The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Civil Services Examination (CSE) is a three-stage process comprising the Preliminary Examination, the Main Examination, and the Personality Test (Interview). Below is a detailed breakdown of the syllabus for each stage.
Preliminary Examination (Prelims)
The Preliminary Examination serves as a screening test and consists of two objective-type papers:
Paper I: General Studies (GS)
- Total Marks: 200
- Duration: 2 hours
- Topics Covered:
- 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: Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT)
- Total Marks: 200
- Duration: 2 hours
- Qualifying Nature: Minimum qualifying marks are 33%
- Topics Covered:
- 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)
- Note: Both papers carry negative marking for incorrect answers (1/3rd of the marks assigned to that question).
Main Examination (Mains)
The Main Examination is descriptive in nature and consists of nine papers:
Qualifying Papers:
- Paper A: One of the Indian languages listed in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution (300 marks)
- Paper B: English (300 marks)
- Note: Marks obtained in these papers are not counted for ranking.
Papers Counted for Merit:
- Paper I: Essay (250 marks)
- Paper II: General Studies I – Indian Heritage and Culture, History, and Geography of the World and Society (250 marks)
- Paper III: General Studies II – Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice, and International Relations (250 marks)
- Paper IV: General Studies III – Technology, Economic Development, Biodiversity, Environment, Security, and Disaster Management (250 marks)
- Paper V: General Studies IV – Ethics, Integrity, and Aptitude (250 marks)
- Papers VI & VII: Optional Subject – Two papers of 250 marks each (500 marks total)
Total Marks for Mains: 1750
Personality Test (Interview)
- Total Marks: 275
- Purpose: To assess the candidate’s personality, mental alertness, critical powers of assimilation, clear and logical exposition, balance of judgment, variety, and depth of interest, ability for social cohesion and leadership, intellectual and moral integrity.
Optional Subjects for Papers VI & VII
Candidates can choose one optional subject from the following list:
- Agriculture
- Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science
- Anthropology
- Botany
- Chemistry
- Civil Engineering
- Commerce and Accountancy
- Economics
- Electrical Engineering
- Geography
- Geology
- History
- Law
- Management
- Mathematics
- Mechanical Engineering
- Medical Science
- Philosophy
- Physics
- Political Science and International Relations
- Psychology
- Public Administration
- Sociology
- Statistics
- Zoology
- Literature of any one of the languages listed in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution
For UPSC CSE complete exam information please click here.
For official UPSC details please visit following link https://upsc.gov.in/apply-online