UPSC Syllabus for UPSC or IAS: A Comprehensive Guide

Are you planning to take the UPSC CSE 2023?

If yes, then it is time for you to start preparing for the same.

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) conducts examinations for various Group A and a few positions in the Group B category in the Indian government annually. The Civil Services Examination is regarded as one of the most prestigious and highly competitive tests in India.

If you are an applicant looking to take up this exam this year, the notification stated that the UPSC Preliminary will be held on May 28, 2023, and Main Exams will be held on September 15, 2023, respectively. In this article, we have broken down each aspect of all steps of the exam providing detailed information related to the IAS syllabus and UPSC coaching that could help you succeed.

UPSC Prelims Syllabus for IAS

The UPSC Prelims syllabus and exam pattern as per the UPSC 2023 notification is provided below. If we observe any changes in the syllabus or pattern, post the official notification it will be updated here.

Want to know what topics are covered in the UPSC Prelims 2023 exam? Check out this comprehensive article that outlines the important UPSC syllabus topics and exam patterns, according to the official UPSC notification.

The examination comprises two objective-type papers (General Studies I and General Studies II or CSAT), each carrying 200 marks. The exams are usually conducted on the same day in two separate sessions via an offline mode (pen-paper). Furthermore, you can expect to receive your admit card for the Prelims 2-3 weeks before the actual exam date through the official website of UPSC.

UPSC Prelims 2023 – Exam Pattern

UPSC Prelims 2023 is scheduled to take place on May 28, 2023.

The UPSC Prelims exam consists of two multiple-choice papers, with a total of 400 marks. Both papers are weighted at 200 marks each. Additionally, those seeking preparation for IAS/UPSC entrance exam and coaching can also look at various study materials to help them understand the UPSC syllabus better.

General Studies I
General Studies II i.e., CSAT

What is the language in which one can attempt UPSC Prelims 2023?

The question papers will be set both in Hindi and English.

What is the mode in which the UPSC Prelims 2023 will be conducted?

Held on the same day, both papers are attempted in offline mode (pen-paper mode).

What is the educational qualification to apply for the Civil Services Prelims Exam of India?

To apply for the civil services prelims exam in India, the applicant must have completed a bachelor’s degree from an accredited university in any discipline.

How can I download my Admit Card for UPSC Prelims 2023?

The UPSC Prelims 2023 Admit Card would be released on the official website of UPSC 2-3 weeks before the date of the exam.

Exam Pattern

UPSC Prelims Exam Pattern	General Studies I	General Studies II or CSAT
Number of questions	100	80
Negative marking	Yes; (1/3rd of the maximum marks for the question) -0.66 marks for every incorrect answer	Yes; (1/3rd of the maximum marks for the question) -0.83 marks for every incorrect answer
Duration of exam	2 Hours	2 Hours
Date of exam	May 28, 2023	May 28, 2023
Language of exam	English & Hindi	English & Hindi
Maximum marks	200	200
Cut-off marks	Counted for Merit. Cutoff varies every year.	33% qualifying criteria (66 marks)

General Studies Paper 1 Syllabus:

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, Biodiversity and Climate Change- that do not require subject specialization.
General Science.

What is the cut-off for Paper 1 of UPSC Prelims examination? For the General Studies Paper-1, the cut off varies from year to year.

General Studies Paper 2 Syllabus:

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.

What is the cut-off for Paper 2 of UPSC Prelims examination? For the Paper 2 / CSAT, 33% (66 marks) is the qualifying criteria.

UPSC Mains Syllabus for IAS

Let us talk about the stage after the Prelims – the second stage of the Civil Services Examination, the Mains.

How to apply for Mains 2023?

Remember: If selected, you’ll be required to fill out the Detailed Application Form ie., DAF-I Form to be able to appear in the Mains examination (UPSC Mains). Once the Civil Services Exam (Preliminary) results are declared, successful candidates will have to fill out the online Detailed Application Form (DAF) for UPSC Mains on the official website (upsc.gov.in). It has six sections –

Personal
Information on Education
Information on Parents
Information on Employment
Upload documents
Final Submission

Note:

Some of the information are already auto-populated as per your information captured earlier.
Once Final Submission is done no changes are allowed online. One needs to be extra careful and aler and submit only post cross-checking each detail.
The information that you would fill in the form would also form the basis of a lot of questions that will be asked during the IAS Interview or the UPSC Personality Test stage. Keep a copy of your entire form to revise and be prepared.

