The UPSC Civil Service Exam, also known as the IAS Exam, is a competitive examination conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) in India for recruitment to various Civil Services of the Government of India, including the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS), and Indian Foreign Service (IFS). The exam consists of three stages: the Preliminary Exam, the Main Exam, and the Interview. In this article, we will focus on the syllabus for the Main Exam, which is the second stage of the IAS Exam.

 

The Main Exam is a written examination and consists of nine papers, out of which two are qualifying in nature and the remaining seven are for ranking. The marks obtained in the Main Exam are counted towards the final rank. Here is a brief overview of the syllabus for each paper:

 

Qualifying Papers

 

Paper 1	Indian Language (To qualify - 33% marks)	Candidates have to choose one Indian language from the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution.
Paper 2	English (To qualify - 33% marks)	Candidates have to take an English Language Comprehension test.

 

Ranking Papers

 

Paper 1	Essay	Candidates have to write an essay on a given topic.
Paper 2	General Studies 1	Indian Heritage and Culture, History, and Geography of the World and Society
Paper 3	General Studies 2	Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice, and International relations
Paper 4	General Studies 3	Technology, Economic Development, Bio-diversity, Environment, Security, and Disaster Management
Paper 5	General Studies 4	Ethics, Integrity, and Aptitude
Paper 6	Optional Subject Paper 1	Candidates have to choose one optional subject from a list of subjects provided by the UPSC.
Paper 7	Optional Subject Paper 2	Candidates have to choose one optional subject from a list of subjects provided by the UPSC.

 

In conclusion, the UPSC Civil Service Exam Main Exam syllabus is comprehensive and covers a wide range of subjects. It is important for candidates to thoroughly prepare for this exam to stand a chance of getting selected for the coveted Civil Services. It is advisable for candidates to choose optional subjects that they have a strong foundation in and are interested in, as it will help them score better marks in the Optional Subject Papers. We will discuss about the detailed syllabus of each papers in separate articles.