UPSC IAS Prelims & Mains Syllabus 2026 PDF in Hindi / English

UPSC Syllabus 2026 PDF Download: The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Civil Services Examination (CSE) remains one of India’s most prestigious and challenging assessments. The examination is conducted in three stages: the Preliminary Examination, the Main Examination, and the Personality Test (Interview). A thorough understanding of the syllabus is crucial for effective preparation.

UPSC Civil Services Syllabus 2026 PDF

Organization Name	Union Public Service Commission (UPSC)
Post Name	Civil Services Examination, 2026
Category	Syllabus
Job Location	Across India
Official Site	upsc.gov.in

UPSC Civil Services Exam Pattern 2026

Preliminary Examination
Mains Examination
Personality Test (Interview)

UPSC Prelims Exam Pattern 2026

Paper	Evaluation	Marks & Duration
General Studies – Paper I	Merit Ranking (in Prelims)	Marks: 200 Duration: 2 Hours
Aptitude test (CSAT) – Paper-II	Qualifying Paper (33% min)	Marks: 200 Duration: 2 Hours

UPSC Mains Exam Pattern

Qualifying Papers (Non-Ranking)
Paper A	One of the Indian languages to be selected by the candidate from the languages included in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution.	300 Marks
Paper B	English	300 Marks
Papers to be Counted for Merit (Ranking)
Paper I	Essay	250 Marks
Paper-II	General Studies I (Indian Heritage and Culture, History, and Geography of the World and Society)	250 Marks
Paper III	General Studies II (Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice, and International relations)	250 Marks
Paper IV	General Studies III (Technology, Economic Development, Bio-diversity, Environment, Security and Disaster Management)	250 Marks
Paper V	General Studies IV (Ethics, Integrity, and Aptitude)	250 Marks
Paper VI	Optional Subject- Paper 1	250 Marks
Paper VII	Optional Subject- Paper 2	250 Marks
Paper VII	For the optional papers in the Main Examination, UPSC has a list of about twenty-six subjects out of which anyone subject has to be selected by the candidate.	250 Marks
Subtotal (Written Test)		1750 Marks
Personality Test (Interview)		275 Marks
Grand Total		2026 Marks

UPSC Civil Services Prelims & Mains Syllabus 2026

The UPSC Civil Services Syllabus is provided for the candidates preparing for the Exam. Candidates who have applied for UPSC Civil Services Recruitment can use this syllabus to help them to give their best in the UPSC CSE Exam. The UPSC Civil Services Syllabus topics are mentioned below.

UPSC Prelims Syllabus

General Studies (Paper I)

Current Affairs (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.
General Science
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 specialization.

CSAT (Paper-II)

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.) (Class X level), Data interpretation (charts, graphs, tables, data sufficiency, etc. – Class X level).

UPSC Mains Syllabus 2026

General Studies I

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

Indian culture covers the salient features of Literature, Art Forms, and Architecture from ancient to modern times.
Modern Indian history includes significant events, personalities, and issues from the middle of the eighteenth century until the present
Various stages and important contributors and contributions from different parts of the country in ‘The Freedom Struggle’
Post-independence consolidation and reorganization within the country
History of the world includes events, forms, and effects on society from the 18th century like world wars, the industrial revolution, colonization, redrawing of national boundaries, decolonization, and political philosophies like communism, capitalism, socialism, etc.
Salient aspects of Diversity of India and Indian Society
Role of women and women’s organizations, population and associated issues, poverty and developmental issues, urbanization, their problems, and remedies
Social empowerment, communalism, regionalism & secularism
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
Effects of globalization on Indian society
Important Geophysical phenomena such as earthquakes, Tsunami, 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
Salient features of the world’s physical geography.

General Studies II

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

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
Comparison of the Indian constitutional scheme with that of other countries
Separation of powers between various organs dispute redressal mechanisms and institutions
Parliament and State Legislatures – structure, functioning, the conduct of business, powers & privileges, and issues arising out of these
Appointment to various Constitutional posts, powers, functions, and responsibilities of various Constitutional Bodies
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
Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation
Statutory, regulatory, and various quasi-judicial bodies
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
Development processes and the development industry the role of NGOs, SHGs, various groups and associations, donors, charities, institutional and other stakeholders
Issues relating to the development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources
Important aspects of governance, transparency and accountability, e-governance- applications, models, successes, limitations, and potential; citizens charters, transparency & accountability, and institutional and other measures
Issues relating to poverty and hunger
Role of civil services in a democracy
Bilateral, regional, and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests
India and its neighborhood- relations
Important International institutions, agencies, and fora, their structure, mandate
Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests, Indian diaspora.

General Studies III

Technology, Economic Development, Bio-diversity, Environment, Security, and Disaster Management:

Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization of resources, growth, development, and employment.
Development, Biodiversity, Environment, Security, and Disaster Management.
Government Budgeting.
Inclusive growth and issues arising from it.
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
Economics of animal-rearing.
Food processing and related industries in India- scope and significance, location, upstream and downstream requirements, supply chain management.
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
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 and technology;
Indigenization of technology and development of new technology.
Conservation, environmental pollution, and degradation, environmental impact assessment
Awareness in the fields of IT, Space, Computers, robotics, nano-technology, bio-technology, and issues relating to intellectual property rights.
Disaster and disaster management.
Role of external state and non-state actors in creating challenges to internal security.
Linkages between development and spread of extremism.
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
Various Security forces and agencies and their mandate
Security challenges and their management in border areas; linkages of organized crime with terrorism

General Studies IV

Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude:

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.

UPSC Mains Optional Subjects

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.