UPSC Prelims Syllabus 2026: GS Paper 1 & CSAT Paper 2 Subject-wise Breakdown

The UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination (CSE Prelims) is the first stage of the prestigious Civil Services Examination conducted annually by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). Serving as a rigorous screening test, the Preliminary Examination shortlists candidates for the Civil Services (Main) Examination.

According to the official UPSC Civil Services Examination Notification, the Prelims examination comprises two compulsory objective-type (multiple choice questions) papers carrying a total of 400 marks.

UPSC Prelims Exam Pattern: Quick Overview

Exam Component	GS Paper I (General Studies)	GS Paper II (CSAT)
Official Name	General Studies Paper I	General Studies Paper II (Civil Services Aptitude Test)
Nature of Paper	Merit-Determining (Decides Cutoff)	Qualifying Only (Mandatory 33% / 66 Marks)
Total Marks	200 Marks	200 Marks
Number of Questions	100 Questions (2 marks per question)	80 Questions (2.5 marks per question)
Exam Duration	2 Hours (9:30 AM to 11:30 AM)	2 Hours (2:30 PM to 4:30 PM)
Negative Marking	-0.66 Marks (1/3rd of 2 marks)	-0.83 Marks (1/3rd of 2.5 marks)
Medium of Exam	Bilingual (English & Hindi)	Bilingual (English & Hindi)
Evaluation Order	Evaluated only if CSAT qualifying threshold is met	Evaluated first to ensure minimum 33% score

📌 Key Qualifying Rule:

Marks scored in GS Paper I determine the cutoff for qualifying to the Mains Examination.

GS Paper II (CSAT) is strictly a qualifying paper. A candidate must score at least 33% (66 out of 200 marks) in Paper II; otherwise, Paper I will not be considered for merit calculation, regardless of the score.

Detailed Syllabus: GS Paper I (General Studies)

GS Paper I tests broad conceptual clarity, factual precision, analytical ability, and awareness of national and international developments. The syllabus is structured into 7 core pillars:

1. Current Events of National and International Importance

Major domestic policy initiatives, government schemes, and statutory enactments.
Bilateral, regional, and global summits, treaties, and international agreements.
High-level economic and multilateral forums (G20, BRICS, SCO, ASEAN, UN bodies).
Prestigious national and global awards, reports, and indices.

2. History of India and Indian National Movement

Ancient India: Indus Valley Civilization, Vedic period, Mahajanapadas, Mauryan Empire, Gupta Age, Sangam literature, and early philosophical systems (Buddhism, Jainism).
Medieval India: Delhi Sultanate, Vijayanagara Empire, Mughal Administration, Bhakti and Sufi movements, regional kingdoms, and socio-economic institutions.
Modern Indian History & Freedom Struggle: Advent of European powers, British colonial expansion, British socio-economic policies, Revolt of 1857, socio-religious reform movements, Indian National Congress phases, Gandhian mass movements (Non-Cooperation, Civil Disobedience, Quit India), and partition/independence.
Indian Culture & Heritage: Temple architecture, classical and folk dances, musical traditions, mural and miniature paintings, UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and literature.

3. Indian and World Geography

Physical Geography: Geomorphology (earthquakes, volcanoes, plate tectonics), Climatology (monsoon mechanisms, atmospheric circulation, cyclones), and Oceanography (ocean currents, salinity, marine relief).
Indian Geography: Physiographic divisions (Himalayas, Northern Plains, Peninsular Plateau), river drainage basins, major mountain passes, climate zones, soil classifications (ICAR 8 groups), and mineral distribution.
Economic & Human Geography: Agricultural patterns, major crop distributions, irrigation projects, industrial corridors, transport networks, demographic transitions, and urbanization.

