UPSC Syllabus 2026: Comprehensive IAS Prelims & Mains Syllabus PDF

The UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE) is India's most prestigious competitive exam, conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) to recruit officers for the All India Services and Central Civil Services (Group A and B). The examination process is structured into three rigorous stages: the Preliminary Exam, the Main Exam, and the Personality Test (Interview). Given the vast scope of the UPSC syllabus and the competitive nature of the exam, candidates must adopt a strategic, well-planned approach to succeed. This guide provides a comprehensive overview of the UPSC IAS syllabus for both Prelims and Mains, including the latest exam patterns and marking schemes.

UPSC Syllabus and Exam Pattern 2026

The UPSC CSE Prelims comprise two objective-type papers, while the Mains exam consists of nine descriptive papers. The syllabus and pattern remain consistent across all services, including the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS), and Indian Police Service (IPS). To qualify for the prestigious Grade A vacancies, candidates must successfully clear all three stages of the 2026 examination cycle. Below is a detailed breakdown of the UPSC IAS exam structure.

UPSC Syllabus and Exam Pattern 2026
Particulars	Prelims	Mains
No. of Papers	Two	Nine
Types of Questions	Objective Type	Descriptive Type
Duration of Exam	2 hours each	3 hours each
Total Marks	400	1750
Medium of Exam	English & Hindi	English & Hindi (except language paper)
Negative Marking	⅓rd mark	No negative marking
Marks Counted in Merit	No	Yes

UPSC Prelims Result 2026 Out - Click Here to Check

UPSC IAS Syllabus 2026

The UPSC Prelims serves as the initial screening stage and is qualifying in nature. To advance to the Mains, candidates must score above the prescribed cut-off and meet the 33% qualifying threshold in the aptitude paper. The UPSC Exam Pattern 2026 for the Prelims is divided into two primary sections: General Studies (GS) and the Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT).

UPSC CSE 2026 Prelims Exam Pattern

Before diving into the extensive UPSC syllabus, it is essential for candidates to thoroughly understand the exam structure and the associated marking scheme.

UPSC Prelims 2026 Exam Pattern
Paper	Subjects	Marks	No. of Question	Duration
I	General Studies (GS)	200	100	2 hours (9:30 AM to 11:30 AM)
II	CSAT	200	80	2 hours (2:30 PM to 4:30 PM)

Important Points:

1. For every incorrect answer, 1/3rd mark of the total mark will be deducted.
2. For the blank answers, no marks will be deducted.
3. In General Studies (Paper I), each question is of 2 marks and there is a negative marking of 0.66 marks
4. In CSAT (Paper-II), each question is of 2.5 marks and a negative marking of 0.833 marks for each wrong answer marked.
5. The prelims marks will not be included in the final result (merit list).
6. Paper II of the Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination will be a qualifying paper with minimum qualifying marks fixed at 33%.

UPSC Prelims Syllabus 2026

The UPSC Prelims syllabus features two compulsory papers: General Studies Paper-I and General Studies Paper-II (CSAT). GS Paper-I encompasses history, geography, economics, Indian polity, environment, science, and current affairs. The CSAT paper evaluates a candidate's reasoning, analytical skills, and numerical aptitude.

UPSC IAS Prelims GS Paper 1 Syllabus

1. Current Affairs (Events) of national and international importance.
2. History of India and Indian National Movement.
3. Indian and World Geography-Physical, Social, and 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

UPSC IAS Prelims CSAT Syllabus

General Studies Paper-II, widely known as the Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT), is mandatory for all aspirants. Because this paper is qualifying in nature, candidates appearing for the UPSC CSE 2026 must carefully review the official CSAT syllabus provided below.

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).

Due to the vastness of the syllabus and the low success ratio, preparation requires a focused strategy. You can access the detailed UPSC Prelims Syllabus 2026 via the link provided below.

Download Detailed UPSC Prelims Syllabus 2026 PDF

UPSC Mains Syllabus 2026

Qualifying the Prelims grants eligibility for the Mains exam, which is the scoring and rank-deciding stage of the selection process. The Mains evaluates a candidate’s academic depth and their ability to present coherent arguments within strict time constraints. Review the complete UPSC Mains Syllabus 2026 below. 

UPSC IAS Mains Exam Pattern

The Mains consists of 9 papers: 2 are qualifying in nature, while the marks from the remaining 7 papers determine the final merit rank. Candidates must pass the language papers to have their other papers evaluated.

