Everything You Need to Know About the Civil Services Exam Syllabus

The civil services exam is one of the most important and prestigious exams in India. Conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), this exam is a gateway for aspirants who wish to serve the country by taking up various civil services posts. The exam consists of three phases – the preliminary exam, the mains exam, and the interview. In this article, we will discuss the civil services exam syllabus in detail.

1. Preliminary Exam Syllabus:

The preliminary exam consists of two papers – General Studies Paper 1 and General Studies Paper 2 (CSAT). Let us look at the syllabus for both the papers:

General Studies Paper 1:
• Current events of national and international importance
• History of India and Indian National Movement
• Indian and World Geography
• Indian Polity and Governance
• Economic and Social Development
• Environmental Ecology, Biodiversity and Climate Change
• General Science

General Studies Paper 2 (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.)
• English Language Comprehension skills

2. Mains Exam Syllabus:

The mains exam consists of nine papers. The first two papers are qualifying in nature and the marks obtained in these papers are not counted for the final ranking. The remaining seven papers are counted for the final ranking. Let us look at the syllabus for all the papers:

Qualifying Papers:
• Paper A – One of the Indian Language to be selected by the candidate from the Languages included in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution;
• Paper B – English

Compulsory Papers:
• Essay
• General Studies 1
• General Studies 2
• General Studies 3
• General Studies 4
• Optional Paper 1
• Optional Paper 2

3. Interview Syllabus:

The interview is the final stage of the civil services exam. The interview carries 275 marks and is aimed at assessing the personal suitability of the candidate for a career in civil services. Some of the topics that are covered in the interview are:

• Current events of national and international importance
• History of India and Indian National Movement
• Indian and World Geography
• Indian Polity and Governance
• Economic and Social Development
• Environmental Ecology, Biodiversity and Climate Change
• General Science

4. Optional Subject Syllabus:

Candidates can choose their optional subjects for the mains exam. The optional subjects have two papers and each paper carries 250 marks. The list of optional subjects is vast and includes subjects like History, Geography, Public Administration, Anthropology, Psychology, Sociology, etc.

Finally the civil services exam is a tough and competitive exam and demands extensive preparation. Candidates are advised to go through the detailed syllabus and prepare accordingly. Apart from the syllabus, candidates should also practice previous year question papers and work on their writing skills. With the right strategy and dedication, success in the civil services exam is achievable.

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