UPSC Civil Service Exam Syllabus: Detailed Topic-wise Breakdown and Preparation Tips

UPSC Syllabus

The UPSC Civil Service Examination (CSE) syllabus is divided into three parts:

The Preliminary Examination
The Main Examination
The Interview.

Preliminary Examination
Paper I	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. Environmental Ecology, Biodiversity and Climate Change – that do not require subject specialization. General issues on Environmental ecology, Bio-diversity and Climate Change – that do not require subject specialization. General Science

Preliminary Examination

Paper I

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.
Environmental Ecology, Biodiversity and Climate Change – that do not require subject specialization.
General issues on Environmental ecology, Bio-diversity and Climate Change – that do not require subject specialization.
General Science

Preliminary Examination
Paper II	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)

Main Examination
Paper A	One of the Indian languages to be selected by the candidate from the languages included in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution
Paper B	English
Paper I	Essay
Paper II	General Studies - I (Indian Heritage and Culture, History, and Geography of the World and Society)
Paper III	General Studies - II (Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice and International relations)
Paper IV	General Studies - III (Technology, Economic Development, Biodiversity, Environment, Security and Disaster Management)
Paper V	General Studies - IV (Ethics, Integrity, and Aptitude)
Paper VI	Optional Subject - Paper 1
Paper VII	Optional Subject - Paper 2

Interview
The interview round is the final round of the examination, in which the candidate's personality, suitability, and potential for a career in public service are evaluated.

Best Books

Best Books For IAS Prelims

History

India’s Struggle for Independence – Bipan Chandra
Indian Art and Culture by Nitin Singhania
NCERT XI (Ancient & Medieval)
NCERT XII (Modern Indian History)

Geography

Certificate Physical Geography – G C Leong
NCERT VI – X (Old Syllabus)
NCERT XI, XII (New Syllabus)
World Atlas (Orient Black Swan)

Indian Polity

Indian Polity – M Laxmikanth
NCERT IX-XII

Economics

Indian Economy by Nitin Singhania
Economic Development & Policies in India – Jain & Ohri
NCERT XI

International Relations

NCERT XII (Contemporary World Politics)
Current Affairs

CSAT

Tata McGraw Hill CSAT Manual
Verbal & Non-Verbal Reasoning – R S Aggarwal

Solved Papers

IAS General Studies Prelims Solved Papers – Vishal Publications

Best Books For IAS Mains

History, Indian Heritage & Culture [GS Paper 1]

History, Indian Heritage & Culture [GS Paper 1]
Indian Art and Culture by Nitin Singhania
India’s Struggle for Independence by Bipan Chandra
India after Independence by Bipan Chandra
History of Medieval India by Satish Chandra
Ancient India by R.S Sharma

Geography [GS Paper 1]

Geography of India by Majid Husain
World Geography by Majid Husain
World Atlas (Orient Black Swan)
Certificate Physical and Human Geography – G C Leong
Fundamentals of Physical Geography NCERT Class 11

Polity & International Relations [GS Paper 2]

Indian Polity by M. Laxmikanth
Introduction to the Constitution of India by DD Basu
International Relations: Pushpesh Pant

Economy [GS Paper 3]

Indian Economy – Nitin Singhania
Environment and Disaster Management – Tata McGraw Hill
Challenges to Internal Security of India – Ashok Kumar

Ethics [GS Paper 4]

Ethics, Integrity, and Aptitude for Civil Services Main Examination by Subba Rao and P.N. Roy Chaudary

Solved Papers

IAS General Studies Prelims Solved Papers – Vishal Publications

For detailed information about UPSC Civil Services Examination Contact +91-9743277777

The UPSC Civil Services Examination is divided into three parts

The Preliminary Examination
The Main Examination
The Interview

The final round is the interview round only the candidates who qualify for prelims and mains will be able to attend the final round.

The candidates can find the complete syllabus on the official website of UPSC.

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UPSC Civil Service Exam Syllabus

UPSC Syllabus

Best Books

Best Books For IAS Prelims

Best Books For IAS Mains

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