The Civil Service Examination(CSE) that is conducted by UPSC is the only exam that you can appear to become an IAS officer. We know this is the hardest entrance exam in our country but it is achievable. Students who read all the topics thoroughly and remember all that can easily. But it is not easy to cover all the topics as the syllabus is very vast. You should make a strategy to cover all the syllabus. But first, you have to know the syllabus given by the UPSC to get succeeded.
Here we will provide you the complete syllabus of 2021 released by UPSC. You can also download it in pdf format.
We also provide the best books for every subject for your preparation. The books we provide are recommended by many toppers. If you like these books then you can definitely check it out.
Download UPSC Syllabus DOWNLOAD PDF
You can also visit How to become an IAS Officer to the detailed path
The Civil Service Examination has three phases or three stages. You have to qualify in the first stage to appear in the second stage and similarly, you have to qualify in 2nd stage to appear in the next or final stage. The phases are:-
- Civil Services Preliminary Examination [Objective type]
- Civil Services Mains Examination [Subjective type]
- Personal Interview [Personality test]
You have to qualify above all three stages to become an IAS officer. So let's know the three phases in detail.
1. Civil Services Preliminary Examination
This is the first phase of the UPSC CSE examination. You have to qualify for this phase to get qualify for the next phase. This Preliminary exam consists of 2 papers. Both papers have 200 marks each and have an objective type of questions. The total marks of the preliminary examination are 400 marks
The two paper of civil services preliminary exam are:-
- General Studies(GS)
- Civil Services Aptitude Test(CSAT)
Download UPSC CSE Prelims Syllabus DOWNLOAD PDF
1. General Studies(GS)
This is the first paper for the aspirants who appear in the CSE exams. It is a 2 hours examination. Generally, the timing of the exam is 9.30 to 11.30. This paper is meant to test the general awareness of the aspirants. This exam is probably conducted from June to July of 2021. This mark will be added to your merit list.
The questions that are asked in the IAS preliminary GS (Paper 1) is mainly from Indian Polity, geography, History, Indian Economy, Science and Technology, International relation, Environment and Ecology, and Current Affairs.
- Duration of exam 🠞 2hr
- Timing 🠞 9.30-11.30
- Marks 🠞 200 marks
- Total no. of Questions 🠞 100
- Does it have negative marking? 🠞 Yes
- negative marking 🠞 1/3rd of the mark of that question
- For each wrong answer mark deducted 🠞 0.66
GS (Prelims Paper I) Syllabus for UPSC CSE/IAS
The following are the General Studies Preliminary Paper I syllabus provided by UPSC for CSE.
- History of India and Indian National Movement.
- Current Events of National and International importance.
- Indian and World Geography 🠞 Physical, Social, Economic Geography of India and the World.
- Indian Polity and Governance 🠞 Political System, Constitution, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues, etc.
- Economics and Social Development 🠞 Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Sustainable development, Social Sector Initiatives, etc.
- General Science
- General Issues on Environmental Ecology, Biodiversity, and Climate Change
Best Books Recommended by Topper's
- For History- India's Struggle for Independence by Bipin Chandra.View Here
- For History- NCRT Books for 11th and 12th both old and new. View Here
- For Geography- Physical Geography by GC Leong. View Here
- For Politics- Indian Polity by M Laximikant. View Here
- For Economy- Indian Economy by Ramesh Singh. View Here
2. Civil Services Aptitude Test(CSAT)
CSAT is the 2nd paper of the UPSC CSE Prelims examination. It is a qualifying paper that means you have to only pass in this paper to be eligible to go to the next phase. It is a 2-hour examination. Generally, the timing of the exam is between 2.30 to 4.30. This paper is meant to test the candidate's knowledge in reasoning and analytical skills. Sometimes this will also test the candidate's recession making knowledge.
