UPSC Syllabus

UPSC is considered one of the toughest exams in the world with a selection rate of just around 0.1% to 0.2%

Every year, more than a million aspirants apply for the UPSC Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Civil Services Examination (CSE). There are three stages in the exam – Prelims, Mains and Personality Test (Interview). UPSC is pretty hard to crack since there is no fixed syllabus or specific textbooks to follow. Students have to learn on their own or get help from coaching institutes. For better understanding, let’s take a look at UPSC syllabus in detail.

UPSC syllabus – Exam pattern overview

Let’s first look at the UPSC exam pattern. Starting with the Prelims, there are two papers – Paper I and Paper II. In Paper I, General Studies (GS) is covered. This has 100 questions and total marks are 200. Candidates get 2 hours to complete Paper I. In Paper II, the Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT) is covered. This is also of two hours’ time. There are 80 questions with 200 marks. Minimum qualification required is 33% or ~66 marks. To eliminate the luck factor, 1/3rd marks are cut for every wrong answer.

After Prelims, candidates have to give the Mains exam. This is a descriptive type test. It comprises 2 qualifying papers, one in an Indian language and the other in English. Each of these have 300 marks. However, the language test is not considered in the merit calculation. The UPSC Mains exam also comprises essay writing of 250 marks.

In addition, there are 4 General Studies papers of 250 marks each and 2 Optional Subject papers of 250 marks each. Each paper is of 3 hours. The total marks for merit in UPSC Mains is 1,750. The last round is the Interview/Personality Test, which is of 275 marks.

UPSC Syllabus for Prelims

For the GS Paper 1, candidates need to focus on current national and international events. Questions can also be asked from the history of India and the country’s National Movement. Various other topics need to be covered such as Indian and world geography, Indian polity and governance, economic and social development, climate change, environmental issues and general science.

For GS Paper II (CSAT – Qualifying), candidates need to focus on comprehension and interpersonal skills including communication skills. Other important subjects include analytical ability, logical reasoning, decision making, problem solving, general mental ability, basic numeracy and data interpretation.

UPSC Syllabus for Mains

In the qualifying Paper A (Indian Language), candidates need to focus on comprehension, usage and vocabulary, precis writing and short essays. In the English paper, a similar approach has to be followed. Next is the essay writing, where candidates need to write two essays. They can choose from the topics provided in the exam. The focus should be on balanced views, clear expression and relevance.

In the GS-1 paper, candidates need to improve their knowledge of Indian culture, which includes art forms, literature and architecture. Other important subjects to be covered include modern Indian history, post-independence period and consolidation, world history, nature of Indian society over the years and the Indian and world geography.

In the GS-II paper, the focus should be on the Indian constitution, federalism, parliament, state legislatures, judiciary and the executive. Candidates should learn about governance, social justice, welfare schemes, vulnerable sections of the society and citizen charters. Questions can also be linked to international relations like diaspora, neighboring countries and international institutions.

In the GS-III paper, candidates should improve their knowledge on economic matters such as economy, investment models, budgeting, etc. Other topics to be covered include agriculture, science and technology, environment, disaster management and internal security matters. In the GS-IV paper, the focus areas include ethics and human interface, emotional intelligence, morality, public service values, governance and case studies on all these topics.

For the Optional Subject, candidates can select from as many as 48 subjects. It is better to choose a subject that the candidate is personally interested. The subjects on offer include History, Geography, Public Administration, Sociology, Anthropology, Political Science, Mathematics, Literature of various languages, etc. The syllabus is at the level of honors degree. Candidates can access the detailed official syllabi in PDF form.

UPSC Syllabus – Interview (Personality Test)

This is the last test in UPSC, but still one of the toughest. Candidates will be assessed for their balance of judgement, mental alertness, clear logical reasoning, interest in current affairs, intellectual and moral integrity and suitability for civil services. There is no fixed syllabus for UPSC Interview. Questions are often derived from the DAF (Detailed Application Form), current affairs, bio-data, etc.

If you are looking at UPSC syllabus, you can start with NCERT books of Class 6-12. These will help you improve your basics. You need to read multiple newspapers every day, which will improve your language skills and your general knowledge and understanding of current affairs. Make sure to take notes, so that you can revise them at a later date. Take lots of mock exams to get a real feel of what the actual UPSC exam will be like.