UPSC syllabus 2024 is an important component of exam preparation as reading and understanding the syllabus is of high priority. Check out more about UPSC syllabus!
UPSC syllabus refers to the subjects and topics that have to be read for UPSC Civil Services Examination 2024. Candidates with thorough understanding of UPSC syllabus have a high chance of clearing the examination.
UPSC syllabus covers two out of the three stages of UPSC CSE exam 2024. The syllabus for the interview is not mentioned explicitly by the UPSC. The details of UPSC syllabus of prelims and mains can be accessed below.
Since each stage has a different syllabus, let us look at UPSC syllabus in detail for better understanding.
The UPSC exam will be conducted in three stages: prelims, mains and interview. The overview of UPSC syllabus 2024 for all the three stages of the exam are 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 |
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 |
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| Total Marks |
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| Number of Questions |
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| Nature of Questions |
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| Marks for Correct Answer |
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| Marks for Incorrect Answer |
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| Syllabus for General Studies 1 |
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| Syllabus for CSAT |
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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 include 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 Name | Syllabus |
| Paper A: Compulsory Indian Language |
|
| Paper B: Compulsory English |
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UPSC syllabus for Mains 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 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 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 |
Available Literature Languages
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)
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.
| 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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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). The General Studies papers cover topics such as Indian heritage and culture, governance, international relations, social justice, technology, and economic development. The Optional Paper covers a subject of the candidate's choice, and the Essay paper evaluates the candidate's writing skills.
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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