UPSC Civil Services Prelims Syllabus 2026

Complete syllabus, exam pattern, marks distribution, and preparation direction for GS Paper I and CSAT Paper II.

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Overview

  • • UPSC Prelims checks awareness, conceptual clarity, and decision-making under time pressure.
  • • The syllabus includes both static topics and dynamic current-affairs-driven areas.
  • • The exam has two papers: General Studies Paper I and CSAT Paper II.

General Studies (GS)

Core static anchors

  • History
  • Polity
  • Geography
  • Indian Economy

CSAT

Aptitude and qualifying skills

  • Mathematical questions
  • Reasoning ability
  • English comprehension
  • Problem solving and decision making
  • Communication ability

UPSC Prelims Exam Pattern

Paper Subject No. of Questions Total Marks Duration
Paper I General Studies (GS) 100 200 2 hours
Paper II CSAT (Qualifying) 80 200 2 hours
Paper I
General Studies (GS)
Cut-off deciding paper
Questions: 100 Marks: 200 Duration: 2 hours
Paper II
CSAT (Qualifying)
Qualifying at 33% (66 marks)
Questions: 80 Marks: 200 Duration: 2 hours
  • GS Paper I cut-off is decided by UPSC each year and determines screening for Mains.
  • CSAT requires minimum 33% (66 marks) to qualify.
  • Prelims marks are not counted in final merit; it is a qualifying stage for Mains.
  • Negative marking: 1/3rd marks deducted for each incorrect answer in both papers.

Paper I: General Studies (GS)

GS Paper I evaluates breadth of understanding across polity, history, geography, economy, environment, science, and current affairs.

  • • 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
  • • Economic and Social Development: Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives
  • • General issues on Environmental Ecology, Biodiversity, and Climate Change
  • • General Science

Paper II: Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT)

CSAT assesses comprehension, logical reasoning, numeracy, and decision-making. It is qualifying in nature with a minimum 33% threshold.

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

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