AspirantGoal is an independent app. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Union Public Service Commission or any exam authority. This page repeats what the exam body’s own documents print, as checked on 23 October 2026. The exam body’s current notice is the authority, so read it before you plan around any figure.
UPSC CSE in brief
Recruitment to the Services and Posts listed in the notice, among them the Indian Administrative Service, the Indian Foreign Service and the Indian Police Service.
Stage 1: Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination, objective type
| Item | What the document says | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Question types | Two compulsory papers of objective type, multiple choice questions, with a maximum of 400 marks in all. | [1] Appendix I, Section I, para 2, p. 25; Section II A, p. 26 |
| Paper-I | General Studies Paper-I: 200 marks, duration two hours. | [1] Appendix I, Section II A, p. 26; Section III Part A, p. 32 |
| Paper-II | General Studies Paper-II: 200 marks, duration two hours, a qualifying paper. | [1] Appendix I, Section II A, p. 26; Section III Part A, p. 32 |
| Qualifying status | General Studies Paper-II is a qualifying paper with minimum qualifying marks fixed at 33%. | [1] Appendix I, Section II A, note (ii), p. 26; Section III Part A, Note 1, p. 32; Section I, para 2, Note I, p. 25 |
| Role in selection | Screening test only: marks of those qualified for the Main Examination are not counted for the final order of merit. | [1] Appendix I, Section I, para 2, p. 25 |
| Both papers compulsory | Appearing in both papers is mandatory; a candidate who does not appear in both is disqualified. | [1] Appendix I, Section III Part A, Note 3, p. 32 |
| Negative marking | A wrong answer loses one-third (0.33) of that question’s marks. More than one answer counts as wrong. A blank answer has no penalty. | [1] Appendix I, Section I, para 2, Note II, p. 25 |
| Language or medium | The question papers are set both in Hindi and English. | [1] Appendix I, Section II A, note (iii), p. 26 |
Stage 2: Civil Services (Main) Examination, written part, conventional essay type
| Item | What the document says | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Question types | Nine papers of conventional essay type, two of which are qualifying in nature. | [1] Appendix I, Section I, para 3, p. 25; Section II B, note (i), p. 29 |
| Duration | Each paper is of three hours duration. | [1] Appendix I, Section II B, note (ii), p. 29 |
| Paper-A, qualifying | One Indian language selected by the candidate from the Eighth Schedule languages: 300 marks. | [1] Appendix I, Section II B, p. 26 |
| Paper-B, qualifying | English: 300 marks. | [1] Appendix I, Section II B, p. 26 |
| Standard of Paper-A and Paper-B | Matriculation or equivalent standard; qualifying only; marks are not counted for ranking. | [1] Appendix I, Section II B, note (i), p. 27; Section III Part B, Note 1, p. 33 |
| Paper-I | Essay: 250 marks. | [1] Appendix I, Section II B, p. 26 |
| Paper-II | General Studies-I: Indian Heritage and Culture, History and Geography of the World and Society. 250 marks. | [1] Appendix I, Section II B, pp. 26 to 27 |
| Paper-III | General Studies-II: Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice and International relations. 250 marks. | [1] Appendix I, Section II B, p. 27 |
| Paper-IV | General Studies-III: Technology, Economic Development, Bio-diversity, Environment, Security and Disaster Management. 250 marks. | [1] Appendix I, Section II B, p. 27 |
| Paper-V | General Studies-IV: Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude. 250 marks. | [1] Appendix I, Section II B, p. 27 |
| Paper-VI | Optional Subject, Paper 1: 250 marks. | [1] Appendix I, Section II B, p. 27 |
| Paper-VII | Optional Subject, Paper 2: 250 marks. | [1] Appendix I, Section II B, p. 27 |
| Written test total | Sub total for the written test is 1750 marks. | [1] Appendix I, Section II B, p. 27 |
| Counted for ranking | Marks of Paper-I to Paper-VII are counted for ranking. | [1] Appendix I, Section I, para 3, p. 25; Section II B, note (v), p. 27 |
| Optional subject choice | The candidate chooses any one optional subject from the list printed in para 2 of Section II B. | [1] Appendix I, Section II B, p. 27 and para 2, pp. 28 to 29 |
