The UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE) is a highly competitive examination conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) in India. It consists of three stages: Preliminary Examination (Prelims), Main Examination (Mains), and Personality Test/Interview. The syllabus for each stage is as follows:



Paper-I: General Studies (200 marks)
  • Current events of national and international importance
  • History of India and Indian National Movement
  • Indian and World Geography - Physical, Social, Economic Geography of India and the World
  • Indian Polity and Governance - Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues, etc.
  • Economic and Social Development - Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives, etc.
  • General issues on Environmental Ecology, Bio-diversity, and Climate Change
  • General Science
CSAT (Civil Services Aptitude Test) (200 marks)
  • Comprehension
  • Interpersonal skills including communication skills
  • Logical reasoning and analytical ability
  • Decision-making and problem-solving
  • General mental ability
  • Basic numeracy (numbers and their relations, orders of magnitude, etc.) (Class X level)
  • Data interpretation (charts, graphs, tables, data sufficiency, etc.) (Class X level)
  • English Language Comprehension skills (Class X level)

The Mains examination consists of nine papers, out of which seven are compulsory and two are optional.
Compulsory Papers:
  • Paper-I: Essay (250 marks)
  • Paper-II: General Studies-I (Indian Heritage and Culture, History, and Geography of the World and Society) (250 marks)
  • Paper-III: General Studies-II (Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice, and International relations) (250 marks)
  • Paper-IV: General Studies-III (Technology, Economic Development, Bio-diversity, Environment, Security and Disaster Management) (250 marks)
  • Paper-V: General Studies-IV (Ethics, Integrity, and Aptitude) (250 marks)
  • Paper-VI: Optional Subject - Paper I (250 marks)
  • Paper-VII: Optional Subject - Paper II (250 marks)

Optional Subjects:


Candidates can choose one optional subject from a list of given subjects.

The UPSC offers a wide range of optional subjects for candidates to choose from for the Mains examination. As of cutoff in January 2022, here is a list of optional subjects along with their syllabus. Please note that the syllabus may be subject to periodic revisions by the UPSC, so it's advisable to check the latest notification or the official UPSC website for any updates.



S.no Optional paper1 paper2
1 Agriculture Principles and Practices of Crop Production and Management, Agricultural and Animal Husbandry Practices, Plant Breeding and Genetics, etc. Farm Management, Agro-industries, and Marketing, Agricultural Extension, Ecological and Environmental issues in Agriculture, etc.
2 Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science Animal Nutrition, Animal Physiology, Livestock Production and Management, etc. Veterinary Science, Animal Diseases, Public Health, Zoonoses, etc.
3 Anthropology Introduction to Anthropology, Evolution of Man, Social Structure, Biological Diversity, etc. Indian Society, Tribal India, Demographic Structure, Social Change in India, etc.
4 Botany Microbial Diversity, Cryptogams, Angiosperms, Plant Utility, etc. Cell Biology, Genetics, Plant Breeding, Economic Botany, etc.
5 Chemistry Atomic Structure, Chemical Bonding, Coordination Compounds, Organic Chemistry, etc. Thermodynamics, Bioinorganic Chemistry, Organic Synthesis, Spectroscopy, etc.
6 Civil Engineering Building Materials, Solid Mechanics, Structural Analysis, etc. Design of Steel Structures, Environmental Engineering, Surveying, etc.
7 Commerce and Accountancy Financial Accounting, Business Organization, Business Laws, etc. Cost and Management Accounting, Auditing, Economics and Governance, etc.
8 Economics Microeconomics, Indian Economic Development, International Economics, etc. Macroeconomics, Environmental Economics, Money and Banking, etc.
9 Geography Principles of Geographical Thought, Physical Geography, Human Geography, etc. Regional Planning, Social and Economic Geography, Geography of India, etc

VIDEO'S