The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) is India’s central agency responsible for conducting civil services exams. Established under the Constitution, it recruits candidates for various civil services, including IAS, IPS, and IFS. The rigorous exam process involves three stages: Preliminary, Mains, and Interview, testing candidates’ knowledge, aptitude, and personality. UPSC ensures a transparent and merit-based selection, playing a crucial role in shaping India’s administrative framework. The commission’s objective is to ensure efficient public administration by selecting competent and dedicated individuals for civil services. Understanding the UPSC Syllabus is important for UPSC aspirants.
UPSC Exam Syllabus 2024
The official notice for the UPSC exam 2024 has been released; therefore, applicants should review the newest UPSC 2024 syllabus that is provided with it. The UPSC syllabus for Prelims and Mains has been thoroughly stated, allowing you to acquire a better overview and comprehension of the exam’s nature.
To begin, the UPSC Civil Service test has three stages, which are as follows:
- UPSC Prelims: The Preliminary test is the first step in the UPSC exam cycle. There are two papers, with 100 and 80 objective-based questions each.
- UPSC Mains: The second step is the Mains exam. There are nine papers, and the exam is descriptive.
- Personality Test: The final step is the Personal Interview, which is used to examine the candidate’s personality.
UPSC Prelims Syllabus 2024
The UPSC Prelims Syllabus is designed to test the basic understanding of various subjects relevant to a career in civil services. It comprises two papers: General Studies Paper I and General Studies Paper II (CSAT).
| Topic | Details |
| Current Events of National and International Importance | Current affairs relating to social, economic, political, and international developments. National events, government schemes, and global summits. |
| History of India and Indian National Movement | Ancient, medieval, and modern history of India. Indian freedom struggle, significant events, movements, and leaders. |
| Indian and World Geography | Physical geography, social and economic geography of India and the world. Geographical phenomena such as earthquakes, cyclones, etc. |
| Indian Polity and Governance | Indian Constitution, political system, Panchayati Raj, public policy, rights issues, and political institutions. |
| Economic and Social Development | Indian economy, economic growth, poverty, social sector initiatives, sustainable development, and climate change. |
| Environmental Ecology, Biodiversity, and Climate Change | Environmental conservation, biodiversity, ecological balance, climate change, and related global efforts. |
| General Science | Basic concepts of physics, chemistry, and biology. Developments in science and technology and their societal impact. |
General Studies Paper I:
This paper tests the candidate’s knowledge and understanding of current events, history, geography, politics, economy, and other areas. It is a key determinant for qualifying for the UPSC Mains.
Detailed Syllabus:
- Current Events of National and International Importance:
- Current affairs relating to social, economic, political, and international developments.
- Important national events, government schemes, and initiatives.
- Global summits, agreements, and geopolitical developments.
- History of India and the Indian National Movement:
- Ancient, medieval, and modern history of India.
- Significant events, movements, and leaders in the Indian freedom struggle.
- Contributions of various leaders, social reformers, and organizations in the Indian independence movement.
- Indian and World Geography – Physical, Social, and Economic Geography of India and the World:
- Physical geography: Earth’s structure, climate, vegetation, natural resources, etc.
- Social and economic geography: Population distribution, urbanization, poverty, employment, etc.
- Geographical phenomena such as earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic activity, cyclones, and more.
- Indian Polity and Governance – Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues, etc.:
- Constitution of India: Features, significant amendments, and key provisions.
- Functions and responsibilities of the Union and the States.
- Panchayati Raj system, local governance, and decentralization.
- Public policy, rights issues, and the functioning of political institutions.
- Economic and Social Development – Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives, etc.:
- Indian economy: Key concepts, economic growth and development, planning, mobilization of resources, and inflation.
- Poverty and unemployment: Measures to address these issues, social sector initiatives, and government schemes.
- Sustainable development: Environmental and economic sustainability, climate change, and related global initiatives.
- General Issues on Environmental Ecology, Biodiversity, and Climate Change – that do not require subject specialization:
- Environmental conservation, ecological balance, and biodiversity.
- Climate change and its impact on the environment, economy, and human life.
- National and international efforts for environmental protection.
- General Science:
- Basic concepts of physics, chemistry, and biology.
- Developments in science and technology, their applications, and effects in everyday life.
