Compulsory Subjects for IAS Exam

The IAS (Indian Administrative Service) exam, also known as the UPSC Civil Services Exam, has a structured syllabus divided into three stages: Preliminary Examination, Main Examination, and the Interview/Personality Test. Here are the compulsory subjects for the IAS exam:

Preliminary Examination

1. General Studies Paper I
   • 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
   • General Science
2. General Studies Paper II (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.) and data interpretation (charts, graphs, tables, data sufficiency, etc.)

Main Examination

The Main Examination consists of nine papers, of which seven are counted for final ranking. The other two are qualifying papers.

1. Paper A – Indian Language (300 marks)
   • One of the Indian Languages to be selected by the candidate from the Languages included in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution. This paper is of qualifying nature.
2. Paper B – English (300 marks)
   • The English paper is also qualifying in nature.
3. Paper I – Essay (250 marks)
   • Candidates may be required to write essays on multiple topics.
4. Paper II – General Studies I (250 marks)
   • Indian Heritage and Culture, History and Geography of the World and Society
5. Paper III – General Studies II (250 marks)
   • Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice and International relations
6. Paper IV – General Studies III (250 marks)
   • Technology, Economic Development, Bio-diversity, Environment, Security and Disaster Management
7. Paper V – General Studies IV (250 marks)
   • Ethics, Integrity, and Aptitude
8. Paper VI – Optional Subject Paper 1 (250 marks)
   • Candidate’s choice of subject from the list of optional subjects
9. Paper VII – Optional Subject Paper 2 (250 marks)
   • Continuation of the same optional subject chosen for Paper VI

Interview/Personality Test

• The final stage involves an interview (275 marks) to assess the candidate’s personality and suitability for a career in public service.

To pass the IAS exam, candidates need to qualify in the Preliminary Examination to reach the Main Examination, and subsequently perform well in the Main Examination and Interview to be considered for final selection.