 250 Marks. (Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude).
6. Paper‐VI Optional Subject – Paper 1 – 250 Marks.
7. Paper‐VII Optional Subject – Paper 2 – 250 Marks.

Syllabi for Optional Subjects:

1. History Syllabus – Civil Services Mains Exam UPSC.
2. Geography Syllabus – Civil Services Mains Exam UPSC.
3. Economics Syllabus – Civil Services Mains Exam UPSC.
4. Sociology Syllabus – Civil Services Mains Exam UPSC.
5. Public Administration Syllabus – Civil Services Mains Exam UPSC.
6. Philosophy Syllabus – Civil Services Mains Exam UPSC.
7. Psychology Syllabus – Civil Services Mains Exam UPSC.
8. Political Science Syllabus – Civil Services Mains Exam UPSC.
9. Agriculture Syllabus – Civil Services Mains Exam UPSC.
10. Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science Syllabus – Civil Services Mains Exam UPSC.
11. Anthropology Syllabus – Civil Services Mains Exam UPSC.
12. Botany Syllabus – Civil Services Mains Exam UPSC.
13. Chemistry Syllabus – Civil Services Mains Exam UPSC.
14. Civil Engineering Syllabus – Civil Services Mains Exam UPSC.
15. Commerce Syllabus – Civil Services Mains Exam UPSC.
16. Electrical Engineering Syllabus – Civil Services Mains Exam UPSC.
17. Geology Syllabus – Civil Services Mains Exam UPSC.
18. Law Syllabus – Civil Services Mains Exam UPSC.
19. Mathematics Syllabus – Civil Services Mains Exam UPSC.
20. Management Syllabus – Civil Services Mains Exam UPSC.
21. Mechanical Engineering Syllabus – Civil Services Mains Exam UPSC.
22. Medical Science Syllabus – Civil Services Mains Exam UPSC.
23. Physics Syllabus – Civil Services Mains Exam UPSC.
24. Statistics Syllabus – Civil Services Mains Exam UPSC.
25. Zoology Syllabus – Civil Services Mains Exam UPSC.
26. Literature of any one of the following languages: Assamese, Bengali, Bodo, Dogri, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Maithili, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Oriya, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Santhali, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu and English.

UPSC Syllabus – Civil Services Interview

1. The candidate will be interviewed by a Board who will have before them a record of his/her career. He/she will be asked questions on matters of general interest. The object of the interview is to assess the personal suitability of the candidate for a career in public service by a Board of competent and unbiased observers. The test is intended to judge the mental calibre of a candidate. In broad terms, this is really an assessment of not only his/her intellectual qualities but also social traits and his/her interest in current affairs. Some of the qualities to be judged are mental alertness, critical powers of assimilation, clear and logical exposition, balance of judgement, variety and depth of interest, ability for social cohesion and leadership, intellectual and moral integrity.
2. The technique of the interview is not that of a strict cross-examination but of a natural, though directed and purposive conversation which is intended to reveal the mental qualities of the candidate.
3. The interview test is not intended to be a test either of the specialised or general knowledge of the candidates which has been already tested through their written papers. Candidates are expected to have taken an intelligent interest not only in their special subjects of academic study but also in the events which are happening around them both within and outside their own state or country as well as in modern currents of thought and in new discoveries which should rouse the curiosity of well-educated youth.

Sub Total (Written test): 1750 Marks
Personality Test: 275 Marks
Grand Total: 2025 Marks

Recommended list of books for UPSC preparation by ClearIAS.com

List of essential books for IAS preparation is compiled in this website, taking inputs from many toppers. Links are also provided to buy online at discounted prices.

Latest UPSC Pattern Analysis and other FAQs

• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about UPSC Civil Services Exam.
• IAS Exam Eligibility
• Scheme and Subjects in UPSC Civil Services Exam: Latest Pattern.
• UPSC Civil Services Mains Exam New Syllabus (2013).
• UPSC Civil Services Exam New Syllabus (2013) – Analysis.
• UPSC CSE Mains Syllabus – of each paper including optionals in detail.
• UPSC Previous Year Question Papers.
• Clear IAS Prelims Online Mock Tests.