- Important discoveries and inventions, and their impact on society.
| Topic | Details |
| Comprehension | Reading comprehension passages with questions to test understanding and analysis of content. |
| Interpersonal Skills including Communication Skills | Questions testing effective communication in various situations, both verbal and non-verbal. |
| Logical Reasoning and Analytical Ability | Logical reasoning problems, including sequences, patterns, puzzles, and analytical ability questions. |
| Decision-Making and Problem-Solving | Situational judgment questions requiring decisions based on scenarios, problem-solving, and informed decision-making. |
| General Mental Ability | Numerical problems, series, patterns, basic arithmetic, and mental ability questions requiring logical reasoning. |
| Basic Numeracy (Class X level) | Basic arithmetic, algebra, geometry, problems on numbers, percentages, ratios, and data interpretation. |
| Data Interpretation (Class X level) | Interpretation of data from charts, graphs, tables, and data sufficiency questions. |
General Studies Paper II (CSAT):
This paper is intended to test the candidate’s aptitude, comprehension, and reasoning skills. It is qualifying in nature, and candidates need to score at least 33% to pass.
Detailed Syllabus:
- Comprehension:
- Reading comprehension passages with questions testing the candidate’s ability to understand and analyze the content.
- Interpersonal Skills including Communication Skills:
- Questions testing the ability to communicate effectively in various situations, both verbally and non-verbally.
- Logical Reasoning and Analytical Ability:
- Problems related to logical reasoning, including sequences, patterns, and puzzles.
- Analytical ability questions, such as identifying assumptions, evaluating arguments, and drawing conclusions.
- Decision-Making and Problem-Solving:
- Situational judgment questions, where candidates must make decisions based on given scenarios.
- Problem-solving questions test the candidate’s ability to analyze information and make informed decisions.
- General Mental Ability:
- Questions related to numerical problems, series, patterns, and basic arithmetic.
- Mental ability questions that require quick thinking and logical reasoning.
- Basic Numeracy (Numbers and their relations, Orders of Magnitude, etc.) (Class X level):
- Questions related to basic arithmetic, algebra, and geometry.
- Problems with numbers, percentages, ratios, and data interpretation.
- Data Interpretation (Charts, Graphs, Tables, Data Sufficiency, etc.) (Class X level):
- Interpretation of data from charts, graphs, tables, and other visual formats.
- Questions testing the ability to analyze and draw conclusions from data.
UPSC Mains Syllabus 2024
The UPSC Mains Examination is a comprehensive and detailed examination that tests a candidate’s in-depth knowledge and understanding of various subjects. The Mains exam consists of nine papers, out of which two are qualifying in nature, and the remaining seven are considered for merit ranking.
| Paper | Subject | Marks | Details |
| Paper A | Indian Language (Qualifying) | 300 | Comprehension, precis writing, usage, and translation. Language selected from the Eighth Schedule. |
| Paper B | English (Qualifying) | 300 | Comprehension, precis writing, usage, and short essays. |
| Paper I | Essay | 250 | Candidates write two essays on given topics. |
| Paper II | General Studies I | 250 | Indian Heritage and Culture, History, and Geography of the World and Society. |
| Paper III | General Studies II | 250 | Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice, and International Relations. |
| Paper IV | General Studies III | 250 | Technology, Economic Development, Biodiversity, Environment, Security, and Disaster Management. |
| Paper V | General Studies IV | 250 | Ethics, Integrity, and Aptitude. |
| Paper VI | Optional Subject Paper I | 250 | Syllabus based on the chosen optional subject. |
| Paper VII | Optional Subject Paper II | 250 | Continuation of the chosen optional subject. |
| Total | (For Merit) | 1750 | Total marks considered for ranking. |
| Interview | Personality Test | 275 | Assessment of candidate’s personality, communication skills, and suitability for a career in civil services. |
| Grand Total | | 2025 | Combined total from Mains (1750) and Interview (275). |
General Studies Papers Syllabus in Detail:
| Paper | Topic | Details |
| General Studies I | Indian Heritage and Culture | Art forms, literature, and architecture from ancient to modern times. |
| General Studies I | History | Modern Indian history, Freedom Struggle, post-independence consolidation, world history. |
| General Studies I | Geography | Physical, social, and economic geography of India and the world, key natural resources, and geographical phenomena. |
| General Studies II | Governance | Constitution, federal structure, devolution of powers, Parliament, State legislatures, and governance issues. |
| General Studies II | Polity and Constitution | Structure, functioning, roles of executive, judiciary, and local governments. |
| General Studies II | Social Justice | Welfare schemes, social sector initiatives, NGOs, development processes, and rights issues. |
| General Studies II | International Relations | India’s foreign policy, relations with neighboring countries, and India’s role in global affairs. |
| General Studies III | Economic Development | Indian economy, resource mobilization, growth, employment, budget, land reforms, and industrial policy. |
| General Studies III | Technology | Developments in science and technology, their applications, and effects in everyday life. |
| General Studies III | Environment and Biodiversity | Conservation, environmental pollution, environmental impact assessment, and disaster management. |
| General Studies III | Security | Internal and external security challenges, linkages between development and extremism, and role of security forces. |
| General Studies IV | Ethics and Human Interface | Ethics in human actions, moral values, human interface, and ethical concerns in public administration. |
| General Studies IV | Attitude and Aptitude | Integrity, impartiality, objectivity, and the role of emotional intelligence in governance. |
| General Studies IV | Public Administration | Probity in governance, public service values, accountability, transparency, and ethical issues. |
Paper A – Indian Language (Qualifying)
- Marks: 300
- Objective: To test the candidate’s proficiency in an Indian language chosen from the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution.