| Optional subject list | 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 and English | [1] Appendix I, Section II B, para 2, pp. 28 to 29 |
| Optional subject syllabi | The syllabus of each optional subject is printed in the notice on pp. 37 to 154 and is not copied here. | [1] Appendix I, Section III Part B, pp. 37 to 154 |
| Optional subject level | Broadly the honours degree level; for Engineering, Medical Science and Law the level corresponds to the bachelors’ degree. | [1] Appendix I, Section III Part B, p. 33 |
| Language or medium: question papers | Question papers, other than literature of language papers, are set in Hindi and English only. | [1] Appendix I, Section II B, note (vi), p. 29 |
| Language or medium: answers | Candidates may answer all papers except Paper-A and Paper-B in any one Eighth Schedule language or in English. | [1] Appendix I, Section II B, note (iii), p. 29 |
| Standard of General Studies | General Studies questions are such that a well-educated person can answer them without any specialized study. | [1] Appendix I, Section III Part B, p. 32 |
| Calculators | Non-programmable scientific calculators are allowed at the conventional essay type examination. Programmable calculators are not allowed. | [1] Appendix I, Section II, item (vii) after Note (3), p. 31 |
| Handwriting | A deduction is made from the total marks if handwriting is not easily legible. | [1] Appendix I, Section II, item (ii) after Note (3), p. 31 |
Stage 3: Interview/Personality Test
| Item | What the document says | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Marks | 275 marks, with no minimum qualifying marks. | [1] Appendix I, Section I, para 4.1, p. 25; Section II B, p. 27 |
| Who is summoned | Candidates who obtain the minimum qualifying marks in the written part that the Commission fixes at its discretion. | [1] Appendix I, Section I, para 4.1, p. 25 |
| Purpose | To assess the personal suitability of the candidate for a career in public service, by a Board of competent and unbiased observers. | [1] Appendix I, Section II C, para 1, p. 31 |
| Final ranking | Marks in the written part and the Interview/Personality Test together determine the final ranking. | [1] Appendix I, Section I, para 4.2, p. 26 |
| Grand total | The Grand Total is 2025 marks: written test 1750 plus Personality Test 275. | [1] Appendix I, Section II B, p. 27 |
Qualifying rules
- General Studies Paper-II of the Preliminary Examination is a qualifying paper with minimum qualifying marks fixed at 33%. [1] Appendix I, Section II A, note (ii), p. 26; Section III Part A, Note 1, p. 32
- The list for the Main Examination is drawn on minimum qualifying marks of 33% in General Studies Paper-II and the total qualifying marks of General Studies Paper-I as may be determined by the Commission. [1] Appendix I, Section I, para 2, Note I, p. 25
- Paper-A, the Indian language paper, and Paper-B, the English paper, of the Main Examination are of qualifying nature only, and their marks are not counted for ranking. [1] Appendix I, Section I, para 3, p. 25; Section II B, note (i), p. 27
- The Essay, General Studies and Optional Subject papers of a candidate are taken into account only if the candidate gets 25% in the Indian language paper and 25% in English. [1] Appendix I, Section II B, note (ii), p. 27
- The Commission has discretion to fix qualifying marks in any or all of Paper-I to Paper-VII, and in any or all the subjects of the examination. [1] Appendix I, Section II B, note (v), p. 27; Section II, item (i) after Note (3), p. 31
- The Interview/Personality Test carries 275 marks with no minimum qualifying marks. [1] Appendix I, Section I, para 4.1, p. 25
Syllabus, as the Union Public Service Commission prints it
The 2026 notice prints the Prelims syllabus as short lists and the Main General Studies syllabus as bullets. Each bullet is one row below, as printed. The optional subjects’ syllabi run to pages 37 to 154 of the notice and are not copied here.
Preliminary Examination
General Studies Paper-I
- Current 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.
- Economic and Social Development-Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives, etc.
