UPSC Syllabus for 2023 | UPSC IAS Syllabus

UPSC civil service exam is considered the toughest and most prestigious exam conducted in India. Union Public Service Commission has released the UPSC Syllabus for the Civil Services Examination (CSE) 2023.  here we provide you with the complete syllabus for UPSC prelims, UPSC Mains exam, And UPSC Optional subjects. 

UPSC IAS syllabus plays an important role in UPSC preparation. It helps to eliminate unnecessary topics And helps students to study what is required by UPSC. You can download UPSC Syllabus Pdf for further study. 

UPSC Syllabus in Detail

As you know syllabus provided by UPSC is not so elaborated UPSC aspirants always face difficulty in understanding the IAS Syllabus. That’s why we provide the UPSC IAS syllabus in detail. To read a detailed UPSC Syllabus you are advised to visit the below link here we provide UPSC IAS Syllabus in detail. We break topics into sub-topic so that students can easily understand what to study.

UPSC Syllabus
UPSC Syllabus

UPSC Exam Pattern

Before going to the syllabus we advise you to know the UPSC exam pattern. UPSC conducts a common exam for many services such as Indian Administrative Services, Indian Police Service, Indian Foreign Service, Indian Revenue Service, Etc. There is a common UPSC syllabus for all these exams. 

you can Download UPSC’s latest notification here:- Download

UPSC CSE exam is conducted in three different phases.

  • Phase 1: Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination (Objective Type) – General Studies & CSAT
  • Phase 2: Civil Services (Mains) Examination (Descriptive Type) – 9 Theory Papers (GS I-IV, Language Papers, Essay & Optional)
  • Phase 3: Personal Interview (Personality Test)

UPSC IAS syllabus for different phases is different. The syllabus of UPSC mains is much more comprehensive than UPSC Prelims syllabus as this stage comprises nine theory papers.

UPSC Prelims Exam Pattern

UPSC Civil Services Prelims Examination is comprised of two compulsory Papers of 200 marks each. 

Paper

Subjects

Total Marks

Duration

I

General Studies (GS)

200

2 hours (9:30 AM to 11:30 AM)

II

CSAT

200

2 hours (2:30 PM to 4:30 PM)

UPSC Prelims Exam Pattern

Note:   

  • Both the question papers will be of the objective type (multiple choice questions) and each will be of two hours duration. 
  • The General Studies Paper-II of the Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination will be a qualifying paper with minimum qualifying marks fixed at 33%.
  • The question papers will be set both in Hindi and English.

UPSC Mains Exam Pattern (1750 Marks)

  • The candidates who successfully qualify prelims exam are allowed to write the UPSC mains exam.
  • The Mains Exam is intended to assess the overall intellectual traits and depth of understanding of candidates
  • The UPSC Mains exam consists of 9 papers, out of which two are qualifying papers of 300 marks each.
  • The two qualifying papers are:
    • English Language Paper
    • Any Indian Language Paper
  • The qualifying standard in these qualifying papers is 25% of the total marks.
  • If a candidate does not qualify in these language papers, then the marks obtained by such candidates in the papers on Essay, General Studies, and Optional Subject will not be considered or counted.

Structure of UPSC Mains Paper:- 

Paper

Subject

Marks

Paper – IEssay (can be written in the medium of the candidate’s choice)
Essay (can be written in the medium of the candidate’s choice)
250
Paper-IIGeneral Studies – I (Indian Heritage & Culture, History & Geography of the World & Society)250
Paper – IIIGeneral Studies – II (Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice & International Relations)250
Paper – IVGeneral Studies – III (Technology, Economic Development, Biodiversity, Security & Disaster Management)250
Paper – VGeneral Studies – IV (Ethics, Integrity & Aptitude)250
Paper – VIOptional Subject – Paper I250
Paper – VIIOptional Subject – Paper II250
 Total1750
UPSC Mains Exam Pattern

These seven papers can be written in any of the languages mentioned under the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution of India or in English.

Structure of Language Paper:- 

Paper

Subject

Marks

Paper – IEnglish300
Paper-IIAny Indian Language300
UPSC Mains Language Paper Pattern

The types of questions asked in the language paper are –

  1. Essay – 100 marks
  2. Reading comprehension – 60 marks
  3. Precis Writing – 60 marks
  4. Translation:
    1. English to compulsory language (e.g. Hindi) – 20 marks
    2. Compulsory language to English – 20 marks
  5. Grammar and basic language usage – 40 marks

IAS Interview/ UPSC Personality Test (275 Marks)

  • Candidates who qualify for the UPSC Mains Exam will be called for the ‘Personality Test/Interview’. These candidates will be interviewed 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 by a board of competent and unbiased observers.
  • The Interview/Personality Test is intended to judge the mental calibre ( qualities and analytical ability) of a candidate.
  • Some of the qualities to be judged are mental alertness, critical powers of assimilation,  clear and logical exposition, the balance of judgment,  variety, and depth of interest, the ability for social cohesion and leadership, and intellectual and moral integrity.  

