UPSC Civil Services (IAS) — Syllabus & Exam Pattern
Free preparation for UPSC Civil Services (IAS) — the official exam pattern and topic-wise syllabus are below. Start preparing from home, without books.
See current UPSC Civil Services (IAS) vacancies & notificationsExam 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.
Syllabus (topic-wise)
- Prelims GS Paper I: Current events of national & international importance; History of India & the Indian National Movement; Indian & World Geography (physical, social, economic); Indian Polity & Governance (Constitution, political system, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues); Economic & Social Development (sustainable development, poverty, inclusion, demographics, social-sector initiatives); General issues on Environmental Ecology, Biodiversity & Climate Change; and General Science.
- Prelims Paper II (CSAT, qualifying): Comprehension; Interpersonal skills including communication; Logical reasoning & analytical ability; Decision making & problem solving; General mental ability; Basic numeracy (numbers & their relations, orders of magnitude — Class 10 level) and Data Interpretation (charts, graphs, tables — Class 10 level).
- Mains — Essay: candidates write essays on multiple topics; marks are given for keeping closely to the subject, arranging ideas orderly, and writing concisely and effectively.
- Mains GS Paper I: Indian Heritage & Culture, History & Geography of the World & Society.
- Mains GS Paper II: Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice and International Relations.
- Mains GS Paper III: Technology, Economic Development, Bio-diversity, Environment, Security & Disaster Management.
- Mains GS Paper IV: Ethics, Integrity & Aptitude (attitude, emotional intelligence, public-service values, probity in governance, case studies).
- Mains Optional Subject (Papers VI & VII): 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.
Official source: https://upsc.gov.in/
⚠️ Always confirm against that year's official notification — the exam pattern and syllabus can change. This page is free guidance only.