The UPSC conducts exams every year to choose the future bureaucrats for the country. Every year lakhs of IAS aspirants apply for the most coveted services and only a few hundred emerge as successful. The whole exam process is conducted in three stages, prelims, mains, and interview. In this article, we are going to discuss the general studies syllabus for the UPSC civil services prelims and mains that require no specialization and anyone from any background can crack UPSC civil services examination.
UPSC Prelims Syllabus:
Syllabus for UPSC CSE Prelims General Studies Paper I:
Current events of national and international importance
History of India and the Indian National Movement
Indian and World Geography
Indian Polity and Governance
Economic and Social Development
General issues on Environmental ecology, Bio-diversity, and Climate Change ( Covers only general awareness of the issues, no subject specialization required)
General Science
Syllabus for UPSC CSE Prelims General Studies Paper II:
Comprehension
Interpersonal skills including communication skills
Logical reasoning and analytical ability
Decision-making and problem-solving
General mental ability
Basic numeracy (Class X level)
Basic numeracy (numbers and their relations, orders of magnitude, etc.) (Class X level), Data interpretation (charts, graphs, tables, data sufficiency, etc. – Class X level).
The exam pattern of prelims is as follows:
If we check the above-mentioned syllabus of the prelims examination, we don't find any kind of specialization required to crack prelims. What we need is dedication and determination with great diligence and willingness to succeed coupled with a strategy that is based on action and discipline.
General Studies Syllabus – Civil Services Mains Exam
There are four general studies papers in civil service mains, having 250 marks each. Below is the detailed syllabus of all four general studies papers.
General Studies paper 1
Indian culture will cover the salient aspects of Art Forms, Literature, and Architecture from ancient to modern times.
Modern Indian history from about the middle of the eighteenth century until the present- significant events, personalities, and issues.
The Freedom Struggle – its various stages and important contributors /contributions from different parts of the country.
Post-independence consolidation and reorganization within the country.
History of the world will include events from the 18th century such as the industrial revolution, and world wars,
Redrawal of national boundaries, colonization, decolonization, and political philosophies like communism,
Capitalism, socialism, etc. - their forms and effects on society.
Salient features of Indian Society, Diversity of India.
Role of women and women’s organizations, population and associated issues, poverty and
Developmental issues, urbanization, problems, and their remedies.
Effects of globalization on Indian society
Social empowerment, communalism, regionalism & secularism.
Salient features of the world’s physical geography.
Distribution of key natural resources across the world (including South Asia and the Indian subcontinent);
factors responsible for the location of primary, secondary, and tertiary sector industries in
various parts of the world (including India)
Important Geophysical phenomena such as earthquakes, tsunamis, Volcanic activity, cyclones, etc.,
Geographical features and their location- changes in critical geographical features (including water bodies and ice-caps) and in flora and fauna and the effects of such changes.
General Studies paper 2
Indian Constitution- historical underpinnings, evolution, features, amendments, significant provisions, and basic structure.
Functions and responsibilities of the Union and the States, issues, and challenges pertaining to the federal structure, devolution of powers, and finances up to local levels and challenges therein.
Separation of powers between various organs; dispute redressal mechanisms and institutions.
Comparison of the Indian constitutional scheme with that of other countries
Parliament and State Legislatures – structure, functioning, the conduct of business, powers & privileges, and issues arising out of these.
Structure, organization, and functioning of the Executive and the Judiciary Ministries and Departments of the Government; pressure groups and formal/informal associations and their role in the Polity.
Salient features of the Representation of People’s Act.
Appointment to various Constitutional posts, powers, functions, and responsibilities of various Constitutional Bodies.
Statutory, regulatory, and various quasi-judicial bodies.
Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.
Development processes and the development industry- the role of NGOs, SHGs, various groups and associations, donors, charities, institutional and other stakeholders.
Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States and the performance of these schemes; mechanisms, laws, institutions, and Bodies constituted for the protection and betterment of these vulnerable sections.
Issues relating to the development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, and Human Resources.
Issues relating to poverty and hunger.
Important aspects of governance, transparency, and accountability, e-governance- applications, models, successes, limitations, and potential; citizens charters, transparency & accountability, and institutional and other measures.
Role of civil services in a democracy.
India and its neighbourhood- relations.
Bilateral, regional, and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India's interests.
Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests, Indian Diaspora.
Important International institutions, and agencies, and for their structure, and mandate.
General Studies paper 3
Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization of resources, growth, development, and employment.
Inclusive growth and issues arising from it.
Government Budgeting.
Major crop cropping patterns in various parts of the country, different types of irrigation and irrigation systems storage, transport, and marketing of agricultural produce and issues and related constraints; e-technology in the aid of farmers.
Issues related to direct and indirect farm subsidies and minimum support prices; Public Distribution System- objectives, functioning, limitations, revamping; issues of buffer stocks and food security; Technology missions; economics of animal-rearing.
Food processing and related industries in India- scope and significance, location, upstream and downstream requirements, supply chain management.
Land reforms in India.
Effects of liberalization on the economy, changes in industrial policy, and their effects on industrial growth.
Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways, etc.
Investment models.
Science and Technology- developments and their applications and effects in everyday life.
Achievements of Indians in science & technology; indigenization of technology and development of new technology.
Awareness in the fields of IT, Space, Computers, robotics, nanotechnology, biotechnology, and issues relating to intellectual property rights.
Conservation, environmental pollution, and degradation, environmental impact assessment.
Disaster and disaster management.
Linkages between development and spread of extremism.
Role of external state and non-state actors in creating challenges to internal security.
Challenges to internal security through communication networks, the role of media and social networking sites in internal security challenges, basics of cyber security; money laundering, and its prevention.
Security challenges and their management in border areas; linkages of organized crime with terrorism.
Various Security forces and agencies and their mandate.
General Studies paper 4
Ethics and Human Interface: Essence, determinants, and consequences of Ethics in human actions; dimensions of ethics; ethics in private and public relationships. Human Values – lessons from the lives and teachings of great leaders, reformers, and administrators; the role of family, society, and educational institutions in inculcating values.
Attitude: content, structure, function; its influence and relation with thought and behavior; moral and political attitudes; social influence and persuasion.
Aptitude and foundational values for Civil Service, integrity, impartiality and non-partisanship, objectivity, dedication to public service, empathy, tolerance, and compassion towards the weaker sections.
Emotional intelligence concepts, and their utilities and application in administration and governance.
Contributions of moral thinkers and philosophers from India and the world.
Public/Civil service values and Ethics in Public administration: Status and problems; ethical concerns and dilemmas in government and private institutions; laws, rules, regulations, and conscience as sources of ethical guidance; accountability and ethical governance; strengthening of ethical and moral values in governance; ethical issues in international relations and funding; corporate governance.
Probity in Governance: Concept of public service; Philosophical basis of governance and probity; Information sharing and transparency in government, Right to Information, Codes of Ethics, Codes of Conduct, Citizen’s Charters, Work culture, Quality of service delivery, Utilization of public funds, challenges of corruption.
Case Studies on the above issues.
The exam pattern of the mains general studies four papers are as follows:
From the above, we can conclude with ease that there is no specialization required to prepare for general studies papers in both the prelims and mains examinations. Just prepare yourself for a battle and do everything possible to win this battle with flying colours. Work harder with perseverance and consistency there is nothing that can beat your passion. Wish you the best of luck.