UPSC Mains 2026, Subject-Wise Syllabus, Exam Pattern, Optional List

UPSC Mains, conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), is the written exam for recruiting officers to IAS, IPS, IFS, and other civil services in India. It consists of a set of essay-type papers to evaluate candidates’ in-depth knowledge, analytical abilities, and writing skills over subjects like General Studies, Optional Papers, and Indian language papers. 

This stage follows the Preliminary Examination and comes before the Personality Test. Success in the Mains examination is necessary for making it into the final merit list for the civil services, such as IAS, IPS, and IFS.

UPSC Mains 2026 

The UPSC Mains 2026 examination consists of nine descriptive papers that test the analytical ability, knowledge, and expression power of candidates. The UPSC Mains examination serves as a test for intellectual preparation for the administrative role and therefore holds significant marks in the final merit list for prestigious services like IAS and IPS.

The following are the main details of the UPSC Mains 2026:

UPSC Mains 2026 Exam Date

UPSC Mains 2026 examinations are scheduled to commence from 21 August 2026 onwards and will last for five continuous days. Aspirants are advised to check the UPSC website for any modifications or changes in this schedule.

Here are the UPSC Mains 2026 exam date, for your reference:

UPSC Mains 2026 Pattern

UPSC Mains examination consists of nine papers in total. Out of these, two are qualifying in nature, and the remaining seven are considered to rank the candidate. Each paper is assigned a different total mark. The exams are conducted over a period of five to seven days.

Here are the salient features of the UPSC Mains 2026 Pattern:

UPSC Mains Subject List

UPSC Mains examination comprises nine papers, including two qualifying language papers (Indian Language and English) and seven merit-based papers totaling 1750 marks. Candidates select one optional subject from 48 choices, such as History, Geography, Public Administration, or Literature of various languages.

Here is the UPSC Mains Subject List: 

UPSC Mains 2026 Syllabus

The UPSC Mains 2026 syllabus is designed to test candidates’ knowledge across subjects, analytical capability, and clarity of expression. This syllabus encourages a broad and deep understanding of national and international issues, governance, social justice, and scientific advancements necessary for civil services.

The details of the UPSC Mains 2026 Syllabus are given below:

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UPSC Mains 2026 Optionals 

Selection of the proper optional subject in UPSC Mains is one of the most important choices. UPSC provides a broad range of 48 subjects covering literature, science, and humanities. Candidates are supposed to choose one optional, comprising two papers carrying 250 marks each. 

Selecting a subject that better fits your background and interests may turn out to be quite rewarding and enhance both your overall score and success chances.

Here is the list of UPSC Mains 2026 optionals:

• Agriculture
• Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Science
• Anthropology
• Botany
• Chemistry
• Commerce and Accountancy
• Civil Engineering
• Economics
• Electrical Engineering
• Geology
• Geography
• History
• Philosophy
• Public Administration
• Political Science and International Relations
• Psychology
• Physics
• Sociology
• Law
• Mathematics
• Management
• Medical Science
• Mechanical Engineering
• Statistics
• Zoology
• Assamese
• Kashmiri
• Punjabi
• Bodo
• Konkani
• Sindhi
• Bengali
• Maithili
• Sanskrit
• Dogri
• Malayalam
• Santhali
• English
• Marathi
• Tamil
• Gujarati
• Manipuri
• Nepali
• Telugu
• Kannada
• Odia
• Urdu
• Hindi

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