UPSC Mains Syllabus - Are you gearing up for the UPSC IAS Mains exam? As one of the most competitive and prestigious exams in India, the Mains exam stage requires a high level of preparation and understanding of the UPSC syllabus. With nine papers to tackle, each testing different skills and knowledge, it can seem overwhelming. However, with a comprehensive understanding of the UPSC Mains syllabus, you can approach the exam with confidence and increase your chances of success. In this article, we will provide a detailed analysis of the UPSC Mains syllabus, covering everything from the exam structure to the essential topics and preparation strategies.

Also, check out our UPSC Coaching online program here!

आप यहां (UPSC Mains Syllbus in Hindi) यूपीएससी मेन्स सिलेबस हिंदी में भी पढ़ सकते हैं

UPSC Mains Syllabus 2024 - Overview

The candidates can check the UPSC Mains Syllabus overview to get an idea about the syllabus and how they will be tested in the exam.

• UPSC Mains Exam evaluates candidates’ academic aptitude in their specialized subjects.
• It also assesses their ability to present knowledge in a clear and understandable manner and the candidate's overall intellectual traits and understanding of concepts.
• In the Mains Exam, there are 9 papers out of which 7 Papers are mandatory and 2 are optional papers that candidates have to choose from.
• Out of the 7 papers, 2 papers are Language Papers which are Paper A and B.
• For Paper A, an aspirant has to choose any one of the Indian Languages in the 8th Schedule of the Constitution and Paper B will have questions from English Language.
• The marks scored in the language papers are not counted in the formation of the IAS Merit List as they are qualifying in nature.
• The total time duration given for the IAS Main exam is 3 hours.

Practice UPSC Previous Year Question Papers here.

UPSC Mains Syllabus PDF - Download Now

The UPSC Mains Syllabus PDF is available here. Candidates can download the UPSC CSE Mains Syllabus PDF 2024 directly using the link provided below. This PDF will help aspirants to analyse which topics require more focus than others.

Benefits Of Downloading UPSC Mains Syllabus PDF

Some of the top benefits of downloading the IAS Syllabus PDF are mentioned below:

1. This UPSC CSE Mains Syllabus PDF helps in understanding the IAS exam syllabus for mains stage in a better way.
2. It provides a clear idea of the topics to be covered while preparing.
3. The UPSC Mains Syllabus PDF Download will help in planning the preparation strategy effectively.
4. Keeping the IAS Mains Syllabus PDF saves time and effort in searching for the syllabus online.
5. The UPSC Civil Services Mains Syllabus can be easily accessed and referred to at any time and anywhere.
6. It helps to identify the important topics and focus on them.
7. It helps to avoid confusion and stay organized during the preparation.
8. Useful as a reference material for revision.

UPSC Mains Syllabus - Language Papers (Paper A & B)

The IAS Mains Syllabus for Language Papers aims to test the candidate's proficiency in one of the Indian languages and English. The two compulsory language papers, namely, Paper A (Indian Language) and Paper B (English) are qualifying in nature. But, candidates need to score at least 25% on these papers, otherwise, their remaining answer sheets won't get evaluated.

The pattern and syllabus are similar for Language Papers A and B, the same has been discussed below.

• One essay writing question (Candidates can choose any one topic from the given topics list) (100 marks)
• Reading comprehension (60 Marks)
• Precis writing (60 Marks)
• Translation from English to chosen language (20 Marks)
• Translation from chosen language to English (20 Marks)
• Grammar and basic language usage such as synonyms, sentence correction etc. (40 Marks)

Candidates have to choose any one language for Paper A from the list of languages in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution which are as mentioned below -

• Assamese,
• Bengali,
• Gujarati,
• Hindi,
• Kannada,
• Kashmiri,
• Konkani,
• Malayalam,
• Manipuri,
• Marathi,
• Nepali,
• Oriya,
• Punjabi,
• Sanskrit,
• Sindhi,
• Tamil,
• Telugu,
• Urdu,
• Bodo,
• Santhali,
• Maithili, and
• Dogri.

Check out How to read a newspaper for UPSC? here.

UPSC Mains Syllabus For Paper 1 (Essay)

The UPSC Mains Essay paper aims to test the candidate's ability to articulate and express their ideas in a clear and coherent manner. Officially, UPSC does not have any syllabus for the Essay paper. Candidates are expected to write two essays from a list of given topics for 250 marks.

Check out Best Essay Books For UPSC on the linked article.

UPSC CSE Mains Syllabus For Paper 2 (General Studies 1)

The UPSC Mains GS 1 Syllabus focuses on the topics of Indian Heritage and Culture, History and Geography of the World and Society. Candidates should prepare these topics in detail. Have a look at the syllabus for IAS Mains General Studies Paper 1 in detail below.

