UPSC Syllabus 2026: IAS Syllabus for Prelims, Mains and Optional Subjects
The UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE) Syllabus 2026 defines the subjects and topics candidates need to prepare for the IAS Prelims, Mains and Optional papers. The examination is conducted by the Union Public Service Commission for recruitment to the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS) and other participating civil services.
The selection process has three stages—Preliminary Examination, Main Examination and Personality Test/Interview. Prelims consists of two objective papers, while the Main Examination includes nine descriptive papers, of which seven count towards merit. The interview carries 275 marks, taking the merit-stage total to 2,025 marks.
UPSC Syllabus 2026: Highlights
| Particulars | Details |
|---|---|
| Examination | UPSC Civil Services Examination 2026 |
| Common Name | UPSC CSE / IAS Exam |
| Conducting Authority | Union Public Service Commission |
| Examination Stages | Prelims, Mains and Interview |
| Prelims Papers | 2 |
| Prelims Total Marks | 400 |
| Mains Papers | 9 |
| Mains Merit Papers | 7 |
| Mains Merit Marks | 1,750 |
| Interview | 275 Marks |
| Final Merit Total | 2,025 Marks |
| Optional Subject | 2 Papers of 250 Marks Each |
| Official Website | upsc.gov.in |
UPSC IAS Syllabus 2026
The UPSC CSE syllabus is divided according to the three stages of the selection process:
Stage 1 – Preliminary Examination: General Studies Paper I and CSAT.
Stage 2 – Main Examination: Qualifying language papers, Essay, four General Studies papers and two Optional Subject papers.
Stage 3 – Personality Test: Candidates qualifying the written Main Examination are called for the interview/personality test.
The Prelims examination serves as a screening stage. Prelims marks are not added to the final merit score.
UPSC Prelims Syllabus 2026
The UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination consists of two compulsory objective-type papers.
| Paper | Subject | Marks | Nature |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper I | General Studies | 200 | Merit for Prelims qualification |
| Paper II | CSAT | 200 | Qualifying |
| Total | 400 |
Candidates must qualify CSAT with at least 33% marks, while selection for the Main Examination is based on the prescribed cutoff in General Studies Paper I, subject to qualifying Paper II.
UPSC Prelims GS Paper 1 Syllabus 2026
General Studies Paper I tests candidates across current affairs and major areas of general awareness.
The syllabus broadly covers:
- Current events of national and international importance
- History of India and Indian National Movement
- Indian and World Geography
- Physical, Social and Economic Geography of India and the world
- Indian Polity and Governance
- Constitution
- Political system
- Panchayati Raj
- Public policy
- Rights issues
- Economic and Social Development
- Sustainable development
- Poverty
- Inclusion
- Demographics
- Social-sector initiatives
- Environmental ecology
- Biodiversity
- Climate change
- General Science
Current affairs are particularly important because questions can connect contemporary developments with static subjects such as polity, economy, geography, environment and science.
UPSC CSAT Syllabus 2026
General Studies Paper II, commonly called CSAT, is qualifying in nature. Candidates need at least 33% to qualify.
The syllabus covers:
- Comprehension
- Interpersonal skills including communication skills
- Logical reasoning
- Analytical ability
- Decision-making
- Problem-solving
- General mental ability
- Basic numeracy
- Numbers and their relations
- Orders of magnitude
- Data interpretation
Basic numeracy and data-interpretation questions are broadly at the Class 10 level.
Although CSAT is qualifying, candidates should not ignore it. Failure to secure the qualifying marks means GS Paper I performance cannot take the candidate to the Mains stage.
UPSC Mains Syllabus 2026
Candidates clearing Prelims become eligible for the Civil Services Main Examination.
UPSC Mains consists of nine descriptive papers.
| Paper | Subject | Marks | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper A | Indian Language | 300 | Qualifying |
| Paper B | English | 300 | Qualifying |
| Paper I | Essay | 250 | Merit |
| Paper II | General Studies I | 250 | Merit |
| Paper III | General Studies II | 250 | Merit |
| Paper IV | General Studies III | 250 | Merit |
| Paper V | General Studies IV | 250 | Merit |
| Paper VI | Optional Subject Paper I | 250 | Merit |
| Paper VII | Optional Subject Paper II | 250 | Merit |
| Merit Total | 1,750 | Counted for ranking |
Marks obtained in Paper A and Paper B are not counted towards ranking, but candidates must qualify them subject to the applicable UPSC rules.
UPSC Essay Syllabus 2026
The Essay paper carries 250 marks.
Candidates may be required to write essays on multiple topics. UPSC expects candidates to remain relevant to the subject, arrange ideas systematically and express themselves concisely.
