UPSC

Overview of UPSC

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) exam, also known as the Civil Services Examination (CSE), is one of the most prestigious and competitive exams in India. It is conducted annually by the UPSC to recruit candidates for various civil services positions, including the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS), and Indian Police Service (IPS). Here’s an overview of the UPSC exam:

Stages of the UPSC Exam

1. Preliminary Examination (Prelims)

Objective Type: Consists of two papers, both of which are objective-type (multiple-choice questions).
- Paper I: General Studies (GS): Covers a wide range of subjects including history, geography, polity, economy, environment, science and technology, current affairs, etc.
- Paper II: Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT): Tests candidates' aptitude in comprehension, logical reasoning, analytical ability, decision-making, and basic numeracy.
Marks and Duration:
- Paper I: 200 marks, 2 hours
- Paper II: 200 marks, 2 hours (qualifying in nature, minimum 33% required to pass)
Purpose: Serves as a screening test for the Main Examination. Scores in Paper I determine the cutoff.

2. Main Examination (Mains)

Descriptive Type: Consists of nine papers, all of which are descriptive in nature.
- Paper A: Compulsory Indian Language: 300 marks (qualifying)
- Paper B: English: 300 marks (qualifying)
- Paper I: Essay: 250 marks
- Paper II: General Studies I: 250 marks (Indian Heritage and Culture, History, Geography)
- Paper III: General Studies II: 250 marks (Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice, International Relations)
- Paper IV: General Studies III: 250 marks (Technology, Economic Development, Bio-diversity, Environment, Security, Disaster Management)
- Paper V: General Studies IV: 250 marks (Ethics, Integrity, and Aptitude)
- Paper VI & VII: Optional Subject Papers I & II: 250 marks each (candidates choose one optional subject from a list of subjects provided by UPSC)
Total Marks for Merit Calculation: 1750 marks (excluding qualifying papers)

3. Personality Test (Interview)

Interview: Conducted by a board to assess the personal suitability of the candidate for a career in public service.
Marks: 275 marks
Total Marks for Final Ranking: 2025 marks (Mains + Interview)

Eligibility Criteria

Nationality:
- For IAS and IPS: Must be a citizen of India.
- For other services: Must be a citizen of India, a subject of Nepal or Bhutan, a Tibetan refugee, or a person of Indian origin who has migrated from certain countries.
Age Limit:
- General category: 21 to 32 years.
- OBC category: 21 to 35 years.
- SC/ST category: 21 to 37 years.
- Additional relaxations for certain categories.
Educational Qualification:
- Must hold a degree from a recognized university.
- Final year students are also eligible to apply.
Number of Attempts:
- General category: 6 attempts.
- OBC category: 9 attempts.
- SC/ST category: Unlimited attempts (up to the age limit).

Syllabus for Prelims Exams

Syllabus for prelims exams

Syllabus for Mains Exam

The purpose of this phase of the UPSC exam is to test the candidate’s comprehension and ensure that they have the intellectual ability to present their answers in a clear, concise, and coherent manner within the time frame given.

Language Papers (Indian Language and English):

These two items are just qualifying questions, but candidates must not be satisfied because if they do not get below 25% on either of them, the rest of the answer sheets will not be graded either. Both papers follow a similar question pattern as shown below.

1 essay question of 100 points – Candidate must select one topic from multiple given topics.
A total of 60 points on 5-6 questions related to reading comprehension. Accurate writing out of 60 – The answer sheet has a different grid structure in which this must be completed.
20 English to language translations of your choice.
20 translations from your chosen language to English Basic language use including grammar and synonyms, sentence modification, a total of 40 points.

Essay

This 250-mark question requires candidates to write an essay on a particular topic.

GS Paper I

Indian culture will cover the salient aspects of art forms, literature, and architecture from ancient to modern times.
The salient aspects of the history of the world will include events from the 18th century such as the industrial revolution, world wars, redrawing of national boundaries, colonization, decolonization, political philosophies like communism, capitalism, socialism, etc. – their forms and effects on the society.
Indian Society – Salient features of Indian Society, Diversity of India. Role of women and women’s organization, population and associated issues, poverty and developmental issues, urbanization, their problems and their remedies.
Effects of globalization on Indian society Social empowerment, communalism, regionalism & secularism.
Geography of the World – Salient features of the world’s physical geography.
Distribution of key natural resources across the world (including South Asia and the Indian sub-continent); factors responsible for the location of primary, secondary, and tertiary sector industries in various parts of the world (including India).
Important Geophysical phenomena such as earthquakes, tsunamis, Volcanic activity, cyclones, etc., geographical features and their location changes in critical geographical features (including water bodies and ice caps) and in flora and fauna and the effects of such changes.