- Syllabus:
- Comprehension: Understanding of a passage written in the language.
- Precis Writing: Summarizing a given passage while retaining its essence.
- Usage and Vocabulary: Questions aimed at testing the candidate’s command over the language’s vocabulary and grammar.
- Short Essay: Writing an essay on a given topic in the selected language.
- Translation: Translating a passage from English to the chosen Indian language and vice versa.
Paper B – English (Qualifying)
- Marks: 300
- Objective: To test the candidate’s proficiency in English.
- Syllabus:
- Comprehension: Understanding of a passage written in English.
- Precis Writing: Condensing a given passage while maintaining its main points.
- Usage and Vocabulary: Questions aimed at testing the candidate’s command over English vocabulary and grammar.
- Short Essay: Writing an essay on a given topic in English.
Paper I – Essay
- Marks: 250
- Objective: To test the candidate’s ability to articulate their thoughts and arguments clearly and coherently.
Syllabus:
- Candidates are required to write two essays, each from a set of topics provided.
- The topics may cover a wide range of subjects, including current affairs, philosophical reflections, social issues, and more.
- The candidate is expected to construct a well-structured essay with a clear introduction, body, and conclusion, showcasing their ability to present complex ideas in a simple, effective manner.
4. Paper II – General Studies I
- Marks: 250
Content:
Indian Heritage and Culture:
- Art forms, literature, and architecture from ancient to modern times.
- Cultural history and development of Indian civilization.
History:
- Modern Indian history from about the middle of the 18th century until the present.
- Significant events, personalities, and issues of the Indian Freedom Struggle.
- Post-independence consolidation and reorganization within the country.
- The world history component includes industrial revolution, world wars, redrawing of national boundaries, colonization, decolonization, and political philosophies like communism, capitalism, socialism, etc.
Geography:
- Salient features of the world’s physical geography.
- Distribution of key natural resources across the world (including South Asia and the Indian subcontinent); factors responsible for the location of primary, secondary, and tertiary sector industries in various parts of the world (including India).
- Important Geophysical phenomena such as earthquakes, Tsunami, Volcanic activity, cyclones, etc., geographical features and their location—changes in critical geographical features (including water bodies and ice caps) and in flora and fauna and the effects of such changes.
Paper III – General Studies II
- Marks: 250
Content:
Governance, Constitution, Polity:
- Indian Constitution—historical underpinnings, evolution, features, amendments, significant provisions, and basic structure.
- Functions and responsibilities of the Union and the States, issues and challenges about the federal structure, devolution of powers and finances up to local levels, and challenges therein.
- Separation of powers between various organs, dispute redressal mechanisms, and institutions.
- Comparison of the Indian constitutional scheme with that of other countries.
- Parliament and State legislatures—structure, functioning, conduct of business, powers & privileges, and issues arising out of these.
- Structure, organization, and functioning of the Executive and the Judiciary.
- Ministries and Departments of the Government; pressure groups and formal/informal associations and their role in the Polity.
- Salient features of the Representation of People’s Act.
- Appointment to various Constitutional posts, powers, functions, and responsibilities of various Constitutional Bodies.
- Statutory, regulatory, and various quasi-judicial bodies.
Social Justice:
- Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.
- Development processes and the development industry—the role of NGOs, SHGs, various groups and associations, donors, charities, institutional and other stakeholders.
- Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States and the performance of these schemes; mechanisms, laws, institutions, and Bodies constituted for the protection and betterment of these vulnerable sections.
- Issues relating to the development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, and Human Resources.
- Issues relating to poverty and hunger.