Preparation should therefore focus not only on factual knowledge but also on:
- Logical argument
- Multidimensional analysis
- Coherent structure
- Examples and evidence
- Balanced conclusions
- Clear expression
- Effective introductions and conclusions
Essay marks are included in the final Mains merit score.
UPSC Mains GS Paper 1 Syllabus
General Studies I covers Indian Heritage and Culture, History and Geography of the World and Society.
Important areas include:
- Indian culture
- Art forms
- Literature and architecture
- Modern Indian history
- Freedom struggle
- Post-independence consolidation
- World history
- Indian society
- Diversity of India
- Role of women
- Population issues
- Poverty and developmental issues
- Urbanisation
- Globalisation
- Social empowerment
- Communalism
- Regionalism
- Secularism
- Physical geography
- Distribution of natural resources
- Important geophysical phenomena
Candidates need to connect historical and geographical knowledge with contemporary social developments.
UPSC Mains GS Paper 2 Syllabus
General Studies II covers Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice and International Relations.
Major areas include:
- Indian Constitution
- Historical underpinnings of the Constitution
- Features and amendments
- Union-state relations
- Federal structure
- Separation of powers
- Parliament
- State legislatures
- Executive
- Judiciary
- Representation of the People Act
- Constitutional bodies
- Statutory and regulatory bodies
- Government policies
- Development processes
- NGOs and civil society
- Welfare schemes
- Health
- Education
- Human resources
- Governance
- Transparency and accountability
- E-governance
- Role of civil services
- India and its neighbourhood
- Bilateral and global relations
- International institutions
Current affairs are particularly important for GS Paper II because governance and international-relations questions frequently involve ongoing developments.
UPSC Mains GS Paper 3 Syllabus
General Studies III covers Technology, Economic Development, Biodiversity, Environment, Security and Disaster Management.
Important topics include:
- Indian economy
- Planning and resource mobilisation
- Inclusive growth
- Government budgeting
- Agriculture
- Cropping patterns
- Irrigation
- Agricultural marketing
- Food processing
- Land reforms
- Infrastructure
- Investment models
- Science and technology
- IT and computers
- Space
- Robotics
- Biotechnology
- Intellectual property rights
- Environment and conservation
- Environmental pollution
- Disaster management
- Internal security
- Cybersecurity
- Money laundering
- Border security
- Organised crime
- Security forces and agencies
The paper requires candidates to combine conceptual knowledge with contemporary economic, technological, environmental and security developments.
UPSC Mains GS Paper 4 Syllabus
General Studies IV covers Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude.
Major areas include:
- Ethics and human interface
- Human values
- Attitude
- Aptitude
- Foundational values for civil services
- Integrity
- Impartiality
- Non-partisanship
- Objectivity
- Dedication to public service
- Empathy
- Tolerance
- Compassion
- Emotional intelligence
- Contributions of moral thinkers and philosophers
- Public/civil-service values
- Ethics in public administration
- Accountability
- Ethical governance
- Probity in governance
- Right to Information
- Codes of ethics
- Codes of conduct
- Citizen's charters
- Work culture
- Utilisation of public funds
- Corruption-related challenges
The paper also contains case studies, requiring candidates to apply ethical principles to practical administrative situations.
UPSC Optional Subjects 2026
Candidates appearing for Mains select one optional subject, which has two papers carrying 250 marks each.
Thus, the optional contributes 500 marks to the Mains merit score.
Major optional subjects include:
- Agriculture
- Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science
- Anthropology
- Botany
- Chemistry
- Civil Engineering
- Commerce and Accountancy
- Economics
- Electrical Engineering
- Geography
- Geology
- History
- Law
- Management
- Mathematics
- Mechanical Engineering
- Medical Science
- Philosophy
- Physics
- Political Science and International Relations
- Psychology
- Public Administration
- Sociology
- Statistics
- Zoology
Literature of specified languages is also available as an optional subject under UPSC's prescribed list.
UPSC Optional Subject Papers
The optional consists of:
| Paper | Marks |
|---|---|
| Optional Paper I | 250 |
| Optional Paper II | 250 |
| Total | 500 |
Because optional papers account for 500 of the 1,750 written Mains merit marks, optional preparation can have a substantial effect on the final ranking.
Candidates should select an optional based on genuine suitability rather than simply choosing a subject because it is perceived as "high scoring."
Important considerations include interest, syllabus size, familiarity, availability of study material and ability to write analytical answers.
UPSC Indian Language Paper Syllabus
Paper A is a qualifying Indian-language paper carrying 300 marks.
It broadly assesses:
- Comprehension
- Precis writing
- Usage and vocabulary
- Short essays
- Translation from English to the Indian language
- Translation from the Indian language to English
Candidates should check the official examination notice for language options and applicable exemptions.
UPSC English Paper Syllabus
Paper B is the compulsory qualifying English paper carrying 300 marks.
