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Complete UPSC CSE Syllabus

Two objective-type papers of 200 marks each, held on the same day.
Marks are not counted towards the final ranking.

General Studies Paper IOfficial

The merit-deciding paper of Prelims. 100 objective questions with negative marking of one-third mark for every wrong answer.

200 Marks2 hours · 100 questionsMerit
  • 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 — that do not require subject specialisation
  • General Science

General Studies Paper I Extended

Syllabus topics inferred from PYQs. Not exhaustive; UPSC may very well venture into any topic hitherto unseen in any of the PYQs.

Current Events

  • Important government schemes and policies launched in the last 12 months
  • Major Supreme Court judgements and constitutional developments
  • International summits — G20, BRICS, COP, SCO, Quad and bilateral meetings
  • Awards — Padma, Nobel, Booker, sports honours
  • Defence exercises, space missions (ISRO, NASA, ESA)
  • Census data, indices and rankings — HDI, GHI, Ease of Doing Business, press freedom
  • Key reports — Economic Survey, NITI Aayog, CAG, NCRB, WHO, WEF

History of India & National Movement

  • Ancient India — Indus Valley, Vedic age, Mauryas, Guptas, Sangam era
  • Medieval India — Delhi Sultanate, Mughal administration, Bhakti & Sufi movements, Vijayanagara and Bahmani kingdoms
  • Art & architecture across dynasties — temple styles, Indo-Islamic fusion, cave paintings
  • Advent of Europeans — Portuguese, Dutch, French, British East India Company
  • British economic policies — Drain of Wealth, commercialisation of agriculture, de-industrialisation
  • Revolt of 1857 — causes, centres, leaders, aftermath
  • Social and religious reform movements — Brahmo Samaj, Arya Samaj, Aligarh, Self-Respect
  • Rise of Indian nationalism — Indian National Congress, moderates vs. extremists, Swadeshi movement
  • Gandhian era — Non-Cooperation, Civil Disobedience, Quit India; role of Subhas Chandra Bose
  • Communal politics and Partition; integration of princely states
  • Post-independence nation-building — linguistic reorganisation, Nehruvian era, Green Revolution

Geography

  • Physical geography — geomorphology, climatology, oceanography, biogeography
  • Indian physiography — Himalayas, Northern Plains, Peninsular Plateau, Coastal Plains, Islands
  • Monsoon mechanism, jet streams, El Niño/La Niña, Indian Ocean Dipole
  • River systems — Himalayan and Peninsular; inter-linking of rivers
  • Soil types, distribution and degradation; wasteland management
  • Natural vegetation and wildlife — biomes, national parks, biosphere reserves
  • Mineral and energy resources of India — distribution and conservation
  • Agriculture — cropping patterns, irrigation types, food security
  • Industries — location factors, major industrial regions, SEZs
  • Population — distribution, density, migration, urbanisation trends
  • World geography — continents, ocean currents, climate zones, volcanoes, earthquakes, tsunamis

Indian Polity & Governance

  • Historical background — Government of India Acts, Constituent Assembly debates
  • Preamble, Fundamental Rights, DPSPs, Fundamental Duties — interplay and judicial interpretation
  • Union and State executive — President, PM, Governor, CM; ordinance-making power
  • Parliament and State Legislatures — law-making, privileges, anti-defection law
  • Judiciary — Supreme Court, High Courts; judicial review, PIL, judicial activism
  • Federalism — Centre-State relations, inter-state disputes, Article 356, cooperative and competitive federalism
  • Local governance — 73rd and 74th Amendments, Panchayati Raj, Municipalities, PESA Act
  • Constitutional bodies — Election Commission, CAG, UPSC, Finance Commission, NHRC
  • Statutory and quasi-judicial bodies — NITI Aayog, CBI, CVC, Lokpal, Information Commission
  • Rights issues — RTI, RTE, SC/ST Act, OBC reservations, transgender rights
  • Electoral reforms — EVM, VVPAT, NOTA, one nation one election debate

Economy & Social Development

  • Basic economic concepts — GDP, GNP, inflation, fiscal and monetary policy
  • Planning in India — Five Year Plans to NITI Aayog; fiscal federalism
  • Banking — RBI functions, monetary policy tools, NPA crisis, financial inclusion (Jan Dhan, UPI)
  • Taxation — GST, direct vs. indirect, Laffer curve, black money measures
  • External sector — BoP, FDI vs. FPI, exchange rate, trade agreements (RCEP, WTO)
  • Poverty and inequality — Tendulkar line, multidimensional poverty index, welfare schemes (MGNREGA, PDS, PM-KISAN)
  • Demographic trends — demographic dividend, ageing, sex ratio, fertility rate
  • Social sector — education (NEP 2020), health (Ayushman Bharat), nutrition (POSHAN Abhiyaan)
  • Sustainable development — SDGs, circular economy, ESG, inclusive growth models
  • Infrastructure — Gati Shakti, NIP, smart cities, logistics policy

Environment, Ecology & Biodiversity

  • Ecosystem basics — food chains, ecological pyramids, biogeochemical cycles
  • Biodiversity — hotspots, endemic species, IUCN Red List, CBD, Nagoya Protocol
  • Protected areas — national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, biosphere reserves, Ramsar sites
  • Environmental pollution — air (NAAQS, AQI), water (BOD, eutrophication), soil, noise
  • Climate change — IPCC reports, greenhouse gases, carbon trading, NDCs, Paris Agreement
  • Environmental legislation — Wildlife Protection Act, Forest Conservation Act, EPA, NGT
  • International conventions — CITES, CMS, Montreal Protocol, Stockholm Convention
  • Disaster linkage — floods, droughts, cyclones, forest fires; NDMA framework
  • Current issues — single-use plastic ban, green hydrogen, ethanol blending, compensatory afforestation

General Science

  • Physics — laws of motion, thermodynamics, optics, electromagnetism, nuclear physics (basics)
  • Chemistry — periodic table trends, acids/bases/salts, electrochemistry, polymers, everyday chemistry
  • Biology — cell biology, genetics & DNA, human physiology (digestive, circulatory, nervous systems)
  • Diseases — communicable (TB, malaria, dengue) and non-communicable (diabetes, cancer); vaccines and antibiotics
  • Nutrition — vitamins, minerals, deficiency diseases, food adulteration
  • Space & astronomy — ISRO missions (Chandrayaan, Gaganyaan, Aditya-L1), satellites, orbits
  • Defence technology — missiles (Agni, BrahMos), submarines, radar, DRDO projects
  • IT & computers — basics of AI, blockchain, quantum computing, cybersecurity
  • Biotechnology — GM crops, gene editing (CRISPR), stem cells, bioethics
  • Nuclear energy — fission vs. fusion, India’s three-stage nuclear programme, Thorium cycle

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