UPSC Prelims Syllabus IAS Prelims Syllabus, Civil Services Prelims Syllabus PDF Download

• Current events of national and international importance.
• History of India and Indian National Movement.
• Indian and World Geography-Physical, Social, Economic Geography of India and the World.
• Indian Polity and Governance-Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues, etc.
• Economic and Social Development-Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives, etc.
• General issues on Environmental ecology, Bio-diversity and Climate Change - that do not require subject specialization.
• General Science.

• Comprehension;
• Interpersonal skills including communication skills;
• Logical reasoning and analytical ability;
• Decision making and problem solving;
• General mental ability;
• Basic numeracy (numbers and their relations, orders of magnitude, etc.) (Class X level), Data interpretation (charts, graphs, tables, data sufficiency etc. — Class X level);

As one perceives, culture can be described as a way of life. The food we eat, the clothes we wear, the language that we speak and the almighty whom we worship, are all aspects of culture. Thus, culture is the embodiment of the way in which we think and do things. At the same time, it is also something that we have inherited as members of the society.

So, whatever a human being learns or inherits as members of social groups can be termed as culture. For instance, art, music, literature, architecture, sculpture, philosophy, religion and science can be seen as aspects of culture. Also, it includes the traditions, customs, festivals and certain ways of living. According to Herskovits “Culture can be defined as part of our environment created by human being.

Some important topics of the Indian art and culture are .

• Languages and Literature,
• Religion and Philosophy,
• Art and Architecture
• Indian Painting,
• Music, Dance and Drama,
• Festivals and Fairs
• Crafts
• Indian Cinema
• Rock-cut caves
• Historical monuments

Geography is the main subject of General Studies Paper – I, 14 to 15 questions regularly asked from Geography subject. Some important topic of Geography are .

• The Universe
• The Earth
• Lithosphere
• Atmosphere
• Hydrosphere
• Human Geography : World
• Natural Resources of the World
• Agriculture
• Industries and Industrial Regions
• Transport and Communication
• Continents of the World

• Introduction to Indian Geography
• Physiography
• Drainage System
• Climate
• Soil and Vegetation
• Population and Settlement
• Resources
• Agriculture
• Irrigation
• Industries
• Transport and Communication

In preliminary examination 10 to 12 questions have been asked so far from this section. Both conventional and current development related questions are asked some important topics of the Indian Polity and Governance are.

• Constitutional Development
• The Preamble and Salient Features of the Indian Constitution
• Union and Its Territory
• Citizenship
• Fundamental Rights and Fundamental Duties
• Directive Principles of State Policy
• Union Executive
• Parliament of India
• State Executive
• The State Legislature
• The Judiciary
• Indian Federalism and Centre-State Relations
• Emergency Provisions
• Union Territories, Scheduled and Tribal Areas
• Constitutional Bodies
• Non-Constitutional Bodies in India
• Public Service and Tribunals Jammu and Kashmir and Other States
• Local Self Government
• Provision for Special Categories and Official Language
• Political Parties and Electoral System
• Public Policy in India
• Constitutional Amendments
• Governance and Rights Issues

Preliminary as well as in the mains exam, economy has proportionately grate share in the respective distribution of marks. Question will asked both traditional as well as in current nature. Some important topics of Indian Economics subjects are.

• National Income
• Planning
• Population
• Nature of Indian Economy
• Unemployment
• Poverty
• Land reforms
• Rural development
• Poverty alleviation programmes
• Banking system
• Agriculture
• Industrial development
• Foreign Investment
• Tax system
• Devaluation of Currency
• Service Sector
• Economic survey

Generalised question asked from Environment and Ecology topics so on these topics specilised studies not required. Some important topics of Environment and Ecology are.

• Environment
• Ecology and Ecosystem
• Environmental Pollution
  • Air Pollution
  • Water Pollution
  • Noise Pollution
  • Soil Pollution
  • Marine Pollution
  • Marine Pollution
  • Radioactive Pollution
  • e-Waste Pollution
  • Solid Waste Pollution
• Natural Hazards and Disaster Management
  • Natural Disaster
  • Man-Made Disaster
  • Disaster Management
  • Disaster Management in India
• Biodiversity
  • Biodiversity Conservation
  • Biosphere Reserves
  • Conservation in India
  • Biodiversity Conservation
• Climate Change and Global Warming
• Sustainable Development

General Science is mainly concerned with preliminary examination. General Science comprises of physics, chemistry and biology. But in the preliminary examination you are required to concentrate on the life science topics. The questions on General Science can be broadly classified into following categories.

• Physics :
  • Physical properties of matter and its states
  • Mass, volume & density
  • Work, Power & Energy
  • Sound and waves
  • Pressure & Volume
  • Force
  • Ligh
  • Sound
  • Heat
  • Atomic Physics
  • The working Principles of Simple pendulum, simple pulley, Siphon, lever, balloon, pump, hydrometer, pressure cooker, gramophone, telegraph, telephone, telescope, microscope, dynamo, motor, transformer, loud speaker etc.
• Chemistry
  • The state of matter
  • The physical & chemical changes
  • Hydrogen, Oxygen, nitrogen & carbon dioxide gas
  • Oxidation & Reduction
  • Acids, Bases & salts
  • Atom
  • Catalysts
  • Petroleum
  • Fertilizer
  • The general procedure of preparation of soap, comb, ink, cement, paint, match box, gun powder & alum etc.
• Biology
  Important area of Life Science for Preliminary Test are enlisted below :
  • The cell
  • Plant Physiology
  • Circulatory system
  • Respiratory system
  • Excretory system
  • Nervous system
  • Reproductive system
  • Endocrine system
  • Fundamental of Genetics
  • Health organization
  • Nutrition : carbohydrates, protein, fats, vitamins etc. and deficiency diseases
  • Muscles and joints
  • Health and Disease: Cancer, T.B. polio, Leprosy
  • Animal husbandry

Current Affairs questions are asked from the core disciplines or say subjects, for example, science and technology, Polity, History, Geography, Economics, and environment. So, we must give importance to current affairs from all perspectives, i.e. subjects, Prelim, Main and Personality Test.

These questions can be asked based on Government Initiatives/Policies, policies of India which have international importance i.e. - Look East Policy, International Institutions – IMF, WB, UNSC, etc. International Agreement- Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), etc. Human Rights Issues, Social Sector Initiatives, Sustainable Development etc.

Generally you can call those events important, which –

• become the headlines of the newspaper and editorial and written
• Which have a negative/positive effect on the society
• Which remain in discussion amongst the people for a long time.
• Which find a place in newspaper for a long time
• Bilateral Relation

Areas to be covered for Current Affairs .

1. Economy – budget, economic survey and latest data
2. Science – Health, Space, computers, Bio-technology, nuclear science, Defence etc.
3. Political and Social issues
4. Demography
5. The information about – the United Nations, World, Bank, & World Trade Organizations.
6. Information relating to development programs