UPSC Civil Services (IAS)

Every topic matched to the official PDF Official notice, upsc.gov.in

30 topics, each explained 8 units

The UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE) is conducted by the Union Public Service Commission to recruit officers for the IAS, IPS, IFS and other Group A & B central services. It runs in three stages — Preliminary, Main and a Personality Test — and any graduate, in any discipline, may apply. Since Prelims is only a screening round whose marks do not count towards the final merit, most preparation effort should go into building Mains-level depth (the four General Studies papers, Essay and the Optional subject), alongside steady daily Prelims practice.

Exam Pattern

Conducting body: Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). The Civil Services Examination (CSE) recruits for the IAS, IPS, IFS and other Group A & B central services. Eligibility: a graduate in any discipline; strict limits apply on age and number of attempts (which vary by category). Selection has three successive stages — Preliminary, Main and Personality Test (Interview).

STAGE 1 — PRELIMINARY (objective, screening only; these marks are NOT added to the final merit):

Paper I — General Studies (GS): 100 questions, 200 marks, 2 hours.
Paper II — CSAT (Civil Services Aptitude Test): 80 questions, 200 marks, 2 hours. CSAT is only QUALIFYING — a candidate must score at least 33%.
Negative marking: one-third (1/3) of the marks for each wrong answer.

STAGE 2 — MAIN (written, descriptive; 1750 marks count towards merit): Paper A — one Indian Language (300 marks, qualifying only); Paper B — English (300 marks, qualifying only); Paper I — Essay (250); Papers II–V — General Studies I, II, III & IV (250 marks each, total 1000); Papers VI–VII — Optional Subject Paper 1 & Paper 2 (250 marks each, total 500). Only the Essay, the four GS papers and the two Optional papers (1750 marks) are counted for merit; Papers A and B must merely be passed.

STAGE 3 — PERSONALITY TEST (Interview): 275 marks.

FINAL MERIT is out of 2025 marks (Mains 1750 + Interview 275). This structure has been stable for years; confirm eligibility, attempts, the optional-subject list and any changes against the current CSE notification on upsc.gov.in.

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UPSC Civil Services (IAS) — related updates

UPSC UPSC CSE Mains admit card 2026 out at upsconline.nic.in 15 Aug 2026 UPSC SWD UP IAS/ PCS Free Coaching Result 2026 - Check Merit List & 30 Jul 2026 JPSC Combined Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2025-26… 17 Jul 2026

Full Syllabus

1 Prelims GS Paper I

What the syllabus lists	What it means and how to prepare
Current events of national & international importance	Current events, national and international — read a daily newspaper or a good digest and keep short, dated notes instead of long summaries.
History of India & the Indian National Movement	History of India and the freedom movement — build a simple timeline of events, movements and leaders rather than memorising isolated dates.
Indian & World Geography (physical, social, economic)	Physical, social and economic geography of India and the world — keep an atlas alongside your notes so rivers, climate zones and resources stay visual, not just text.
Indian Polity & Governance (Constitution, political system, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues)	Indian Polity and Governance — the Constitution, the political system, Panchayati Raj, public policy and rights issues; read the bare text of the Constitution's key articles alongside a standard polity textbook.
Economic & Social Development (sustainable development, poverty, inclusion, demographics, social-sector initiatives)	Economic and social development — sustainable development, poverty, inclusion, demographics and social-sector schemes; connect each government scheme to the problem it is meant to solve so it is easier to recall.
General issues on Environmental Ecology, Biodiversity & Climate Change	Environmental ecology, biodiversity and climate change — learn the basic science (ecosystems, food chains, causes of warming) before layering on current environmental news.
General Science	General Science — school-level physics, chemistry and biology basics, plus science that shows up in the news, such as health, space and new technology.

