The Union Public Service Commission conducts the Civil Services Examination (CSE) every year for recruitment to prestigious services like IAS, IPS, IFS, IRS, and other central government posts.
The UPSC Civil Services Examination is conducted in three stages:
- Preliminary Examination (Prelims)
- Main Examination (Mains)
- Personality Test (Interview)
The official UPSC notification and syllabus are available on the official UPSC website.
UPSC Prelims Syllabus 2026
The Preliminary Examination consists of two objective-type papers:
| Paper | Subject | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Paper I | General Studies (GS) | 200 |
| Paper II | CSAT | 200 |
Paper II (CSAT) is qualifying in nature and candidates must secure at least 33% marks.
UPSC Prelims General Studies (Paper I) Syllabus
Current Events
- National and international current affairs
- Government schemes
- Important reports and indices
History
- Ancient India
- Medieval India
- Modern Indian History
- Indian National Movement
Geography
- Physical Geography
- Indian Geography
- World Geography
- Environment and Ecology
Indian Polity & Governance
- Constitution of India
- Parliament
- Judiciary
- Panchayati Raj
- Public Policy
- Rights Issues
Economy
- Economic development
- Budget
- Banking
- Inflation
- Poverty and unemployment
- Sustainable development
Science & Technology
- General Science
- Space technology
- Biotechnology
- IT developments
Environment & Ecology
- Biodiversity
- Climate change
- Environmental issues
The syllabus broadly matches the official UPSC notification and exam guidelines.
UPSC CSAT (Paper II) Syllabus
- Reading comprehension
- Logical reasoning
- Analytical ability
- Decision making
- Problem solving
- General mental ability
- Basic numeracy
- Data interpretation
The CSAT paper is qualifying only.
UPSC Mains Syllabus 2026
The UPSC Mains Examination is descriptive in nature and consists of 9 papers.
| Paper | Subject | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Paper A | Indian Language (Qualifying) | 300 |
| Paper B | English (Qualifying) | 300 |
| Paper I | Essay | 250 |
| Paper II | General Studies I | 250 |
| Paper III | General Studies II | 250 |
| Paper IV | General Studies III | 250 |
| Paper V | General Studies IV | 250 |
| Paper VI | Optional Subject Paper I | 250 |
| Paper VII | Optional Subject Paper II | 250 |
Total Marks for Merit = 1750 Marks.
UPSC Mains General Studies Syllabus
GS Paper I
Indian Heritage and Culture
- Indian culture
- Art forms
- Literature
- Architecture
History
- Modern Indian history
- Freedom struggle
- Post-independence consolidation
Society
- Indian society
- Women empowerment
- Population issues
- Globalization
Geography
- Physical geography
- Resources
- Industrial location
GS Paper II
Governance
- Government policies
- Welfare schemes
- NGOs and SHGs
Constitution & Polity
- Parliament
- Judiciary
- Federalism
- Constitutional bodies
International Relations
- India’s relations with neighboring countries
- Global organizations
- International agreements
GS Paper III
Indian Economy
- Growth and development
- Budgeting
- Inclusive growth
Agriculture
- MSP
- Food processing
- Irrigation
Science & Technology
- Robotics
- AI
- Space technology
Environment
- Disaster management
- Climate change
- Conservation
Security
- Internal security
- Cybersecurity
- Border management
GS Paper IV (Ethics)
- Ethics and human values
- Emotional intelligence
- Integrity
- Aptitude
- Public service values
- Case studies
UPSC Optional Subjects List
Candidates can choose one optional subject from the following:
- History
- Geography
- Political Science
- Sociology
- Public Administration
- Anthropology
- Philosophy
- Psychology
- Economics
- Hindi Literature
- English Literature
- Mathematics
- Physics
- Chemistry
- Zoology
- Agriculture
- Law
- Medical Science
- Commerce & Accountancy
UPSC offers many optional subjects in the Mains examination.
UPSC Interview (Personality Test)
The final stage is the Personality Test or Interview.
| Stage | Marks |
|---|---|
| Personality Test | 275 |
The interview evaluates:
- Communication skills
- Leadership quality
- Mental alertness
- Decision-making ability
- Personality traits
Final merit is prepared based on:
- UPSC Mains Marks
- Interview Marks
UPSC Exam Pattern Overview
| Stage | Type |
|---|---|
| Prelims | Objective |
| Mains | Descriptive |
| Interview | Personality Test |
The UPSC CSE is considered one of the toughest competitive exams in India due to its vast syllabus and multi-stage selection process.
Official UPSC Syllabus PDF
Candidates can download the official UPSC syllabus and notification from:
Preparation Tips for UPSC Exam
- Understand the syllabus thoroughly
- Read NCERT books
- Follow daily current affairs
- Practice answer writing
- Solve previous year question papers
- Attempt mock tests regularly
- Revise consistently
Many toppers recommend syllabus-based preparation instead of random studying.
 Examination Syllabus 2026){kind=link}
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