Once they clear Mains, they will be ready to appear for the IAS interview/UPSC Personality Test stage.

What will the Pattern of the Mains Examination 2023 be?

- UPSC Mains 2023 will have 9 theory papers (descriptive type/essays).
- Even here, out of the nine papers, only seven will be counted for merit ranking.
- Candidates have to score a minimum of 25% marks in Paper A and Paper B otherwise their marks in other papers will not be taken into account.
- Appearing candidates get a chance to choose one optional subject for UPSC Mains.

What is the Maximum marks for UPSC Mains exam?

1,750 marks (7 papers of 250 marks each)

What is the Duration of UPSC Mains exam?

Three-hour duration

What is the Objective of the UPSC Mains exam?

The final rank of the candidate is determined by the marks at this stage.
UPSC’s focus is on assessing the depth and breadth of the candidate’s knowledge as well as their way of communicating it.
Level of education for understanding the equivalent syllabus:
- Equivalent to an honours degree (Consider between Bachelor’ and Master’s level).
- Exception: Engineering subjects + Law Studies + Medical Science: Scope is limited to the bachelor level.

Let us look at the UPSC Mains pattern for Civil Services Exam 2023

Papers	Subject	Nature of Exam	Total Marks
Paper A	Indian Language	Qualifying	300
Paper B	English	Qualifying	300
Paper I	Essay	Counted for Merit	250
Paper II	General Studies (GS) I	Counted for Merit	250
Paper III	General Studies (GS) II	Counted for Merit	250
Paper IV	General Studies (GS) III	Counted for Merit	250
Paper V	General Studies (GS) IV	Counted for Merit	250
Paper VI	Optional Subject Paper I	Counted for Merit	250
Paper VII	Optional Subject Paper II	Counted for Merit	250

Pattern and Syllabus of Qualifying Papers of UPSC Mains 2023

Papers	Exam Pattern
Paper A – Indian Language (From any of the Indian languages listed in the 8th Schedule of the Constitution)	1. Comprehension of given passages. 2. Precis Writing 3. Usage and Vocabulary 4. Short Essays 5. Translation from English to the Indian Language and vice-versa
Paper A – English	Comprehension of given passages Precis Writing Usage and Vocabulary Short Essays

Note:

If candidates score below 25% in either of these two papers, then their marks in the remaining papers will not even be declared.
Level of Paper A and Paper B: Matriculation (or equivalent) level.
Paper A (Indian Language) in UPSC Mains is not compulsory for candidates hailing from Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Sikkim.

Pattern and Syllabus of Essay Paper of UPSC Mains 2023

Candidates are expected to keep close to the subject of the essay to arrange their ideas in an orderly fashion and to write concisely. Credit will be given for effective and exact expression.”

UPSC has not suggested any specific syllabus for Essay section.
Essays to be written: 2
Total Marks: 250

Pattern and Syllabus of General Studies Paper of UPSC Mains 2023

UPSC Mains Paper II – General Studies I	UPSC Mains Paper III – General Studies II	UPSC Mains Paper-IV – General Studies III	UPSC Mains Paper V – General Studies IV
Indian Heritage and Culture	Governance	Technology	Ethics
History and Geography of the World	Constitution	Economic Development	Integrity
Society	Polity	Environment, Biodiversity	Aptitude
Social Justice	International relations	Security and Disaster Management	–
A candidate is judged on the basis of in-depth knowledge and understanding rather than just byhearting collected information at the last moment. A civil servant should know and understand the history and geography of a particular place, including the behavior of the society, to help himself mold and get transformed in such a way that his duties/actions would have the highest efficacy on the citizenry. Click here for more.	This paper tests the wisdom of the candidate in areas related to the Legislative, Executive and the Judiciary. It also deals with various sacrosanct institutions and other development agendas which become imperative for a budding civil servant to delve into. Because, once they start on the ladder of their career, much of their lives will be affected by this activity of governance. Click Here for more.	A budding bureaucrat is expected to know the issues in depth as well as in breadth as far as possible. Issues like economy and development can never be expected to be static and mere rote memorization will never equip them with enough weapons in their arsenal to attack the CS(M).	The exam which earlier used to judge the level of knowledge and intelligence of candidates will now also look into their wisdom and moral conception. It also checks if the candidate has aptitude and values for surviving and successfully performing his duties as a civil servant. Thus, this step would theoretically make every new recruit ethical and moral with high integrity values. Click here for more

Optional Subjects for UPSC Mains

How many optional subjects does a candidate need to take up?