2 Prelims Paper II (CSAT, qualifying)

What the syllabus lists	What it means and how to prepare
Comprehension	Comprehension — reading a passage and answering questions on it; practise reading a little slower and marking the key sentence in each paragraph before answering.
Interpersonal skills including communication	Interpersonal skills, including communication — situational questions on how you'd handle people and conversations; there's no fixed formula, so practise reasoning out the most sensible, respectful response.
Logical reasoning & analytical ability	Logical reasoning and analytical ability — puzzles, seating arrangements, syllogisms and similar questions; solve them by drawing a diagram or table rather than working it out purely in your head.
Decision making & problem solving	Decision making and problem solving — case-style questions asking what you would do in a given situation; read the whole scenario carefully before picking the most balanced option.
General mental ability	General mental ability — basic reasoning questions such as series, coding-decoding and classification; regular short practice keeps both speed and accuracy up.
Basic numeracy (numbers & their relations, orders of magnitude — Class 10 level)	Basic numeracy — numbers and their relations, and orders of magnitude, at Class 10 level; revise Class 9–10 maths basics like percentages, ratios and simple equations first.
Data Interpretation (charts, graphs, tables — Class 10 level)	Data Interpretation — reading charts, graphs and tables at Class 10 level; practise picking out only the numbers a question actually needs instead of studying the whole chart first.

3 Mains — Essay

What the syllabus lists	What it means and how to prepare
candidates write essays on multiple topics	The Essay paper gives a choice of topics to write on — pick the one you can argue with real examples and a clear structure, not just the one that sounds impressive.
marks are given for keeping closely to the subject, arranging ideas orderly, and writing concisely and effectively	Marks depend on staying on topic, arranging ideas in a clear order, and writing concisely — outline your essay's structure on rough paper before you start writing the final answer.

4 Mains GS Paper I

What the syllabus lists	What it means and how to prepare
Indian Heritage & Culture	Indian Heritage and Culture — art forms, architecture, literature and traditions; make short notes with visuals (temple styles, dance forms), since this content is easy to confuse without pictures.
History & Geography of the World & Society	History and Geography of the world and society — world events, physical geography and social issues at a global scale; link each topic to a real country or region so it stays concrete.

5 Mains GS Paper II

What the syllabus lists	What it means and how to prepare
Governance	Governance — how government functions, delivers services and is held accountable; follow how a policy actually gets implemented on the ground, not just how it is announced.
Constitution	The Constitution — its structure, key provisions and how the three organs of government relate to it; read the actual text of important articles, not just summaries.
Polity	Polity — the working of India's political institutions such as Parliament, the judiciary and the executive; a simple flow diagram of how a bill becomes a law helps more than rote points.
Social Justice	Social Justice — welfare schemes and issues around health, education and vulnerable groups; group the schemes by which population they serve so they don't blur together.
International Relations	International Relations — India's ties with other countries, regional groupings and global bodies; keep a simple running list of major visits and agreements through the year.

6 Mains GS Paper III

What the syllabus lists	What it means and how to prepare
Technology	Technology — science and technology developments relevant to India, from space to digital infrastructure; note what a new technology does and why it matters, not just its name.
Economic Development	Economic Development — the economy, budget, industry and agriculture-related issues; connect each concept to a real, current example so the theory is easier to write about.
Bio-diversity	Bio-diversity — species, ecosystems and conservation efforts; keep a simple list of major Indian ecosystems and the specific threats each one faces.
Environment	Environment — pollution, conservation policy and environment-related governance; pair each environmental problem with the specific policy or law meant to address it.
Security & Disaster Management	Security and Disaster Management — internal security challenges and how disasters are managed; split your notes into 'before, during, after' stages for disaster management so the answer structure is ready-made.

7 Mains GS Paper IV

What the syllabus lists	What it means and how to prepare
Ethics, Integrity & Aptitude (attitude, emotional intelligence, public-service values, probity in governance, case studies)	Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude — covering attitude, emotional intelligence, public-service values, probity in governance and case studies; practise writing out full case studies, since applying values to a real situation is what this paper actually tests.

