UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination Syllabus 2026
Union Public Service Commission (UPSC)
The UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination is the first stage of the Civil Services Examination conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) for recruitment to services such as IAS, IPS, IFS, and other Group A & B Central Services. The Preliminary Examination consists of two objective-type papers: General Studies Paper-I and General Studies Paper-II (CSAT). Paper-I determines the cutoff for qualification to the Main Examination, while Paper-II is qualifying in nature and requires a minimum of 33% marks. :contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0}
Duration
Paper-I: 2 Hours Paper-II (CSAT): 2 Hours
Marking
* Paper-I: 100 questions carrying 200 marks (2 marks per question). * Paper-II (CSAT): 80 questions carrying 200 marks (2.5 marks per question). * Only Paper-I marks are considered for shortlisting candidates for the UPSC Civil Services Main Examination. * Paper-II (CSAT) is qualifying, and candidates must score at least 33% (66 marks) to qualify.
Negative marking
One-third (1/3) of the marks assigned to a question are deducted for every incorrect answer in both Paper-I and Paper-II. There is no penalty for unanswered questions.
Exam Pattern
| Subject | Questions | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Paper | Subject | Questions |
| Paper-I | General Studies (GS-I) | 100 |
| Paper-II | Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT) | 80 |
Subject-wise Syllabus
General Studies Paper-I
### Current Events, National Current Affairs, International Current Affairs, Government Schemes, Important Reports, Summits & Conferences, Awards & Honours, Sports, Science & Technology Developments, ### History of India & Indian National Movement, Ancient India, Medieval India, Modern India, Indian National Movement, Freedom Struggle, Social & Religious Reform Movements, Art & Culture, ### Indian & World Geography, Physical Geography, Indian Geography, World Geography, Climate, Rivers, Mountains, Natural Resources, Agriculture, Industries, Population, ### Indian Polity & Governance, Constitution, Preamble, Fundamental Rights, Directive Principles, Fundamental Duties, Parliament, President & Governor, Judiciary, Centre-State Relations, Local Government, Constitutional Bodies, Non-Constitutional Bodies, Public Policy, Governance, Rights Issues, ### Economic & Social Development, Indian Economy, Economic Growth, Inflation, Budget, Banking, Poverty, Sustainable Development, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives, Government Welfare Schemes, ### Environment & Ecology, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Environmental Ecology, Conservation, Wildlife Protection, Pollution, International Environmental Agreements, ### General Science, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Space Technology, Biotechnology, Health & Diseases, Scientific Developments
General Studies Paper-II (CSAT)
### Reading Comprehension, English Comprehension, Passage-based Questions, ### Interpersonal Skills, Communication Skills, Interpersonal Relations, ### Logical Reasoning & Analytical Ability, Analogies, Syllogism, Statement & Conclusion, Statement & Assumption, Cause & Effect, Decision Making, ### Decision Making & Problem Solving, Situational Judgment, Administrative Decision Making, Ethical Decision Making, ### General Mental Ability, Logical Thinking, Critical Reasoning, Analytical Ability, ### Basic Numeracy, Number System, Percentage, Ratio & Proportion, Average, Profit & Loss, Time & Work, Time, Speed & Distance, Simple & Compound Interest, Data Interpretation, ### Data Interpretation, Tables, Graphs, Charts, Caselets
Preparation Tips
- Complete NCERT books (Classes VI–XII) before moving to standard reference books.
- Read newspapers daily for Current Affairs, Government Schemes, and International Events.
- Build strong fundamentals in Polity, History, Geography, Economy, Environment, and Science.
- Practice CSAT regularly, especially Reading Comprehension and Quantitative Aptitude.
- Revise current affairs of at least the last 12–18 months.
- Solve previous years' UPSC Prelims question papers to understand the exam trend.
- Attempt full-length mock tests regularly to improve speed, accuracy, and elimination techniques.