UPSC CSE Mains Syllabus

Introduction To UPSC CSE Mains Syllabus

The following article provides an outline for UPSC CSE Mains Syllabus. UPSC conducts a national level examination for twenty-four services that fall under the Central & State Governments of India such as the Indian Revenue Service, Indian Administrative Service, Indian Foreign Service, Indian Police Service, etc. UPSC syllabus format is common for those services. Civil Services Exam (IAS Exam), the greatly envied exam of all, is conducted by UPSC every year to recruit applicants.

A general applicant’s age should be in between 21 to 30 years to appear in the exam. But for IAS the age limit is 32. A general applicant can attempt up to 6 times. For those who are aspiring to clear all the tests and work in the public service sector, it’s better to start your preparation just after finishing your class 12 exam. But one should be a graduate to apply.

Applicants Of UPSC CSE Syllabus

There are three parts to the Civil services exam. They are Prelims, Mains, and Personal interviews or UPSE personality tests. Every phase has its importance, therefore the applicant must proceed with proper planning.

Let’s see them phase by phase.

• In the first part, let’s begin with Civil Services Preliminary Examination. There are mainly two segments. One is the general studies test and the second is the civil services aptitude test or CSAT. Both are tested with objective type-questions consists of a total of 400 marks, 200 marks for each paper. The applicant has to attempt both papers.
• The general studies test is mainly focused on general and social awareness. This is the first paper of the preliminary examination with 100 questions. Each correct answer would get two marks. It has negative marking for wrong answers marked to the ratio of 1/3rd of the total marks assigned to that particular question. There is no negative marking for any unattempted question. The prime focus of this test is, to check the awareness about the present happenings in the various span of subjects. Subjects cover such as information technology and general science, environmental ecology, biodiversity, climate change, Indian economy, history of India and Indian national movement, sustainable development, poverty, inclusion, demographics, political system, public policy, rights issues, etc.
• Aptitude Test, which is the second paper, also called CSAT, which aspires to evaluate the capability of the applicant in resolve ‘Analytical & Reasoning’ questions, ‘Decision Making’, and ‘Reading Comprehension questions. There are no negative marks for the question based on ‘Decision Taking’. CSAT paper consists of 80 questions with 200 marks. Each correct answer would get 2.5 marks. It has negative marking for wrong answers marked to the ratio of 0.833 of the total marks assigned to that particular question. Subjects cover such mental proficiency, relations between numbers, data interpretation, logical reasoning, analytical ability, decision making, comprehension, interpersonal skills including communication skills, etc. Once the applicant successfully cleared the preliminary exam, then he/she would be able to sit for IAS Mains which are descriptive type.
• In the second part, the Mains of UPSE syllabus, the exam comprises nine papers. Within that, there are two papers consists of 600 marks total, 300 marks each, and those are qualifying papers. And the total marks are 1750. The Mains exam tests the applicant’s academic talent in-depth and that person’s ability to present the understanding perfectly. To qualify, those two papers are, an Indian language paper, and the second is an English language paper. The minimum qualifying marks in these papers is 25% in both the language papers. If an applicant doesn’t qualify in these language papers, then the marks obtained by such an applicant wouldn’t be counted. It contains 100 marks for essays, 60 marks each for synopsis writing and reading comprehension, 40 marks for grammar and basic language usage, 20 marks each for translation which includes English to compulsory language and vice versa.
• The other seven papers contain 250 marks each. Papers are: i) ‘Essay’ which can be written in the medium of the applicant’s choice, ii) ‘General Studies: Part 1’ topics includes such as Indian Heritage & Culture, History & Geography of the World & Society, iii) ‘General Studies: Part 2’ covers areas such as governance, constitution, polity, social justice & international relations, iv) ‘General Studies: Part 3’ which section includes technology, economic development, biodiversity, security & disaster management, v) General Studies: Part 4’ which includes ethics, integrity and aptitude, vi) ‘Optional Subject: Paper 1’, vii) Optional Subject/ Paper 2’.
• For the optional subject paper (vi) and (vii) applicants need to select anyone from the ‘Optional Subjects’ under the 48 Optional Subjects list. The list includes Manipuri (Literature), Marathi (Literature), Odia (Literature), Punjabi (Literature), Sanskrit (Literature), Philosophy, Physics, Political Science & International Relations, Psychology, Public Administration, Sociology, Statistics, Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Science, Maithili (Literature), Malayalam (Literature), Chemistry, Civil Engineering, Sindhi (Literature), Tamil (Literature), English (Literature), Urdu (Literature), Anthropology, Gujarati (Literature), Kannada (Literature), Kashmiri (Literature), Telugu (Literature), Agriculture, Bengali (Literature), Bodo (Literature), Geology, History, Medical Science, Zoology, Commerce & Accountancy, Economics, Mechanical Engineering, Assamese (Literature), Law, Management, Konkani (Literature), Santhali (Literature), Geography, Mathematics, Dogri (Literature), Hindi (Literature), Botany, Electrical Engineering, Nepali (Literature).
• And the final part is the personal interview or UPSE personality test, which holds 275 marks. Applicants would get a call for an interview, those who have successfully cleared for the UPSC mains. UPSE has appointed a board for applicants, those who are qualified for the interview. The main purpose of the interview is, to assess the compatibility of the applicant for a career in civil services. The interview mainly explores the analytical ability and intellectual capabilities of the applicant.
• Based on all the tests the result would get appeared in the merit list where the applicant can get to know whether he/she is selected or not.

Conclusion

As the area is vast, one should plan first, and then start covering sections one by one and revise periodically with utmost dedication. Following a timetable would be a good practice. Selecting the correct optional paper can be beneficial. It is always better to test yourself by trying the previous year’s papers. Writing and reading skills need to be improved simultaneously.

Recommended Articles

This is a guide to UPSC CSE Mains Syllabus. Here we discuss introduction to the UPSC CSE mains syllabus and the applicants of UPSC CSE syllabus. You may also have a look at the following articles to learn more–

1. Introduction to UPSC CSE Syllabus
2. UPSC CSE Eligibility
3. Guide to UPSC CSE Age Limit
4. UPSC Exam| How to Apply for the UPSC Exam?