UPSC prelims syllabus
UPSC Prelims Syllabus subject wise: let's Understand The prelims syllabus in a Simple Manner
How To Read This Article
Give a general reading to get a glimpse of the first phase of the exam. Go through the sections below.
Memorize the major syllabus of the general studies paper which is important. Just read the detailed section for the time being.
Review the number of questions asked from each section. This is important, as it allows you to prioritise your subjects.
An Overview of the UPSC Prelims Syllabus
The UPSC Prelims Syllabus is an essential guide for candidates aspiring to crack the Civil Services Examination. Clearing this phase of the exam is the first step in achieving your goal. The Examination consists of two papers ie the General Studies – Paper I and the CSAT – Paper II. Both papers are of 200 marks each and carry a negative marking of 1/3rd of the marks allotted to each question. This article provides a detailed overview of the UPSC Prelims Syllabus, including the subjects covered, the exam pattern, and the importance of preparation.
The UPSC has categorized the syllabus for the General Studies Prelims Paper 1 and Paper 2 into specific broad categories and they are :
General Studies - Paper I ( 200 Marks )
Current events of national and international importance.
History of India and Indian National Movement.
Indian and World Geography
Indian Polity and Governance
Economic and Social Development
General issues on Environmental ecology, Biodiversity and Climate Change
General Science
Civil Service Aptitude Test- Paper II ( 200 Marks )
Comprehension
Interpersonal skills including communication skills
Logical reasoning and analytical ability
Decision-making and problem-solving
General mental ability
Basic numeracy (Class X level)
Data interpretation
UPSC Prelims Syllabus subject wise in detail
- Current Features
- History of India and The Indian National Movement
- India and World Geography
- Indian Polity and Governance
- Indian Economy
- Environment
This is one of the most important subjects in the UPSC prelims syllabus. The Number of dynamic questions that are asked in recent prelim exams is very high. Hence this category becomes the most important part of the exam.
What is expected for an aspirant to go through in this topic?
As the topic says we need to know the current events for a certain amount of period. Generally, an aspirant reads current affairs for one year. But UPSC can always ask before that period.
For an aspirant to know about current events around the country, it’s better to follow some standard newspaper along with a trusted website. Standard newspapers like The Hindu, Indian Express etc are good options.
Why a trusted website?
Newspapers as you know are for general reading. A trusted website guides the aspirants on what articles to read and what topics it is related to. News analysis done by our website is a good option to begin with.
Is UPSC expecting the aspirants to read more than 1 year of current affairs?
No, the prelims exam is just a phase that an aspirant needs to clear so that he/she can qualify for mains. The marks of prelims are never counted for the final selection process. Going through the previous year questions from current affairs have given us a general trend on the periods which UPSC has covered.
- 70% of questions from current affairs were asked from the previous 1 year.
- 20% of questions were asked from the previous 2 years.
- 10% of questions were asked from the previous 2.5 years.
A smart aspirant understands the demand of UPSC to clear the first phase. As we have mentioned before, the marks from prelims are not carried forward. So it’s better to go through just a years current affairs.
This category of the syllabus is static. The broad outlines of what topics are covered under this category are mostly known. This is a very time-consuming part of the UPSC prelims syllabus. The following are the broad topics and subtopics:
Ancient History of India
- Prehistoric cultures in India
- Indus Valley Civilization
- Pastoral and farming society
- Vedic society
- Mahajanapadas to the Nandas
- Buddhism and Jainism
- The Mauryan Empire
- Post-Mauryan India
- The Satavahanas
- Sangam Age
- Indo-Greeks, Sakas, Parthians, Kushans, Kanishka
- Different Religions- Bhagavatism, Shaivism etc
- Gupta Age
- Literature Science, Arts, Economy, and Society
Medieval Indian History
- Early medieval India. The Arabs in Sind and the Ghaznavids.
- Cultural trends – 750-1200.
- Arab Invasions.
- Delhi Sultanate.
- Vijayanagara Empire.
- Mughal Empire.
- Monotheistic movements: Kabir; Guru Nanak and Sikhism; Bhakti.
- The decline of the Mughal Empire.
- Maratha Power.
Modern India -Indian National Movement
- Coming of the Europeans.
- British extension and British Raj.
- Social and Economic Impact of the British Raj.
- Cultural encounters and social changes.
- Confrontation to British rule.
- Indian Freedom struggle in the first stage.
- Gandhian thoughts and mass mobilisation.
- Separatist movements in Indian politics.
- The post-1945 developments.
This category of the syllabus is both static and dynamic. This part of the UPSC Prelims syllabus is interesting and mostly based on logic. But mostly it can be covered through standard textbooks or websites.
