UPSC Syllabus 2024

UPSC Syllabus is released by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) every year along with the
UPSC Notification PDF. The UPSC Syllabus for the IAS exam is comprehensive and covers a wide range
of subjects to assess a candidate’s knowledge, aptitude, and analytical abilities. In this article, you
will get the detailed UPSC IAS Syllabus for every stage. UPSC IAS exam consists of three stages:

Preliminary Examination (Prelims),

Main Examination (Mains), and

Interview (Personality Test).

With the help of a detailed UPSC CSE Syllabus, candidates can easily rectify which topics, news
articles, information, and current affairs are required to read. It’s crucial to be familiar with the UPSC
IAS Syllabus if you want to succeed in the upcoming UPSC Civil Services exam. All of the UPSC IAS
Exam toppers have one thing in common, they always follow the Syllabus seriously. The UPSC IAS
Exam Syllabus varies depending on the different stages. In order to get the right candidates out of
lakhs of applicants for the renowned services, they examine many qualities and aspects of the
candidate. Read the complete article for a detailed UPSC Syllabus 2024 for the UPSC CSE Exam 2024
which will be held on 26th May 2024.

UPSC Exam Pattern for Prelims

The UPSC Preliminary Examination, commonly known as Prelims, is the first stage of the Civil Services
Examination (IAS exam). Exam Pattern for Prelims consists of two objective-type papers including
General Studies Paper I and General Studies Paper II (CSAT – Civil Services Aptitude Test).

As the preliminary exam qualifies applicants for the main examination, it is crucial to understand the
IAS Prelims syllabus. All candidates for the UPSC Exam must first become familiar with the UPSC
Exam Pattern and IAS Syllabus before continuing with their studies.

If candidates want to perform well on the UPSC 2024 exam, one year of preparation is a
requirement. If you want to have a structured and efficient preparation phase where you may
enhance your notions and clear up any topic-related questions, this almost one-year schedule is
essential. Check here UPSC Exam Pattern for Prelims Exam in the table below:

UPSC Prelims Exam Pattern

Particulars Details

Two Compulsory Papers General Studies Paper-I

General Studies Paper-II (CSAT)

Number of Questions Asked in GS Paper-I 100 Questions

Number of Questions Asked in CSAT 80 Questions and is Qualifying in nature

Total Number of Marks

GS Paper-I – 200 Marks

CSAT – 200 Marks

Negative Marking 1/3 of the total marks allotted to the question will be deducted for every
wrong answer

Time Allotted Two hours each;

GS Paper-I – 2 Hours (9:30 AM -11:30 AM)

CSAT – 2 Hours (2:30 PM – 4:30 PM)

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UPSC CSE Syllabus 2024 For Prelims

UPSC Syllabus for Prelims Exam is divided into two papers i.e., General Studies Paper 1 and General
Studies Paper 2. UPSC Prelims 2024 exam will be held on 26th May 2024. Here we have discussed
the complete UPSC Prelims Syllabus for both papers.

UPSC Syllabus General Studies 1 (GS-I)

General Studies 1 of the UPSC Prelims Syllabus mainly consists of History, Geography, Polity,
Economy, Environment and Ecology, Science and Technology, General Science and Current Affairs
based events. UPSC categorizes the General Studies Prelims Paper 1 Syllabus into the following broad
categories:

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, Biodiversity and Climate Change – that do not require
subject specialization.

General Science

How to prepare for UPSC without Coaching?

UPSC CSAT Syllabus UPSC (GS-II)

General Studies 2 of UPSC CSE is also known as the CSAT (Civil Services Aptitude Test) Paper. This
paper was first introduced in 2011 as a compulsory qualifying paper for every candidate. This is a
part of the UPSC CSE Prelims examination in order to assess the aptitude, analytical skills, and
reasoning ability of the candidate. To qualify for this paper, a minimum of 33% (66 marks) is required
for every candidate.