- Duration of exam 🠞 2hr
- Timing 🠞 2.30 to 4.30 p.m
- Marks 🠞 200 marks
- Total no of Questions 🠞80
- Does it have negative marking 🠞 Yes
- Negative marking 🠞 1/3rd of the mark of that question
- For each wrong answer mark deducted 🠞 0.833
Worry about how to Prepare?
Visit- Best YouTube Channel For IAS Preparation.
CSAT (Prelims Paper-II) Syllabus for UPSC CSE/IAS
The following are the Civil Services Aptitude Test(CSAT) Preliminary Paper-II provided by UPSC for CSE.
- Comprehension
- Interpersonal skills
- Logical reasoning and analytical ability
- Decision making and Problem-solving
- General Mental ability
- Basics Numeracy
2. Civil Services Mains Examination
This is the 2nd phase of the UPSC CSE/IAS examination. You are only eligible to appear in the main exam only after successfully qualify in the first phase of the examination i.e Civil Services Preliminary examination.
This phase contains 1750 marks. This phase has a total of 9 papers. Out of the 9 paper, 2 papers is the qualifying papers i.e only you have to secure the passing marks and these two papers are language paper. Thes two language papers are:-
- Any Indian Language Paper that you choose
- English Language Paper
These language papers have 300 marks each.
Question Pattern of the Language Paper
The following are the mark distribution system according to the type of questions.
- Essay 🠞 100 Mark
- Comprehension 🠞 60 Marks
- Precis Writing 🠞 60 Marks
- Translation 🠞 40 Marks
- Grammar and basic language knowledge 🠞 40 Marks
The rest 7 papers are the paper that you can write in any language that is in the Indian constitution. The 7 papers are given below.
- Paper-I 🠞 Essay
- Paper-II 🠞 General Studies-I(GS-I)
- Paper-III 🠞 General Studies-II(GS-II)
- Paper-IV 🠞 General Studies-III(GS-III)
- Paper-V 🠞 General Studies-IV(GS-IV)
- Paper-VI 🠞 Optional Paper-I
- Paper-VII 🠞 Optional Paper-II
Essay
This paper i.e Essay carries 250 marks and it can be written in the medium of the candidate's choice.
For Essay Writing, you must follow some of the books that provide high levels of essays to get insights about how you should write the essay.
Check- 151 Essays for IAS
It is the Best book for Essay that you may follow.
General Studies-I(GS-I) Syllabus for UPSC CSE/IAS Mains
It carries 250 marks and the syllabus of General studies 1 i.e GS-1 for UPSC mains examination is given below.
- Indian Heritage and Culture
- History and Geography of the world and society
General Studies-II(GS-II) Syllabus for UPSC CSE/IAS Mains
It also carries 250 marks. The syllabus of General studies 2 i.e GS-2 for UPSC mains examination is given below.
- Governance
- Polity
- Constitution
- Social Justice
- International Relation
General Studies-III(GS-III) Syllabus for UPSC CSE/IAS Mains
It has 250 marks and the syllabus of General studies 3 i.e GS-3 for UPSC mains examination is given below.
- Technology
- Economic Development
- Biodiversity
- Security
- Disaster Management
General Studies-IV(GS-IV) Syllabus for UPSC CSE/IAS Mains
This paper also has the same mark i.e 250 mark and the syllabus of General studies 4 i.e GS-4 for the UPSC mains examination is given below.
- Ethics
- Integrity
- Aptitude
Optional Paper-I and Optional Paper-II Syllabus for UPSC/IAS Mains
There are 48 optional subjects from which you can choose according to your field of interest. These Optional subjects have some literature subjects in different languages. You have to choose 2 papers among these 48 papers in your UPSC CSE examination. Each optional Paper carries 250 marks that mean the total no of marks is 500 in optional subjects.
The syllabus of these 48 Optional Papers is given below.
3. Personal Interview
This is the final phase of the examination. Here the interviewer tests your personality. You can only appear when you qualify in both the phase that is Prelims and Mains. The interview is carried out by a board appointed by UPSC. This interview carries 250 marks.
Must Read,