It broadly evaluates:
- Comprehension
- Precis writing
- Usage and vocabulary
- Short essays
The purpose is to test whether candidates can read and understand serious discursive prose and express ideas clearly and correctly.
UPSC Interview 2026
Candidates qualifying the Main written examination are called for the Personality Test/Interview, carrying 275 marks.
There is no conventional subject-wise syllabus for the interview.
The board assesses qualities relevant to a career in public service, including:
- Mental alertness
- Critical powers of assimilation
- Clear and logical exposition
- Balance of judgement
- Variety and depth of interests
- Social cohesion
- Leadership
- Intellectual and moral integrity
Candidates can also expect discussion around their Detailed Application Form (DAF), educational background, interests, current affairs and issues of public importance.
UPSC Final Merit Marks
Only Mains merit papers and the Personality Test determine the final ranking.
| Stage | Marks Counted in Final Merit |
|---|---|
| Prelims | 0 |
| Mains Written | 1,750 |
| Personality Test | 275 |
| Final Total | 2,025 |
This means Prelims is only a screening stage, while performance in the written Mains examination and interview determines the final rank.
How to Prepare UPSC Syllabus 2026
Candidates should use the official syllabus as the foundation of their preparation.
A practical approach is:
Syllabus → Previous-Year Questions → Core Books → Current Affairs → Notes → Revision → Mock Tests → Answer Writing
For Prelims, preparation should emphasise conceptual clarity, factual recall, elimination techniques and repeated MCQ practice.
For Mains, candidates should develop answer-writing skills alongside content preparation. Answers should directly address the question, maintain a logical structure and use relevant examples, facts and arguments.
UPSC Prelims vs Mains
| UPSC Prelims | UPSC Mains |
|---|---|
| Objective questions | Descriptive questions |
| 2 papers | 9 papers |
| Screening stage | Merit stage |
| GS + CSAT | Essay + GS + Optional + Languages |
| Prelims marks not added to final score | 1,750 marks count towards merit |
| CSAT qualifying | Language papers qualifying |
Candidates should prepare both stages in an integrated manner because much of the GS syllabus overlaps.
Importance of Previous-Year UPSC Questions
Previous-year questions help candidates understand how UPSC interprets its broad syllabus.
PYQs can reveal:
- Frequently tested themes
- Depth expected in each topic
- Prelims question style
- Mains answer requirements
- Current affairs-static integration
- Important optional areas
- Changes in question trends
Candidates should map previous questions directly against individual syllabus topics instead of treating PYQs as a separate preparation exercise.
UPSC Syllabus 2026: Key Points
- UPSC CSE has Prelims, Mains and Personality Test stages.
- Prelims consists of GS Paper I and CSAT.
- Each Prelims paper carries 200 marks.
- CSAT is qualifying with a minimum requirement of 33%.
- Prelims marks do not count towards final ranking.
- UPSC Mains contains nine papers.
- Two Mains language papers are qualifying.
- Seven Mains papers count towards merit.
- The written Mains examination contributes 1,750 marks.
- One optional subject contributes 500 marks through two papers.
- The Personality Test carries 275 marks.
- The final merit total is 2,025 marks.
- Candidates should use the official syllabus and previous-year questions as the foundation of preparation.
FAQs
What is the UPSC syllabus 2026?
The UPSC CSE 2026 syllabus covers General Studies, CSAT, Essay, four Mains General Studies papers, an optional subject, qualifying language papers and the Personality Test.
How many papers are there in UPSC Prelims?
UPSC Prelims consists of two compulsory papers—General Studies Paper I and General Studies Paper II (CSAT). Each carries 200 marks.
Is CSAT qualifying in UPSC 2026?
Yes. CSAT is qualifying, and candidates need to secure at least 33% marks in the paper.
How many papers are there in UPSC Mains?
The written Main Examination consists of nine papers. Two are qualifying language papers, while seven papers are counted towards merit.
How many marks is the UPSC optional subject worth?
The optional subject consists of two papers of 250 marks each, making the total optional contribution 500 marks.
How many optional subjects does a UPSC candidate choose?
A candidate chooses one optional subject, which is examined through Paper I and Paper II.
What are the total marks for UPSC Mains?
The seven merit-counting written papers carry 1,750 marks. The qualifying language papers do not contribute to the final ranking.
What are the total marks for UPSC final selection?
The final merit is calculated from 1,750 Mains written marks plus 275 interview marks, giving a total of 2,025 marks.
Do UPSC Prelims marks count in the final merit list?
No. Prelims is a screening examination, and its marks are not added to the final merit score.
Where can candidates check the official UPSC syllabus?
Candidates can check the Civil Services Examination notification and syllabus through the official UPSC website
