UPSC Preliminary Examination Pattern

Paper Subject Marks Questions Nature
Paper-I General Studies 200 100 Merit (Qualifies for Mains)
Paper-II CSAT 200 80 Qualifying (33%)

UPSC Prelims Syllabus

General Studies Paper-I

  • 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
  • Economic and Social Development – Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives
  • Environmental Ecology, Biodiversity and Climate Change (General issues)
  • General Science

General Studies Paper-II (CSAT)

  • Comprehension
  • Interpersonal skills including communication skills
  • Logical reasoning and analytical ability
  • Decision-making and problem solving
  • General mental ability
  • Basic numeracy (Class X level)
  • Data interpretation (charts, graphs, tables, data sufficiency)

Note: CSAT is qualifying in nature. Minimum 33% marks required.

UPSC Mains Examination Pattern

Qualifying Papers

PaperSubjectMarks
Paper-AIndian Language (Eighth Schedule)300
Paper-BEnglish300

Papers Counted for Merit (1750 Marks)

PaperSubjectMarks
Paper-IEssay250
Paper-IIGeneral Studies-I250
Paper-IIIGeneral Studies-II250
Paper-IVGeneral Studies-III250
Paper-VGeneral Studies-IV250
Paper-VIOptional Paper-1250
Paper-VIIOptional Paper-2250

Total Written: 1750 Marks
Interview: 275 Marks
Grand Total: 2025 Marks

General Studies-I

Indian Heritage and Culture, History and Geography of the World and Society

  • Indian culture: Art Forms, Literature, Architecture from ancient to modern times
  • Modern Indian history (mid-18th century to present)
  • The Freedom Struggle – stages and contributions from different regions
  • Post-independence consolidation and reorganization
  • World history: Industrial Revolution, World Wars, Colonization, Decolonization
  • Salient features of Indian Society and Diversity
  • Role of women, population issues, poverty, urbanization
  • Effects of globalization on Indian society
  • Social empowerment, communalism, regionalism, secularism
  • Physical geography of the world
  • Distribution of natural resources
  • Geophysical phenomena – earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes, cyclones

General Studies-II

Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice and International Relations

  • Indian Constitution – evolution, features, amendments, basic structure
  • Functions of Union and States, federalism
  • Separation of powers, dispute redressal mechanisms
  • Parliament and State Legislatures
  • Executive and Judiciary
  • Representation of People’s Act
  • Constitutional and statutory bodies
  • Government policies and interventions
  • Role of NGOs, SHGs and civil society
  • Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections
  • Issues related to health, education, human resources
  • India and its neighborhood relations
  • Bilateral, regional and global groupings
  • International institutions

General Studies-III

Economy, Technology, Environment, Security and Disaster Management

  • Indian Economy – growth, development, employment
  • Inclusive growth
  • Government Budgeting
  • Agriculture and allied activities
  • Food processing industries
  • Land reforms
  • Infrastructure
  • Science and Technology developments
  • Environment conservation and climate change
  • Disaster management
  • Internal security challenges
  • Cyber security and money laundering
  • Border management

General Studies-IV

Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude

  • Ethics and human interface
  • Human values
  • Attitude and emotional intelligence
  • Foundational values for Civil Services
  • Public service values and ethics in public administration
  • Probity in governance
  • Case studies on ethical issues

Optional Subjects for UPSC Mains

  • Agriculture
  • Anthropology
  • Botany
  • Chemistry
  • Civil Engineering
  • Commerce and Accountancy
  • Economics
  • Geography
  • History
  • Law
  • Management
  • Mathematics
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Medical Science
  • Philosophy
  • Physics
  • Political Science and International Relations
  • Psychology
  • Public Administration
  • Sociology
  • Statistics
  • Zoology
  • Literature (Eighth Schedule languages)