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UPSC Syllabus 2024 PDF – IAS Prelims and Mains Syllabus

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Get Complete UPSC Mains and Prelims Syllabus Coverage here!

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UPSC Syllabus 2024 is released by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) on its official website. UPSC Syllabus is divided into preliminary and main examinations. UPSC conducts the 3 stage exam for civil services recruitment, which are Prelims, Mains and Interviews.

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UPSC Preliminary test is an objective type exam to shortlist candidates for Mains. The UPSC Mains examination consists of 9 detailed descriptive examinations.

UPSC syllabus key segments: 

  • Preliminary Stage – GS Paper and CSAT
  • Mains Stage – 9 Theory Papers (GS Papers I-IV, Language Papers, Essay & Optional Paper)
  • Personality Test – Interview

Table of Contents

  1. UPSC Prelims Exam Pattern
  2. Understand the Syllabus for UPSC 2023 from Jagrati Awasthi(AIR 2)
  3. UPSC Syllabus 2023 Prelims
  4. UPSC Mains Exam Pattern
  5. UPSC Syllabus Mains
  6. UPSC Syllabus 2023 Weightage for Prelims
  7. UPSC Syllabus for IAS Interview
  8. Tips to Prepare for UPSC Syllabus 2024
  9. Best Books for UPSC Preparation

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UPSC Prelims Exam Pattern

The candidates who are appearing for the UPSC exam should check the overview of the UPSC exam pattern from here –

Two Compulsory PapersGeneral Studies Paper-I & General Studies Paper-II (CSAT)
Number of Questions asked in GS Paper-I100
Number of Questions asked in CSAT80
Total Number of Marks

400 marks

  • GS Paper-I – 200 Marks
  • CSAT – 200 Marks
Negative Marking1/3rd of the total marks allotted to the question will be deducted for every incorrect 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)
UPSC Syllabus for PrelimsUPSC Syllabus for Mains

UPSC Syllabus Prelims 

Before you start the UPSC 2024 exam preparation, it is important to check the complete UPSC syllabus for the Prelims Exam. UPSC 2024 Prelims will have 2 papers, each paper will be of 200 marks.

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Check the important topics here –

UPSC Prelims Syllabus Paper-1 (GS-1)

  • Current events of national and international importance
  • Indian and World Geography – Physical, Social, and Economic Geography of India and the World
  • Indian and World Geography (Physical, Economic Geography of India & the World)
  • Indian History and Indian National Movement
  • Economic & Social Development (Poverty, Demographics, Sustainable Development, Social Sector Initiatives)
  • Biodiversity, General Issues on Environmental Ecology, Climate Change
  • General Science

UPSC Prelims Syllabus Paper-2 (CSAT)

  • Interpersonal skills including communication skills
  • Comprehension
  • Decision-making and problem-solving
  • Logical reasoning and analytical ability
  • General mental ability
  • Basic numeracy (orders of magnitude, numbers and their relations & others)
  • Class 10th level, Data Interpretation (Charts, Tables, Graphs Data Sufficiency, etc – Class 10th level
Download UPSC Prelims Syllabus PDFDownload

UPSC- Latest Updates

– UPSC CSE 2024 Prelims Date: June 16, 2024 

– UPSC CSE 2024 Mains Exam date: Sep 20, 2024


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UPSC Mains Exam Pattern

Here, we have mentioned the UPSC Mains exam pattern –
Paper Subject Marks
Paper-I Essay 250
Paper-II General Studies – I (Indian Heritage & Culture, History & Geography of the World & Society) 250
Paper-III General Studies – II (Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice & International Relations) 250
Paper-IV General Studies – III (Technology, Economic Development, Biodiversity, Security & Disaster Management) 250
Paper-V General Studies – IV (Ethics, Integrity & Aptitude) 250
Paper-VI Optional Subject – Paper I 250
Paper-VII Optional Subject – Paper II 250
UPSC Prelims Syllabus UPSC Mains Syllabus

UPSC Syllabus Mains

  • The Mains examination is the 2nd phase of the UPSC examination
  • The Mains examination consists of 9 papers, out of 9, two papers are qualifying papers of 300 marks each
  • These two qualifying papers are English Language Papers and Any Indian Language
  • The papers on General Studies, Essay and Optional Subjects of only those candidates who gets 25% marks in both language exam papers

