What is UPSC Syllabus?

The UPSC syllabus is divided into two parts: Prelims and Mains. The Prelims consist of General Studies and CSAT, while the Mains include General Studies, an Essay paper, Optional Subject papers, and Language papers. After Mains, candidates appear for an Interview to assess their suitability for civil services.

What is the exam pattern for UPSC Prelims?

The Prelims exam has two papers: General Studies Paper-I, which covers subjects like history, polity, geography, and current events, and CSAT Paper-II, a qualifying paper that tests aptitude in reasoning, comprehension, and basic numeracy. Both papers are objective-type. CSAT is designed to assess analytical and decision-making abilities.

Can I complete UPSC syllabus in 7 months?

Yes, with dedication and a systematic approach, it's possible to prepare for the UPSC in 6 months. Careful planning can lead to success despite the vast syllabus and competitive nature.

Can an aspirant download the UPSC Syllabus in Marathi?

UPSC IAS Syllabus is published in English/Hindi languages. One can download the official IAS Syllabus PDF in the same languages only.

What are the subjects in UPSC?

UPSC syllabus have different subjects under GS-I to GS-IV. GS Paper 1 has History, Geography and Indian Society as main subjects GS Paper 2 has Indian Polity, Governance, Constitution, and International Relations GS Paper 3 has Indian Economy, Science & Technology, Agriculture, Environment as important subjects GS Paper 4 has Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude.

What is the main syllabus of UPSC?

The UPSC syllabus covers a wide range of topics across multiple subjects. Key areas include: English and Indian Languages: Comprehension, Precis Writing, Usage, Vocabulary, Essays, and Translation. General Studies: Topics include Indian Heritage, History, Geography, Polity, Social Justice, Economy, Technology, Environment, Security, and Ethics. Optional Subjects: Candidates choose from a list of subjects like Geography, History, Sociology, Philosophy, and others.

Does UPSC have mathematics?

Yes, Mathematics is one of the popular optional subjects for UPSC Main Examination.

Is there any change in UPSC syllabus 2025?

The UPSC syllabus has remained unchanged since 2013, following a long period of stability. Previously, there were two optional papers and no CSAT. No syllabus changes are expected at this time.

Do IAS questions repeat?

Yes! UPSC papers have repetitions of questions from previous year's papers, but only for certain topics.

Are UPSC Prelims and Mains syllabus different?

Yes, the syllabus for UPSC Prelims and Mains are slightly different from each other so candidates should prepare by understanding the syllabus properly

What is the importance of the UPSC Syllabus 2025?

The UPSC Syllabus 2025 helps candidates in understanding the exam pattern, the types of questions asked, and the level of difficulty. It provides a roadmap for candidates to prepare for the exam and focus on the relevant topics.

UPSC Syllabus 2025 for IAS Prelims, Mains and Optional Subjects

Table of Contents

The Union Public Service Commission has released the official syllabus for the 2025 Civil Services Exam. If you are preparing for the exam, it is important to know the syllabus. This article covers important topics for both Prelims and Mains, including History, Polity, Geography, Economics, Current Affairs, Internal Security, Environment, Science, Technology, and more. Use this to plan your studies and prepare effectively.

UPSC Syllabus and Exam Pattern

The UPSC Civil Services Exam 2025 will be held on 25 May 2025, according to the updated UPSC Calander 2025. The exam has two stages: Prelims and Mains, followed by an interview. The Prelims include two papers: General Studies Paper-I and CSAT (which is qualifying). Candidates who pass the Prelims will move on to the Mains, a descriptive exam that affects the final merit list.

UPSC New Syllabus Highlights
Particulars	Prelims	Mains
UPSC Exam Date	25 May 2025	22 August 2025
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 Exam Pattern 2025

Here is the exam pattern, including the total number of papers and the overall marks. It covers the structure and marks distribution for the exam.

UPSC Exam Pattern 2025
Stages	Papers	Total Papers	Marks
Phase 1	UPSC Prelims	2 Papers	400
Phase 2	UPSC Mains	9 Papers	1750
Phase 3	UPSC Interview	–	275
Final Merit List is based on UPSC Mains + Interview Marks = 2025 Marks

UPSC Prelims Exam Pattern 2025

The UPSC Prelims is the first stage of the Civil Services Exam, used to shortlist candidates for the Mains. The marks from Prelims is not considered for the final result. It includes two objective papers on history, Polity, Geography, Economics, current events, and important topics from India and the world, totaling 400 marks.

UPSC Prelims Exam Pattern 2025
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 Prelims Exam details: Overview
Nature of Questions	MCQ
Positive Marking	General Studies: +2 CSAT: +2.5
Negative marking	General Studies: -0.66 CSAT: -0.83
Syllabus for General Studies 1	Indian Polity Geography History and Art and Culture Economy Science and Technology Environment and Ecology International Relations Current Affairs
Syllabus for CSAT	Logical Reasoning Comprehension Data interpretation Quantitative Aptitude

UPSC Mains Exam Pattern 2025

Candidates who pass the UPSC Prelims exam can appear for the Mains exam. The Mains consist of two qualifying papers and seven regular papers, and the marks from these papers are used to prepare the final merit list.