GS Paper II

Constitutional and non-constitutional bodies in the political system.
Functions and Responsibilities of the Union and the States, issues and challenges related to the federal structure, devolution of powers and finances up to local levels and challenges therein.
Separation of powers between various organs, dispute redressal mechanisms and institutions.
Structure, organization and functioning of the Executive and the Judiciary Ministries and Departments of the Government; Pressure Groups and formal/informal associations and their role in the Polity.
Salient features of the Representation of People’s Act.
Appointment to various Constitutional posts, powers, functions, and responsibilities of various Constitutional Bodies.
Statutory, regulatory and various quasi-judicial bodies Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.
Development processes and the development industry – the role of NGOs, SHGs, various groups and associations, donors, charities, institutional and other stakeholders.
Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States and the performance of these schemes; mechanisms, laws, institutions and Bodies constituted for the protection and betterment of these vulnerable sections.
Issues relating to the development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.
Issues relating to poverty and hunger.
Important aspects of governance, transparency and accountability, e-governance- applications, models, successes, limitations, and potential; citizens charters, transparency & accountability and institutional and other measures.
Role of civil services in a democracy.
International Relations.
India and its neighborhood- relations.
Bilateral, regional, and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests.
Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests, Indian diaspora.
Important International institutions, agencies, their structure and mandates.

GS Paper III

Economy –
- Government budgeting.
- Inclusive growth and issues arising from it.
- Effects of liberalization on the economy (post-1991 changes), changes in industrial policy and their effects on industrial growth.
- Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways, etc.
- Investment models (e.g., PPP).
Agriculture
- Major cropping patterns in various parts of the country, different types of irrigation and irrigation systems storage, transport, and marketing of agricultural produce and issues and related constraints; e-technology in the aid of farmers.
- Issues related to direct and indirect farm subsidies and minimum support prices; Public Distribution System- objectives, functioning, limitations, revamping; issues of buffer stocks and food security; Technology missions.
- Land reforms in India.
Science and Technology
- Recent developments and their applications and effects in everyday life.
- Achievements of Indians in science & technology; indigenization of technology and developing new technology.
- Awareness in the fields of IT, Space, Computers, Robotics, Nanotechnology, Biotechnology.
- Issues relating to intellectual property rights.
Environment
- Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment.
Disaster management (e.g., laws, acts, etc.).
Security
- Challenges to internal security (external state and non-state actors).
- Linkages between development and spread of extremism.
- Role of external state and non-state actors in creating challenges to internal security.
- Challenges to internal security through communication networks, role of media and social networking sites in internal security challenges, basics of cyber security; money-laundering and its prevention.
- Security challenges and their management in border areas; linkages of organized crime with terrorism.
- Various Security forces and agencies and their mandate.

GS Paper IV

This paper tests the candidate's ethics and integrity and their approach to various issues and conflicts faced by them in dealing with society. Questions may utilise the case study approach to determine these aspects.

Ethics and Human Interface – Essence, determinants, and consequences of Ethics in human actions; dimensions of ethics; ethics in private and public relationships. Human Values – lessons from the lives and teachings of great leaders, reformers and administrators; the role of family, society, and educational institutions in inculcating values.
Attitude – content, structure, function; its influence and relation with thought and behavior; moral and political attitudes; social influence and persuasion.
Aptitude and foundational values for Civil Service – integrity, impartiality and non-partisanship, objectivity, dedication to public service, empathy, tolerance and compassion towards the weaker sections.
Emotional intelligence-concepts, and their utilities and application in administration and governance.
Contributions of moral thinkers and philosophers from India and the world.
Public/Civil service values and Ethics in Public administration: Status and problems; ethical concerns and dilemmas in government and private institutions; laws, rules, regulations and conscience as sources of ethical guidance; accountability and ethical governance; strengthening of ethical and moral values in governance; ethical issues in international relations and funding; corporate governance.
Probity in Governance: Concept of public service; Philosophical basis of governance and probity; Information sharing and transparency in government, Right to Information, Codes of Ethics, Codes of Conduct, Citizen’s Charters, Work culture, Quality of service delivery, Utilization of public funds, challenges of corruption.
Case Studies on above issues.

For more updates refer to their official website: https://upsc.gov.in/

Proud IAS/UPSC Officers

Aruna Sundararajan

A senior civil servant, she played a key role in India’s digital transformation and was instrumental in implementing the BharatNet project..

Dr. Roman Saini

Dr. Roman Saini is a former Indian Administrative Service officer who founded Unacademy, an online educational institute

Vikas Divyakirti

He is founder of Drishti IAS & a former civil servant who cleared the UPSC exam in 1996 and served in the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) for a brief period

Tina Dabi

She secured the first rank in her very first attempt and has since become a popular figure, known for her work in Rajasthan.

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