Qualifying Papers on Indian Languages and English

PAPER‐I

Essay: Candidates may be required to write essays on multiple topics(Generally 2)

IAS Syllabus for UPSC Mains GS-I (Paper II)

  • Indian Heritage and Culture, Geography and History of the World & Society
  • Modern Indian History from about the middle of the 18th century until the present, personalities, issues, significant events
  • Indian culture will cover the salient aspects of literature, architecture, art forms
  • The freedom struggles of various stages and contributions from different parts of the country
  • History of the world will include the events from the 18th century as an industrial revolution, colonization, political philosophies, communism, capitalism, etc. their forms and effects
  • Salient features of Indian Society and Diversity of India
  • Role of women and women’s organizations
  • Poverty and developmental issues, urbanization and their problems and remedies
  • Communalism, social-empowerment, secularism and regionalism
  • Salient features of the world’s physical geography
  • Distribution of key natural resources across the world
  • Important Geophysical phenomena such as earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic activity, cyclones 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
Check here: UPSC Mains GS 1 Syllabus

IAS Syllabus for UPSC Mains GS-II (Paper III)

  1. Indian Constitution—historical underpinnings, evolution, features, amendments, significant provisions and basic structure
  2. Functions and responsibilities of the Union and the States, issues and challenges about the federal structure, devolution of powers and finances up to local levels and challenges therein
  3. Separation of powers between various organs, dispute redressal mechanisms and institutions
  4. Comparison of the Indian constitutional scheme with that of other countries
  5. Parliament and State legislatures—structure, functioning, the conduct of business, powers & privileges and issues arising out of these
  6. Structure, organisation 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
  7. Salient features of the Representation of People’s Act.
  8. Appointment to various Constitutional posts, powers, functions and responsibilities of various Constitutional Bodies
  9. Statutory, regulatory and various quasi-judicial bodies
  10. Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation
  11. Development processes and the development industry —the role of NGOs, SHGs, various groups and associations, donors, charities, institutional and other stakeholders
  12. 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
  13. Issues relating to the development and management of Social Sector Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources
  14. Issues relating to poverty and hunger
  15. Important aspects of governance, transparency and accountability, e-governance applications, models, successes, limitations, and potential; citizens charters, transparency & accountability and institutional and other measures
  16. Role of civil services in a democracy
  17. India and its neighbourhood- relations
  18. Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests
  19. Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests, Indian diaspora
  20. Important International institutions, agencies and fora- their structure, mandate
See here: UPSC Mains GS 2 Syllabus

IAS Syllabus for UPSC Mains GS-III (Paper IV)

  1. Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilisation, of resources, growth, development and employment
  2. Inclusive growth and issues arising from it
  3. Government Budgeting
  4. 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
  5. 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; economics of animal-rearing
  6. Food processing and related industries in India- scope and significance, location, upstream and downstream requirements, supply chain management
  7. Land reforms in India
  8. Effects of liberalisation on the economy, changes in industrial policy and their effects on industrial growth
  9. Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways and others
  10. Investment models
  11. Science and technology- developments and their applications and effects in everyday life
  12. Achievements of Indians in science & technology; indigenization of technology and development of new technology.
  13. Awareness in the fields of IT, Space, Computers, robotics, nano-technology, bio-technology and issues relating to intellectual property rights
  14. Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment
  15. Disaster and disaster management
  16. Linkages between the development and spread of extremism
  17. Role of external state and non-state actors in creating challenges to internal security
  18. 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
  19. Security challenges and their management in border areas – linkages of organized crime with terrorism
  20. Various Security forces and agencies and their mandate
Click here: UPSC Mains GS 3 Syllabus

IAS Syllabus for UPSC Mains GS-IV (Paper V)

  1. 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; the role of family society and educational institutions in inculcating values
  2. Attitude: content, structure, function; its influence and relation with thought and behaviour; moral and political attitudes; social influence and persuasion
  3. 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
  4. Emotional intelligence concepts, and their utilities and application in administration and governance
  5. Contributions of moral thinkers and philosophers from India and the world
  6. 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
  7. 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, Utilisation of public funds, challenges of corruption
  8. Case Studies on the above issues
Click here: UPSC Mains GS 4 Syllabus

