UPSC Syllabus IAS: Check Pre & Main Detailed Syllabus
UPSC IAS Syllabus 2022:-
Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) releases UPSC CSE Syllabus and the UPSC Notification PDF. UPSC IAS is one of the most challenging and most coveted exams in India conducted by UPSC. Every year lakhs of candidates appear for the UPSC examination to make their careers in Civil Services. The most important element for IAS preparation is a clear understanding of the UPSC IAS Syllabus 2022 for effective preparation.
The preparation for Civil Services Examination is challenging, whereas candidates need to be serious and systematic right from the beginning. The first step towards starting preparation is to get acquainted with the UPSC IAS Syllabus 2022 and UPSC IAS Exam Pattern for Prelims and Mains. This will help candidates systematically focus on the topics covering all the subjects and prepare an effective study plan. Check the detailed information about UPSC Syllabus IAS 2022 and the UPSC exam pattern below.
UPSC Exam phases
The Civil Services Examination is conducted in (3)Three phases:
Phase 1 |
Civil Services Examination (Prelims), which is an objective exam |
Phase 2 |
Civil Services Examination (Mains), which is a descriptive exam |
Phase 3 |
Personal Interview for Personality Test |
Candidates should be aware of the detailed UPSC IAS exam pattern to understand the number of questions being asked, time duration, marking scheme, negative marking, total marks etc.
UPSC IAS Prelims Syllabus 2022:-
The Civil Services Preliminary Exam has two compulsory papers. UPSC CSE Prelims is a screening test conducted to shortlist candidates for the UPSC Mains exam. Check the UPSC Prelims exam sections and IAS exam pattern below:
Papers |
Subjects |
Number of Questions |
Maximum Marks |
| Paper 1 | General Studies | 100 | 200 |
| Paper 2 | Civil Services Aptitude Test | 80 | 200 |
- –The total time duration for the test is 4 hours (2 hours for each paper).
- – All the questions are Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)
- – The test is conducted for a maximum of 200 marks.
- – As per the negative marking scheme, for every incorrect response, 1/3rd of the marks allocated to that question will be deducted from the total score.
- – The question papers will be set both in Hindi and English.
UPSC IAS Prelims Syllabus 2022 – General Studies
The UPSC Syllabus for Civil Services (IAS) Prelims (Paper 1) General Studies are as below:
- 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 do not require subject specialisation.
- General Science.
UPSC IAS Prelims Syllabus 2022 – CSAT
The UPSC Syllabus IAS for Prelims (Paper 2) is as below:
- 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).
It is to be noted that the CSAT is a qualifying paper, and the marks will not be added to the final ranking. Candidates will have to secure a minimum of 33% marks in the CSAT to be eligible to appear for the Main examination.
UPSC IAS Mains Syllabus 2022:-
The second phase of the Civil Services Examination is the Main exam that tests candidates’ in-depth knowledge of the subject. The Main exam is descriptive Type Exam in nature and has nine papers. Out of these nine papers, seven are considered for final ranking. These seven papers are 250 marks each. The UPSC IAS exam syllabus for the Main exam is vast.
Papers |
Subjects |
Maximum Marks |
| Paper 1 | Essay | 250 |
| Paper 2 | General Studies 1 (Indian Heritage & Culture, History & Geography of the World & Society) |
250 |
| Paper 3 | Paper 3 General Studies 2 (Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice & International Relations) |
250 |
| Paper 4 | General Studies 3 (Technology, Economic Development, Biodiversity, Security & Disaster Management) |
250 |
| Paper 5 | General Studies 4 (Ethics, Integrity & Aptitude) |
250 |
| Paper 6 | Optional Subject – Paper 1 | 250 |
| Paper 7 | Optional Subject – Paper 2 | 250 |
Qualifying Papers:-
The detailed UPSC Syllabus (IAS) for each of these papers are as under:
Papers |
Subjects |
Marks |
| Paper A | One of the Indian Language in the VIII Schedule of the Indian Constitution | 300 |
| Paper B | English Language | 300 |
UPSC IAS Essay Syllabus 2022:-
- To be Written in the Medium or Language of the candidate’s choice.
- Candidates may be required to write essays on multiple topics.
- Essays are to be kept close to the subject.
- Ideas to be presented in a concise manner, in an orderly fashion.
UPSC IAS Optional Subject Syllabus 2022:-
Paper 6 & 7 of the UPSC IAS exam Main syllabus is an optional subject. Each paper is 250 marks, and collectively the optional subjects constitute 500 marks. There are 25 optional subjects, and candidates need to select any two subjects for Paper 6 & 7, respectively. Therefore, it is crucial to choose the optional subjects carefully as they can largely determine your chances of qualifying for the exam.
Candidates may choose any one optional subject from the list of subjects given below:
- History
- Geography
- Economics
- Sociology
- Public Administration
- Philosophy
- Psychology
- Political Science
- Agriculture
- Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science
- Anthropology
- Botany
- Chemistry
- Civil Engineering
- Commerce
- Electrical Engineering
- Geology
- Law
- Mathematics
- Management
- Mechanical Engineering
- Medical Science
- Physics
- Statistics
- Zoology
UPSC IAS Optional Literature Subject:-
List of literature subjects available as Mains Optional Papers:
- Assamese English
- Bengali Dogri
- Bodo Hindi
- Gujarati Kashmiri
- Kannada Maithili
- Konkani Manipuri
- Malayalam Nepali
- Marathi Punjabi
- Oriya Santhali
- Sanskrit Tamil
- Sindhi Urdu
- Telugu