Union Public Services Commission (UPSC) conducts the civil services exam to recruit eligible candidates for various profiles every year. UPSC conducts the exam in three stages- Prelims, Mains, and Interview.
The aspirants preparing for the civil services exam often have several questions about the examination pattern syllabus, especially in the initial phase. Does the UPSC IAS syllabus change every year? From where can I get the UPSC IAS syllabus? What exactly is the pattern of the IAS exam? And many more like these.
Well, the IAS syllabus doesn’t change every year. In fact, the UPSC updates the exam pattern on a few occasions, but the syllabus usually remains the same. Over the last decade, the commission has updated the pattern and modified it five times. These changes are usually related to age limit, the number of attempts, exam pattern, etc.
Below, you will find the ongoing and latest IAS syllabus that you can refer to prepare for your dream exam.
IAS Exam Pattern 2021
Here is the latest exam pattern for the IAS exam:
Prelims
- Number of papers: 2 (General Studies and CSAT)
- Types of questions: Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)
- Maximum marks: 200×2= 400
- Exam duration: 2 hours for each exam
- Negative marking: Deduction for one-third marks for incorrect answers
- Exam medium: Hindi and English
Mains
There are a total of nine papers in the mains exam. Two of them are qualifying papers, and the rest are counted for merit. The qualifying papers include Paper-A and Paper-B.
- Qualifying papers
- Paper-A: Candidates can choose one of the Indian languages of their choice. Maximum marks: 300.
- Paper-B: English.
Maximum marks: 300
- Papers for Merit
- Paper-I: Essay
Maximum marks: 250
- Paper-II: General Studies-I (Indian Heritage and Culture, History and Geography of the World and Society)
Maximum marks: 250
- Paper-III: General Studies-II (Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice and International relations)
Maximum marks: 250
- Paper-IV: General Studies-III (Technology, Economic Development, Biodiversity, Environment, Security and Disaster Management)
Maximum marks: 250
- Paper-V: General Studies-IV (Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude)
Maximum marks: 250
- Paper-VI: Optional Subject – Paper 1
Maximum marks: 250
- Paper-VII: Optional Subject – Paper 2
Maximum marks: 250
IAS Syllabus 2021
IAS Prelims Syllabus
General Studies (Paper-I)
- General Science
- Latest events holding national and international significance.
- Indian Polity and Governance
- Indian history and National Movements in India.
- Geography of India and World
- Economic and Social Development
- Common issues related to environmental ecology, climate change, biodiversity
CSAT (Paper-II)
- General mental ability
- Fundamentals of numeracy
- Data interpretationInterpersonal skills
- Comprehension
- Decision-making and problem-solving
- Logical reasoning and analytical ability
IAS Mains Syllabus
Qualifying papers:
In the qualifying papers, the types of questions to expect include:
- Reading comprehension
- Essay
- Precis writing
- Translation (from English to compulsory language and vice versa)
- Grammar and vocabulary
Papers for merit:
Paper-I: Essay
Candidates need to write essays on given topics.
Paper-II: General Studies-I
- Heritage of India
- Modern History of India
- World History
- Indian Society
- Geography
Paper-III: General Studies-II
- Governance
- Constitution
- Polity
- Social Justice
- International relations
Paper-IV: General Studies-III
- Technology
- Economic Development
- Biodiversity
- Environment
- Security & Disaster Management
Paper-V: General Studies-IV
- Ethics
- Integrity
- Aptitude
Paper- VI & VII: Optional Subjects
The IAS aspirants need to choose optional subjects for Paper VI and VII. There will be two compulsory papers for each option subject.
Following are optional subjects for the IAS mains exam:
- 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 any Indian language
IAS Syllabus for Interview
UPSC hasn’t defined any specific syllabus for the IAS interview. The aim of the interview is to test the personality and communication skills of the candidate.
Some Frequently Asked Questions based on IAS syllabus:
Q-1. What is the subject selection criteria on the IAS exam?
Subjects for all the papers are fixed except for Paper VI and VII for the mains exam. You need to opt for two optional subjects from the available list of subjects (check above).
Q-2. Which subject is good for the IAS?
You have to ask yourself a number of questions before deciding the subject. These questions can be:
- How extensive is the syllabus of the subject?
- What is your level of preparation and knowledge about the subject?
- Do you have an interest in the subject?
Based on the answers, you can choose a subject for yourself.
Q-3. How many optional subjects are in IAS main exam?
The number of optional subjects for the IAS exam is 25, excluding the optional literature subjects.
Q-4. How many IAS seats are there each year?
The number of vacancies for the UPSC exam in 2021 is 712, which will include all the UPSC profiles. The number of seats is not fixed. It changes every year. For instance, it was 927 in 2019 and 796 in 2020.
Q-5. How many language literature subjects are there in UPSC IAS Syllabus?
The number of optional literature subjects in IAS is 23.
Q-6. How much time will it take to cover the UPSC Syllabus?
On average, you need to invest 10 to 12 months in preparing strongly and covering the UPSC syllabus.
Q-7. How many attempts can be taken for IAS Exam?
- For General & EWS: 6
- For OBC: 9
- SC/ST: No limits
Q-8. Does UPSC syllabus change every year?
No. The IAS syllabus doesn’t change every year. In fact, the UPSC updates the exam pattern on a few occasions, but the syllabus usually remains the same.