UPSC IAS Mains Exam Pattern
Qualifying Papers
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

The Indian Language (Paper A) and English (Paper B) are qualifying papers; their marks are not considered for ranking.
These language papers are at Matriculation or equivalent standard.
Candidates must score at least 25% in both the Indian Language and English papers to have their Essay, General Studies, and
Optional Subject papers considered for merit.
Only marks from Paper I-VII will count for the final ranking.
The Main exam papers will be of essay-type, with each paper lasting 3 hours.
Candidates can answer all papers, except the qualifying language ones, in any language from the Eighth Schedule or in English.
All papers (except language literature) will be available in Hindi and English.
Blind candidates and those with locomotor disabilities or cerebral palsy will receive 20 minutes of extra time per hour for both Prelims and Mains.

UPSC Syllabus 2025 for Prelims Exam

To prepare for the UPSC Prelims 2025, it is important to understand the syllabus. Below, we have provided the syllabus for General Studies Paper 1 (GS 1) and CSAT (Paper 2) to guide you better.

GS Paper 1 consists of the following topics as mentioned in the UPSC syllabus for prelims.

Current events of National and international importance
Indian & World Geography
History of India & Indian National Movement
General Science
Economic and Social Development, Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives, etc.
Indian Polity and Governance: Public Policy, Rights Issues, Panchayati Raj, Political System, and Constitution, among Other
General issues on Environmental ecology, Bio-diversity & climate change – that do not require subject specialization

GS Paper 2 (CSAT) covers the following topics for UPSC Syllabus 2025

The UPSC Syllabus 2025 for Prelims CSAT consists of 80 questions on specific areas, with a maximum mark of 200. You have two hours to finish the questions. UPSC administers the CSAT exam in the evening.

Logical reasoning & analytical ability.
Interpersonal skills including communication skills.
Basic numeracy and data interpretation.
Decision-making & problem-solving.
General mental ability.

UPSC Syllabus 2025 for Mains Exam

The UPSC Mains Exam consists of 4 GS + 2 optional + 1 Essay paper + 2 qualifying papers. This section goes over the UPSC syllabus for mains in great depth. It is advised that you thoroughly read this article to have a solid understanding of this section as this section will be crucial in deciding your ranking in the final merit list of the UPSC CSE 2025.

UPSC Mains Result 2024

UPSC Syllabus for Mains Language Paper

The questions would follow the following general pattern in both the English Language and in Indian Language.

Section	Topic	Description
English Language	Comprehension	Understanding and interpreting given passages.
	Precis Writing	Summarizing passages.
	Usage and Vocabulary	Correct use of words and understanding their meanings.
	Short Essays	Writing brief, coherent essays.
Indian Languages	Comprehension	Understanding and interpreting given passages.
	Precis Writing	Summarizing passages.
	Usage and Vocabulary	Correct use of words and understanding their meanings.
	Short Essays	Writing brief, coherent essays.
	Translation	Translating from English to the Indian language and vice-versa.

UPSC Syllabus 2025 for Essay Exam

In the exam, you will be asked to write essays on different topics, with a word limit of 1000-1250 words. It is important to stay on topic, keep your writing clear and to the point, and organize your ideas in a logical way. You will be rewarded for expressing your thoughts clearly and accurately. A helpful tip is to practice writing on philosophical topics to improve your skills.

UPSC Syllabus for GS Paper I

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

Indian culture will cover the salient aspects of Art Forms, literature, and Architecture from ancient to modern times.
Modern Indian history from about the middle of the eighteenth century until the present- significant events, personalities, and issues.
The Freedom Struggle its various stages and important contributors/contributions from different parts of the country.
Post-independence consolidation and reorganization within the country.
History of the world will include events from the 18th century such as the Industrial Revolution, world wars, redrawal of national boundaries, colonization, decolonization, political philosophies like communism, capitalism, socialism, etc.— their forms and effects on society.
Salient features of Indian Society, Diversity of India.
Role of women and women’s organization, population and associated issues, poverty and developmental issues, urbanization, their problems, and their remedies.
Effects of globalization on Indian society.
Social empowerment, communalism, regionalism & secularism.
Salient features of the world’s physical geography.
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).
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 flora and fauna and the effects of such changes.