UPSC categorizes the CSAT Syllabus UPSC into the following broad categories:

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)

UPSC Syllabus 2024 for Mains

UPSC Mains Syllabus consisted of 9 conventional/theoretical papers. Every paper has its own
significance. UPSC Mains 2023 Mains examination will be held on 15th September 2023 and will be
conducted in 5 days by the commission. The UPSC CSE Mains Examination’s objective is to assess the
overall intellectual abilities and level of understanding of candidates instead of just testing
candidates’ knowledge and memory. The UPSC Syllabus for Mains Examination is described below in
detail.

UPSC Syllabus Mains Essay Paper

Essays Writing on a wide range of topics will be asked from the candidates. They will be expected to
write concisely and stick to the essay’s topic. They will also be expected to organize their thoughts.
An essay is one of those papers where candidates can score better and improve their rank
meticulously. The essay paper is divided into two sections and each section contains 4 topics. Each
essay you write obtains a score out of 125, for a total of 250 marks.

UPSC Mains Syllabus For General Studies

Candidates after clearing the prelims will be eligible for sitting in the mains examination. The mains
General Studies paper consists of four papers. Check the table below for getting a better
understanding of the General Studies paper of mains:

General Studies Paper Topics Covered

Paper 2 – General Studies I General Studies Paper I consists mainly of History and Geography of
the World and Society, Indian Heritage and Culture. This paper mainly revolves around History,
Geography and Society.

Paper 3 – General Studies II General Studies Paper II consists mainly of Polity, Constitution,
Governance, Social Justice and International relations.

Paper 4 – General Studies III General Studies Paper III consists mainly of Economic Development,
Technology, Environment, Biodiversity, Security and Disaster Management.

Paper 5 – General Studies IV General Studies Paper IV consists mainly of Ethics, Integrity and
Aptitude.

UPSC Syllabus For Mains General Studies I

The History, Heritage, Geography, and Culture of the World and Society are the main topics of the
first General Studies paper. The commission has outlined the essential themes of the General Studies
I syllabus which is mentioned below for candidates.

Indian Heritage and Culture, History and Geography of the World and Society:

Indian Culture: It covers the salient features of Art Forms, Literature and Architecture from ancient
times to modern times.

Modern Indian History: It includes the significant events, personalities, and issues from the middle of
the 18th century until the present.

In The Freedom Struggle, Various stages and important contributors and contributions from different
parts of the country.

Consolidation and Reorganisation of the country after independence.

Events from the 18th century will be included in the history of the world, such as the industrial
revolution, world wars, redrawing of national borders, colonisation, and decolonization, as well as
political philosophies like communism, capitalism, socialism, and others—their manifestations and
social effects.

Important characteristics of Indian society and India’s diversity.

The role of women and the organisation of women, population and related issues, poverty and
developmental challenges, urbanisation, related issues, and solutions.

The social effects of globalisation in India.

Communalism, Regionalism, Secularism, and Social Empowerment.

Important physical geography characteristics of the world.

Distribution of major natural resources worldwide (including South Asia and the Indian
subcontinent); determinants of where primary, secondary, and tertiary sector industries are located
globally (including India).
Critical geographic features and their location-changes in flora and fauna, as well as in water bodies
and ice caps and the impact of such changes. Important geophysical phenomena include
earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic activity, cyclones, etc.

UPSC Mains Syllabus For General Studies II

The Polity, Governance, Constitution, Social Justice, and Interrelations topics are covered in the UPSC
Mains Syllabus General Studies II paper. The detailed syllabus is provided to candidates below.

Governance, Polity, Constitution, Social Justice and International Relations:

The basic structures, features, modifications, major provisions, and historical context of the Indian
Constitution.

Functions and duties of the Union and the States, problems and difficulties with the federal system,
and obstacles with the devolution of authority and resources to local levels.

Power separation between multiple organs, conflict resolution procedures, and institutions.

Comparing the Indian constitutional design to other countries’ systems

Structure, administration, business practises, powers, and privileges of the Parliament and State
Legislatures, as well as challenges resulting from these.

