UPSC Syllabus: Prelims, Mains and Optional

The UPSC syllabus is printed in the notice for each year's Civil Services Examination, in Appendix I, Section III. It has three parts: the preliminary examination, with two objective papers; the main examination, with nine written papers; and your optional subject, one of 48, which gives you two of those mains papers. The interview has no written syllabus.

This page shows how the parts fit together, sums up every paper in plain words and links to a full guide for each. Everything here comes from the CSE 2026 notice. UPSC's calendar lists 13 January 2027 as the date of the CSE 2027 notice; check it for changes when it is out.

How the syllabus is organised

Prelims: two papers

Both papers are objective (multiple choice), two hours long and set in Hindi and English. A wrong answer costs one-third of the marks for that question.

• General Studies Paper I covers seven areas: current events, the history of India and the national movement, Indian and world geography, polity and governance, economic and social development, environment and climate change, and general science. Provided you clear CSAT, your score in this paper decides whether you reach the mains. Prelims syllabus, line by line
• General Studies Paper II (CSAT) covers comprehension, interpersonal and communication skills, reasoning, decision making, general mental ability, and basic numeracy and data interpretation at Class X level. It is qualifying: you need 33%, and its marks are not added to your score. CSAT syllabus

Mains: nine papers

Every mains paper is three hours long and essay-type. Two are qualifying language papers; the other seven decide your written rank.

• Papers A and B, an Indian language and English: comprehension, précis, usage and vocabulary and short essays, plus translation in the Indian language paper. You need 25% in each. Language papers
• Paper I, Essay: essays on multiple topics, judged on keeping to the subject, orderly ideas and concise, exact writing. 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, with case studies. GS Paper 4
• Papers VI and VII: your optional subject. Optional subjects

What the notice says the mains is meant to test, and its rules on language and medium, are in the mains syllabus guide.

Optional subject: one of 48

You choose one optional subject when you apply. It has two papers in the mains, of 250 marks each, and both count for your rank. The notice lists 25 subjects plus the literature of any one of 23 languages:

The notice sets the optional syllabus broadly at honours degree level, above a bachelor's degree and below a master's; for engineering, medical science and law it is at bachelor's level. To see how many candidates take each subject and how many succeed, from UPSC's own reports, read choosing your optional subject.

The interview has no syllabus

The personality test carries 275 marks. The notice says it judges your personal suitability for a career in public service, through a purposeful conversation rather than a cross-examination, and that it is not meant to test the knowledge your written papers have already tested. It expects you to take an intelligent interest in your own subjects and in events within and outside your state and country. Interview guide

Subject-wise syllabus guides

Many subjects appear in both the prelims and the mains syllabus. These guides take one subject at a time:

• Indian polity
• History
• Geography
• Indian economy
• Environment and ecology
• Science and technology
• Art and culture
• International relations
• Internal security
• Indian society and social justice

How to use the syllabus

• Keep UPSC's wording beside you. Print the syllabus for your papers and tick lines off as you cover them.
• Read the prelims and mains lines together. History, polity, geography, the economy, environment and science appear at both stages, so plan your reading to serve both.
• Use past papers to judge depth. The syllabus lists areas; UPSC's previous question papers show how deeply each is tested. Previous year papers
• Choose your optional early. It is two of the seven papers that count, and you have to name it when you apply.
• Check each year's notice. The CSE 2026 notice advises reading the syllabus printed in it, because several subjects have been revised from time to time.