UPSC Syllabus 2024

PDF Name	UPSC Syllabus 2024 PDF
No. of Pages	125
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PDF Category	Education & Jobs
Last Updated	November 4, 2023
Source / Credits	upsc.gov.in
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The Civil Services Examination is a nationwide competitive examination in India conducted by the Union Public Service Commission for recruitment to higher Civil Services of the Government of India, including the Indian Administrative Service, Indian Foreign Service, and Indian Police Service. Candidates are advised to go through the UPSC Syllabus 2023 PDF published in this Section for the Preliminary Examination and the Main Examination, as a periodic revision of the syllabus has been done in several subjects.

The Civil Services Exam (IAS Exam) is conducted by UPSC every year to recruit candidates for various services & posts in the Government of India. It is a two-stage exam consisting of:

Civil Services Preliminary Examination (objective type) for the selection of candidates for the Main Examination.
Civil Services Main Examination (Written & Interview) for the selection of candidates for various services & posts as mentioned in the official notification.

UPSC Syllabus 2023 – Overview

Particulars	Prelims	Mains
No. of Papers	Two	Nine
Types of Questions	Objective Type	Descriptive Type
Duration of Exam	2 hours each	3 hours each
Total Marks	400	1750
Medium of Exam	English & Hindi	English & Hindi (except language paper)
Negative Marking	⅓rd mark	No negative marking
Marks Counted in Merit	No	Yes

UPSC Syllabus for GS Paper (Prelims 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.
General issues on Environmental Ecology, Biodiversity, and Climate Change – that do not require subject specialization.
General Science

UPSC Syllabus for CSAT Paper (Prelims 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)

UPSC Exam Pattern 2023

UPSC Prelims Exam Pattern 2023
Paper	Subjects	Marks	No. of Question	Duration
I	General Studies (GS)	200	100	2 hours (9:30 AM to 11:30 AM)
II	CSAT	200	80	2 hours (2:30 PM to 4:30 PM)

UPSC Mains Exam

Qualifying Papers		Marks
Paper-A	One of the Indian Language to be selected by the candidate from the Languages included in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution	300
Paper-B	English	300
Papers Counted for Merit
Paper-I	Essay	250
Paper-II	General Studies-I (Indian Heritage and Culture, History and Geography of the World and Society)	250
Paper-III	General Studies-II (Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice and International relations)	250
Paper-IV	Genera Studies-III (Technology, Economic Development, Bio-diversity, Environment, Security and Disaster Management)	250
Paper-V	General Studies-IV (Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude)	250
Paper-VI	Optional Subject – Paper 1	250
Paper-VII	Optional Subject – Paper 2	250
Sub Total (Written Test)		1750
Personality Test		275
Grand Total		2025

UPSC Mains General Studies I Syllabus

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

Indian culture covers the salient features of Literature, Art Forms, and Architecture from ancient to modern times.
Modern Indian history include the significant events, personalities, issues during the middle of the eighteenth century until the present
Various stages and important contributors and contributions from different parts of the country in ‘The Freedom Struggle’
Post-independence consolidation and reorganization within the country
History of the world includes events, forms and effects on the society from the 18th century like world wars, the industrial revolution, colonization, redraw of national boundaries, decolonization, political philosophies like communism, capitalism, socialism etc.
Salient aspects of Diversity of India and Indian Society
Role of women and women’s organization, population and associated issues, poverty and developmental issues, urbanization, their problems and remedies
Social empowerment, communalism, regionalism & secularism
Distribution of key natural resources across the world including South Asia and the Indian sub-continent; factors responsible for the location of primary, secondary, and tertiary sector industries in various parts of the world including India
Effects of globalization on Indian society
Important Geophysical phenomena such as earthquakes, Tsunami, Volcanic activity, cyclone etc., geographical features and their location- changes in critical geographical features (including water-bodies and ice-caps) and in flora and fauna and the effects of such changes
Salient features of world’s physical geography.

UPSC Mains General Studies II Syllabus

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

Indian Constitution- historical underpinnings, evolution, features, amendments, significant provisions and basic structure
Functions and responsibilities of the Union and the States, issues and challenges pertaining to the federal structure, devolution of powers and finances up to local levels and challenges therein
Comparison of the Indian constitutional scheme with that of other countries
Separation of powers between various organs dispute redressal mechanisms and institutions
Parliament and State Legislatures – structure, functioning, conduct of business, powers & privileges and issues arising out of these
Appointment to various Constitutional posts, powers, functions and responsibilities of various Constitutional Bodies
Structure, organization and functioning of the Executive and the Judiciary Ministries and Departments of the Government; pressure groups and formal/informal associations and their role in the Polity
Salient features of the Representation of People’s Act
Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation
Statutory, regulatory and various quasi-judicial bodies
Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States and the performance of these schemes; mechanisms, laws, institutions and Bodies constituted for the protection and betterment of these vulnerable sections
Development processes and the development industry the role of NGOs, SHGs, various groups and associations, donors, charities, institutional and other stakeholders
Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources
Important aspects of governance, transparency and accountability, e-governance- applications, models, successes, limitations, and potential; citizens charters, transparency & accountability and institutional and other measures
Issues relating to poverty and hunger
Role of civil services in a democracy
Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests
India and its neighborhood- relations
Important International institutions, agencies and fora, their structure, mandate
Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests, Indian diaspora

