Examius
🇮🇳 India · Civil Services
UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE) Syllabus
National-level exam to recruit IAS, IPS, IFS and other Group A/B central services officers. The full UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE) syllabus: 7 subjects, 32 chapters, 105 topics and 178 sub-topics, with 357 flashcards written against it.
UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE) subjects
UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE) has 7 subjects. Each one is listed below with its chapters in syllabus order; open a subject for every topic and sub-topic inside them.
General Studies Paper I — Polity, Governance & Social Justice
- Constitution of India · 4 topics
- Union and State Executive, Legislature, Judiciary · 4 topics
- Constitutional and Statutory Bodies · 3 topics
- Governance, Local Government and Social Justice · 4 topics
General Studies Paper II — History, Indian Heritage and Culture
- Ancient India · 4 topics
- Medieval India · 4 topics
- Modern India and Freedom Struggle · 4 topics
- Post-Independence Consolidation and World History · 3 topics
- Indian Art and Culture · 3 topics
General Studies Paper III — Geography and Disaster Management
- Physical Geography · 3 topics
- Geography of India · 3 topics
- Human and Economic Geography · 3 topics
- World Geography and Resource Distribution · 3 topics
- Geophysical Phenomena and Disaster Management · 3 topics
General Studies Paper IV — Economy, Science, Technology and Environment
- Indian Economy and Planning · 3 topics
- Fiscal, Monetary and Banking System · 3 topics
- Agriculture, Industry and Infrastructure · 3 topics
- Science and Technology · 4 topics
- Environment, Ecology and Biodiversity · 4 topics
General Studies Paper V — Current Affairs, Security and International Relations
- Internal Security · 4 topics
- India's Foreign Policy and Bilateral Relations · 3 topics
- India and the World — Groupings and Diaspora · 3 topics
- National and International Current Affairs · 3 topics
General Studies Paper VI — Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude (Mains GS-IV)
- Ethics and Human Interface · 3 topics
- Attitude and Emotional Intelligence · 3 topics
- Moral Thinkers and Public Administration Ethics · 3 topics
- Probity in Governance and Case Studies · 3 topics
Compulsory and Optional Papers — Language, Essay and Specialisation
- Essay Paper · 3 topics
- Compulsory Language Papers (Qualifying) · 3 topics
- Optional Subject (Two Papers) · 3 topics
- CSAT — General Studies Paper II (Prelims Qualifying) · 3 topics
- Personality Test (Interview) · 3 topics
UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE) flashcards
357 question-and-answer cards across 7 subject decks, each shown in full on its subject page.
- General Studies Paper I — Polity, Governance & Social Justice — 51 cards
- General Studies Paper II — History, Indian Heritage and Culture — 52 cards
- General Studies Paper III — Geography and Disaster Management — 52 cards
- General Studies Paper IV — Economy, Science, Technology and Environment — 51 cards
- General Studies Paper V — Current Affairs, Security and International Relations — 50 cards
- General Studies Paper VI — Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude (Mains GS-IV) — 50 cards
- Compulsory and Optional Papers — Language, Essay and Specialisation — 51 cards
UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE) syllabus FAQ
What subjects are in the UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE) syllabus?
UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE) covers 7 subjects: General Studies Paper I — Polity, Governance & Social Justice, General Studies Paper II — History, Indian Heritage and Culture, General Studies Paper III — Geography and Disaster Management, General Studies Paper IV — Economy, Science, Technology and Environment, General Studies Paper V — Current Affairs, Security and International Relations, General Studies Paper VI — Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude (Mains GS-IV) and Compulsory and Optional Papers — Language, Essay and Specialisation.
How many chapters and topics are in the UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE) syllabus?
32 chapters and 105 topics, broken down further into 178 sub-topics, across 7 subjects. General Studies Paper II — History, Indian Heritage and Culture is the largest subject, with 18 topics in 5 chapters.
Are there UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE) flashcards?
Yes — 357 question-and-answer flashcards in 7 subject decks. Each deck is printed in full on its subject page here, and the same cards are in the Examius app with spaced repetition. The free plan covers one exam of your choice, including its flashcards; Examius Pro, a one-time purchase, unlocks every other exam and deck.
Related Civil Services syllabuses
State Public Service Commission exams for state administrative and allied officer posts.
UPSC Civil Services Exam (CSE) syllabusIndia's premier exam for IAS, IPS, and IFS officer recruitment, conducted by the UPSC.
UPSC Civil Services Examination syllabusExamination conducted by UPSC to recruit IAS, IPS, IFS and other central services officers.
AJKPSC Test syllabusStudy hierarchy for the Azad Jammu & Kashmir Public Service Commission combined competitive examination covering compulsory subjects for Grade-17+ regional government posts.
ASI Police Test syllabusComprehensive study hierarchy for Pakistan's Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) police recruitment test, covering academic and police professional subjects per the PPSC/provincial police syllabus.
BPSC Test syllabusStudy hierarchy for the Balochistan Public Service Commission (BPSC) Combined Competitive Examination covering compulsory subjects for provincial civil service posts in Balochistan.
CSS Accounting and Auditing syllabusFPSC CSS optional subject (200 marks) covering financial accounting, cost and management accounting, auditing principles, and business taxation.
CSS Business Administration syllabusA comprehensive CSS optional-subject study hierarchy for Business Administration covering management, organizational behaviour, HR, finance, operations/supply chain, and marketing per the FPSC syllabus.
CSS Compulsory Papers syllabusComplete study hierarchy for the six FPSC CSS compulsory papers: English Essay, Precis and Composition, General Science and Ability, Current Affairs, Pakistan Affairs, and Islamic Studies.
Browse all 45 Civil Services syllabuses → · All India exams →