- General issues on Environmental ecology, Bio-diversity and Climate Change - that do not require subject specialization
- General Science
General Studies 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)
Main Examination, qualifying papers
Paper-A and Paper-B: question pattern
- Comprehension of given passages
- Precis Writing
- Usage and Vocabulary
- Short Essays
Paper-A, Indian Languages: question pattern
- Comprehension of given passages
- Precis Writing
- Usage and Vocabulary
- Short Essays
- Translation from English to the Indian Language and vice-versa
Main Examination
Paper-I: Essay
The document prints no unit list for Paper-I: Essay: Appendix I, Section III Part B, p. 33; the notice prints a description only (essays on multiple topics), no topic list [1]
Paper-II: General Studies-I: Indian Heritage and Culture, History and Geography of the World and Society
- 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, 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 18th century such as industrial revolution, world wars, redrawal of national boundaries, colonization, decolonization, political philosophies like communism, capitalism, socialism etc.: their forms and effect on the 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 sub-continent); 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, 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
Paper-III: 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
- 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 development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, 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 neighborhood- 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
Paper-IV: 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
- 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 developing 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, 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
Paper-V: 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; 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 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 above issues
A free tracker for these 82 units
Download the UPSC CSE tracker as a CSV file. It has one row for each unit above, in the same columns as the printable syllabus tracker: minutes studied and the date you finish the first pass sit in separate columns, so a long session cannot pass for a finished unit. Add a row with Round 2 when you go through a stage again. It is free and needs no sign-up.
How AspirantGoal handles UPSC CSE
AspirantGoal ships a syllabus template for UPSC CSE, checked against app version 1.0.0 on 22 October 2026. It is an editable study aid built from published exam information, so compare it with the units above and edit what differs. You can also set the exam up as a goal of your own, which plans, times and tracks the same way.
The guide UPSC Civil Services in AspirantGoal shows, step by step, how the phases, subjects, topic paths and stages look in the app.
Questions
Is the CSAT paper in UPSC Prelims a qualifying paper?
Yes. The notice calls the second Prelims paper General Studies Paper-II and says it is a qualifying paper with minimum qualifying marks fixed at 33%. The Main list is drawn on 33% in Paper-II and the total qualifying marks of Paper-I as determined by the Commission. [1] Appendix I, Section I, para 2, Note I, p. 25; Section II A, p. 26; Section III Part A, p. 32
Do Prelims marks count towards the final merit list?
No. The Preliminary Examination is a screening test only. Its marks are not counted for determining the final order of merit of candidates declared qualified for the Main Examination. [1] Appendix I, Section I, para 2, p. 25
How many papers does the Main written examination have, and which are qualifying?
Nine conventional essay type papers. Paper-A, an Indian language, and Paper-B, English, are qualifying, 300 marks each. The Essay, four General Studies papers and two Optional papers carry 250 marks each and count for ranking. [1] Appendix I, Section I, para 3, p. 25; Section II B, pp. 26 to 27
Is there negative marking in the UPSC Prelims?
Yes. Every question has four alternatives. For a wrong answer, one-third (0.33) of the marks for that question is deducted. More than one answer counts as wrong. A blank answer has no penalty. [1] Appendix I, Section I, para 2, Note II, p. 25
How long are the Prelims papers, and in which languages are they set?
Both papers are objective type with multiple choice questions, 200 marks and two hours each. The question papers are set both in Hindi and English. [1] Appendix I, Section II A, p. 26
Is there a minimum qualifying mark in the Interview/Personality Test?
No. The Interview/Personality Test carries 275 marks, with no minimum qualifying marks. [1] Appendix I, Section I, para 4.1, p. 25
In which language can I write the Main papers?
Question papers, other than literature of language papers, are set in Hindi and English only. Except Paper-A and Paper-B, a candidate may answer in any one Eighth Schedule language or in English. [1] Appendix I, Section II B, notes (iii) and (vi), p. 29
Can I use a calculator in the UPSC Civil Services Examination?
Non-programmable scientific calculators are allowed at the conventional essay type examination. Programmable calculators are not allowed. Calculators are not permitted for answering objective type papers. [1] Appendix I, Section II, item (vii) after Note (3), p. 31
What this page leaves out
Dates, fees, age limits, attempts, eligibility and cut-offs change every cycle, so this page does not repeat them. Read them in the current notice.
Notes on the documents:
- The notice never uses the word CSAT. It calls the second Prelims paper General Studies Paper-II.
- The notice does not state the number of questions or the marks for each question in the Prelims or Main papers.
- The minimum qualifying marks of Paper-I in Prelims, and for the written part of the Main, are fixed by the Commission. The notice prints no figures for them.
- The notice does not list what changed from the previous cycle.
- The notice prints no topic list for the Essay paper, only a description of it.
- UPSC’s page for this examination lists one notice, the one read here, and no corrigendum, as of 23 October 2026.