Governmental Ministries and Departments; Pressure Group organisations and formal/informal

associations; and their purpose in the Polity.

Structure, organisation, and operation of the Executive and the Judiciary.

The Representation of People’s Act’s key characteristics.

Appointment to several constitutional Bodies, as well as their respective duties and responsibilities.

Statutory, regulatory, and various quasi-judicial agencies; Government interventions for development
in many sectors; Problems resulting from the planning and execution of these interventions.

The role of NGOs, SHGs, diverse groups and associations, funders, charities, institutional, and other
stakeholders in development processes and the development industry.

Welfare programmes put in place by the federal government and individual states for the
population’s most vulnerable groups, as well as the effectiveness of these programmes; institutions,
laws, and other organisations created to safeguard and improve the lives of these vulnerable groups.

Issues pertaining to the growth and administration of the social sector and services in the fields of
health, education, and human resources.

Hunger and poverty-related issues.

Transparency and accountability are crucial components of governance, as are e-governance

applications, models, accomplishments, limitations, and possibilities; citizens’ charters, transparency
& accountability, and institutional and other measurements.

The function of the civil service in a democracy

India’s relationship with its neighbours.

Groupings and agreements at the bilateral, regional, and international levels involving or impacting
India and/or its interests.

Effect of developed and developing countries’ policies and politics on India’s interests and the Indian
diaspora.

Important international organisations, agencies, and forums: their makeup and objectives.

UPSC Mains Syllabus For General Studies III

The subjects of Science, Technology, Economics, Defense, Disaster Management, and Nature are
thoroughly covered in UPSC Mains General Studies III. This paper would raise ask relating to many
facets of life as well as recent developments in all areas of life.

Economic Development, Technology, Environment, Bio-diversity, Security and Disaster Management:

Indian Economy, including planning, resource mobilisation, growth, development, and employment
difficulties.

Inclusive growth and the problems it raises.

Budgeting of Government.

Major crops, patterns of cropping in various regions of the nation, various types of irrigation and
irrigation systems, challenges with storage, transport, and marketing of agricultural products, and
related limitations; the use of e-technology by farmers.

Concerns about buffer stocks and food security, direct and indirect farm subsidies, and minimum
support prices; Public Distribution System goals, operations, and shortcomings; Technology missions;
and the economics of animal husbandry.

Food processing and related sectors in India: their size and importance, where they are, what is
needed in the upstream and downstream, and supply chain management.

Indian land reforms.

The economic implications of liberalisation, changes to industrial policy, and how these affect the
expansion of the industrial sector.

Infrastructure includes things like ports, roads, airports, and railroads.

Models for investments.

Science and technology breakthroughs, as well as how they are used and impact daily life.

Scientific and technological advances made by Indians; indigenization of technology; and the creation
of new technology.

Awareness of issues relating to intellectual property rights as well as IT, space, computers, robotics,
nanotechnology, and biotechnology.

Environmental impact assessment, pollution and degradation of the environment, and conservation.
Disasters and disaster management; Relationships between extremism’s growth and dissemination.

The contribution of non-state and state actors from outside to the problems with domestic security.

Threats to internal security posed by communication networks, the media’s and social media’s role in
such threats, the fundamentals of cyber security, and money laundering and its prevention.

Security issues and how to manage them in border regions – connections between organised crime
and terrorism.

The function of various security agencies and organisations.

UPSC Mains Syllabus For General Studies IV

Ethics, Integrity, and Aptitude: This paper contains questions to assess the candidate’s attitude and
approach toward matters relating to integrity, probity in public life, and their approach to problem-
solving when dealing with a variety of challenges and disputes in society. In order to determine these
elements and cover area, questions may use the case study approach.

Ethics and Human Interaction: The purpose, factors, and outcomes of ethical behaviour in people;
the dimensions of ethics; and the application of ethics in both personal and professional settings. The
importance of family community and educational institutions in instilling values may be seen in the
study of human values, which draws lessons from the lives and teachings of great leaders, reformers,
and administrators.