UPSC Mains 2026 Exam Pattern
Qualifying Papers		Marks
Paper-A	Any Indian Language	300
Paper-B	English	300
Papers Counted for Merit
Paper-I	Essay	250
Paper-II	General Studies-I (Indian Heritage and Culture, History and Geography of the World and Society)	250
Paper-III	General Studies-II (Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice and International relations)	250
Paper-IV	Genera Studies-III (Technology, Economic Development, Bio-diversity, Environment, Security and Disaster Management)	250
Paper-V	General Studies-IV (Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude)	250
Paper-VI	Optional Subject – Paper 1	250
Paper-VII	Optional Subject – Paper 2	250
Sub Total (Written Test)		1750
Personality Test		275
Grand Total		2025

Important Points:

1. There are two qualifying papers in the mains exam, Namely "Paper A" and "Paper B" of 300 marks each.
2. Two Qualifying Papers are "Any Indian Language from Eight Schedule " and "English Language Paper".
3. Candidates need to score 25% in both qualifying papers i.e, 75 marks each.
4. All other seven papers are scoring in nature their marks will be included in the final merit list.
5. Candidates can answer all the scoring subjects in English or any of the eight scheduled languages.
6. Candidates have to select any one subject from the table as their Optional subject for Paper VI and Paper VII.

UPSC Optional Subjects List for Mains Exam
Agriculture	Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science	Anthropology	Botany	Chemistry
Civil Engineering	Commerce and Accountancy	Economics	Electrical Engineering	Geography
Statistics	Sociology	Physics	Philosophy	Medical Science
Political Science and International Relations	Public Administration	Psychology	Mechanical Engineering	Mathematics
Zoology	Geology	History	Management	Law
Literature of any one of the following languages: Assamese, Bengali, Bodo, Dogri, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Maithili, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi,Nepali,Odia, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Santhali, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu,Urdu and English.

Structure of the Language Papers

The following table outlines the format for Language Papers "Paper A" and "Paper B." Candidates must choose a language from the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution, with the second paper being English. Ensure the correct script is used for your selected language. Note: For the Santhali language, the paper is printed in the Devanagari script.

Languages And Script
Language	Script	Language	Script
Assamese	Assamese	Bengali	Bengali
Gujarati	Gujarati	Hindi	Devanagari
Kannada	Kannada	Kashmiri	Persian
Bodo	Devanagari	Konkani	Devanagari
Malayalam	Malayalam	Manipuri	Bengali
Marathi	Devanagari	Nepali	Devanagari
Odia	Odia	Punjabi	Gurumukhi
Sanskrit	Devanagari	Tamil	Tamil
Sindhi	Devanagari or Arabic	Telugu	Telugu
Urdu	Persian	Maithilli	Devanagari
Santhali	Devanagari or Olchiki	Dogri	Devanagari

UPSC IAS Syllabus: Pattern of Language Papers:

1. Essay – 100 marks
2. Reading comprehension – 60 marks
3. Precis Writing – 60 marks
4. Translation: (a) English to compulsory language (e.g. Hindi) – 20 marks
   (b) Compulsory language to English – 20 marks
5. Grammar and basic language usage – 40 marks

Candidates should carefully review the General Studies syllabus to streamline their study plan. Each of the four GS papers carries 250 marks, totaling 1,000 marks toward the final ranking. Strategic preparation for these papers is critical for securing a top rank in the merit list.

UPSC Mains Essay Paper Syllabus 

The Essay paper evaluates a candidate's ability to maintain focus, organize thoughts logically, and express ideas concisely and effectively. Clear and precise writing is essential for securing high marks.

UPSC Mains GS 1 Syllabus

General Studies Paper I focuses on History, Heritage, Geography, and Culture of the World and Society. Review the key components of the GS I syllabus as mandated by the UPSC.

Indian Heritage and Culture, History, and Geography of the World and Society:

1. Indian culture covers the salient features of Literature, Art Forms, and Architecture from ancient to modern times.
2. Modern Indian history include the significant events, personalities, issues during the middle of the eighteenth century until the present.
3. Various stages and important contributors and contributions from different parts of the country in ‘The Freedom Struggle’.
4. Post-independence consolidation and reorganization within the country.
5. History of the world includes events, forms and effects on the society from the 18th century like world wars, the industrial revolution, colonization, redraw of national boundaries, decolonization, political philosophies like communism, capitalism, socialism etc.
6. Salient aspects of Diversity of India and Indian Society
7. Role of women and women’s organization, population and associated issues, poverty and developmental issues, urbanization, their problems and remedie
8. Social empowerment, communalism, regionalism & secularism
9. Distribution of key natural resources across the world including South Asia and the Indian sub-continent; factors responsible for the location of primary, secondary, and tertiary sector industries in various parts of the world including India
10. Effects of globalization on Indian society
11. Important Geophysical phenomena such as earthquakes, Tsunami, Volcanic activity, cyclone 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
12. Salient features of world’s physical geography.

UPSC Mains GS 2 Syllabus

Mains General Studies Paper II covers Polity, Governance, Constitution, Social Justice, and International Relations. Explore the detailed syllabus below.

Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice, and International Relations:

1. Indian Constitution- historical underpinnings, evolution, features, amendments, significant provisions and basic structure
2. 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
3. Comparison of the Indian constitutional scheme with that of other countries
4. Separation of powers between various organs dispute redressal mechanisms and institutions
5. Parliament and State Legislatures – structure, functioning, conduct of business, powers & privileges and issues arising out of these
6. Appointment to various Constitutional posts, powers, functions and responsibilities of various Constitutional Bodies
7. 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
8. Salient features of the Representation of People’s Act
9. Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation
10. Statutory, regulatory and various quasi-judicial bodies
11. 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
12. Development processes and the development industry the role of NGOs, SHGs, various groups and associations, donors, charities, institutional and other stakeholders
13. Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources
14. Important aspects of governance, transparency and accountability, e-governance- applications, models, successes, limitations, and potential; citizens charters, transparency & accountability and institutional and other measures
15. Issues relating to poverty and hunger
16. Role of civil services in a democracy
17. Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests
18. India and its neighborhood- relations
19. Important International institutions, agencies and fora, their structure, mandate
20. Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests, Indian diaspora

UPSC Mains GS 3 Syllabus

UPSC Mains General Studies Paper III centers on Science, Technology, Economics, Defense, Biodiversity, and Disaster Management. This paper requires a broad understanding of current developments across various societal spheres.

Technology, Economic Development, Biodiversity, Environment, Security, and Disaster Management:

1. Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization of resources, growth, development and employment.
2. Development, Biodiversity, Environment, Security and Disaster Management.
3. Government Budgeting.
4. Inclusive growth and issues arising from it.
5. Major crops 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
6. Economics of animal-rearing.
7. Food processing and related industries in India- scope and significance, location, upstream and downstream requirements, supply chain management.
8. 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
9. Land reforms in India.
10. Effects of liberalization on the economy, changes in industrial policy and their effects on industrial growth.
11. Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways etc.
12. Investment models.
13. Science and Technology- developments and their applications and effects in everyday life Achievements of Indians in science and technology;
14. Indigenisation of technology and developing new technology.
15. Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment
16. Awareness in the fields of IT, Space, Computers, robotics, nano-technology, bio-technology and issues relating to intellectual property rights.
17. Disaster and disaster management.
18. Role of external state and non-state actors in creating challenges to internal security.
19. Linkages between development and spread of extremism.
20. 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
21. Various Security forces and agencies and their mandate
22. Security challenges and their management in border areas; linkages of organized crime with terrorism

UPSC Mains GS 4 Syllabus

Ethics, Integrity, and Aptitude: This paper tests a candidate's moral approach to public life, probity, and problem-solving skills when faced with societal conflicts. Case studies are frequently used to assess these attributes.

1. Ethics and Human Interface- Essence, determinants and consequences of Ethics in human actions; dimensions of ethics; ethics in private and public relationships
2. Human Values- lessons from the lives and teachings of great leaders, reformers and administrators; role of family, society and educational institutions in inculcating values
3. Attitude- content, structure, function; its influence and relation with thought and behaviour; moral and political attitudes; social influence and persuasion
4. 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
5. Emotional intelligence concepts, and their utilities and application in administration and governance
6. Contributions of moral thinkers and philosophers from India and the world
7. 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
8. 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
9. Case Studies on the above issues.

UPSC Syllabus 2024 PDF Download

To assist in your preparation, we have compiled the official UPSC Syllabus PDFs for both Prelims and Mains. These resources are essential for mapping your study schedule. Click the links below to download the 2026 syllabus PDFs.

Download UPSC Prelims Syllabus 2026 PDF

Download UPSC Mains Syllabus 2026 PDF

UPSC Syllabus for Optional Subjects

Candidates may also review the UPSC 2026 syllabus for Optional Subjects as outlined in the official notifications via the links provided below.

Optional Subject	UPSC Syllabus
Sociology	UPSC Sociology Syllabus
Geography	UPSC Geography Syllabus
Economics	UPSC Economics Syllabus
Anthropology	UPSC Anthropology Syllabus
Agriculture	UPSC Agriculture Syllabus
Animal Husbandry	UPSC Animal Husbandary Syllabus

UPSC IAS Interview Test

Candidates who successfully clear the UPSC Mains examination are invited for the final stage: the Personality Test (Interview), conducted by a board appointed by the Commission.

1. The candidate will be interviewed by a board who will have a record of his/her career and interests filled by him/her in the Detailed Application Form (DAF).
2. The objective of the interview is to check the personal suitability of the candidate for a career in civil services by a board of competent and unbiased observers.
3. In the personality test, candidates must be aware of affairs happening both within and outside their state or country, in addition to their academic study.
4. The interview is more of a purposive conversation intended to explore the mental qualities and analytical ability of the candidate.
5. The Interview test will be 275 marks and the total marks for the written examination is 1750. This sums up to a Grand Total of 2025 Marks based on which the final merit list will be prepared.