The UPSC (Union Public Service Commission) Civil Services Examination is conducted in three stages: Prelims, Mains, and Interview. Here's a detailed syllabus for each stage:
UPSC- Preliminary Examination
The Preliminary Examination consists of two papers of objective type (multiple-choice questions) and carries a maximum of 400 marks. This stage is a screening test only.
Paper I: General Studies (200 marks, 2 hours)
- 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, Biodiversity, and Climate Change - that do not require subject specialization.
- General Science.
Paper II: CSAT (Civil Services Aptitude Test) (200 marks, 2 hours)
- 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- Main Examination
The Main Examination consists of nine papers of conventional (essay) type, out of which two papers are qualifying in nature. Marks obtained for all the compulsory papers (Paper I to Paper VII) will be counted for the merit ranking.
Qualifying Papers:
- Paper A: (One of the Indian Language to be selected by the candidate from the Languages included in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution). 300 marks.
- Paper B: English. 300 marks.
Papers to be Counted for Merit:
- Paper I: Essay (250 marks)
- Candidates may be required to write essays on multiple topics. They will be expected to keep closely to the subject of the essay, arrange their ideas in an orderly fashion, and write concisely.
- Paper II: General Studies I (250 marks)
- Indian Heritage and Culture, History, and Geography of the World and Society.
- Paper III: General Studies II (250 marks)
- Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice, and International relations.
- Paper IV: General Studies III (250 marks)
- Technology, Economic Development, Bio-diversity, Environment, Security, and Disaster Management.
- Paper V: General Studies IV (250 marks)
- Ethics, Integrity, and Aptitude.
- Paper VI: Optional Subject Paper 1 (250 marks)
- Paper VII: Optional Subject Paper 2 (250 marks)
- Candidates may choose any one subject from the list of optional subjects.
UPSC- Interview/Personality Test
- The interview carries 275 marks (with no minimum qualifying marks). This will be a comprehensive test, intended to assess the personal suitability of the candidate for a career in public service by a board of competent and unbiased observers.
List of Optional Subjects for Mains
1. Agriculture
2. Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science
3. Anthropology
4. Botany
5. Chemistry
6. Civil Engineering
7. Commerce and Accountancy
8. Economics
9. Electrical Engineering
10. Geography
11. Geology
12. History
13. Law
14. Management
15. Mathematics
16. Mechanical Engineering
17. Medical Science
18. Philosophy
19. Physics
20. Political Science and International Relations
21. Psychology
22. Public Administration
23. Sociology
24. Statistics
25. Zoology
Literature of any one of the following languages:
- Assamese, Bengali, Bodo, Dogri, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Maithili, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Odia, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Santhali, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, English.
This comprehensive syllabus covers all the stages and subjects of the UPSC Civil Services Examination.
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