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Important Topics for UPSC Mains 2025 focus on high-weightage areas like Indian Polity, History, Economy, Environment, Ethics, and Governance, helping aspirants streamline their preparation. Prioritising these topics may enhance your overall score in the mains exam.
PWOnlyIAS
July 22, 2025
Important Topics For UPSC Mains are necessary to be covered by aspirants preparing for the UPSC Mains. The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) sets a detailed syllabus, but selective topics carry the highest weightage based on previous years’ analysis.
It is important for aspirants to know about the high weightage topics as it not only helps them focus on their preparation but also ensures they don’t waste time on less relevant areas. Here, Important Topics List For UPSC Mains 2025 is provided, including paper-wise analysis, GS papers and essay topics coverage to help aspirants streamline their strategy.
The UPSC Mains Exam consists of nine papers, out of which seven papers are counted for merit. These include four General Studies papers (GS I to GS IV), an Essay paper, and two Optional Subject papers, along with qualifying papers in English and Indian Language. The Important Topics List For UPSC Mains covers subjects like History, Polity, Economy, Environment, Ethics, which form the backbone of the syllabus. Here is Important Topics For UPSC Mains Overview:
| Important Topics For UPSC Mains Overview | |
| Particulars | Details |
| Exam Name | UPSC Civil Services Mains Examination 2025 |
| Conducting Body | Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) |
| Number of Papers | 9 Papers (4 GS Papers, 2 Optional Papers, Essay, 2 Language Papers) |
| Type of Questions | Descriptive (Written) |
| Official Website | upsc.gov.in |
Important Topics For UPSC Mains 2025 are identified by analyzing previous year GS papers. Topics like Indian Polity, Governance, Environment, Science & Tech, Social Issues, and Economic Development are frequently repeated as they carry higher marks. Paper-wise analysis shows that GS Paper I focuses on History and Society, GS II on Polity and International Relations, GS III on Economy and Environment, and GS IV on Ethics. By focusing on these areas, you can cover nearly 70% of the scoring portion of the exam.
UPSC Mains 2025 GS Paper I includes topics like Indian Heritage, History, Geography, and Culture. The important topics include Modern Indian History (from 18th century to freedom struggle), World History (18th to 20th century revolutions), Culture Developments, Post-Independence consolidation, Indian Society (diversity, women issues, globalization impact), and Physical and Economic Geography.
These topics are important as the number of questions from this Paper 1 appear more, leading aspirants to score well. This Paper also helps aspirants develop a strong factual base for Essay and GS papers. Below are the Important Topics For UPSC Mains 2025 GS Paper I:
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Important Topics For UPSC Mains 2025 GS Paper I |
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| 1 | Literature | 14 | Art and Architecture |
| 2 | Geography
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15 | Socio-religious Reforms |
| 3 | Vijayanagar Empire | 16 | Mountbatten Plan |
| 4 | Indian Society – features, issues, etc. | 17 | Indian Independence Act, 1947 |
| 5 | Rowlatt Act | 18 | Land Revenue System |
| 6 | Civil Disobedience Movement | 19 | Home Rule Movement |
| 7 | Modern India – Personalities, Events, etc. | 20 | Revolt of 1857 |
| 8 | Indian Freedom Struggle – several stages, leaders, etc. | 21 | Partition of Bengal |
| 9 | Gandhi-Irwin Pact | 22 | Charter Acts – 1813, 1833, etc |
| 10 | Second Round Conference | 23 | Government of India Act, 1919 |
| 11 | World History – revolutions, World Wars, Cold War, etc. | 24 | First Round Conference, 1930 |
| 12 | Government of India Act, 1935 | 25 | Khilafat Movement |
| 13 | Quit India Movement | 26 | Non-Cooperation Movement |
UPSC Mains 2025 GS Paper II focuses on social justice, constitution, governance, international relations, and polity. Aspirants must focus on topics like functioning of the executive and judiciary, Indian Constitution, and various government policies. It also covers important bilateral issues, international relations, and global issues. The table including all the Important Topics For UPSC Mains 2025 GS II Paper is given below:
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Important Topics For UPSC Mains 2025 GS Paper II |
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| 1 |
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11 |
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| 2 | The Constitutions of other countries like Japan, UK, USA, etc. | 12 | NGOs, SHGs, etc |
| 3 |
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13 | Welfare schemes for vulnerable groups |
| 4 | Union and States – federalism, etc | 14 | Health, Education, and Human Resources |
| 5 | Government Policies | 15 | Poverty and Hunger issues |
| 6 | Judiciary – their structure, roles, etc | 16 | Governance, transparency, e-governance |
| 7 | Pressure Groups – RSS, AIKS, etc | 17 | Civil services |
| 8 | Voting laws, RPA 1950, 1951 etc | 18 | Bilateral, regional, and global partnerships |
| 9 | Constitutional Bodies – UPSC, ECI, etc | 19 | Indian Diaspora |
| 10 | Statutory and Quasi-judicial bodies – NHRC, etc | 20 | Global Institutions – UN, WTO, etc |
UPSC Mains 2025 GS Paper III is one of the most dynamic sections. It covers topics like Biodiversity, Agriculture, Environment, Economic Development, Security, and Disaster Management. The Important Topics For UPSC Mains 2025 for GS Paper III includes agricultural developments, Science and Technology, Indian Economy, and environmental conservation.
