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Compulsory Subjects for UPSC Exam are common for all students writing UPSC prelims and mains. Find out more about this now!
Compulsory Subjects for UPSC Exam 2024 must be studied by all candidates who are writing UPSC prelims and UPSC mains 2024. These compulsory subjects for UPSC exam form the core syllabus, and are very important for every candidate.
Compulsory Subjects for UPSC Exam include topics such as polity, history, geography, economy, current affairs, etc. Apart from compulsory subjects, there is one optional subject, divided into two papers, which a candidate has to take up during preparation.
Here, we will look at the Compulsory Subjects for UPSC Exam 2024 and try to deduce the sub topics that form the core part of the syllabus.
UPSC exam consists of three stages, prelims, mains and interview. Compulsory subjects are to be studied in only the first two stages. Candidates preparing for UPSC 2024 can get a broad idea about compulsory Subjects for UPSC Exam 2024 by looking at the table below.
| Exam Stage | Papers | Total Marks | Format of Exam | Nature of Exam |
| Prelims | General Studies
CSAT |
General Studies: 200
CSAT: 200 |
MCQ | Qualifying |
| Mains
|
Paper A: Indian Language
Paper B: English
|
300 each | Descriptive | Qualifying in Nature |
| Essay | 250 | Descriptive | Considered for Merit | |
| General Studies 1
General Studies 2 General Studies 3 General Studies 4
|
250 X 4 | Descriptive | Considered for Merit |
Candidates preparing for prelims must have to attempt two papers, which form the compulsory subjects for UPSC exam 2024. The details of the two papers and the subjects are given here.
| Subject | Topics | Total Marks | Positive and Negative Marking | Nature of Paper | Cutoff Marks |
| General Studies | Polity, History, Economy, Geography, Science and Technology, Current Affairs etc. | 100 X 2 = 200 | +2 for Correct Answer
-0.66 for Incorrect Answer |
Qualifying only | Varies Each Year |
| CSAT | Reading Comprehension, Logical Reasoning, Analytical Ability, General Mental Ability. | 80 x 2.5 = 200 | +2.5 for Correct Answer
-0.83 for Incorrect Answer |
Qualifying Only | 66 |
Language Papers, Essay and General Studies form the Compulsory Subjects for UPSC Exam 2024 mains. The details of these subjects are provided below.
| Subjects | Topics | Total Marks | Minimum Marks | Nature of Paper |
| Paper A: Indian language
Paper B: English |
Short essays, precise writing, vocabulary, translation etc | 300 X 2 | 75 marks in each paper | Qualifying only |
| Essay | Writing essay on selected topics | 250 | 25 marks | Considered for merit |
| General Studies 1 | History, Geography, Indian Society, Art and Culture. | 250 X 4 | 25 marks in each paper | Considered for merit |
| General Studies 2 | Indian Polity and Governance, Social Justice, International Relations. | |||
| General Studies 3 | Economy, Environment and Ecology, Disaster Management, Internal Security, Science and Technology | |||
| General Studies 4 | Ethics, Aptitude and Integrity |
There is a common strategy to score more marks in Compulsory Subjects for UPSC Exam 2024. candidates can follow some of these during their preparation.
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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 |
General Studies Paper-I and General Studies Paper-II (CSAT) are compulsory subjects for prelims.
Indian Language, English, Essay, General Studies Papers I to IV are the compulsory subjects for mains.
Yes. CSAT is a compulsory subject in UPSC prelims.
Yes. English language is a compulsory subject in UPSC mains exam.
Current affairs is not a separate subject in the UPSC exam. It is part of different papers in both prelims and mains.
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