One; divided into 2 papers

- Paper 1: 250 marks
- Paper 2: 250 marks

What Optional Subjects are available to choose from for UPSC Mains Examintion 2023?

Agriculture
Anthropology
Arabic
Botany
Chemistry
Civil Engineering
Commerce & Accountancy
Economics
Electrical Engineering

Electrical Engineering
Geography
Geology
History
Law
Management
Mathematics
Mechanical Engineering
Medical Science

Philosophy
Physics
Political Science
Psychology
Public Administration
Sociology
Statistics
Zoology

What Literature Optional Subjects are available to choose from for UPSC Mains Examintion 2023?

Assamese
Bengali
Bodo
English
French
German
Gujarati
Hindi
Kannada

Persian
Punjabi
Russian
Sanskrit
Santali
Sindhi
Tamil
Telugu
Urdu

Punjabi
Russian
Sanskrit
Santali
Sindhi
Tamil
Telugu
Urdu

UPSC Interview

We now come to the last and final stage of the UPSC Civil Service Examination. The stage where it literally defines your future.

- Duration: 30-40 minutes
- Total marks: 275

What are some of the tips to prepare for the UPSC Interview?

- Go through the Detailed Application Form (DAF) thoroughly.
- Prepare your views and perspectives on ongoing topics as well as evergreen ones.
- Educate yourself on the the legal powers and capabilities of an IAS/IPS/IFS officer. Your answers must be within the ambit of the constitutional power that your profile holds.
- Know about all the places you’ve stayed at.
- If you don’t know let them know that you don’t. Nobody knows everything. And they know that too well.
- Your choice of words and the articulation of your thoughts say a lot about you.
- Participate in Mock Interviews. Practice in front of the mirror. Body language matters.
- Check your documents.
- Dress formally and properly.
- Eat well, sleep well.

What questions are asked during IAS interviews?

Questions related to your Profile

Right from your name, education, and professional background to marriage and hobbies, etc.

Questions related to Current Affairs

Your perspectives on the current affairs in news for the past 3-4 months.

A few Situational Questions

To assess your credibility as a bureaucrat on how efficiently you’ll be able to deal with the on-ground situations.

A few Behavioral Questions

To assess the behavioral aspect of one’s personality. The type of questions that unravel you. The types that are easy. The questions to which the answers come naturally to you.

Tips for Preparing for UPSC

When one begins the preparation for the UPSC examination, chances are that the person finds himself/herself on the two extreme ends of the spectrum. They either see themselves as overconfident achiever or underconfident struggler. The one who will emerge victorious will be the one who balances himself/herself in the middle of that spectrum.

Getting yourself in the perfect mould to ace the UPSC 2023 examination is never an easy task. With so many expectations and test prep tips out there, it can seem like a daunting task to get ready for this revered exam. As you start off your UPSC journey, it is best to keep your confidence levels balanced and employ some tried-and-true methods that have been instrumental in helping others clear the IAS syllabus with flying colours. With the right UPSC coaching and proper guidance, success is within reach!

Smart Work over Hard Work: We, at IASbaba, believe that each individual is unique. They are talented, and have immense potential to succeed. But the one point that will make you a WINNER will be to work on putting SMART work consistently, day after day. Not coaching worth lakhs of rupees. Not hoarding materials from all possible coaching classes.
Focus on the How than What: Most of the time it will not be about the ‘what’, it will be about the ‘HOW’ – How to read, how to prepare, how to speed-read and understand, how to make effective notes, how to remember. Because it will be the tactics that will come in handy. Information is all around us.
Be a Generalist not an Expert: It will only be the ‘Generalist’ who will focus on a single source of information, work on how to remember it and will crack the toughest exam of India. A Generalist is someone who very smartly reads, connects the dots, gains conceptual clarity and moves on without doing a PhD in any particular subject
The 3 R’s: Right Frame of Mind, Right Way of Gaining Knowledge and Right Guidance & Accountability: The Right frame of mind leads us to think more on what exactly you need to focus on and how your preparation needs to be done. The Right Way of Gaining Knowledge lies in reading what is important and establishing key links that exist across topics from different subjects and current affairs. For the right guidance & accountability you need mentors that you can rely on for their wisdom and experience and who can hold you accountable even on days you feel uninspired to prepare.

Clearing the UPSC exam is not rocket science. But who said that it was IMPOSSIBLE?