The Important Topics For UPSC Mains 2025 GS Paper III are given below:
UPSC Mains 2025 GS Paper IV focuses on key topics like Aptitude, Ethics, and Integrity. The Important Topics For UPSC Mains in this paper include public service values, emotional intelligence, ethical theories, case studies, and probity in governance. Since this paper tests analytical and value-based understanding, you must practice case studies and real-life examples to score well in this section.
Important Topics for UPSC Mains 2025 GS Paper IV are given below:
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Important Topics For UPSC Mains 2025 GS Paper IV |
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| 1 | Ethics and Human Interface | 16 | Conscience |
| 2 | Determinants, Human Actions and its Essence, and Consequences of Ethics | 17 | Dimensions of Ethics in Private and Public Relationships |
| 3 | Accountability | 18 | Attitude |
| 4 |
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19 |
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| 5 | Ethical Governance | 20 | Corporate Governance |
| 6 | Ethical Issues in International Relations | 21 | Probity in Governance |
| 7 | Aptitude and Foundational Values | 22 | Transparency |
| 8 | Values for Civil Service | 23 | Right to Information |
| 9 | Integrity, Impartiality, Objectivity, Dedication, Empathy | 24 | Codes of Ethics |
| 10 | Emotional Intelligence | 25 | Codes of Conduct |
| 11 | Moral Thinkers from India and worldwide | 26 | Work Culture |
| 12 | Ethics in Public Administration | 27 | Quality Service |
| 13 | Public/Civil Service Values | 28 | Public Funds’ Utilization |
| 14 | Ethical Concerns and Dilemmas | 29 | Corruption Challenges |
| 15 | Ethical Guidance from Laws, Rules, etc | 30 | Case Studies |
Additionally, applicants must practice writing essays every day for the IAS exam. To prepare for the essay, candidates should practice writing essays on a variety of subjects. When it comes to writing essays, the newspaper’s editorial topics can be quite helpful to applicants. Here are the Important Essay Topics for UPSC Mains in the table below:
The Essay paper requires candidates to write on social, political, environmental, and philosophical issues. The Important Topics For UPSC Mains 2025 for Essay Paper includes topics on women empowerment, governance, sustainable development, and technology’s role in society. It is important for candidates to practice writing essay outlines and incorporating facts, reports, and examples to score well in the essay paper.
Here are the Important Topics for UPSC Mains 2025 for Essay Paper:
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Important Topics For UPSC Mains 2025 for Essay Paper |
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Aspirants are required to prepare the important topics thoroughly in order to score good marks. Preparing for the UPSC Mains requires candidates’ to follow a structured approach because of the vast syllabus. Here’s how you can prepare the important topics well for UPSC Mains 2025:
1. Understand the Syllabus Thoroughly
The first step for a structured preparation is to understand the official UPSC syllabus thoroughly. Divide the syllabus by GS Papers (GS I, II, III, IV), Optional Papers, and Essays. This will help you identify which topics are frequently repeated and where to focus more, like History and Polity in GS I and Governance in GS II.
2. Prioritize High-Weightage Topics
Analyze the previous years’ papers to identify the repeated concepts such as Governance (GS II), Economy and Environment (GS III), and Ethics Case Studies (GS IV). Focus first on topics that are consistently repeated every year and carry higher marks.
3. Integrate Current Affairs with Static Subjects
UPSC links many questions to current events. For example, if there’s a new law on climate change, connect it with GS III topics like Environment and Economy.
4. Practice Answer Writing Regularly
Aspirants must practice answer writing to write well-structured answers in the exam. You must focus on writing concise and structured answers. Practice writing at least 2-3 answers daily based on previous year questions. Also, focus on adding facts, reports (like NITI Aayog data), and a conclusion to make your answers stand out.
5. Make Concise Notes for Revision
Create short notes for each important topic (for example, Land Reforms in GS I, Data Protection Bill for GS II). These notes should include definitions, key points, examples, and recent developments. This will make revision easy before the exam.
6. Focus on Diagrams and Flowcharts
Use maps, diagrams, and charts, especially for GS III (Economy & Environment) and GS I (Geography) as visual representation will provide clarity to you regarding the concept.
7. Prepare Ethics (GS IV) Separately
Ethics requires a different approach with examples and real-life case studies. Practice writing short, clear answers and prepare a repository of quotes, definitions, and ethical dilemmas.
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