4. Indian Polity and Governance

Constitutional Framework: Preamble, Fundamental Rights (Articles 12-35), Directive Principles of State Policy (Articles 36-51), Fundamental Duties, and Landmark Amendments.
System of Government: Parliamentary vs Presidential systems, Federalism, Centre-State relations, and Emergency Provisions (Articles 352-360).
Union & State Organs: President, Prime Minister, Parliament, Supreme Court, High Courts, Governors, Chief Ministers, and State Legislatures.
Local Self-Government: 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendment Acts (Panchayati Raj and Municipalities), PESA Act 1996.
Public Policy & Rights Issues: Statutory commissions (NHRC, NCW, NGT), regulatory bodies, citizen charters, and welfare initiatives.

5. Economic and Social Development

Macroeconomics & Growth: National Income accounting (GDP, GVA), fiscal policy, Union Budget architecture, inflation indices (CPI, WPI), and monetary policy tools (Repo, SDF, CRR, SLR).
Poverty, Inclusion & Demographics: Multidimensional poverty index, employment trends, financial inclusion (PMJDY), and social welfare schemes.
External Sector: Balance of Payments (BoP), foreign exchange reserves, Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), and international trade organizations (WTO, IMF, World Bank).

6. Environmental Ecology, Bio-diversity and Climate Change

Ecosystem Dynamics: Food chains, trophic levels, ecological succession, biomes, and nutrient cycles.
Biodiversity Conservation: Protected Area Network (106 National Parks, 58 Tiger Reserves, 18 Biosphere Reserves, 101 Ramsar Sites), Project Tiger, Project Elephant.
Environmental Legislation & Conventions: Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972, Environment (Protection) Act 1986, Forest Conservation Act, UNFCCC, COP climate agreements, Montreal Protocol, and CBD.

7. General Science

Core scientific principles spanning Physics, Chemistry, and Biology (up to Class X-XII standards).
Frontier technologies: Artificial Intelligence, Biotechnology (gene editing, CRISPR), Space missions (ISRO Chandrayaan, Gaganyaan, Aditya-L1), Defence technology, and Renewable energy.

Detailed Syllabus: GS Paper II (CSAT)

GS Paper II is designed to test analytical aptitude, logical reasoning, and decision-making capabilities. The syllabus comprises:

Comprehension: Short and medium passages testing analytical reading, inference deduction, and critical thinking.
Interpersonal Skills including Communication Skills: Assessing contextual dialogue understanding and situational awareness.
Logical Reasoning and Analytical Ability: Deductive reasoning, syllogisms, blood relations, seating arrangements, coding-decoding, and direction sense.
Decision-Making and Problem-Solving: Practical, ethical, and administrative situational judgement questions.
General Mental Ability: Number series, analogies, Venn diagrams, clocks, calendars, and spatial orientation.
Basic Numeracy (Class X level): Numbers and their relations, orders of magnitude, percentages, ratios, averages, profit and loss, time and work, speed and distance, and permutations.
Data Interpretation (Class X level): Charts, graphs, tables, and data sufficiency.

Strategic Micro-Topic Weightage in Prelims (Past 5-Year Trends)

Subject Area	Approximate Question Range	Strategic Importance
Polity & Governance	14 – 18 Questions	High scoring, high conceptual predictability.
Economy & Agriculture	15 – 20 Questions	High weightage on banking, fiscal terms, schemes.
Environment & Ecology	16 – 22 Questions	Joint screening with IFoS makes this a heavy pillar.
History & Art & Culture	12 – 16 Questions	Modern history and ancient art/architecture lead.
Geography & Mapping	10 – 14 Questions	Strong focus on river basins, passes, and world maps.
Science & Technology	10 – 14 Questions	Focus on applied frontier tech and space/biotech.
Current Affairs & IR	8 – 12 Questions	Woven into thematic conceptual questions.

Official Primary Sources & Notification References

UPSC Official Examination Portal - Annual Calendar, Examination Rules & Syllabi.
Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions (DoPT) - Civil Services Examination Rules Gazette Notification.
Digital Sansad / Legislative Department - Constitution of India & Statutory Acts.