Prelims Syllabus (UPSC CSE)

The UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE) is one of India’s most prestigious and competitive exams. Conducted annually by the Union Public Service Commission, it aims to recruit candidates for top government posts like IAS, IPS, IFS, and IRS. Understanding the UPSC syllabus is the first step towards an effective preparation strategy.

UPSC CSE Prelims Syllabus (GS Paper I & II)

The UPSC Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination consists of two papers of Objective type (multiple choice questions) – GS Paper I & GS Paper II (CSAT). Each paper carries a maximum of 200 marks. This examination is meant to serve as a screening test only.

GS Paper I Syllabus:

• Current events of national and international importance.
• History of India and Indian National Movement.
• Indian and World Geography – Physical, Social, Economic Geography of India and the World.
• Indian Polity and Governance – Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues, etc.
• Economic and Social Development – Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives, etc.
• General issues on Environmental ecology, Bio-diversity and Climate Change – that do not require subject specialization.
• General Science.

GS Paper II (CSAT) Syllabus:

• Comprehension;
• Interpersonal skills including communication skills;
• Logical reasoning and analytical ability;
• Decision making and problem solving;
• General mental ability;
• Basic numeracy (numbers and their relations, orders of magnitude, etc.) (Class X level), Data interpretation (charts, graphs, tables, data sufficiency etc. — Class X level);