UPSC Preliminary Examination Syllabus 2024-2025
The UPSC Prelims Syllabus consists of two compulsory papers, General Studies Paper I and General Studies Paper II, each carrying 200 marks. These papers include multiple-choice, objective-type questions. However, the marks obtained in the prelims will not be considered for the final ranking. Their purpose is to qualify candidates for the main exam.
General Studies (GS) : Paper I
The General Studies Paper-I of the UPSC Prelims Syllabus covers various important subjects such as History, Geography, Polity, Economy, Environment and Ecology, Science and Technology, General Science, and Current Affairs-based events. The UPSC has categorized the syllabus for the General Studies Prelims Paper-I into specific broad categories.
(1) Current events of national and international importance.
(2) History of India and Indian National Movement.
(3) Indian and World Geography – Physical, Social, Economic Geography of India and the World.
(4) Indian Polity and Governance – Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues, etc.
(5) Economic and Social Development – Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives, etc.
(6) General issues on Environmental ecology, Biodiversity and Climate Change – that do not require subject specialization.
(7) General Science.
Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT) : Paper II
General Studies Paper-II of the UPSC CSE is commonly known as the CSAT (Civil Services Aptitude Test) Paper. It became a mandatory qualifying paper for all candidates starting in 2011.
This paper is a crucial part of the UPSC CSE Prelims exam and aims to evaluate the candidate’s aptitude, analytical skills, and reasoning ability. To pass this paper, every candidate must obtain at least 33% of the total marks (66 marks out of 200).
(1) Comprehension.
(2) Interpersonal skills including communication skills.
(3) Logical reasoning and analytical ability.
(4) Decision-making and problem-solving.
(5) General mental ability.
(6) Basic numeracy (numbers and their relations, orders of magnitude, etc.) (Class X level), Data interpretation (charts, graphs, tables, data sufficiency etc. – Class X level).
