Union Public Service Commission
UPSC CSE Syllabus 2025
Civil Services Examination — Preliminary
UPSC CSE Prelims 2025 has two papers: General Studies I (100 questions, 200 marks) and CSAT (80 questions, 200 marks — qualifying). GS Paper I covers History, Geography, Polity, Economy, Science & Technology, Environment, and Current Affairs.
Key Highlights
- GS Paper I: 100 questions × 2 marks = 200 marks; -0.66 for wrong answer
- CSAT (Paper II): 80 questions × 2.5 marks = 200 marks; qualifying (33% needed)
- Duration: 2 hours each paper
- No negative marking in CSAT since 2015
- Cut-off varies by category; typically 90–110/200 for General category
Topic-by-Topic Breakdown
History (Ancient, Medieval, Modern)
- Indus Valley Civilisation, Vedic Age, Mauryan Empire
- Post-Mauryan period, Guptas, Medieval India
- Bhakti and Sufi movements
- Mughal Empire and Maratha period
- British East India Company, 1857 Revolt
- Indian National Movement: moderates, extremists, Gandhi era
- Important events 1920–1947: Non-Cooperation, Civil Disobedience, Quit India
- Art and Culture: architecture, music, painting, literature
Geography (Indian and World)
- Physical geography: landforms, rivers, climate, soils
- Indian geography: physiographic divisions, rivers, natural resources
- World geography: major countries, physical features
- Agriculture, industries, population distribution
- Economic geography: mineral resources, energy
- Mapping: important cities, rivers, mountain ranges
Indian Polity and Governance
- Constitution: features, Preamble, Fundamental Rights and Duties
- DPSPs, Parliament, President, Prime Minister, Cabinet
- Supreme Court, High Courts, subordinate courts
- State government, Centre-State relations
- Important Articles: 14, 19, 21, 32, 44, 51A, 368 etc.
- Elections: EC, procedures, party system
- Local government: 73rd and 74th Amendments
- RTI, CAG, constitutional bodies
Economy
- National income, GDP, GNP, NNP concepts
- Planning commission to NITI Aayog
- Banking: RBI functions, monetary policy, credit policy
- Five-year plans, flagship government schemes
- Fiscal policy: budget, taxes, subsidies
- Trade: BoP, BoT, FDI, FII
- Agriculture: Green Revolution, food security, MSP
- Industry, infrastructure, poverty and employment
Science & Technology
- Space technology: ISRO missions (Chandrayaan, Mangalyaan, Gaganyaan)
- Defence: DRDO developments, missiles
- Nuclear technology: reactors, applications
- Biotechnology: GMOs, vaccines, stem cells
- IT and telecommunications
- Nanotechnology, robotics, AI fundamentals
Environment and Ecology
- Biodiversity: types, hotspots, threatened species
- Conservation: national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, biosphere reserves
- Climate change: UNFCCC, Kyoto Protocol, Paris Agreement
- Pollution: types, causes, control measures
- International conventions: CITES, Ramsar, Basel
- Renewable energy, sustainable development
Current Affairs
- National and international events of past 12–18 months
- Government schemes and policies launched recently
- Awards and recognition: Bharat Ratna, Nobel Prizes, etc.
- Sports events: Olympics, Commonwealth Games
- International organisations: UN, WTO, IMF, World Bank
- Important summits and agreements
High-Priority Topics
- Indian Polity — Constitution articles and amendments
- Modern History — National Movement events
- Economy — Government schemes and RBI
- Environment — International conventions
- Current Affairs — last 12–18 months
- Geography — India physical + political mapping
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