IAS Syllabus for UPSC Mains Optional Paper (VI & VII)

Candidate may choose any optional subject from amongst the List of Optional Subjects mentioned below:
Agriculture – UPSC Syllabus Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science – UPSC Syllabus Anthropology – UPSC Syllabus
Botany – IAS Syllabus Chemistry – IAS Syllabus Civil Engineering – IAS Syllabus
Commerce and Accountancy – UPSC CSE Syllabus Economics – UPSC CSE Syllabus Electrical Engineering – UPSC CSE Syllabus
Geography – UPSC Syllabus Geology – UPSC Syllabus History – UPSC Syllabus
Law – UPSC Syllabus Management – UPSC Syllabus Mathematics – UPSC Syllabus
Mechanical Engineering – UPSC Syllabus Medical Science – UPSC Syllabus Philosophy – UPSC Syllabus
Physics – IAS Syllabus Political Science and International Relations – IAS Syllabus Psychology – IAS Syllabus
Public Administration – UPSC CSE Syllabus Sociology – UPSC CSE Syllabus Statistics – UPSC CSE Syllabus
Zoology – UPSC Syllabus Literature of any one of the languages mentioned in the notification

Literature optional subjects Syllabus 

The candidates can opt for the given literature subject as their optional for the UPSC Mains exam. There will be 2 papers of 250 marks each. Check out the syllabus below:
Assamese – UPSC Syllabus Oriya – UPSC Syllabus
Bengali – IAS Syllabus Punjabi – IAS Syllabus
Bodo – UPSC Syllabus Sanskrit – UPSC Syllabus
Dogri – IAS Syllabus Santhali – IAS Syllabus
Gujarati – UPSC Syllabus Sindhi – UPSC Syllabus
Hindi – UPSC Syllabus Tamil – UPSC Syllabus
Kannada – IAS Syllabus Telugu – IAS Syllabus
Kashmiri – UPSC Syllabus Urdu – UPSC Syllabus
Konkani – IAS Syllabus English – IAS Syllabus
Maithili – UPSC Syllabus Marathi – UPSC Syllabus
Malayalam – UPSC Syllabus Nepali – UPSC Syllabus
Manipuri – UPSC Syllabus
Download UPSC Mains Syllabus PDF Download

UPSC Syllabus Weightage for Prelims

The UPSC Prelims papers consist of objective questions with negative markings for wrong answers. Here, we have mentioned the structure –
Paper Total Marks  No. of Questions Duration          Type        Negative Marks Nature            
General Studies Paper 1 200 100 2 hours Objective Yes Merit Ranking
General Studies Paper 2 (CSAT) 200 80 2 hours Objective Yes Qualifying

Subject-Wise Weightage & IAS Prelims Marks Distribution

Overall-Subject 2020 2021 2022 2023
🌻Environment & AGRO 23 27 21 18
💰Economy & Govt Schemes 23 14 21 18
🧭Geography 5 5 12 15
🤴History & Culture 20 21 16 13
👩🏼‍⚖️Polity 15 18 10 16
🇺🇸IR/Defense 3 0 8 7
🔬Sci-Tech 11 11 12 11
🏏Misc.PIN./Awards/Sports 0 4 0 2
Total 100 100 100 100
Also read: How to Prepare for UPSC

UPSC Syllabus for IAS Interview/Personality Test

The candidates who qualify for the UPSC main exam will be called for the personal interview test. Such candidates will be interviewed by a Board appointed by the Union Public Service Commission –
  1. The main objective of the IAS interview is to determine the personal suitability of the candidate in the civil service examination by the competent authorities
  2. Apart from the academic study, the candidates must be aware of the crucial affairs happening in the country or outside the country
  3. The candidate will be examined based on their career, professional and personal records which were filled by them in the DAF (Detailed Application Form)
  4. The main purpose of this interview is to explore the mental qualities of the candidate and check their analytical ability
  5. The interview will be 275 marks and the total marks for the written test is 1750, so their sum up is a total of 2025 marks based on which the final merit list will be prepared.
Discover Unacademy UPSC Coaching Centres in the following locations  Exam Tips:

Difference between UPSC Prelims and Mains Syllabus 

Prelims  Mains
The prelims exam follows the objective type pattern Mains exam follows the descriptive pattern
IAS Prelims exam has 2 GS papers which are GS one and GS 2 (CSAT) IAS Mains exam has 9 papers Out of 9, 7 will be evaluated for ranking purposes and 2 papers will be of qualifying nature
No optional subject in the Prelims There are 48 optional subjects. The candidates need to choose 1 out of 48
GS Paper 1 covers the subject from Economy, Social Development, Indian Polity & Governance, Current Affairs, Indian History & National Movement, Science and Technology, Ecology, Biodiversity, World Geography, Environment, and Climate Change. Paper-2 CSAT covers – Analytical Ability, Quantitative Ability, Logical Reasoning, Reading Comprehension, Decision-making skills, Communication Skills etc. Paper A – Candidates have to choose 1 compulsory Indian Language. Paper B – This is a compulsory English paper. ‘ Paper I – Essay Paper Paper II (GS Paper I) (Indian Heritage & Culture, History & Geography of the World & Society.) Paper III (GS Paper II) – Governance, Constitution, Welfare Initiatives, Social Justice & International Relations Paper IV (GS Paper III) – Technology, Economic Development, Agriculture, Biodiversity, Security & Disaster Management Paper V (GS Paper IV) – This paper covers topics on Ethics, Integrity & Aptitude Paper VI – Paper 1 optional subject Paper VII – Paper 2 optional subject
Paper-II/CSAT paper is a qualifying exam with 33% pass criteria. In Mains, English and Indian Language papers are of qualifying nature.
The maximum marks for both papers of Prelims are 200 marks each. In the Mains, The total marks for each paper are 250 while the Indian and English language paper is of a total of 300 marks each.
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Is there any change in UPSC Syllabus 2024?

Usually, the UPSC does not change the syllabus for IAS Prelims and Mains examination every year. UPSC has not changed the syllabus since 2013. Before that, the pattern and syllabus of the UPSC exam were untouched for many years. In the earliest UPSC Syllabus format, there were 2 optional papers were chosen and the CSAT paper was not introduced. So, there will be no change in the syllabus as of now.

How to analyse the UPSC Syllabus?

To analyze the UPSC syllabus the candidates can follow the below-mentioned strategy –
  1. Start by preparing the subheadings and related chapters to it.
  2. Look through the previous year’s papers which will give you an idea of the type of questions that are being asked in the exam
  3. Use the standard resource for the preparation of the UPSC exam
  4. Think about all possible dimensions of preparing
  5.  Cross-check once and look if you have covered all topics or not
  6. Join a test series, solve mock tests and sample papers to analyze your performance
  7. based on the UPSC syllabus, set a timetable and create the study plan in a manner which can cover all syllabi
  8. Set a revision time daily
Additional reading:

Tips to Prepare for UPSC Syllabus 2024

To start your preparation for the upcoming UPSC exam, the candidates should download the syllabus for prelims, mains and optional papers. Once they analyze it carefully, they should thoroughly create a study plan to cover all the UPSC syllabus chapters. Here, we have mentioned the tips to prepare for the UPSC exam as follows –
  1. A lot of study material will be available in the market for the UPSC exam. So, we advise the candidates to select the books carefully for all the subjects.
  2. Refer to the UPSC books/syllabus carefully while completing the topic, so you know much time will it take to complete the topics and the sections to focus on.
  3. Once the candidates complete each section, practice UPSC’s previous year’s test papers to examine your preparation level.
  4. The candidates need to make sure that they revise the syllabus at least 3-4 times before the exam. Revision makes them improve their preparation and also their confidence level.
Check more here
Also read about Tips for UPSC Preparation

Best Books for UPSC Preparation

Here, we have mentioned a few books covering the UPSC exam syllabus. Every aspirant must refer to those books for preparation if they want to cover the complete syllabus without any issues. But before moving to these books, the candidates must complete the NCERT books first. Let’s take a look at the below-provided details for the best books for UPSC preparation –
Get the best books for complete syllabus coverage for UPSC prelims and mains curated by Unacademy starting at just 5499/-
History India’s Struggle for Independence – Bipin Chandra Indian Art, and Culture – Nitin Singhania NCERT books for Class 11-12
Geography NCERT Book GC Leong Atlas
Polity Indian Polity – M Laxmikanth
Economics Indian Economy – Ramesh Singh Economic Development & Policies in India – Jain and Ohri NCERT books Budget and economic surveys
UPSC Current Affairs Magazines. News-papers
Related Articles:
UPSC Books UPSC Calendar
UPSC Cut-off Analysis UPSC Eligibility Criteria
UPSC Exam Pattern UPSC Marking Scheme
UPSC Results UPSC Syllabus
UPSC Toppers UPSC Study Material

