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UPSC Syllabus 2024 for Prelims, Mains, and Interview stages is provided here. Learn details on subjects, paper formats, and scoring criteria to improve your exam preparation and increase your chances of success.
The UPSC syllabus is always released along with the official UPSC notification on the official website. It refers to the subjects and topics that have to be read for UPSC Civil Services Examination 2024. Candidates with a thorough understanding of the UPSC syllabus have a high chance of clearing the examination.
UPSC syllabus covers two out of the three stages of the UPSC CSE exam 2024. The UPSC does not explicitly mention the interview syllabus. The details of the UPSC syllabus of Mains and Prelims can be accessed below. Since each stage has a different syllabus, it is crucial for candidates to check the complete syllabus before appearing for the exam.
The UPSC Exam 2024 will be conducted in three stages: Prelims, Mains, and Interviews. The overview of the UPSC syllabus 2024 for all three stages of the exam is given below.
| Exam Stage | Paper to be Attempted | Total Marks | Syllabus | Nature of Exam |
| Prelims | Paper 1: General Studies
Paper 2: CSAT |
Paper 1: 200
Paper 2: 200 |
Indian Polity, Geography, History, Economy, Science and Technology, Current Affairs, Reading, Comprehension, Logical Reasoning, Data Interpretation | Need to Qualifying for Next Stage |
| Mains | Paper A: Indian Language
Paper B: English |
Paper A: 300
Paper B: 300 |
Comprehension, precise writing, short essays, translation, vocabulary etc. | Need to Qualifying for Next Stage |
| Essay | 250 | Not Specified | Marks Considered for Merit list | |
| General Studies 1
General Studies 2 General Studies 3 General Studies 4 |
250 X 4 | History, Polity, Geography, Indian society, International Relations, Social Justice, Economy, Disaster Management, Internal Security, Environment and Ecology, Ethics, Aptitude and Integrity. | ||
| Optional Paper 1
Optional Paper 2 |
250 X 2 | Total 24 Optional Subjects, Need to Select 1 Optional Paper. | ||
| Interview | – | 275 | Not Specified | Marks added to Mains marks to prepare the merit list |
The UPSC mains syllabus consists of nine papers. While Paper A and Paper B are qualifying in nature, a candidate’s score in Essay, General Studies, and Optional paper will be used to determine their merit ranking. The details are given in the table below.
| Paper Number | Paper Name | Nature of Paper | Subjects | Marks |
| Paper A | Indian Language | Qualifying | Compulsory Indian Language from 8th Schedule of the Indian Constitution. | 300 |
| Paper B | English | Qualifying | English Language | 300 |
| Paper 1 | Essay | Considered for Merit Calculation | Candidates are required to write two essays, covering a broad range of subjects, including: Socio-political, Economic issues, Environmental issues, International relations, Science and technology, Philosophical topics, etc. | 250 |
| Paper 2 | General Studies 1 | Considered for Merit Calculation | Geography
History Indian Heritage and Culture Social Issues |
250 |
| Paper 3 | General Studies 2 | Considered for Merit Calculation | Polity and Governance
Constitution Social Justice International Relations |
250 |
| Paper 4 | General Studies 3 | Considered for Merit Calculation | Economy and Growth
Science and Technology Environment and Ecology Disaster Management Internal Security |
250 |
| Paper 5 | General Studies 4 | Considered for Merit Calculation | Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude | 250 |
| Paper 6 | Optional Paper 1 | Considered for Merit Calculation | NA | 250 |
| Paper 7 | Optional Paper 2 | Considered for Merit Calculation | NA | 250 |
UPSC syllabus for Mains 2024 includes two qualifying papers: Paper A: Indian Language and Paper B: English. Each paper has a weightage of 300 marks. The minimum qualifying mark is 25% (75 marks) in these language papers. The details of the syllabus are provided below.
