UPSC Civil Services Syllabus 2027

UPSC Prelims exam pattern 2027

Both papers are objective and held on the same day. Paper II, the CSAT, is qualifying only — you must score 33 per cent, but the marks do not count towards your rank. Only Paper I decides who reaches the Mains.

Negative marking: one third of the marks assigned to a question is deducted for each wrong answer in both papers.

UPSC Prelims syllabus — General Studies Paper I

• Current events of national and international importance.
• History of India and the Indian national movement.
• Indian and world geography — physical, social and economic geography of India and the world.
• Indian polity and governance — Constitution, political system, Panchayati Raj, public policy, rights issues.
• Economic and social development — sustainable development, poverty, inclusion, demographics, social sector initiatives.
• General issues on environmental ecology, biodiversity and climate change, which do not require subject specialisation.
• General science.

UPSC Prelims syllabus — CSAT Paper II

• 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, at Class X level.
• Data interpretation — charts, graphs, tables, data sufficiency, at Class X level.

UPSC Mains exam pattern 2027

Nine papers in total. The two language papers are qualifying; the remaining seven, plus the interview, decide the final merit.

UPSC Mains syllabus — General Studies papers

GS Paper I

• Indian culture — art forms, literature and architecture from ancient to modern times.
• Modern Indian history from about the middle of the eighteenth century, significant events, personalities and issues.
• The freedom struggle, its various stages and important contributors from different parts of the country.
• Post-independence consolidation and reorganisation within the country.
• History of the world — industrial revolution, world wars, colonisation and decolonisation, political philosophies such as communism, capitalism and socialism.
• Salient features of Indian society, diversity, role of women, population issues, poverty, urbanisation, globalisation, social empowerment, communalism, regionalism and secularism.
• Salient features of world physical geography, distribution of key natural resources, factors responsible for the location of industries, geophysical phenomena.

GS Paper II

• Indian Constitution — historical underpinnings, evolution, features, amendments, significant provisions and basic structure.
• Functions and responsibilities of the Union and the States, federal structure, devolution of powers.
• Separation of powers, dispute redressal mechanisms, comparison with other countries.
• Parliament and State Legislatures, the executive and the judiciary, pressure groups, representation of people.
• Government policies and interventions for development, and issues arising from their design and implementation.
• Welfare schemes, mechanisms and institutions for the vulnerable sections; issues relating to health, education and human resources; poverty and hunger.
• Important aspects of governance, transparency and accountability, e-governance, Citizen’s Charters, role of civil services in a democracy.
• India and its neighbourhood, bilateral and regional groupings, effect of policies of developed and developing countries, international institutions and agencies.

GS Paper III

• Indian economy — planning, mobilisation of resources, growth, development and employment.
• Inclusive growth, government budgeting, land reforms, liberalisation, infrastructure and investment models.
• Agriculture — cropping patterns, irrigation, storage and transport, e-technology, subsidies and MSP, public distribution system, food processing, animal rearing.
• Science and technology — developments and applications, indigenisation, awareness in IT, space, computers, robotics, nano-technology, biotechnology and intellectual property rights.
• Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment, disaster management.
• Internal security — extremism, role of external state and non-state actors, cyber security, money laundering, border management, security agencies and their mandate.

GS Paper IV — Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude

• Ethics and human interface — essence, determinants and consequences of ethics in human action; dimensions of ethics; ethics in private and public relationships.
• Human values — lessons from the lives of great leaders, reformers and administrators; role of family, society and educational institutions.
• Attitude — content, structure, function, its influence on thought and behaviour, moral and political attitudes, social influence and persuasion.
• Aptitude and foundational values for civil service — integrity, impartiality, non-partisanship, objectivity, dedication to public service, empathy, tolerance and compassion.
• Emotional intelligence — concepts and their utility in administration and governance.
• Contributions of moral thinkers and philosophers from India and the world.
• Public and civil service values and ethics in public administration, probity in governance, RTI, codes of ethics and conduct, corporate governance.
• Case studies on the above issues.

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