Download UPSC Prelims previous year questions

UPSC Prelims 2023 Questions with Answers Click here to Download
UPSC Prelims 2022 Questions with Answers Click here to Download
UPSC Prelims 2021 Questions with Answers Click here to Download
UPSC Prelims 2020 Questions with Answers Click here to Download
UPSC Prelims 2019 Questions with Answers Click here to Download
UPSC Prelims 2018 Questions with Answers Click here to Download
UPSC Prelims 2017 Questions with Answers Click here to Download
UPSC Prelims 2016 Questions with Answers Click here to Download
UPSC Prelims 2015 Questions with Answers Click here to Download
UPSC Prelims 2014 Questions with Answers Click here to Download
UPSC Prelims 2013 Questions with Answers Click here to Download
UPSC Prelims 2012 Questions with Answers Click here to Download
UPSC Prelims 2011 Questions with Answers Click here to Download
faq

UPSC Syllabus - Frequently Asked Questions

Read through the recently asked questions about UPSC syllabus.

What is the UPSC syllabus for the Civil Services Examination?

The UPSC syllabus for the Civil Services Examination consists of two compulsory papers: the Preliminary Examination and the Main Examination. The P...Read full

What are the best books to cover UPSC Geography syllabus?

Geography is the part of the prelims and mains. The candidates can refer to the NCERT books from class 6 to 12, G C Leong, India. The comprehensive...Read full

What are the important topics for UPSC History?

History will be asked in prelims exam, mains GS and also it is one of the optional subject. UPSC History syllabus includes the topic from modern, m...Read full

What are the important topics for UPSC Sociology?

The Sociology syllabus for the UPSC exam consists of 2 papers i.e. 1 and 2. The syllabus for Sociology Paper-1 includes the basic idea of the subje...Read full

Are UPSC Prelims and Mains syllabus different?

Yes, the syllabus for UPSC Prelims and Mains are different from each other so candidates should prepare accordingly....Read full

What are the compulsory subjects in the UPSC exam?

Out of 9 papers, 7 are compulsory papers while the English and Language paper is of qualifying nature. These compuls...Read full

What is the UPSC Prelims exam scheme?

The UPSC Prelims exam consists of 2 compulsory papers of 200 marks each of them.

What are the 7 papers in the UPSC mains?

In the UPSC mains exam, there are 7 papers that are counted for the merit list creation such as Essay, GS Paper  I,...Read full

What is the UPSC application form fee?

The candidates will have to pay the UPSC application fee of INR 100/-. There will be the exemption for the reserved category candidates belong to S...Read full

Will optional be removed from UPSC 2024?

No, the UPSC Mains exam still includes the Optional Subjects.

What subjects will be on the UPSC 2024 exam?

This exam is designed to gauge a candidate’s general knowledge of a variety of topics, including Indian Polity, Geography, History, Indian Ec...Read full

Is IAS syllabus tough?

The IAS (Indian Administrative Service) syllabus is considered challenging due to its vast coverage and depth of subjects. The syllabus encompasses...Read full

Are there any specific subjects or areas within the IAS syllabus known to be particularly challenging?

While the difficulty level may vary from individual to individual, subjects like economics, polity, and current affairs require thorough understand...Read full

Can I choose my Optional Subject in the IAS exam?

Yes, candidates can choose one Optional Subject from a list provided by UPSC. This allows them to specialize in an area of their interest or expert...Read full

What is the significance of the IAS syllabus?

The IAS syllabus guides aspirants in their preparation, helping them focus on essential subjects and topics required for the exam.

What is the qualification for UPSC civil service?

To be eligible for the UPSC civil service, you must provide evidence of graduation from a recognized central or state university. A valid bachelor&...Read full