Indian Geography
- The basic idea about India
- Physical features of India
- River systems
- Climate in India
- Mineral and industries
- Agriculture and Allied-characteristics and Problems
- Natural vegetation and fauna
- Economic infrastructure
- Human Geography
World Geography & Physical Geography
- Universe
- The basic idea about Earth
- Geomorphology
- Interior of the earth
- Mass Movements of landforms, erosion and deposits
- Climatology
- The hydrosphere
- Biosphere
- Economic geography
- Map work
- Places in News
Indian Polity has a lot of static and dynamic elements. The following are the broad topics and subtopics :
- Preamble
- Schedules
- Constitution of India
- Union and its Territory
- Citizenship
- Fundamental Rights (FR)
- Fundamental Duties(FD)
- Directive Principles of State Policy (DPSP)
- Union Government- Union executive
- Judiciary
- State Government- State Executive
- Administration of Special Areas
- Emergency Provisions
- State- centre and interstate relations
- Panchayati Raj and municipalities
- Reservation
- Constitution Bodies
- Non-Constitutional Bodies
- Tribunals
- Special Provisions for SCs, STs, Backward Classes, Minorities and Anglo-Indians
- Current affairs- like Bills, Laws, Schemes, RTI, Citizen Charter etc.
Indian Economy has been a very dynamic topic in recent years. The weightage for the Indian economy has been increasing for prelims.
How do you think we should approach this category?
Indian economy should be read with standard books and current events simultaneously for better understanding. First, go through a certain static topic and know the related current events happening under that topic.
The following are the broad outlines under Indian Economy :
- Growth and Development
- National Income Accounting in India
- Planning and Issues related to that
- Reforms in Indian Economy
- Inflation
- Monetary Policy in India
- Banking and Financial Markets
- Money Market, Capital Market etc
- India’s Public Finance
- Indian Agriculture
- Poverty, Inequality and Unemployment
- Government Budgeting
- Taxation in India
- External Sector
- International Economic Organizations ( WTO, IMF etc )
- Sectors of Economy – Food Processing, Industries, Infrastructure etc
- Investment Models
- IPR and related issues
- Major Policies like industrial policy, labour policy etc
Environment according to us is the most dynamic among all the different subjects. Questions from this section vary from very easy to challenging ones. This section of the topic is vast but mostly UPSC has been asking questions about current events in ecology.
How do you think I should approach this topic?
It’s better to learn the basics of environment and ecology from basic books. But mostly topics and subtopics should be read along with the current happenings.
The following are the broad outlines of Environment and Ecology :
- Basic understanding ( like components of the ecosystem, levels of organism, Biotic and Abiotic factors )
- Biogeochemical cycles
- Types of ecosystems
- Pollution
- Land degradation
- Waste management
- Environmental Impact Assessment
- Basic understanding of Biodiversity
- Biodiversity conservation
- Indian Biodiversity
- Threatened Species of India
- Other biodiversity-related topics ( like laws, policies, programmes etc )
- Basic understanding of climate change
- India and climate change
- Climate Change Organisations
- Other related topics ( like organizations, health effects, conventions, important acts and policies )
UPSC Prelims Syllabus subject wise in detail
The Number of dynamic questions that are asked in recent prelim exams is very high. Hence this category becomes the most important part of the exam.
What is expected for an aspirant to go through in this topic?
As the topic says we need to know the current events for a certain amount of period. Generally, an aspirant reads current affairs for one year. But UPSC can always ask before that period.
For an aspirant to know about current events around the country, it’s better to follow some standard newspaper along with a trusted website. Standard newspapers like The Hindu, Indian Express etc are good options.
Why a trusted website?
Newspapers as you know are for general reading. A trusted website guides the aspirants on what articles to read and what topics it is related to. News analysis done by our website is a good option to begin with.
Is UPSC expecting the aspirants to read more than 1 year of current affairs?
No, the prelims exam is just a phase that an aspirant needs to clear so that he/she can qualify for mains. The marks of prelims are never counted for the final selection process. Going through the previous year questions from current affairs have given us a general trend on the periods which UPSC has covered.
- 70% of questions from current affairs were asked from the previous 1 year.
- 20% of questions were asked from the previous 2 years.
- 10% of questions were asked from the previous 2.5 years.
A smart aspirant understands the demand of UPSC to clear the first phase. As we have mentioned before, the marks from prelims are not carried forward. So it’s better to go through just a years current affairs.
This category of the syllabus is static. The broad outlines of what topics are covered under this category are mostly known. The following are the broad topics and subtopics:
Ancient History of India
- Prehistoric cultures in India
- Indus Valley Civilization
- Pastoral and farming society
- Vedic society
- Mahajanapadas to the Nandas
- Buddhism and Jainism
- The Mauryan Empire
- Post-Mauryan India
- The Satavahanas
- Sangam Age
- Indo-Greeks, Sakas, Parthians, Kushans, Kanishka
- Different Religions- Bhagavatism, Shaivism etc
- Gupta Age
- Literature Science, Arts, Economy, and Society
Medieval Indian History
- Early medieval India. The Arabs in Sind and the Ghaznavids.