| Paper Nam | Syllabus |
| Paper A: Compulsory Indian Language |
|
| Paper B: Compulsory English |
|
Also Read:
Important topics for UPSC Mains 2024
UPSC syllabus for Mains Essay 2024 includes the Essay paper, which is one of the seven papers considered for merit calculation. The total marks for the Essay paper are 250. The syllabus for the essay paper is given below.
| Paper Name | Syllabus |
| Essay | Candidates may be required to write essays on multiple topics. |
There are four General Studies papers as part of UPSC Syllabus for Mains GS Papers 2024. The papers cover subjects such as history, polity, economy, ethics etc. The details of the syllabus are given below.
| Paper Name | Syllabus |
| General Studies 1 | History, Geography, Art and Culture, Indian Society. |
| General Studies 2 | Indian Polity, Governance, Social Justice, International Relations. |
| General Studies 3 | Economy and Growth, Science and Technology, Environment and Ecology, Disaster Management, Internal Security |
| General Studies 4 | Ethics, Integrity, and Aptitude |
Candidates writing UPSC Exam 2024 mains have to select one of the optional subjects from the list below as part of the UPSC syllabus for mains optional.
| 1. Anthropology | 2. Political Science and International Relations | 3. Public Administration | 4. Sociology |
| 5. History | 6. Physics | 7. Chemistry | 8. Zoology |
| 9. Botany | 10. Medical Science | 11. Statistics | 12. Philosophy |
| 13. Psychology | 14. Law | 15. Geography | 16. Geology |
| 17. Literature Language | 18. Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science | 19. Agriculture | 20. Economics |
| 21. Civil Engineering | 22. Commerce and Accountancy | 23. Mechanical Engineering | 24. Mathematics |
| 25. Management | 26. Electrical Engineering |
Assamese, Bodo, Bengali, Dogri, English, Gujarati, Hindi, Kashmiri, Konkani, Kannada, Manipuri, Marathi, Santhali, Sanskrit, Maithili, Malayalam, Nepali, Odia, Punjabi, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu. (Total 23 Languages)
UPSC syllabus for prelims is divided into two papers: General Studies and CSAT. The overview of UPSC syllabus for prelims 2024 is given below.
| Papers for UPSC Prelims |
|
| Total Marks |
|
| Number of Questions |
|
| Nature of Questions |
|
| Marks for Correct Answer |
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| Marks for Incorrect Answer |
|
| Syllabus for General Studies 1 |
|
| Syllabus for CSAT |
|
The UPSC Interview, also known as the Personality Test, is the final stage of the examination. Unlike the earlier stages, there is no specific UPSC syllabus for the interview.
The questions asked cover a wide range of issues. These are both trending as well as static.
The main objective of this interview is to assess the candidate’s suitability for a career in civil services, and it is conducted by a group of unbiased observers.
The Interview test carries 275 marks, while the total marks for the written examination are 1750, making the Grand Total of 2025 Marks. This total determines the final merit list.
| UPSC Syllabus for Interview | Not Specified |
| Total Marks | 275 |
| Location | Union Public Service Commission Head Office, New Delhi |
| Dress Code | Formal Attire |
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| Must Read | |
| NCERT Notes For UPSC | UPSC Daily Current Affairs |
| UPSC Blogs | UPSC Daily Editorials |
| Daily Current Affairs Quiz | Daily Main Answer Writing |
| UPSC Mains Previous Year Papers | UPSC Test Series 2024 |
Explore UPSC Test Series
The UPSC CSE exam covers several main subjects, such as History, Geography, Polity, Economy, Environment and Ecology, Science and Technology, and Current Affairs.
The UPSC Mains syllabus includes nine papers - Essay, General Studies I to IV, Optional Paper I and II, and two language papers (English and Indian Language).
Yes, there is a negative marking scheme in the UPSC exam. For every incorrect answer, one-third of the marks assigned to that question will be deducted as a penalty. However, there is no negative marking for unanswered questions.
To be eligible for this opportunity, candidates should be at least 21 years old and younger than 32 years old by August 1, 2024.
No NCERT (National Council of Educational Research and Training) books are essential but not sufficient to crack the UPSC exam.
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