UPSC Mains General Studies III Syllabus

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

Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization of resources, growth, development and employment.
Development, Biodiversity, Environment, Security and Disaster Management.
Government Budgeting.
Inclusive growth and issues arising from it.
Major crops cropping patterns in various parts of the country, different types of irrigation and irrigation systems storage, transport and marketing of agricultural produce and issues and related constraints; e-technology in the aid of farmers
Economics of animal-rearing.
Food processing and related industries in India- scope and significance, location, upstream and downstream requirements, supply chain management.
Issues related to direct and indirect farm subsidies and minimum support prices; Public Distribution System objectives, functioning, limitations, revamping; issues of buffer stocks and food security; Technology missions
Land reforms in India.
Effects of liberalization on the economy, changes in industrial policy and their effects on industrial growth.
Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways etc.
Investment models.
Science and Technology- developments and their applications and effects in everyday life Achievements of Indians in science and technology;
Indigenisation of technology and developing new technology.
Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment
Awareness in the fields of IT, Space, Computers, robotics, nano-technology, bio-technology and issues relating to intellectual property rights.
Disaster and disaster management.
Role of external state and non-state actors in creating challenges to internal security.
Linkages between development and spread of extremism.
Challenges to internal security through communication networks, the role of media and social networking sites in internal security challenges, basics of cyber security; money-laundering and its prevention
Various Security forces and agencies and their mandate
Security challenges and their management in border areas; linkages of organized crime with terrorism

UPSC Mains General Studies IV Syllabus

Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude: This paper includes questions to check the candidate’s attitude and approach towards the issues relating to integrity, probity in public life and their problem-solving approach to various issues and conflicts faced by them while dealing with society. Questions may utilize the case study approach to determine these aspects and cover area

Ethics and Human Interface- Essence, determinants and consequences of Ethics in human actions; dimensions of ethics; ethics in private and public relationships
Human Values- lessons from the lives and teachings of great leaders, reformers and administrators; role of family, society and educational institutions in inculcating values
Attitude- content, structure, function; its influence and relation with thought and behaviour; moral and political attitudes; social influence and persuasion
Aptitude and foundational values for Civil Service, integrity, impartiality and non-partisanship, objectivity, dedication to public service, empathy, tolerance and compassion towards the weaker-sections
Emotional intelligence concepts, and their utilities and application in administration and governance
Contributions of moral thinkers and philosophers from India and the world
Public/Civil service values and Ethics in Public administration- Status and problems; ethical concerns and dilemmas in government and private institutions; laws, rules, regulations and conscience as sources of ethical guidance; accountability and ethical governance; strengthening of ethical and moral values in governance; ethical issues in international relations and funding; corporate governance
Probity in Governance- Concept of public service; Philosophical basis of governance and probity; Information; sharing and transparency in government, Right to Information, Codes of Ethics, Codes of Conduct, Citizen’s Charters, Work culture, Quality of service delivery, Utilization of public funds, challenges of corruption
Case Studies on the above issues.

UPSC Syllabus for Interview

The UPSC Interview, also known as the Personality Test, is the final stage of the examination. There is no defined syllabus for the interview, and questions can cover a wide range of issues.
Candidates who qualify for the UPSC Mains Exam will be called for the Personality Test/Interview conducted by a Board appointed by the UPSC.
The objective of the interview is to assess the personal suitability of the candidate for a career in civil services. The board consists of competent and unbiased observers.
The interview is designed as a purposive conversation to explore the candidate’s mental qualities and analytical ability.
The Interview test carries 275 marks, while the total marks for the written examination are 1750, resulting in a Grand Total of 2025 Marks.
The final merit list is prepared based on the cumulative marks obtained in the written examination and the Interview test.

UPSC Syllabus FAQs

1. What is UPSC Syllabus?

Answer – Candidates should go through the detailed latest UPSC syllabus, before appearing for IAS Exam. In order to crack the UPSC CSE 2023, you first need to go through the updated UPSC Syllabus and focus on each & every topic which is repeatedly asked in the examination. UPSC syllabus for the Prelims exam covers two papers namely General Studies and CSAT (Civil Services Aptitude Test).

2. Is latest UPSC Exam Pattern 2023 out?

Answer – Latest UPSC Exam Pattern 2023 has been released with UPSC Notification 2023.

3. Is UPSC Notification 2023 out?

Answer – UPSC Notification 2023 was released on 1st February 2023.

4. How to apply for Examinations conducted by the UPSC?

Answer – Candidates can apply online for the UPSC Examinations by accessing the online portal hosted on the UPSC’s website (https://upsconline.nic.in).

5. What is the number of attempts available (category-wise) to the candidates of the Civil Services Examination?