- Cultural trends – 750-1200.
- Arab Invasions.
- Delhi Sultanate.
- Vijayanagara Empire.
- Mughal Empire.
- Monotheistic movements: Kabir; Guru Nanak and Sikhism; Bhakti.
- The decline of the Mughal Empire.
- Maratha Power.
Modern India -Indian National Movement
- Coming of the Europeans.
- British extension and British Raj.
- Social and Economic Impact of the British Raj.
- Cultural encounters and social changes.
- Confrontation to British rule.
- Indian Freedom struggle in the first stage.
- Gandhian thoughts and mass mobilisation.
- Separatist movements in Indian politics.
- The post-1945 developments.
This category of the syllabus is both static and dynamic. But mostly it can be covered through standard textbooks or websites.
Indian Geography
- The basic idea about India
- Physical features of India
- River systems
- Climate in India
- Mineral and industries
- Agriculture and Allied-characteristics and Problems
- Natural vegetation and fauna
- Economic infrastructure
- Human Geography
World Geography & Physical Geography
- Universe
- The basic idea about Earth
- Geomorphology
- Interior of the earth
- Mass Movements of landforms, erosion and deposits
- Climatology
- The hydrosphere
- Biosphere
- Economic geography
- Map work
- Places in News
Indian Polity has a lot of static and dynamic elements. The following are the broad topics and subtopics :
- Preamble
- Schedules
- Constitution of India
- Union and its Territory
- Citizenship
- Fundamental Rights (FR)
- Fundamental Duties(FD)
- Directive Principles of State Policy (DPSP)
- Union Government- Union executive
- Judiciary
- State Government- State Executive
- Administration of Special Areas
- Emergency Provisions
- State- centre and interstate relations
- Panchayati Raj and municipalities
- Reservation
- Constitution Bodies
- Non-Constitutional Bodies
- Tribunals
- Special Provisions for SCs, STs, Backward Classes, Minorities and Anglo-Indians
- Current affairs- like Bills, Laws, Schemes, RTI, Citizen Charter etc.
Indian Economy has been a very dynamic topic in recent years. The weightage for the Indian economy has been increasing for prelims.
How do you think we should approach this category?
Indian economy should be read with standard books and current events simultaneously for better understanding. First, go through a certain static topic and know the related current events happening under that topic.
The following are the broad outlines under Indian Economy :
- Growth and Development
- National Income Accounting in India
- Planning and Issues related to that
- Reforms in Indian Economy
- Inflation
- Monetary Policy in India
- Banking and Financial Markets
- Money Market, Capital Market etc
- India’s Public Finance
- Indian Agriculture
- Poverty, Inequality and Unemployment
- Government Budgeting
- Taxation in India
- External Sector
- International Economic Organizations ( WTO, IMF etc )
- Sectors of Economy – Food Processing, Industries, Infrastructure etc
- Investment Models
- IPR and related issues
- Major Policies like industrial policy, labour policy etc
Environment according to us is the most dynamic among all the different subjects. Questions from this section vary from very easy to challenging ones. This section of the topic is vast but mostly UPSC has been asking questions about current events in ecology.
How do you think I should approach this topic?
It’s better to learn the basics of environment and ecology from basic books. But mostly topics and subtopics should be read along with the current happenings.
The following are the broad outlines of Environment and Ecology :
- Basic understanding ( like components of the ecosystem, levels of organism, Biotic and Abiotic factors )
- Biogeochemical cycles
- Types of ecosystems
- Pollution
- Land degradation
- Waste management
- Environmental Impact Assessment
- Basic understanding of Biodiversity
- Biodiversity conservation
- Indian Biodiversity
- Threatened Species of India
- Other biodiversity-related topics ( like laws, policies, programmes etc )
- Basic understanding of climate change
- India and climate change
- Climate Change Organisations
- Other related topics ( like organizations, health effects, conventions, important acts and policies )
Let's see the previous trends in UPSC Prelims syllabus
Frequently Asked Questions
Get answers to the most common queries. Click on the “Read More” if mentioned.
How many times upsc civil services exam is conducted in a year?
Ans: The UPSC exam is administered once a year, typically in June. The first phase of the exam which is the preliminary stage is conducted first followed by Mains and Interview
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How many attempts for UPSC civil services exam?
Ans: The number of attempts for UPSC civil services exam varies depending on the category which the candidate has opted for. For detailed answers click read more.
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How to apply upsc civil services exam?
Ans: The Union Public Service Commission will release the IAS notification. The candidates will be required to apply online for the UPSC civil services exam because no other application format is available.
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How to clear UPSC civil services exam?
Ans: The very first step is the understand the exam. After that prepare for the exam from the right sources and materials. Reading is important but so is giving the mock exams.
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How to clear UPSC in the first attempt?
Ans: Clearing the UPSC Exam in one go is tough, but many have done it. You can too with determination, focus, and a smart approach. The ones who have done it are …
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