UPSC Syllabus for GS Paper II

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 about the federal structure, devolution of powers and finances up to local levels, and challenges therein.
Separation of powers between various organs disputes redressal mechanisms and institutions.
Comparison of the Indian constitutional scheme with that of other countries.
Parliament and State legislatures—structure, functioning, conduct of business, powers & privileges, and issues arising out of these.
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.
Appointment to various Constitutional posts, powers, functions, and responsibilities of various Constitutional Bodies.
Statutory, regulatory, and various quasi-judicial bodies.
Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.
Development processes and the development industry —the role of NGOs, SHGs, various groups and associations, donors, charities, institutional and other stakeholders.
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.
Issues relating to the development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, and Human Resources.
Issues relating to poverty and hunger.
Important aspects of governance, transparency and accountability, e-governance- applications, models, successes, limitations, and potential; citizens charters, transparency & accountability, and institutional and other measures.
Role of civil services in a democracy.
India and its neighborhood- relations.
Bilateral, regional, and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests.
Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests, Indian diaspora.
Important International institutions, agencies, and fora – their structure, mandate.

UPSC Syllabus For GS Paper III

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

Topic	Description
Indian Economy	Issues relating to planning, mobilization of resources, growth, development, and employment.
Agriculture	Major crop-cropping patterns, irrigation types and systems, storage, transport, and marketing of agricultural produce, issues, and constraints; e-technology in aid of farmers.
Science and Technology	Developments and their applications and effects in everyday life.
Science & Technology	Achievements of Indians, indigenization of technology, development of new technology, Awareness in IT, Space, Computers, robotics, Nano-technology, biotechnology, and intellectual property rights issues.
Environment	Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment.
Disaster Management	Disaster and disaster management.
Internal Security	Role of external state and non-state actors in creating challenges, challenges through communication networks, role of media and social networking, basics of cyber security, money-laundering prevention.

UPSC Syllabus For GS Paper IV

The Ethics, Integrity, and Aptitude paper tests candidates on their honesty, moral values in public life, and ability to solve social issues and conflicts. It may include case studies to assess these qualities. The important areas covered in this paper include.

Topic	Description
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.
Attitude	Content, structure, function; its influence and relation with thought and behavior; 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, utilities, and application in administration and governance.
Moral Thinkers and Philosophers	Contributions 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	Case studies on the above issues.

UPSC Syllabus for Optional Subjects

In the UPSC Mains, there are two Optional Subject papers (Paper I and Paper II). Candidates must choose one subject from the list provided, and the chosen subject will have two papers. The following are the available Optional Subjects:

UPSC Mains Optional Subjects List 2025
UPSC Agriculture Syllabus	UPSC Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science Syllabus	UPSC Anthropology Syllabus	UPSC Botany Syllabus	UPSC Chemistry Syllabus
UPSC Civil Engineering Syllabus	UPSC Commerce and Accountancy Syllabus	UPSC Economics Syllabus	UPSC Electrical Engineering Syllabus	UPSC Geography Syllabus
Statistics	Sociology	Physics	Philosophy	Medical Science
Political Science and International Relations	Public Administration	Psychology	Mechanical Engineering	Mathematics
Zoology	Geology	History	Management	Law

Literature in any of the following languages
English	Malayalam	Manipuri	Marathi	Nepali
Odia	Punjabi	Sanskrit	Santhali	Sindhi
Tamil	Telugu	Urdu	Assamese	Bengali
Bodo	Dogri	Gujarati	Hindi	Kannada
Kashmiri	Konkani	Maithili	Malayalam	–

UPSC Interview Syllabus

The UPSC Interview is the final step in the exam process, focusing on general knowledge and world affairs. There is no specific syllabus, and it aims to assess if a candidate is fit for a civil service role. The interview is of 275 marks, while the written exams are worth 1750 marks in total.

UPSC Syllabus for Interview
Total Marks	275
Location	Union Public Service Commission Head Office, New Delhi
Dress Code	Formal Attire

UPSC 2025 Syllabus PDF Download

Before the UPSC exam, candidates should download the UPSC Syllabus 2025 PDF. To succeed, candidates should first clear all the topics available in the syllabus thoroughly and focus on frequently asked questions.

How to Download UPSC CSE Syllabus PDF

Step 1: Official UPSC Website

Go to the official website of the UPSC (https://www.upsc.gov.in/).

Step 2: Click the Syllabus Section

On the homepage, find the Examination tab and click on it. From the drop-down menu, select Syllabus.

Step 3: Choose the Civil Service Exam

In the Syllabus section, you will find a list of all UPSC examinations. Select the Civil Service Exam.

Step 4: Download the Syllabus

Click on the link and the syllabus will be displayed in PDF format ready to be downloaded for your reference.

Preparation Tips to Cover the UPSC Syllabus 2025

To cover the UPSC syllabus effectively, here are some good strategies:

Read the newspaper daily to stay updated on world affairs.
Complete NCERTs from classes 6 to 12 for a strong base in History, Polity, Geography, and Economics.
Solve Previous Year Papers to understand the exam pattern and question types.
After completing the syllabus, candidates should do daily mock tests.
Revise regularly daily, weekly, and monthly to boost your learning.

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