UPSC Syllabus 2025: Download UPSC Prelims and Mains Syllabus PDF

UPSC Syllabus has been released by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) on its official website. The UPSC CSE Syllabus 2025 was released along with the notification by the commission. Candidates seeking to join the positions of IAS, IPS, and other posts must thoroughly check the syllabus of the UPSC 2025 exam. Candidates are also urged to adhere to the syllabus outlined in the official UPSC notification. The syllabus is extensive, and preparing for the exam demands consistent study.

Candidates must always keep the UPSC syllabus with themselves and refer to it while preparing for the exam. Since the IAS Syllabus is the mainspring of the UPSC examination, candidates' preparation for the exam must be centred around it.

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Also Read: UPSC Exam Pattern 2025

Candidates must adhere to the curriculum, although it should be emphasized that the syllabus is not defined. In other words, the UPSC does not specify the vertical of the syllabus. This means a certain topic in the UPSC syllabus is defined, but the depth of the topic is not. The thorough syllabus on a certain topic might stretch to any length. As a consequence, students must cover everything related to that specific topic. Reading newspapers in-depth and familiarising yourself with every facet of the current issue is the most effective approach to studying for the dynamic portion of the IAS exam syllabus.

The UPSC exam 2025 is split into three phases, the third of which is the interview round. The syllabus for the prelims and mains examinations overlaps, with the prelims examination syllabus being shorter.

Read More: UPSC Selection Process 2025

UPSC Syllabus PDF

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has released the IAS Syllabus PDF along with the notification on its official website. Candidates preparing for the UPSC exam must download the syllabus and know each and every topic given in the syllabus PDF. The Civil Services Examination is a vast examination and aspiring candidates should not miss out on any topic relevant for the examination. 

UPSC Syllabus PDF (Download)

UPSC Mock Test 2025

Candidates who are preparing for the UPSC prelims exam can download the below-provided IAS sample question papers for General Studies I

UPSC Prelims Syllabus 2025

The prelims examination has two papers, namely, General Science (GS) Paper & Civil Service Aptitude Test (CSAT). The Paper I is conducted to test the knowledge of the candidate in different topics of General Science including History, Polity, Geography, and others. The CSAT paper is undertaken to test the knowledge of the candidates in English comprehension, Logical Reasoning, and basic Mathematics.

UPSC Prelims Syllabus - General Studies I

The UPSC preliminary examination decides whether the candidate is eligible to go for the mains examination or not. Candidates clearing the minimum cutoff take the UPSC mains exam. The IAS Syllabus for General Studies paper in the prelims examination covers the following topics:

It is worth noting that the UPSC has prioritized current affairs in the IAS syllabus for the prelims examination. This can be a component in determining the direction of the IAS preparation. Aspirants for the IAS should study all topics in light of current events of national and international relevance.

UPSC CSAT Syllabus

The CSAT paper of the UPSC preliminary examination is qualifying in nature, with students needing only 33% to pass the exam. In other words, the examination scores are not factored into the UPSC Prelims cutoff.

UPSC Mains Syllabus 2025

The UPSC Mains examination is the crucial stage of the whole UPSC CSE examination process. The examination is conducted to check the knowledge depth of the candidate in a variety of subjects and their constitutive topics.

The nature and level of questions in the General Studies papers (Papers II to Paper V) shall be such that a well-educated individual will be able to answer them without needing to do any specialized study. The questions will be designed to assess a candidate's broad knowledge of a number of areas relevant to a vocation in the Civil Services. The questions are likely to assess the candidate's fundamental comprehension of all pertinent topics, as well as their capacity to analyze and weigh in on competing socio economic aims, objectives, and requirements. Candidates must provide answers that are relevant, insightful, and brief.

In general, the optional subject papers (Paper VI and Paper VII) for the examination are of honors degree level, which is higher than the bachelor's degree but lower than the master's degree.

