The UPSC (Union Public Service Commission) Civil Services Examination is one of the most prestigious and challenging exams in India. It consists of three stages: Preliminary Examination, Main Examination, and Personality Test (Interview). Below is an overview of the syllabus for each stage:
### Preliminary Examination
#### Paper I: General Studies
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**.
#### Paper II: CSAT (Civil Services Aptitude Test)
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).
7. **English Language Comprehension skills** (Class X level).
### Main Examination
#### Qualifying Papers:
1. **Paper A** - Indian Language (one of the languages included in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution).
2. **Paper B** - English.
#### Papers to be Counted for Merit:
1. **Paper I** - Essay.
2. **Paper II** - General Studies I: Indian Heritage and Culture, History, and Geography of the World and Society.
3. **Paper III** - General Studies II: Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice and International relations.
4. **Paper IV** - General Studies III: Technology, Economic Development, Bio-diversity, Environment, Security and Disaster Management.
5. **Paper V** - General Studies IV: Ethics, Integrity, and Aptitude.
6. **Papers VI, VII** - Optional Subject Papers I & II: Candidates may choose any ONE optional subject from the list of subjects provided.
#### Optional Subjects:
- Agriculture
- Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science
- Anthropology
- Botany
- Chemistry
- Civil Engineering
- Commerce and Accountancy
- Economics
- Electrical Engineering
- Geography
- Geology
- History
- Law
- Management
- Mathematics
- Mechanical Engineering
- Medical Science
- Philosophy
- Physics
- Political Science and International Relations
- Psychology
- Public Administration
- Sociology
- Statistics
- Zoology
- 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, English.
### Personality Test (Interview)
The interview assesses the candidate's personality and suitability for a career in public service. It evaluates mental alertness, critical powers of assimilation, clear and logical exposition, balance of judgment, variety and depth of interest, ability for social cohesion and leadership, and intellectual and moral integrity.
