UPSC Exam Pattern
Regarded amongst the toughest exams in the world; UPSC. Here’s a deep insight on the exam pattern of UPSC to crack it with clean path in mind.
February 21, 2022
Career Expert & Blogger
Exam Stages & Pattern of UPSC
The Civil Services exam is carried through a three-stage process namely, Prelims, Mains and Interview. While the prelims section tests the basic understanding of topics from an array of subjects like Science, Economics, Social Studies, etc., and aptitudes like verbal ability and comprehension, the Mains UPSC syllabus is much more advanced and comprehensive. The following sections shed more light on the complete exam pattern and the topics covered under each paper.
Prelims
|
Paper |
Type |
Marks |
Duration |
|
General Studies-I |
Qualifying [Not Counted towards Final Ranking]Candidates have to qualify for the cut-off as declared by the commission |
200 |
2 hours |
|
General Studies-II (CSAT) |
Qualifying [Not Counted towards Final Ranking, i.e, only 33% marks required] |
200 |
2 hours |
Mains
|
Paper-I |
Essay |
250 |
3 hours |
|
Paper-II |
General Studies I |
250 |
3 hours |
|
Paper-III |
General Studies II |
250 |
3 hours |
|
Paper-IV |
General Studies III |
250 |
3 hours |
|
Paper V |
General Studies IV |
250 |
3 hours |
|
Paper VI |
Optional Subject Paper I |
250 |
3 hours |
|
Paper VII |
Optional Subject Paper II |
250 |
3 hours |
|
Paper VIII |
Paper A-Indian Language* [Qualifying Paper] |
300 |
3 hours |
|
Paper IX |
Paper B-English Language [Qualifying Paper] |
300 |
3 hours |
|
Interview |
Personality Test |
275 |
– |
|
– |
– |
2025** |
– |
UPSC Syllabus Prelims
Comprising of two papers on general studies, the preliminary section of the Civil Services Exam acts as a screening test of candidates for eventual selection. Ranging from questions on current affairs, Indian and World Polity, Governance, History, and Basic Sciences to questions testing mental ability, communication and problem-solving skills, the UPSC Syllabus for prelims is vast and only a handful of candidates go through the next stage. Tabulated below are the topic covered under this level:
UPSC Syllabus for General Studies Paper (Prelims Paper I)
- General Science
- Indian Polity and Governance – Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, etc
- General Issues on Environmental Ecology, Biodiversity and Climate Change
- Current Events of National and International Importance
- History of India and Indian National Development
- India and World Geography
- Economic and Social Development
UPSC Syllabus for CSAT Paper (Prelims Paper-II)
- General Mental Ability
- Logical Reasoning
- Decision Making and Problem Solving
- Interpersonal Skills
- Communication Skills
- Basic Numeracy
- Data Interpretation
UPSC Syllabus Mains
Coming to the Mains section of the UPSC syllabus, it consists of 9 papers out of which the English Paper and Indian Language Paper are qualifying but securing at least 33% on both is necessary. Further, candidates need to select an optional subject on which two papers of 300 marks each shall be conducted.
|
Paper |
Topics |
|
Essay |
Topic-Based |
|
General Studies I |
Indian Heritage & Culture, Modern Indian History, Indian Society & Issues, Indian Flora & Fauna, Indian Industries World History & Geography, Disasters, etc |
|
General Studies II |
Indian Constitution, Union & States, Indian Political System- Legislature, Executive and Judiciary, Representation of People’s Act, Constitutional Bodies, Govt Policies & Welfare Schemes, Issues, International Issues and Relations, Transnational Institutions, etc |
|
General Studies III |
Indian Economy & its Issues-planning, development, mobilization of resources, growth and employment, land Reforms in India, Indian Infrastructure, Investment Models, Technological developments, Security Issues, Biodiversity, Environment, Disaster Management, etc. |
|
General Studies IV |
Ethics and HR, Emotional intelligence, Moral and Political Attitude, Contribution of leading Thinkers and Philosophers of the World, Public Service Values, Probity in Governance, Case Studies |
|
Optional Subject Paper I & II |
Any One Subject from History; Geography; Economics; Sociology; Public Administration; Philosophy; Psychology; Political Science; Agriculture; Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Science; Anthropology; Botany; Chemistry; Civil Engineering; Commerce; Electrical Engineering; Geology; Law; Mathematics, Management; Mechanical Engineering; Medical Science; Physics; Statistics; Zoology or Literature {English, Hindi, Bengali, Assamese, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, Sanskrit, Sindhi, Punjabi Bodo, Dogri, Gujarati, Kashmiri, Kannada, Konkani, Oriya, Nepali, Santhali, Manipuri, Marathi, Maithilli} |
|
Paper A-Indian Language* [Qualifying Paper] |
English, Hindi*, Bengali, Assamese, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, Sanskrit*, Sindhi**, Punjabi Bodo*, Dogri*, Gujarati, Kashmiri, Kannada, Konkani*, Oriya, Nepali*, Santhali***, Manipuri, Marathi*, Maithili* |
|
Paper B-English Language [Qualifying Paper] |
Essay, Reading Comprehension, Precis Writing, and Translation |
List of UPSC Syllabus for Optional Subjects
The UPSC Mains syllabus contains a list of 48 elective subjects, including literature in various languages. Candidates must select one of the “optional subjects” from the following list of subjects:
- Agriculture
- Animal Husbandry
- Economics
- Law
- Management
- History
- Mathematics
- Botany
- Chemistry
- Civil Engineering
- Sociology
- Statistics
- Psychology
- Physics
- Medical Science
- Mechanical Engineering
- Zoology, etc
Public Administration Optional for UPSC
There are mainly two papers in the Public Administration optional for UPSC with Paper 1 having 12 and Paper 2 having 14 subjects.