UPSC Syllabus for Essay Paper

The IAS Essay paper assesses applicants' thorough knowledge and grasp of various subjects. The paper will be divided into two sections, each with four questions. Candidates are supposed to attempt two questions, one from each section. The essay should be written in around 1000-1200 words.

Candidates are required to write essays on a range of topics in the IAS essay paper. They will be expected to stay on subject, arrange their thoughts in an orderly manner, and express clearly. Essay writing that is precise and accurate will be rewarded with a high score.

The syllabus for the UPSC Mains Essay Paper is not specified, and questions might be asked about current events, social issues, philosophy, and other topics.

UPSC Mains Syllabus: General Studies Paper I

UPSC Mains General Studies Paper I contains topics that are static in nature. The paper includes questions from Indian Heritage and Culture, History and Geography of the World and Society. Candidates must thoroughly read NCERT books and other relevant books recommended by seniors, teachers and their mentors. The detailed syllabus for IAS Mains General Studies Paper I is as follows:

UPSC Mains Syllabus - GS Paper II

The IAS Mains General Studies Paper II constitutes dynamic questions from topics like Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice & International Relations. The syllabus for the General Studies Paper II in the UPSC Mains examination is as follows:

UPSC Mains Syllabus - GS Paper III

The IAS Mains General Studies Paper III includes questions from topics like Technology, Economic Development, Biodiversity, Environment, Security and

 Disaster Management. The detailed syllabus is as follows:

UPSC Mains Ethics Syllabus

This exam will comprise questions designed to assess candidates' attitudes and approaches to problems of integrity and honesty in public life, and problem-solving approaches to different challenges and confrontations encountered while interacting with society. To identify these elements, questions may adopt the case study methodology. The following broad topics will be addressed in IAS Mains Ethics syllabus. 

UPSC Optional Syllabus 2025

The UPSC mains exam includes 25 optional subjects from which participants are required to select one subject. The two optional subject papers are for a total of 500 marks, with each paper given 250 marks. It accounts for about 30% of the maximum UPSC Mains marks. As a corollary, candidates should select their optional subject thoughtfully because it might either assist or impede their objective of passing the exam.

UPSC Mains Optional Subjects List

The candidates can choose literature subjects as their optional paper. Below is the list of literature subjects which candidates can choose from:

UPSC Interview Syllabus 2025

The UPSC IAS interview is the final stage of the selection process. Candidates who qualify the IAS Mains Cutoff receive a call letter inviting them to the IAS interview process. The interview is performed to evaluate the candidates' capacity to think constructively. The IAS Interview panel evaluates applicants based on their ability to tackle societal problems using innovative ideas.

As a result, the UPSC has no mandated IAS Interview syllabus. Candidates must read everything that is going on around them in terms of the economy, society, policymaking, and international relations in order to do well in the interview. Aspirants must have a comprehensive understanding of the subject matter they studied in college. Candidates must also have a good knowledge of their hobbies and interests.

Qualities which will be judged by the panel in the IAS interview round:

• Reasoning and Logical Arguments
• Understanding of issues affecting people and society as a whole.
• Integrity of moral character
• Leadership Characteristics
• Capability to make decisions
• Ability to make judgments

Tips to Prepare UPSC Syllabus 2025

The UPSC IAS Syllabus is vast and extensive; hence candidates should follow a targeted approach to complete their syllabus. There are no short tricks to complete your UPSC CSE syllabus. Here are few tips to prepare your UPSC syllabus:

• Always keep the UPSC Syllabus PDF with yourself
• Track down important topics and sub topics for all subjects
• Start with NCERT books from Class 6 to Class 12 to clear your basic concepts.
• Once done with NCERTs, refer to standard books such as Laxmikant for Indian Polity, GC Leong for Indian Geography, and others.
• You should begin preparing for your optional subjects gradually. It should not be left for later.
• Take two or three subjects at a time while preparing for UPSC exam.
• Make sure you practice mock tests as much as possible.