UPSC Syllabus PDF

We provide the UPSC Exam syllabus PDF in both English and Hindi language. The direct link to download the UPSC exam syllabus is mentioned below. It is highly recommended that you download the IAS Syllabus PDF and read it thoroughly. The syllabus for the UPSC CSE is vast and takes time to complete the entire syllabus, therefore it is highly crucial that you remember the topics to be covered.

Download: Latest UPSC Syllabus PDF for Prelims & Mains

UPSC Syllabus in Hindi 

The direct link to download the IAS syllabus in Hindi is mentioned below.

download UPSC SYllabus in Hindi Pdf

UPSC Prelims Syllabus

As we already discussed in the exam pattern that there are two papers in the UPSC Prelims exam. The syllabus for UPSC Prelims for both exams is given below.

UPSC Prelims General Studies Paper – I Syllabus

  • 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

CSAT/ General Studies 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 Mains Syllabus

As you know that there are a total of nine exams conducted in UPSC mains exams. The syllabus for UPSC Mains includes the syllabus for all nine exams.

UPSC Mains Syllabus – GS Paper 1

The UPSC GS Paper 1 mains includes the IAS syllabus for history, geography, society, and Indian culture. Check the detailed UPSC syllabus for GS 1 below.

UPSC Mains Syllabus Art & Culture:-

  • Salient aspects of Art Forms, Literature, and Architecture from ancient to modern times.

UPSC Mains Syllabus- History:-

  • Modern Indian history from about the middle of the eighteenth century until the present- significant events, personalities, 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.
  • The history of the world will include events from the 18th century such as
  • the Industrial Revolution, world wars, redrawing of national boundaries, colonization, decolonization,
  • Political philosophies like communism, capitalism, socialism, etc.- their forms and effect on society.

UPSC Mains Syllabus- Indian Society:-

  • Salient features of Indian Society, Diversity of India, Population and associated issues,
  • Role of women and women’s organization,
  • Effects of globalization on Indian society,
  • Poverty and developmental issues,
  • Social empowerment, communalism, regionalism & secularism,
  • Urbanization, their problems, and their remedies.

UPSC Mains Syllabus- Geography:-

  • Salient features of the world’s physical geography.
  • Distribution of essential 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, Tsunami, 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.

UPSC Mains Syllabus – GS Paper 2

The General Studies paper 2 of the IAS syllabus includes topics from Polity, Governance, and IR. Check the detailed syllabus below.

UPSC Syllabus – Polity

  • 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
  • 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, the 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

UPSC Syllabus – Governance

  • 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 the development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, 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.

UPSC Syllabus – International Relations

  • India and its neighbourhood – 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 GS Paper 3

UPSC CSE syllabus for GS 3 covers Economics, Science & Tech, and Internal Security. The focus areas of the IAS Syllabus for GS 3 are mentioned below

UPSC Syllabus- Economics

  • Macroeconomics and Economic Development in India along with Banking, International Organisations, Money Market, and Capital Market.

UPSC Syllabus- Science & Technology

  • Nuclear Energy, Space Technology with recent missions,
  • Defence Technology, Dark Matter, Higgs Boson, GM Crops,
  • Current Affairs and Awareness in the fields of IT, Space, Computers, robotics, nanotechnology, biotechnology

UPSC Syllabus- Biodiversity

  • Types of Biodiversity, Environment, Conservation, environmental pollution, and degradation, environmental impact assessment

UPSC Syllabus- Security

  • Internal Security Challenges in India, Extremism, Terrorism, Money-Laundering

UPSC Syllabus- Disaster Management

  • PM Cares Fund, recent Government steps, National Disaster Management Plan

UPSC Syllabus for GS Paper 4 (Ethics)

The ethics section is as per GS paper 4 in the UPSC Syllabus. This was the latest addition to the IAS syllabus in 2013 which also includes various case studies to judge the practical aspects of the administrative job. The ethics UPSC syllabus is divided into three sections- ethics, integrity, and aptitude.

This section of the UPSC exam syllabus will feature questions designed to assess the candidates’ attitudes and approaches to topics such as honesty, public probity, and his problem-solving approach to a variety of challenges and conflicts he may confront in interacting with society. To identify these features, questions may use a case study technique.

  • 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, Empathy, Impartiality and Non-partisanship, Objectivity, Tolerance, Dedication to Public Service, and Compassion towards the weaker sections.
  • Emotional Intelligence
  • Contributions of Moral Thinkers and Philosophers from India and the World
  • Public/Civil Service Values and Ethics in Public Administration
  • Probity in Governance