Moral and political attitudes, social influence, and persuasion are all aspects of attitude that include
its content, structure, and function as well as its relationship to cognition and behaviour.

Civil service aptitude and core principles, including honesty, objectivity, and non-partisanship;
dedication to public service; empathy; tolerance; and compassion for the weaker groups.

Emotional intelligence concepts, as well as their benefits and use in governance and administration.

Contributions from moral philosophers and thinkers in India and around the world.

Public/Civil Service Values and Ethics in Public Administration: Status and Issues; Ethical Issues in
International Relations and Funding; Corporate Governance; Laws, Rules, Regulations, and
Conscience as Sources of Ethical Guidance. Accountability and Ethical Governance.

Probity in governance includes the idea of public service, the philosophical underpinnings of
governance and probity, information sharing and transparency in government, the right to
information, codes of ethics and conduct, citizen’s charters, workplace culture, the effectiveness of
service delivery, the use of public resources, and challenges posed by corruption.

Case Studies on the aforementioned concerns

UPSC Mains Syllabus For Qualifying Papers

The purpose of these papers is to evaluate a candidate’s aptitude for reading and comprehending
serious discursive prose as well as for expressing ideas in the relevant Indian and English languages in
a clear and precise manner. The marks obtained in these papers would not be used to determine to
rank. These papers are of qualifying nature only (a minimum of 25% marks are required in each
paper).
UPSC Syllabus For Indian Language

In this UPSC Mains Indian Language Paper, major topics are covered:

Comprehension of given passages.

Precis Writing.

Usage and Vocabulary.

Short Essays.

Translation from English to the Indian Language and vice-versa.

The candidate can choose any of the following Indian Languages from the given table.

Language Script

Assamese Assamese

Bengali Bengali

GujaratiGujarati

Hindi Devanagari

Kannada Kannada

Kashmiri Persian

KonkaniDevanagari

Malayalam Malayalam

Manipuri Bengali

MarathiDevanagari

Nepali Devanagari

Odia Odia

Punjabi Gurmukhi

SanskritDevanagari

Sindhi Devanagari or Arabic

Tamil Tamil

Telugu Telugu

Urdu Persian

Bodo Devanagari
Dogri Devanagari

Maithili Devanagari

SanthaliDevanagari or Olchiki*

Note: The question paper for the Santhali language will be printed in Devanagari script, however,
candidates are free to answer in Olchiki or Devanagari.

UPSC Syllabus For English Language

UPSC Syllabus Mains English Paper: The English paper is also a qualifying paper which consists mainly
of the Comprehension of given passages, Precis Writing, Usage and Vocabulary and Short Essays.

UPSC Syllabus Optional Subjects List

UPSC Syllabus Optional Subjects: Papers 6 and 7 are the optional subject papers which are
compulsory papers. These papers are one of those papers in which candidates can get good marks
because in most cases these subjects are either a graduation subject or interest area subject of the
candidates.

Every optional subject has its own comprehensive syllabus which the candidate must read carefully
once before deciding on the optional subject. There are several factors and parameters to decide the
best optional subject for the UPSC mains exam such as syllabus, resources available for that subject,
the time required for preparation etc. Here candidates can check How to Choose UPSC Optional
Subject related queries and suggestions.

UPSC Syllabus 2024 for Interview

There is no established UPSC Syllabus for the UPSC Interview in the final stage of the UPSC
Examination. The purpose of the personal interview process is to determine if the candidate is
personally qualified for a career in the civil service. The interview is more of a purposeful dialogue
meant to probe the candidate’s mental capabilities and capacity for analysis. The written exam will
have a maximum score of 1750 marks, and the interview will be worth 275 points. This adds up to a
Grand Total of 2025 Marks, which will serve as the basis for creating the final merit list. Candidates
can check here UPSC Interview Tips and Strategies for better preparation.

UPSC Syllabus 2024 PDF

Candidates for getting a better and more detailed manner of the UPSC CSE Syllabus can download
the PDF of the UPSC IAS Syllabus from the link provided here. Click on the mentioned link for UPSC
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