Complete UPSC Syllabus & Subject Breakdown
The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Civil Services Examination comprises three sequential stages: Preliminary Examination (Objective), Main Examination (Written), and Personality Test (Interview). Below is the comprehensive topic-by-topic curriculum.
UPSC Preliminary Examination Syllabus (400 Marks)
The Preliminary exam serves as a screening filter. It consists of two objective papers with negative marking (-0.66 marks for wrong answers in GS-I, -0.83 marks in CSAT).
General Studies Paper I (200 Marks)
Merit Counted- Current Events: National and international events of importance.
- History of India & Indian National Movement: Ancient, Medieval, and Modern Indian freedom struggle.
- Indian & World Geography: Physical, Social, Economic Geography of India and the World.
- Indian Polity & Governance: Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues.
- Economic & Social Development: Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives.
- Environmental Ecology, Bio-diversity & Climate Change: General issues not requiring subject specialisation.
- General Science: Fundamental physics, chemistry, biology, and everyday scientific developments.
General Studies Paper II: CSAT (200 Marks)
Qualifying (33%)- Comprehension: Analytical & inferential passage reading.
- Interpersonal Skills: Communication and contextual comprehension.
- Logical Reasoning & Analytical Ability: Deductive logic, analogies, coding-decoding.
- Decision Making & Problem Solving: Situational judgement questions.
- General Mental Ability: Number series, direction, blood relations, puzzles.
- Basic Numeracy: Numbers and relations, orders of magnitude (Class X level).
- Data Interpretation: Charts, graphs, tables, data sufficiency (Class X level).
UPSC Main Examination Syllabus (1,750 Marks)
The written Main Examination tests in-depth conceptual understanding, analytical evaluation, and expressive clarity across 9 subjective papers (2 qualifying + 7 merit papers).
| Paper | Subject Area | Marks | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper A | Compulsory Indian Language (e.g. Tamil, Hindi, etc.) | 300 | Qualifying (25%) |
| Paper B | English Language Comprehension & Precis | 300 | Qualifying (25%) |
| Paper I | Essay (Two analytical essays from choice of topics) | 250 | Merit Counted |
| Paper II | General Studies I: Indian Heritage, Culture, History & Geography | 250 | Merit Counted |
| Paper III | General Studies II: Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice & IR | 250 | Merit Counted |
| Paper IV | General Studies III: Economy, Agriculture, Science & Tech, Environment & Security | 250 | Merit Counted |
| Paper V | General Studies IV: Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude (Case Studies) | 250 | Merit Counted |
| Paper VI | Optional Subject — Paper 1 | 250 | Merit Counted |
| Paper VII | Optional Subject — Paper 2 | 250 | Merit Counted |
| Total Written Mains Merit Marks | 1,750 Marks | ||
Personality Test (Interview) — 275 Marks
Candidates who clear the Mains cutoff are summoned to Dholpur House, New Delhi for the Personality Test. The board evaluates personal integrity, mental alertness, balance of judgement, clear and logical exposition, and depth of social concern.
UPSC Optional Subjects List (500 Marks)
Aspirants select one optional subject consisting of two papers (250 marks each). Samkalp provides specialised guidance in Coimbatore for high-performing optionals including:
Need advice on choosing your optional? Read our Guide on Choosing the Right UPSC Optional Subject.
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