UPSC Civil Services Examination Syllabus

The Civil Services Examination (CSE), conducted by the Union Public Service Commission, selects officers for the IAS, IPS, IFS and other central services. It has three stages: Preliminary, Main (Written) and Personality Test (Interview).

Stage 1: Preliminary Examination

The Prelims is a screening test. Its marks are not counted in the final ranking. Both papers are objective (MCQ), two hours each, 200 marks each.

Paper I: General Studies (Merit-Ranking Paper)

• Current affairs: national and international developments
• History: Indian history and the national movement
• Geography: physical, social and economic geography of India and the world
• Polity and governance: Constitution, political system, Panchayati Raj, public policy and rights issues
• Economy and society: sustainable development, poverty, inclusion, demographics and social sector initiatives
• Environment: ecology, biodiversity and climate change (no specialised background needed)
• General science

Paper II: CSAT (Qualifying Only)

Candidates must score at least 33%. The paper covers:

• Reading comprehension
• Interpersonal and communication skills
• Logical reasoning and analytical ability
• Decision-making and problem-solving
• General mental ability
• Basic numeracy and data interpretation (Class X level)
• English comprehension (Class X level; these marks are not counted for merit)

Wrong answers carry negative marking (one-third of the question’s marks).

Stage 2: Main Examination

The Mains has nine descriptive papers. Seven count toward ranking (1,750 marks); two language papers are qualifying only.

Papers A and B: Language (Qualifying)

Both test comprehension, précis writing, vocabulary, grammar and short essays. Candidates need 25% in each.

Essay

Candidates write essays on varied topics. The paper tests clarity of thought, organisation of ideas and concise expression.

General Studies I: Heritage, History, Geography and Society

• Culture: art forms, literature and architecture from ancient to modern times
• Modern India: history from the mid-18th century, the freedom struggle, and post-independence consolidation and reorganisation
• World history: the Industrial Revolution, world wars, colonisation and decolonisation, and political ideologies such as socialism, capitalism and communism
• Indian society: diversity, women’s issues, population, poverty, urbanisation, globalisation, communalism, regionalism, secularism and social empowerment
• Geography: world physical geography, distribution of natural resources, industrial location factors, geophysical events (earthquakes, volcanoes, cyclones, tsunamis), and changes in water bodies, ice caps, flora and fauna

General Studies II: Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice and International Relations

• Constitution: evolution, features, amendments, basic structure, and comparison with other countries
• Federalism: Union–State relations, devolution to local bodies and dispute-resolution mechanisms
• Institutions: Parliament, State legislatures, Executive, Judiciary, constitutional, statutory, regulatory and quasi-judicial bodies, and the Representation of the People Act
• Governance: government policies and their implementation, role of NGOs, SHGs and other stakeholders, e-governance, citizen charters, transparency, accountability and the role of civil services
• Social sector: welfare schemes for vulnerable groups, health, education, human resources, poverty and hunger
• International relations: India’s neighbourhood, regional and global groupings, effects of other countries’ policies on India, the Indian diaspora, and international institutions

General Studies III: Technology, Economy, Environment, Security and Disaster Management

• Economy: planning, resource mobilisation, growth, employment, inclusive growth, budgeting, liberalisation, industrial policy and infrastructure (energy, ports, roads, airports, railways)
• Agriculture: cropping patterns, irrigation, storage and marketing, subsidies, MSP, PDS, food security, land reforms, animal husbandry and food processing
• Science and technology: recent developments, indigenisation, and awareness of IT, space, robotics, nanotechnology, biotechnology and intellectual property rights
• Environment: conservation, pollution, degradation and environmental impact assessment
• Disaster management
• Internal security: extremism, border management, cyber security, money laundering, organised crime and terrorism, and the role of security forces and agencies

General Studies IV: Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude

• Ethics and human interface: dimensions of ethics, values from great leaders and thinkers, and the role of family, society and education
• Attitude: its structure and functions, moral and political attitudes, and persuasion
• Aptitude and values for civil service: integrity, impartiality, objectivity, empathy, tolerance, compassion and emotional intelligence
• Moral thinkers: contributions from India and the world
• Ethics in public administration: dilemmas, sources of ethical guidance, accountability, ethical issues in international relations and funding, and corporate governance
• Probity in governance: public service concepts, transparency, RTI, codes of conduct, citizen charters, service delivery, use of public funds and corruption
• Case studies

Optional Subject (Papers VI and VII)

Candidates choose one subject from the UPSC list, which includes Agriculture, 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 and Zoology, along with literature of various languages. Each has two papers of 250 marks.

Stage 3: Personality Test (Interview)

The interview carries 275 marks. A board assesses mental alertness, clarity of expression, balanced judgement, awareness of current affairs, leadership potential and suitability for a civil service career.

Final merit is based on Mains (1,750) plus Interview (275), a total of 2,025 marks.