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Prelims Geography Syllabus includes geomorphology, climatology, and Indian geography. A clear understanding of the Prelims Geography Syllabus ensures better Prelims performance.
PWOnlyIAS
April 08, 2025
Prelims Geography Syllabus for UPSC Exam 2025: The Geography Syllabus for UPSC is an essential part of both the Prelims and Mains exams, and candidates can also choose it as an optional subject. In the UPSC Prelims, questions typically cover a wide range of topics, including the Earth’s physical features, human geography, and environmental issues. Generally, there are about 15 to 20 geography questions in the Prelims General Studies Paper-I. Understanding this syllabus is crucial for aspirants aiming to perform well in the exam. In this section, we’ll discuss the key components of the UPSC Prelims Geography syllabus for 2025 and provide valuable insights for effective preparation.
The Geography Optional Paper in the UPSC Civil Services Examination 2025 is one of the most popular optional subjects due to its interdisciplinary nature and relevance to both Prelims and Mains. Geography helps in understanding various socio-economic and environmental issues, making it highly scoring and beneficial for essay and GS papers.
Overlap with GS Papers: Particularly GS Paper I (Indian Society & Geography), GS Paper III (Environment & Disaster Management).
Scientific Approach: Geography offers a logical and structured approach that appeals to aspirants from both science and humanities backgrounds.
Availability of Resources: A wide range of standard books, online lectures, and coaching support is available.
Scoring Potential: With proper preparation and answer writing skills, Geography can fetch high scores.
| Geography UPSC Exam 2025 Overview | |
|---|---|
| Feature | Details |
| Exam Name | UPSC Civil Services Examination 2025 |
| Optional Subject | Geography |
| Number of Papers | 2 (Paper I – World Geography; Paper II – Indian Geography) |
| Total Marks | 500 Marks (250 each paper) |
| Language of Paper | English / Hindi (as per aspirant’s preference) |
| Duration of Each Paper | 3 Hours |
| Syllabus Coverage | Physical, Human, Economic, Regional, and Indian Geography |
| Scoring Potential | High with proper diagrams and structured answers |
| Overlap with GS Papers | GS Paper I, GS Paper III, and Essay Paper |
| Map Practice Required | Yes – Indian and World Map Practice Essential |
UPSC Prelims Syllabus 2025
The Union Public Service Commission Preliminary Examination, or UPSC Prelims, is the first stage of the Civil Services Examination conducted by the UPSC. The Prelims exam consists of two papers: General Studies Paper-I and General Studies Paper-II (CSAT), both of which are objective-type multiple-choice exams.
The detailed UPSC Prelims Syllabus is provided in the table below:
| UPSC Prelims Syllabus 2025 | |
| Paper 1: General Studies | Paper 2: CSAT |
|
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| UPSC Prelims Exam Pattern 2025 | ||
| Type | General Studies Paper 1 | GS Paper II- (CSAT) |
| Questions | 100 Objective Type | 80 Objective Type |
| Marks | 200 Marks | 200 Marks |
| Negative Marking | +2 Marks/Question and -0.66 Negative Marks/Question | +2.5 Marks/Question /Question and -0.83 Negative Marks/Question |
| Duration of Exam | 2 Hours | 2 Hours |
| Qualifying Marks | Cut-off List | Minimum 33% |
| Languages | English and Hindi | English and Hindi. |
Important Note: It is mandatory for the candidate to appear in both papers for the purpose of evaluation. The candidate will be disqualified if he/she does not appear in both papers of the preliminary examination.
The UPSC Prelims Geography syllabus expects a candidate to know basic concepts of geography. In addition, they must have a brief idea about geographical features of India and the world. Candidates must also study industrial growth and mineral distribution as part of their syllabus. The complete details of the UPSC Prelims Geography Syllabus 2025 is as follows:
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World Geogrpahy |
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1. Physical Geography
2. Human Geography
3. Regional Geography
4. Geographical Thought
5. Environmental Geography: Ecology and Wildlife Conservation, Pollution and Its Types, Impact of Pollution On Human Health and Ecosystems, Natural Hazards and Disasters Management. 6. Geopolitics and Contemporary Global Issues. |
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Indian Geography |
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| UPSC Geography Related Articles | |
| Geography Important Topics For UPSC Prelims 2025 | Indian Geography |
| Physical Geography | Basics Of Geography |
Candidates preparing for prelims have to choose books that completely cover the UPSC prelims Geography syllabus so that they are able to understand the concept in detail. In some cases, they may be required to read the same topic from multiple sources to understand better. The complete booklist of Geography syllabus is given below:
| Book Type | Book Name |
| NCERT | NCERT Class VI – The Earth Our Habitat
NCERT Class VII – Our Environment NCERT Class VIII – Resource and Development NCERT Class IX – Contemporary India – I NCERT Class X – Contemporary India – II NCERT Class XI – Fundamentals of Physical Geography NCERT Class XI – India – Physical Environment NCERT Class XII – Fundamentals of Human Geography NCERT Class XII – India – People and Economy |
| Reference Books | Certificate Physical & Human Geography by GC Leong
Geography of India by Majid Husain World Geography by Majid Husain |
| Other Sources | Oxford School Atlas
Newspapers such as The Hindu and The Indian Express Down to Earth, UPSC Geography PYQ |
| Check Out PW UPSC Geography Study Material | |
| UPSC UDAAN Prelims Wallah | NCERT Summary Books |
As part of the UPSC Prelims geography syllabus, candidates will have to cover geography from all aspects. The number of questions asked in prelims is a testament to the fact that geography remains an important subject of UPSC prelims. The following table contains the number of questions from geography asked each year in the examination:
| UPSC Prelims Geography Syllabus Marks Weightage | |
| Year of Preliminary Examination | Number of Geography Questions |
| 2023 | 16 |
| 2022 | 12 |
| 2021 | 12 |
| 2020 | 17 |
| 2019 | 14 |
| 2018 | 14 |
| 2017 | 8 |
| 2016 | 7 |
| 2015 | 14 |
| 2014 | 18 |
Geography as a subject needs equal attention as other subjects as it carries a substantial weight as part of the UPSC Prelims syllabus. Candidates will have to read both the basic and advanced texts to generate an understanding of geography. This will help them solve the maximum number of questions correctly in the exam.
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