UPSC Prelims Syllabus Structure:

Let us have a look over IAS Prelims exam scheme, before knowing the IAS Prelims syllabus:

The syllabus of Civil Services prelims is a shortened version of IAS mains syllabus, except the portion of Ethics paper (GS Paper-IV). The IAS prelims exam contains MCQs i.e. multiple-choice questions. Here, the candidate must choose correct answer among the various options provided. There are two papers in IAS prelims exam, one is General Studies and the second paper is of CSAT. Both contains 200 marks each, but CSAT paper is just of qualifying nature.

Preliminary Stage – IAS Syllabus

 The IAS candidates must clear prelims to attend the mains exam. The preliminary stage is a screening round. Its purpose is only to qualify the candidates to the next round. The estimation of the final IAS ranking does not consider the marks scored in prelims. As per the UPSC syllabus, the prelims stage has 2 papers. They are:

• General Ability Test – GAT

• Civil Service Aptitude Test – CSAT

The IAS Exam Syllabus is huge. As a result, the candidates must check the syllabus with caution. Madurai IAS understands the importance and has put an extra effort into helping you with better preparation. Here is the list of detailed UPSC prelims syllabus that helps you to attain success.

Two papers of the prelims exam have a total of 200 marks. The candidates appearing for the exam will get 2 hours duration. In prelims stage, paper 2 is a qualifying paper. 33 percent is the minimum score to be obtained by every candidate. On the other hand, the mark obtained in paper 1 is taken into consideration for the final ranking. All the questions are objective type and have multiple choices. The attendance to both the papers is compulsory. Failing to attend, the candidates are considered as disqualified. Paper 1 and paper 2 IAS Exam syllabus is as follows.

Paper 1 – UPSC Prelims Syllabus Chart

Note: UPSC prelims syllabus humbly mentions current events, but you should give it top importance. Every year lots of current affairs questions are asked in IAS prelims exam, directly or indirectly i.e. current affairs related to other topics like, Polity, economics, geography, science & technology, ecology & environment etc. In fact, current affairs play a decisive role in clearing prelims examination.

Paper 2 – CSAT – (Civil Services Aptitude Test) UPSC Prelims Syllabus Chart

• 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 for Mains Examination

In the mains exam stage, the board examines the candidate’s complete intellectual traits. Every IAS aspirant must understand the subject in depth. Mugging up the information will not help in getting better scores. Commonly, the general studies paper (from paper 2 to paper 5) does not require specialized preparation. The well-educated person can easily answer without in-depth subject study. The questions are structured to test the candidate’s awareness of the subject on a general basis.

In turn, these questions from IAS Exam syllabus are related to the civil services career. How well has the candidate understood the current issues? Does he or she have the ability to analyze the situation? Grasp the ability to understand the socio-economic conflicting issues. Being an aspiring candidate, he or she must primarily focus on UPSC Syllabus. Consequently, the candidates can give meaningful and relevant answers.

In the case of optional subjects, the syllabus is one level higher than the bachelor’s degree. On the other hand, the syllabus standard is below the master’s degree. Here is the IAS Exam syllabus as per the UPSC scheme.

Mains Exam Qualifying Papers Syllabus

Paper I Mains Exam Merit Papers Syllabus 

Paper II Mains Exam Merit Papers

Paper III Mains Exam Merit Papers

Paper IV Mains Exam Merit Papers

Paper IV Mains Exam Merit Papers

Paper VI & VII Mains Exam Merit Papers Syllabus 

UPSC Mains Syllabus & IAS Mains Exam Chart

The UPSC mains examination is subjective in nature i.e. candidates have to write long descriptive answers for the given questions. Apart from General Studies’ four papers, one more additional paper is of Essay. Here candidate has to write two essays. Length of each essay should be between 1000 to 1200 words. Below you can find the allotted marks for IAS mains exam papers.

UPSC mains examination is the real passage towards success in Civil Services. For final selection in Civil Services IAS mains, written marks and Interview marks are added. Every year in official notification UPSC syllabus is published (since 2013 no changes in UPSC mains syllabus has been done). The IAS syllabus is mentioned in paper-wise format and students prepares for Civil Services examination in same pattern.

Mains Exam Qualifying Papers – UPSC Mains Syllabus

The main examination has a quite different pattern as compared to prelims. Paper I has two qualifying papers which include one Indian language as Paper A and English Language as Paper B. The main objective of these papers is to test the comprehension skills of the candidate. How well can a candidate understand the prose? In turn, he/she must express the thoughts clearly. It applies to both English and Indian Language papers as per UPSC Syllabus. Here is the broad classification of question pattern in four ways:

• Comprehension Passages

• Precise Writing

• Vocabulary Usage

• Short Essays

In the case of the Indian language paper, an additional question pattern is present. The UPSC board asks the questions based on language translation. It can be from the Indian language to English or vice-versa. Both language papers are qualifying in nature. As a result, the final ranking metrics do not include the marks obtained in Paper A and Paper B. The candidates should mandatorily answer the English language paper in English. Also, the Indian language paper in the Indian language respectively. Here is the list of the Indian language options:

Paper I – Essay Syllabus for UPSC Main

In fact, Essay paper has no direct mention of syllabus in the notification of UPSC. Official notification of UPSC just provides a broad outline. But notification indicates to follow some expected guidelines from the candidates. “They will be expected to keep closely to the subject of the essay to arrange their ideas in orderly fashion, and to write concisely. Credit will be given for effective and exact expression.” Some of the topics in which UPSC nearly always gives ‘essay questions’ are from social issues, International relations, Economic scenario, Public Administration and Philosophy. Through these essays’ they wish to test the world view of the candidates. How the candidate is able to comprehend the problem – its past (origin), present (scenario) and future (solutions).

According to IAS Exam Syllabus, the paper one has essay type subjective questions. It is surely not an objective type question. The questions examine the writing skills of IAS candidate. The marks obtained in Paper I to Paper VII affects final IAS ranking. All the candidates must answer the Paper I questions in English only. The questions appear for the total marks of 250 in Paper I.

The IAS Exam Syllabus mentions that the candidate must write essays on various topics. The panel members expect the candidate to answer the essay concisely. Good marks in essay demand an effective and expressive answer. Focus on UPSC Syllabus under the language section while practicing essays.

Paper II – Mains Exam Merit Papers – UPSC Syllabus

Paper II has questions about Indian Heritage and Culture. It also asks about History & Geography of the world as well as society. The questions are objective type with multiple choices. Paper II has a total of 250 marks based on IAS Exam Syllabus. It is known as General Studies Paper I of IAS mains exam.

Paper II – UPSC Mains Syllabus Chart

Paper III – Mains Exam Merit Papers – UPSC Syllabus

The paper III has questions about Governance and Constitution. It also asks about Polity, international relations, and social justice. The Paper III has a total of 250 marks based on UPSC Syllabus. It is known as General Studies Paper II of IAS mains exam.

Paper III – UPSC Mains Syllabus Chart

Paper IV – Mains Exam Merit Papers – UPSC Syllabus

The paper IV has questions about Technology and Economic Development. It also asks about biodiversity, security & disaster management, and the environment. The Paper IV has a total of 250 marks based on IAS Exam Syllabus. It is known as General Studies Paper III of IAS mains exam.

Paper IV – IAS Mains Syllabus Chart

Topic Name	UPSC Syllabus Details
Indian Economy	Issues pertaining to planning and mobilization of employment, growth, development, and resources; Government Budgeting.
Major Crops and Cropping Pattern	Different types of irrigation & irrigational storing systems, issues related to the mode of transport and marketing of agricultural products. Usage of e-technology and its benefit to farmers.
Public Distribution System	Issues related to the direct and indirect minimum support price and farm subsidies; Objective, functioning, revamping and limitations of Public Distribution System; problems of Buffer stocks and Food Security; Animal Rearing, technology mission and economics.
Food Processing	Scope and Significance of Food Processing and its related industries. Location Upstream and Downstream requirements; Supply Chain Management.
Effects of Liberalization	Land reforms in India,
Infrastructure	Investment Models.
Science and Technology	Applications and Development of Science in everyday life.
Achievements of Indians	The role of Indians in developing new technology, achievements, and indigenization.
Awareness in Technology fields	Issues related to Intellectual Property Rights and awareness in the fields of Robotics, Nanotechnology, Bio-Technology, and Space.
Conservationof Environment	Assessment of Environmental Hazards, Pollution, and degradation.
Environment Disaster	Types of Disaster and Combating of Disasters.
Extremism	The linkage between the development and spread of its extremism.
Internal Security and its challenges	The challenges faced by internal security through communication, social networking sites, and preventive measures of money laundering; Security challenges faced by border areas, organized terrorism crimes and the role of various security forces.

Paper V – Mains Exam Merit Papers – UPSC Syllabus

The paper V has questions about ethics. It also asks about Integrity and aptitude. The Paper V has a total of 250 marks based on IAS Syllabus. It is known as General Studies Paper IV of IAS mains exam.

The questions in this paper tests the candidate’s way of approach to integrity in public life. How can he or she approach the conflicts and issues while dealing with society? As a result, questions can be case-study based. The broad areas covered in the IAS Syllabus are below.

Paper V – Mains IAS Syllabus Chart

Paper VI & VII – Mains Exam Merit Papers – IAS Syllabus

In the UPSC mains exam, every candidate must attend two optional subject papers. Choose any one of the subjects from the below list. They prepare the in-depth subject questions for this paper. The optional paper II questions are generally asked from current affairs and subject based. The optional paper II questions are generally theoretical. Here is the list of optional subjects you can choose from:

UPSC Syllabus for Interview Phase

If a candidate successfully clears the mains exam with a good score, he/she is called for a final interview. The maximum marks allotted to this round is 275. UPSC board panel members test the overall suitability of the appearing candidate. There is no particular Syllabus for an interview. However, here is the list of things you should learn about.

