Every year several students participate in the UPSC examination. UPSC is the central level examination conducted in India in which students from all around the nation take part. Here in this article we are providing complete information regarding UPSC syllabus, exam pattern and all other details related to the exam. This is the most popular Civil Services Examination conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). The Civil Services Examination for the posts of IAS, IFS, IPS & IRS is widely considered as one of the toughest and the most prestigious examinations conducted in India. UPSC Civil Services Prelims and Mains 2020 syllabus has been released along with the official notification for the Civil Services Exam on 12th February 2020 prior to Lockdown announcement in India. The syllabus for the IAS exam can be found on the official website of the UPSC i.e. https://upsc.gov.in/ or you can download the pdf for UPSC syllabus for both Prelims and Mains examination. Hindi medium aspirants can also download the IAS Syllabus for both Prelims & Mains examinations in Hindi.
UPSC Pre & Mains Syllabus Download Click Here
The syllabus for examination for various services such as the Indian Administrative Service, Indian Foreign Service, Indian Police Service, Indian Revenue Service (Customs and Central Excise) is the same for all. The UPSC Prelims syllabus focuses mainly on General awareness which is tested through Multiple Choice Questions. The UPSC Mains syllabus is very much wide and comprehensive, as this exam comprises nine theory papers on different subjects.
The Civil Services Exam is conducted by the UPSC in three levels or phases:Paper | Subject | Total Marks | Duration |
I | General Studies (GS) | 200 | 2 hours (9:30 AM to 11:30 AM) |
II | Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT) | 200 | 2 hours (2:30 PM to 4:30 PM) |
Thus in order to qualify for the Civil Services Mains exam, a candidate has to attempt and clear both the papers. Though the second paper is just of qualifying nature, yet it has to be attempted.
The UPSC General Studies (GS) paper consists of 100 questions carrying 2 marks each. While the CSAT paper consists of 80 questions. The marks are allotted as per the weightage of the questions. Both the papers have negative marking, for wrong answers marked 1/3rd of the total marks assigned to that question will be deducted. Questions that are not attempted will not be allotted any negative marks.
The 2nd phase of the Civil Services Examination is the Mains exam. Only after successfully qualifying the prelims exam, would the candidates be allowed to write the Mains exam. This exam tests the candidate’s academic talent in depth. Also they want to test their ability to present his/her understanding according to the requirements of the question in a fixed time.
The UPSC Mains exam consists of a total of 9 papers, out of which 7 are important and crucial papers, and remaining two are just qualifying papers of 300 marks each.
Since these papers are of qualifying nature, the next papers on Essay, General Studies and Optional Subjects of only such candidates will be taken into consideration for checking who attain 25% marks in both the language papers. In case a candidate does not qualify in these language papers, then the marks obtained by such candidates will not be calculated.
The rest of the seven papers can be written in any of the 22 languages mentioned under the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution.
The UPSC gives a list of 48 Optional Subjects which also include Literature of different languages. Aspirants need to choose any one of the ‘Optional Subjects’ from the list of the given optional subjects.
Paper | Subject | Marks |
I | Essay | 250 |
II | General Studies – I (Indian Culture & Heritage, History & Geography of India, Society & the World) | 250 |
III | General Studies – II (Indian Constitution, Governance in India, Polity, International Relations & Social Justice) | 250 |
IV | General Studies – III (Economic Development, Technological Development, Biodiversity, Security & Disaster Management) | 250 |
V | General Studies – IV (Ethics, Integrity & Aptitude) | 250 |
VI | Optional Subject – Paper I | 250 |
VII | Optional Subject – Paper II | 250 |
Candidates can choose the optional subjects as per their choice, educational background and success rate of optional subjects. Detailed syllabus for the respective optional subjects can be found on the official website. You can also check the given pdf for the same.
Candidates who qualify the UPSC Mains Written Exam will be called for the Final test i.e. a Personal Interview. The qualified candidates will be interviewed by the Board appointed by the UPSC. The objective of the interview is to assess the promptness of the candidates and their suitability for a career in the civil services. This interview is conducted by the board of competent and unbiased observers. The interview is more of a purposive and analytical conversation intended to explore the mental qualities and thinking ability of the candidates. The final merit list is prepared out of 2025 Marks based on which the final ranks of the candidates are decided. Hope this article will help all the prospective UPSC aspirants to get a brief idea of the UPSC examination.
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