The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) conducts various examinations for recruitment to various posts in the Indian government. The syllabus for each exam may vary, but here are the general topics that are covered in the UPSC exams:
Preliminary Exam (Civil Services Preliminary Examination)
Paper 1: General Studies
- 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 – that do not require subject specialization
- General Science.
Paper 2: Aptitude Test (CSAT)
- 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).
Mains Exam (UPSC syllabus)
The Main exam consists of 9 papers, but the 7th paper is only qualifying in nature and the marks obtained in this paper are not counted towards the final merit list. The papers are as follows:
Paper 1: Essay
- Candidates are required to write essays on multiple topics
Paper 2: General Studies 1
- Indian Heritage and Culture, History and Geography of the World and Society
Paper 3: General Studies 2
- Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice and International relations
Paper 4: General Studies 3
- Technology, Economic Development, Bio-diversity, Environment, Security and Disaster Management
Paper 5: General Studies 4
- Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude
Paper 6 and 7: Optional Subject Paper 1 and 2
- Candidates have to choose an optional subject from the given list and write two papers.
Paper 8: English Language (UPSC syllabus)
- Candidates have to write an essay and a precis.
Paper 9: Indian Language
- Candidates have to choose one of the languages from the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution and write an essay and a precis.
Interview (UPSC syllabus)
- Candidates who clear the Mains exam are called for an interview.
- The interview tests the candidate’s personality traits, general knowledge, and ability to handle stressful situations.
Note: The syllabus for other UPSC exams such as the Indian Forest Service Examination, Engineering Services Examination, Combined Defence Services Examination, etc. may vary.
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