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UPSC Syllabus 2024 for Prelims, Mains and Interview!

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.

UPSC Syllabus 2024

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.

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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 2024

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
  • General Studies
  • CSAT
Total Marks
  • General Studies: 200
  • CSAT: 200
Number of Questions
  • General Studies: 100
  • CSAT: 80
Nature of Questions
  • MCQ
Marks for Correct Answer
  • General Studies: +2
  • CSAT: +2.5
Marks for Incorrect Answer
  • General Studies: -0.66
  • CSAT: -0.83
Syllabus for General Studies 1
  • Indian Polity
  • Geography
  • History and Art and Culture
  • Economy
  • Science and Technology
  • Environment and Ecology
  • International Relations
  • Current Affairs
Syllabus for CSAT
  • Logical Reasoning
  • Comprehension
  • Data interpretation
  • Quantitative Aptitude

UPSC Syllabus for Mains 2024

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.

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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 Language Papers 2024

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
  • (i) comprehension of given passages. 
  • (ii) Precis Writing. 
  • (iii) Usage and Vocabulary. 
  • (iv) Short Essays. 
  • (v) Translation from English to the Indian Language.
Paper B: Compulsory English
  • (i) Comprehension of given passages. 
  • (ii) Precis Writing. 
  • (iii) Usage and Vocabulary. 
  • (iv) Short Essays.

Also Read: UPSC Exam 2024

UPSC Syllabus for Mains Essay 2024

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. 

UPSC Syllabus for Mains General Studies 2024

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.

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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

UPSC Syllabus for Mains Optional Subjects 2024

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.

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)

Also Read: UPSC PYQ for Prelims and Mains

UPSC Syllabus for Interview 2024

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. 

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  • 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

Confused about UPSC Syllabus? Look no further. Join the top courses from Physics Wallah to prepare for UPSC in a holistic way! Join now!

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Check Out UPSC CSE Books From PW Store

 

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UPSC Syllabus 2024 FAQs

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.

 Final Result – CIVIL SERVICES EXAMINATION, 2023.   Udaan-Prelims Wallah ( Static ) booklets 2024 released both in english and hindi : Download from Here!     Download UPSC Mains 2023 Question Papers PDF  Free Initiative links -1) Download Prahaar 3.0 for Mains Current Affairs PDF both in English and Hindi 2) Daily Main Answer Writing  , 3) Daily Current Affairs , Editorial Analysis and quiz ,  4) PDF Downloads  UPSC Prelims 2023 Trend Analysis cut-off and answer key

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 Final Result – CIVIL SERVICES EXAMINATION, 2023.   Udaan-Prelims Wallah ( Static ) booklets 2024 released both in english and hindi : Download from Here!     Download UPSC Mains 2023 Question Papers PDF  Free Initiative links -1) Download Prahaar 3.0 for Mains Current Affairs PDF both in English and Hindi 2) Daily Main Answer Writing  , 3) Daily Current Affairs , Editorial Analysis and quiz ,  4) PDF Downloads  UPSC Prelims 2023 Trend Analysis cut-off and answer key

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AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD SOON
UDAAN PRELIMS WALLAH
Comprehensive coverage with a concise format
Integration of PYQ within the booklet
Designed as per recent trends of Prelims questions
हिंदी में भी उपलब्ध
Quick Revise Now !
UDAAN PRELIMS WALLAH
Comprehensive coverage with a concise format
Integration of PYQ within the booklet
Designed as per recent trends of Prelims questions
हिंदी में भी उपलब्ध

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