Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Civil Services Examination (CSE) Syllabus & Selection Scheme

📌 Selection & Testing Architecture Overview

• Conducting Authority: Union Public Service Commission (UPSC)

• Target Recruitment Posts: IAS, IPS, IFS, IRS, and allied Central Services (Group A & Group B)

• Testing Format: 3-Stage Evaluation Strategy (Stage 1: Objective Prelims | Stage 2: Descriptive Mains | Stage 3: Personality Test)

• Language of Papers: Question papers are set in bilingual format (English and Hindi) (except specific language papers).

• Official Web Portal: upsc.gov.in

⚡ Direct Syllabus & Official Resources

📊 Official Scheme of Examination (Exam Pattern)

Phase I: Preliminary Examination (Objective Screening – 400 Total Marks)

The Preliminary Exam acts strictly as a screening filter to select candidates for the Main Examination. Marks scored in the Prelims are not counted towards the final merit list.

• Negative Marking Penalty: 1/3rd (33.33%) of the marks assigned to a question are deducted for every incorrect response.

• CSAT Qualification Rule: Paper 2 (CSAT) is qualifying in nature; candidates must score a minimum of 33% (66 marks out of 200) to have Paper 1 evaluated.

Phase II: Main Examination (Descriptive Written Test – 1750 Total Marks)

Candidates qualifying the Prelims cut-off appear for the 9-paper descriptive Mains examination held over 5 to 7 days.

Phase III: Personality Test / Interview (275 Marks)

Candidates who clear the Mains written cut-off are called for an interview by the UPSC Board.

• Focus Areas: Personal background, mental alertness, critical powers of assimilation, leadership attributes, ethical integrity, and awareness of current social/political events.

• Final Ranking Score: Mains Written (1750 Marks) + Personality Test (275 Marks) = 2025 Total Marks.

🧠 Stage-Wise Core Syllabus Breakdown

1. Preliminary Examination Syllabus

Paper 1: General Studies (GS)

• Current Events: National and international issues.

• History: History of India and the Indian National Movement.

• Geography: Physical, Social, and Economic Geography of India and the World.

• Polity & Governance: Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues.

• Economic & Social Development: Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector initiatives.

• Environment & Ecology: General issues on Environmental Ecology, Biodiversity, and Climate Change (no subject specialization required).

• General Science: Fundamentals of Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and emerging innovations.

Paper 2: Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT)

• Comprehension: Reading passages and inference testing.

• Interpersonal Skills: Communication and decision-making abilities.

• Logical Reasoning & Analytical Ability: Syllogisms, series, blood relations, arrangements.

• Basic Numeracy: Numbers and their relations, orders of magnitude (Class 10th level).

• Data Interpretation: Charts, graphs, tables, data sufficiency (Class 10th level).

2. Main Examination Syllabus (GS Papers I to IV)

General Studies I: Heritage, History, Geography & Society

• Art & Culture: Indian culture covering literature, performing arts, and architecture from ancient to modern times.

• Modern Indian History: Freedom movement, key contributors, and post-independence consolidation.

• World History: 18th-century events, Industrial Revolution, World Wars, redrawal of national boundaries, colonization/decolonization.

• Indian Society: Diversity, women empowerment, poverty, urbanization, secularism, regionalism, communalism.

• World Geography: Distribution of key natural resources, physical features, industrial locations, geomorphic changes (earthquakes, cyclones, tsunamis).

General Studies II: Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice & IR

• Indian Constitution: Historical underpinnings, amendments, basic structure, federal features, distribution of powers.

• Polity & Government: Functions and responsibilities of Union and States, Parliament and State Legislatures, Statutory and Regulatory Bodies.

• Social Justice: Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections, issues relating to Health, Education, Human Resources, Poverty, and Hunger.

• Governance: E-governance, transparency, accountability, citizen charters, role of civil services in a democracy.

• International Relations: India and its neighborhood, bilateral and global groupings, effect of foreign policies on India’s interests.

General Studies III: Technology, Economic Development, Environment & Security

• Indian Economy: Issues relating to planning, growth, development, employment, budgeting, inclusive growth.

• Agriculture: Cropping patterns, irrigation systems, E-technology in support of farmers, PDS, food security, land reforms.

• Science & Technology: Recent developments, indigenization of technology, awareness in IT, Space, Robotics, Biotech, and IPR issues.

• Environment: Conservation, environmental pollution, degradation, Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).

• Disaster Management: Disaster preparedness, mitigation, and response architectures.

• Internal Security: Extremism, cyber security, money laundering, border area management, security agencies and their mandates.

General Studies IV: Ethics, Integrity & Aptitude

• Ethics & Human Interface: Essence, determinants, consequences of Ethics in human actions; human values from lives of great leaders.

• Attitude: Content, structure, function, moral and political attitudes, social influence, and persuasion.

• Emotional Intelligence: Concepts and utilities in administration and governance.

• Public Service Values & Probation Ethics: Ethical concerns and dilemmas in government institutions, accountability, code of conduct.

• Probity in Governance: Concept of public service, information sharing, transparency, RTI, Work culture, Quality of service delivery.

• Case Studies: Practical evaluation of dilemmas across all the above topics.

📚 List of Approved Optional Subjects for Mains

Candidates may select one optional subject (which comprises two papers worth 250 marks each, for 500 total marks):

• Agriculture

• Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Science

• Anthropology

• Botany

• Chemistry

• Civil Engineering

• Commerce & Accountancy

• Economics

• Electrical Engineering

• Geography

• Geology

• History

• Law

• Management

• Mathematics

• Mechanical Engineering

• Medical Science

• Philosophy

• Physics

• Political Science & International Relations (PSIR)

• Psychology

• Public Administration

• Sociology

• Statistics

• 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.