|
Public Administration Paper 1 – Administrative Theory |
Public Administration Paper 2 – |
|
Introduction |
Evolution of Indian Administration |
|
Administrative Thought |
Philosophical and Constitutional Framework of Government |
|
Administrative Behaviour |
Public Sector Undertakings |
|
Organizations |
Plans and Priorities |
|
Accountability |
Union Government and Administration |
|
Administrative Law |
Civil Services |
|
Development Dynamics |
Financial Management |
|
Comparative Public Administration |
State Government and Administration |
|
Public Policy |
District Administration since Independence |
|
Personnel Administration |
Administrative Reforms Since Independence |
|
Technique of Administrative Empowerment |
Rural Development |
|
Financial Administration |
Urban Local Government |
|
Law and Order Administration |
|
|
Significant Issues in Indian Administration |
|
Main topics |
Sub Topics |
|
Economic Growth and Development |
The basic concept and definition of economy and economics. Its uses and transfer of resources, distributive effects, macro and microeconomic policy, micro-macro balance, the distributive impact of economic policies, development versus growth, determinant of growth and development, concepts such as HPI/MPI, HDI, PQLI, GEM, GDI/GII, TAI, Green index, sustainable development, India’s ranking in the various indices. |
|
Poverty |
Definitions, causes, distribution-deprivation, income versus calories, measurement of poverty, the status of poverty, eradication programmes, poverty and resource policy, tribal rights and issues, livelihood mission. |
|
Inclusion |
Definition, relevance, types, financial inclusion, recent initiatives. |
|
Demographics |
Census Data, populations by gender, by state, by age group, socio-economic status, caste, religion, literacy levels, etc. Trends in human development – interstate comparison, etc. |
|
Fiscal policy |
Definition, component, receipts, revenue and capital account, tax revenue, expenditure, budget. |
|
Features of Indian Economy |
DIvision of economic activities, poverty, unemployment, HDR, measures to eradicate poverty |
|
Basic Economic Indicators |
National income, price index, production, population, foreign trade |
|
Population |
Growth, census, consumption pattern (energy) |
|
National income |
Concepts, Methods of Calculation |
|
Agriculture |
Crops, seasons, agricultural credit agencies, Kisan Credit agencies, land reforms, insurance, green, white, blue, yellow revolutions, irrigation |
|
Industry |
Industrial policies (1948, 1956, 1991), small scale industries, key industries, industrial sickness, the different committees, disinvestment, PSU policy, industrial finance |
|
Foreign trade |
Composition, direction, EXIM policy, WTO, the balance of payments, measures to improve foreign trade |
|
Money and Banking |
Money market, credit control (different rates), commercial banks, cooperative banks, NBFCs, committees, SEBI, stock market developments, the insurance industry, new banking sector reforms, money supply measures, inflation, deflation |
|
Planning commission |
Five-year plans |
|
Public finance |
Finance commission, taxation, deficit financing, public spending and debt |
Anthropology Syllabus UPSC
Anthropology is one of the important topics of UPSC and it’s important to know the syllabus for better preparation and building exam strategy. Here are some of the topics covered in the Anthropology syllabus for UPSC:
- Meaning, scope, and development of Anthropology.
- Relationship with other disciplines: History, Economics, Sociology, Psychology, Political Science, Life Science, Medical Science.
- Main branches of Anthropology, their scope, and relevance
- Human Evolution and the Emergence of Man
- Phylogenetic status, characteristics
- Principles of Prehistoric Archaeology. Chronology: Relative and Absolute Dating methods
- Characteristics of Primates
- The Nature of Society & Culture
- The biological basis of life
- Marriage, Family & Kinship
- Political organization and Social Control