• 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, world wars, redrawal of national boundaries, colonization, decolonization, political philosophies like communism, capitalism, socialism etc. - their forms and effect on society.
• Salient features of Indian Society, Diversity of India.
• Role of women and women’s organization, population and associated issues, poverty and developmental issues, urbanization, their problems and their remedies.
• Effects of globalization on Indian society.
• Social empowerment, communalism, regionalism & secularism.
• Salient features of 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.

Check out UPSC Mains GS 1 Syllabus in Hindi here.

UPSC Mains Syllabus For Paper 3 (General Studies 2)

The UPSC Mains GS 2 Paper Syllabus focuses on the topics of Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice and International relations. Have a look at the IAS Mains GS 2 Syllabus in detail below.

• 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, 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, agencies and fora- their structure, mandate.

You can read UPSC Mains GS 2 Paper Syllabus in Hindi here.

UPSC Mains Syllabus For Paper 4 (General Studies 3)

The UPSC Mains GS 3 Syllabus focuses on the topics of Technology, Economic Development, Bio diversity, Environment, Security and Disaster Management. Candidates can have a look at the UPSC CSE Mains GS 3 Paper Syllabus in detail below.

• Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization, of resources, growth, development and employment.
• Inclusive growth and issues arising from it.
• Government Budgeting.
• 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.
• 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, nano-technology, bio-technology 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.

You can read UPSC Mains GS 3 Syllabus in Hindi here.

UPSC Mains Syllabus For Paper 5 (General Studies 4)

The UPSC Mains GS 4 Syllabus focuses on topics related to Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude. Candidates understand the IAS Mains GS 4 Syllabus in detail below.

• 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 behaviour; 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.

Check out UPSC Mains GS 4 Syllabus in Hindi here.

Questions to Ace Your Exams

Q1.How to cover the UPSC Mains syllabus?
Time is always a constraint while trying to cover the vast syllabus of UPSC mains. Candidates, therefore, need to have an adequate plan of action. 
The first step is to understand the syllabus and set a timeline based on the candidate's caliber. The candidate should know how much time they need to devote to each module and plan accordingly. 
Written practices are a must because they help in framing the answers that come in handy during the exams. 
A candidate must devote a certain amount of time daily to practice writing answers. 
They should also focus on essay writing skills and preparation for their optional subjects because that is a scoring aspect. 
Another important aspect of covering the syllabus is solving past year's papers and analyzing the trends in the questions. These help the candidate in determining the difficulty level of the questions and predicting the possible questions that can be asked currently. 
Current affairs form a pivotal part of UPSC, and a candidate appearing for this exam must be well-versed in these.

Q2.What is the Syllabus for UPSC Mains?
UPSC Mains is the second stage of UPSC examinations, and a candidate can only appear in Mains after qualifying Prelims. It consists of 9 papers. The subjects of these papers are as follows:
1. Essay (The candidate can write the essay in the medium of their choice)
2. General Studies- I (comprising of Indian Heritage and Culture, History and Geography of the World and Society)
3. General Studies- II (comprising of Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice and International Relations)
4. General Studies- III ( comprising of Technology, Economic Development, Biodiversity, Security and Disaster Management)
5. General Studies- IV (consisting of Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude)
6. Optional Subject- Paper I
7. Optional Subject- Paper II
8. Any Indian Language Paper (Qualifying Paper I)
9. English Language Paper (Qualifying Paper II)
All these papers are worth 250 marks each except for the two qualifying papers, which are worth 300 marks each.

Q3.Is UPSC very tough?
Because of its broad curriculum, subjective evaluation, erratic question formats, intense competition, and requirement for a thorough comprehension of a variety of subjects, including current events, the UPSC Civil Services Examination is regarded as one of the most difficult competitive tests in both India and the world.

Q4.Is a calculator allowed in IAS Mains?
For the math optional paper, UPSC permits students to use a scientific non-programmable calculator; programmable calculators are not permitted. For the calculator to use, it needs to be in the right format. Furthermore, test booklets and objective-style papers do not allow the use of calculators. The optional in electrical engineering is an exception to this rule. Using a scientific calculator has several benefits, one of which is the avoidance of careless numerical errors.

UPSC Mains Syllabus For Papers 6 & 7 (Optional Paper 1 & 2)

• Candidates have to attempt both papers separately.
• Each Paper holds a weightage of 250 marks.

IAS Mains Syllabus For Optional Subjects

Candidates can check the table below for a detailed description of the subjects which are available for selection. 

We expect that you got an adequate idea about the UPSC Mains Syllabus which you will have to keep in mind while preparing for the UPSC Mains 2024. We would also advise you to go through the official notification just so that you can keep all the significant exam details in check. Keeping this in mind, candidates should prepare well and make sure to score well.

You can also start preparing yourself online for all competitive examinations simply by downloading the Testbook App.