UPSC Mains Syllabus: All Nine Papers

The UPSC Mains, the second stage of the Civil Services Examination, consists of a written examination and an interview. The written part has nine papers, each three hours long and essay-type. Seven of them count towards your rank and carry 1,750 marks. The other two, in an Indian language and in English, are qualifying: you need 25% in each, but their marks are not added.

The syllabus for every mains paper is in Part B of Section III of the CSE 2026 notice. This page covers what the notice says the mains is for, how the papers fit together and the rules that apply to all of them, with a link to each paper's guide.

What the mains is meant to test

In plain words:

• Depth over memory. The mains assesses your intellectual traits and depth of understanding, not merely how much information you hold.
• GS papers at a generalist's standard. The four GS papers are set so that a well-educated person can answer them without specialised study. They test awareness of subjects relevant to a career in the civil services, basic understanding of the issues, and your ability to analyse and take a view on conflicting socio-economic goals.
• Short, relevant answers. The notice asks for answers that are relevant, meaningful and succinct.
• Optional papers at honours level. The optional syllabus is broadly at honours degree level, above a bachelor's and below a master's. For engineering, medical science and law, it is at bachelor's level.

The nine papers

Each paper has its own guide:

• Papers A and B, an Indian language and English: comprehension, précis, usage and vocabulary and short essays, with translation in the Indian language paper. Qualifying only. Language papers
• Paper I, Essay: essays on multiple topics. Essay paper
• Paper II, GS I: Indian heritage and culture, the history and geography of the world, and society. GS Paper 1
• Paper III, GS II: governance, the Constitution, polity, social justice and international relations. GS Paper 2
• Paper IV, GS III: technology, economic development, biodiversity, environment, security and disaster management. GS Paper 3
• Paper V, GS IV: ethics, integrity and aptitude. GS Paper 4
• Papers VI and VII: the two papers of the optional subject you chose. Optional subjects

Language and medium

• You can answer every paper except Papers A and B in English or in any one language of the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution.
• If you write Papers I to V in an Indian language, you may still write your optional papers in English.
• If you write in an Indian language, you may add the English term in brackets after a technical term. The notice warns that misusing this costs marks and, in extreme cases, means the script is not valued.
• Question papers, except the literature papers, are set in Hindi and English only.
• You name your optional subject, your medium and your compulsory Indian language in the Exam Specific Form, and the notice says none of them can be changed once it is submitted.

More in the medium of exam guide.

Rules that apply to every paper

• Your own hand. You write every paper yourself. A scribe is allowed only for the candidates with disabilities that the notice specifies.
• Legible handwriting. If your handwriting is not easily legible, marks are deducted.
• No marks for superficial knowledge. Credit goes to orderly, effective and exact expression with due economy of words.
• Nothing irrelevant, nothing that identifies you. Matter, signs or marks in the answer booklet that don't belong to any answer, or that could reveal who you are, can cost marks or leave the script unevaluated. UPSC has published examples of these mistakes.
• Calculators. Scientific calculators of the non-programmable type are allowed in the essay-type papers; programmable ones are not.
• Minimum marks. UPSC may fix qualifying marks in any or all papers. Its cut-off notices require at least 10% in each of the seven papers that count. Mains and final cut-offs

How to prepare from the syllabus

• Prepare the overlap once. History, polity, geography, the economy, environment and science appear in the prelims and again in the GS papers. Make notes that serve both stages. Prelims syllabus
• Start your optional early. It is two of the seven papers that count, and for most subjects the notice sets it above bachelor's level.
• Write answers, not just notes. Relevant, meaningful and succinct answers come from writing to time and having your answers checked. Mains answer writing
• Practise taking a view. The GS papers test whether you can weigh conflicting goals and reach a reasoned position, so end your answers with one.
• Don't neglect the language papers. They are only qualifying, but they decide whether everything else you write is counted.