• The interviewer asks questions from the candidate’s detailed application form

• Based on the details in the application form, the interviewer asks questions to test the candidate’s morality, mental alertness, and reasoning ability.

• Candidates are not only tested from academic study syllabus. In turn, they must learn about the current affairs happening in and around the state they live.

UPSC Syllabus – Prelims, Mains and Interview

Q1. What are the three phrases of the Civil Service Examination?

 The Civil Service Examination is conducted in three different phases – Preliminary Examination, Mains Examination, and Personal Interview. The preliminary examination consists of Objective type (MCQ) questions focusing on general awareness whereas the syllabus for mains is quite comprehensive with nine theory papers. The personal interview is based on personality tests. Candidates who qualified preliminary and mains examination are called for a personal interview, which is conducted by the UPSC board members.

Q2. Elaborate the UPSC Syllabus for Civil Service Examination.

 The syllabus is available on the official website of the UPSC Board. The three different stages of the UPSC Examination have a different syllabus. The different sections such as Indian Administrative Service, Foreign Affairs, Indian Polity, Revenue Service, and Police services are some of the important topics covered in both prelims and mains. The test pattern of preliminary exams is objective types and for mains exam, descriptive-types questions are asked for nine theory subjects. UPSC syllabus is broadly explained by the board every year in the notification issued for Civil Service Examination.

Q3. How is the UPSC Syllabus for different services across Civil Service Examination?

 The UPSC Syllabus is common for all the services across the Civil Service Examination. The syllabus differs according to the examination of the prelims and mains. The syllabus includes different services such as the Indian Administrative Service, Indian Police Service, Indian Foreign Service, and Indian Revenue Services. The syllabus is consistent across all the services of the Civil Service Examination. However, the exam pattern and syllabus varied across three different levels of the UPSC Examination.

Q4. What are the two components of the preliminary phase of the Civil Service Examination?

 There are two major components of the preliminary examination of UPSC i.e., General Studies paper and Civil Service Aptitude Test (CSAT). The general studies paper consists of objective type questions of 200 marks. The duration for this paper is 2 hours and it contains 100 multiple-choice questions focusing on societal awareness and general knowledge, including geography, Indian polity, history, Indian economy, environment and ecology, science and technology, and international relations in the syllabus.

The Civil Service Aptitude Test (CSAT) consists of 80 questions with 200 marks. The duration of 2 hours will be provided to solve the paper. The exam will contain logical questions from reasoning and analytical questions. The concepts of decision-making ability and reading comprehension are sometimes asked during CSAT. The main aim of the preliminary examination is for the screening of candidates and the total marks obtained in the prelims are not added to the final merit list.

Q5. What is the syllabus of the Mains Examination of Civil Service Examination?

After a candidate successfully qualifies the preliminary examination, the candidates will be allowed to give IAS mains examination. The total marks allotted to the mains exam is 1750. The questions are not objective type, but descriptive and there are two qualifying papers of 300 each and seven other important papers. The first paper of the total seven papers consists of essay writing in 200 marks, four general studies paper of 250 marks each, and two optional subject papers of 250 marks each. These seven papers can be attempted in any Indian language stated in the Eighth Schedule of the constitution of India. The two qualifying papers are based on any Indian language and English language. There are 48 Indian languages stated in the syllabus of the UPSC examination. The types of questions asked are essay, reading comprehension, precis writing, translation, grammar, and basic language evaluation.

Q6. How is the Interview Examination or Personality Test conducted during the IAS final stage? 

A candidate reaches the final stage of the IAS Examination after qualifying the preliminary and mains. It is usually considered to be a part of the UPSC Mains Examination for the merit ranking of the deserved candidates. As per the exam pattern, the UPSC board members take the personal interviews for the evaluation of the candidate based on the candidate’s suitability in the designed field. The judges will evaluate a candidate on its decision-making skills, problem-solving, mental alertness, assimilation power communication skills, and intellectual and moral ability. A non-biased judgment, leadership skills, and depth of knowledge in the allied field is evaluated by the judges. The impaneled members then allot marks with 275 being the highest. The merit list is prepared on the collaborative score of mains examination and personal interview. Therefore, the total marks for the merit list become 2025 making the exam more comprehensive and intense.

Q7. Where will I find the UPSC Syllabus for Civil Service Examination?

The syllabus is published every year on the official website of the UPSC Examination. Candidates can download the syllabus in pdf format and it is available for all the 48 allowed languages in UPSC. However, for the convince of our candidates, we have provided the download link on the website.

For Detail Information Please Contact to Madurai IAS – Best IAS Coaching in Tamil Nadu for UPSC Exam preparation.

Phone: 8903646123
Email: maduraiias@gmail.com