Paper IV – General Studies III
- Marks: 250
Content:
Economic Development:
- Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization of resources, growth, development, and employment.
- Inclusive growth and issues arising from it.
- Government Budgeting.
- Major crop-cropping patterns in various parts of the country, different types of irrigation and irrigation systems storage, transport, and marketing of agricultural produce and issues and related constraints; e-technology in the aid of farmers.
- Issues related to direct and indirect farm subsidies and minimum support prices; Public Distribution System objectives, functioning, limitations, revamping; issues of buffer stocks and food security; Technology missions; economics of animal-rearing.
- Food processing and related industries in India- scope and significance, location, upstream and downstream requirements, supply chain management.
- Land reforms in India.
- Effects of liberalization on the economy, changes in industrial policy, and their effects on industrial growth.
- Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways, etc.
- Investment models.
Technology:
- Science and technology—developments and their applications and effects in everyday life.
- Achievements of Indians in science & technology; indigenization of technology and development of new technology.
- Awareness in the fields of IT, Space, Computers, Robotics, Nano-technology, Biotechnology, and issues relating to intellectual property rights.
Environment and Biodiversity:
- Conservation, environmental pollution, and degradation, environmental impact assessment.
- Disaster and disaster management.
Security:
- Linkages between development and the spread of extremism.
- The role of external state and non-state actors in creating challenges to internal security.
- Challenges to internal security through communication networks, the role of media and social networking sites in internal security challenges, basics of cyber security; money laundering and its prevention.
- Security challenges and their management in border areas; linkages of organized crime with terrorism.
- Various Security forces and agencies and their mandate.
Paper V – General Studies IV
- Marks: 250
Content:
Ethics and Human Interface:
- Ethics and Human Interface: Essence, determinants, and consequences of Ethics in human actions; dimensions of ethics; ethics in private and public relationships.
- Human Values – lessons from the lives and teachings of great leaders, reformers, and administrators; the role of family, society, and educational institutions in inculcating values.
Attitude:
Content, structure, function; its influence and relation with thought and behavior; moral and political attitudes; social influence and persuasion.
Aptitude and Foundational Values for Civil Service:
Integrity, impartiality, and non-partisanship, objectivity, dedication to public service, empathy, tolerance, and compassion towards the weaker sections.
Emotional Intelligence:
Concepts of emotional intelligence and their utilities and application in administration and governance.
Contributions of moral thinkers and philosophers from India and the world. Public/Civil Service Values and Ethics in Public Administration:
Status and problems; ethical concerns and dilemmas in government and private institutions; laws, rules, regulations, and conscience as sources of ethical guidance; accountability and ethical governance; strengthening of ethical and moral values in governance; ethical issues in international relations and funding; corporate governance.
Probity in Governance:
Concept of public service; Philosophical basis of governance and probity; Information sharing and transparency in government, Right to Information, Codes of Ethics, Codes of Conduct, Citizen’s Charters, Work culture, Quality of service delivery, Utilization of public funds, challenges of corruption.
Case Studies on the above issues.
Paper VI & VII – Optional Subject Papers I & II
- Marks: 250 each
- Content: Candidates choose one optional subject from the list provided by UPSC. The subjects include a wide range of disciplines like History, Geography, Political Science, Sociology, Anthropology, Public Administration, Literature of any one of the languages included in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution, etc.
- Paper I: Syllabus based on the subject chosen by the candidate.
- Paper II: Syllabus based on the subject chosen by the candidate.
OptionalSubjects:
| Optional Subject | Content | Details |
| Anthropology | Physical, Cultural, Social, Indian Anthropology | Human evolution, social structure, cultural patterns, Indian tribes, and applied anthropology. |
| History | Ancient, Medieval, Modern India, World History | Historical events, freedom struggle, world revolutions, post-independence consolidation, and global developments. |
| Geography | Physical, Human, Economic, and Indian Geography | Geomorphology, climatology, biogeography, resource distribution, regional planning, and models in geography. |
| Political Science | Political Theory, Indian Government, International Relations | Political ideologies, Indian polity, foreign policy, international organizations, and global issues. |
| Public Administration | Administrative Theory, Indian Administration | Theories of administration, governance, public sector undertakings, and financial administration. |
| Sociology | Sociological Theories, Indian Society, Social Change | Social structure, caste, class, gender, social movements, and urbanization. |
| Literature | History, Grammar, Prose, Poetry, Drama, Fiction | Literary history, analysis of significant texts, and critical appreciation of literary works in the chosen language. |