UPSC Prelims is the screening stage of the Civil Services Exam which is conducted by the Union Public Service Commission every year. This stage is officially known as the Civil Services (Preliminary) exam, but in common parlance, aspirants refer to it as UPSC Prelims or IAS Prelims.
It is important to understand what is UPSC Prelims syllabus is, and this article provides you with the answer in detail.
UPSC Prelims Syllabus
The UPSC Prelims syllabus can be divided into two parts:
- General Studies Paper I
- CSAT or General Studies Paper-II
| UPSC Prelims Syllabus 2024 | Maximum Marks | Duration of Exam |
| 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, Biodiversity and Climate Change – that do not require subject specialisation General Science | 200 Marks | 2 Hours |
| CSAT/ 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) | 200 Marks | 2 Hours |
What is UPSC Prelims Syllabus for GS I?
The GS I paper in the IAS prelims comprises topics from History, Geography, Economy, polity and governance, general science, and most importantly current affairs. The subtopics are mentioned below.
Current Affairs Syllabus
In UPSC Prelims (and in Mains), the focus on dynamic questions has increased in recent years. Even from sections like Polity which were considered to be static, more and more questions seem to have their base in some recent issue/topic in the news. Moreover, Indian Economy and Environment portions in the UPSC Prelims Syllabus focus mostly on Current Affairs.
A few essential sources for current affairs preparation are:
- Yojana Magazine and Kurukshetra Magazine
- Economic and Political Weekly
- Press Information Bureau Releases (PIB)
- The Hindu and The Indian Express
Below are the Test Booklet