8 Mains Optional Subject (Papers VI & VII)

What the syllabus lists	What it means and how to prepare
one optional subject chosen from the UPSC list (for example Public Administration, Geography, History, Sociology, Political Science & IR, Anthropology, a literature, etc.) — check the current notification for the full list and syllabus	One optional subject chosen from the UPSC list, such as Public Administration, Geography, History, Sociology, Political Science & IR or Anthropology — pick a subject whose study material you can find easily and stay with it rather than switching later; check the current notification for the full list and syllabus.

Not covered in this pack — where to find it

Exam dates	Not stated in this pack — check the official CSE notification on upsc.gov.in.
Vacancy count	Not stated in this pack.
Application fee	Not stated in this pack.
Exact age limit	Not stated — the pack only says limits apply and vary by category, without giving the actual years.
Duration of Mains papers (Essay, GS I–IV, Optional I & II)	Not stated — only the 2-hour duration of the two Prelims papers is given.
Prelims qualifying/cut-off marks	Not stated — only CSAT's 33% qualifying threshold is given; the GS Paper I cut-off is not.
Pass marks for the Language and English papers (Mains Paper A & B)	Not stated — the pack only says these papers are 'qualifying only'.

Free practice — 21 questions

Work out the answer yourself first, then tap “Show answer”. Every answer shows the method, not just the letter.

In UPSC CSE Prelims, how many total marks is Paper I (General Studies) worth?
- A 300
- B 100
- C 200
- D 250
Show answer

C — 200

The official notification states Prelims Paper I (General Studies) is 100 questions for 200 marks.

Prelims Paper I (General Studies)
How many questions are there in UPSC CSE Prelims Paper I (General Studies)?
- A 150
- B 80
- C 120
- D 100
Show answer

D — 100

Paper I (GS) has 100 questions carrying 200 marks, as stated in the exam pattern.

Prelims Paper I (General Studies)
How many questions are asked in Prelims Paper II, the CSAT?
- A 80
- B 60
- C 90
- D 100
Show answer

A — 80

CSAT (Paper II) has 80 questions for 200 marks.

CSAT (Prelims Paper II)
CSAT (Prelims Paper II) is only qualifying in nature. What is the minimum percentage a candidate must score to qualify?
- A 40%
- B 33%
- C 25%
- D 30%
Show answer

B — 33%

The official notification states CSAT is qualifying only, requiring a minimum of 33%.

CSAT (Prelims Paper II)
In UPSC CSE Prelims, what fraction of marks is deducted for each wrong answer?
- A 1/2
- B 1/4
- C 1/3
- D 2/3
Show answer

C — 1/3

Negative marking in Prelims is one-third (1/3) of the marks for each wrong answer.

Negative Marking
How much time is given for each Prelims paper (Paper I or Paper II)?
- A 3 hours
- B 2 hours
- C 1.5 hours
- D 2.5 hours
Show answer

B — 2 hours

Both Prelims Paper I and Paper II are 2-hour papers.

Prelims Paper I (General Studies)
In Mains, how many marks actually count towards the final merit (Essay + GS Papers I-IV + Optional Papers I & II), excluding the qualifying Language and English papers?
- A 1000
- B 2000
- C 1750
- D 1500
Show answer

C — 1750

Essay (250) + four GS papers (250x4=1000) + two Optional papers (250x2=500) = 1750 marks count for merit; Papers A and B are only qualifying.

Mains
How many marks is the Personality Test (Interview) stage worth in UPSC CSE?
- A 300
- B 200
- C 250
- D 275
Show answer

D — 275

The Personality Test (Interview) carries 275 marks.

Personality Test / Interview
What is the total final merit marks in UPSC CSE (Mains 1750 + Interview 275)?
- A 1975
- B 2025
- C 2000
- D 2050
Show answer

B — 2025

1750 (Mains) + 275 (Interview) = 2025 total marks for final merit.

Final Merit
A candidate attempts 150 questions in a mock test and answers 120 of them correctly. What is the accuracy percentage?
- A 80%
- B 85%
- C 75%
- D 78%
Show answer

A — 80%

Accuracy = (120/150) x 100 = 80%.

Basic numeracy (numbers & their relations, orders of magnitude — Class 10 level)
A shopkeeper buys a book for ₹200 and sells it for ₹250. What is the profit percentage?
- A 20%
- B 25%
- C 50%
- D 30%
Show answer

B — 25%

Profit = ₹250 - ₹200 = ₹50. Profit % = (50/200) x 100 = 25%.

Basic numeracy (numbers & their relations, orders of magnitude — Class 10 level)
Find the simple interest on ₹5,000 at 6% per annum for 2 years.
- A ₹500
- B ₹550
- C ₹600
- D ₹650
Show answer

C — ₹600

SI = (P x R x T) / 100 = (5000 x 6 x 2) / 100 = ₹600.

Basic numeracy (numbers & their relations, orders of magnitude — Class 10 level)
A train covers 180 km in 3 hours. What is its average speed?
- A 50 km/h
- B 55 km/h
- C 65 km/h
- D 60 km/h
Show answer

D — 60 km/h

Speed = Distance / Time = 180 / 3 = 60 km/h.

Basic numeracy (numbers & their relations, orders of magnitude — Class 10 level)
The table below shows the number of candidates who appeared for a mock Prelims test across four centres — Centre A: 120, Centre B: 150, Centre C: 90, Centre D: 140. What is the total number of candidates across all four centres?
- A 500
- B 480
- C 490
- D 510
Show answer

A — 500

120 + 150 + 90 + 140 = 500.

Data Interpretation (charts, graphs, tables — Class 10 level)
Find the next number in the series: 2, 6, 12, 20, 30, ?
- A 36
- B 42
- C 40
- D 44
Show answer

B — 42

The differences between consecutive terms are 4, 6, 8, 10 - increasing by 2 each time. The next difference is 12, so the next number is 30 + 12 = 42.

General mental ability
If CAT is coded as DBU, how will DOG be coded using the same pattern?
- A EOH
- B EPI
- C EPH
- D FPH
Show answer

C — EPH

Each letter is shifted forward by one place in the alphabet (C to D, A to B, T to U). Applying the same shift to D, O, G gives E, P, H - so EPH.

General mental ability
Pointing to a photograph, a man says, 'She is the daughter of my grandfather's only son.' How is the woman related to the man?
- A Mother
- B Daughter
- C Cousin
- D Sister
Show answer

D — Sister

The man's grandfather's only son must be the man's own father. The daughter of the man's father is his sister.

Logical reasoning & analytical ability
Rahul walks 5 km to the north, then turns right and walks 3 km, then turns right again and walks 5 km. How far is he from his starting point?
- A 3 km
- B 5 km
- C 8 km
- D 13 km
Show answer

A — 3 km

Walking 5 km north then 5 km south (after two right turns) cancels out; only the 3 km walked east remains, so he is 3 km from the start.

Logical reasoning & analytical ability
Which of these does not belong with the others: Triangle, Circle, Square, Rectangle?
- A Triangle
- B Circle
- C Square
- D Rectangle
Show answer

B — Circle

Triangle, Square and Rectangle are all polygons made of straight sides and corners; a Circle has no straight sides or corners.

General mental ability
Choose the word closest in meaning to 'ABUNDANT'.
- A Scarce
- B Meager
- C Plentiful
- D Limited
Show answer

C — Plentiful

'Abundant' means existing in large quantities; 'Plentiful' carries the same meaning, while 'Scarce', 'Meager' and 'Limited' mean the opposite.

Comprehension
Identify the part with a grammatical error: 'Each of the candidates (A) have submitted (B) their application forms (C) before the deadline (D).'
- A A
- B C
- C D
- D B
Show answer

D — B

'Each' is singular, so the verb should be 'has submitted', not 'have submitted' - the error is in part B.

Comprehension

These questions are built from the official pattern and syllabus on this page. Every answer was independently re-solved before it was published.

This exam recruits at these levels: Graduate

Note — Always confirm the syllabus and pattern against that year's official notification — changes are possible.

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UPSC Civil Services (IAS) — related updates

Official source: https://upsc.gov.in/