Syllabus for UPSE(CSE)Prelims 2026

UPSC Prelims Paper-I: General Studies

1. Current Events of National and International Importance

Current Events of National Importance – News of national importance related to History and Culture, Geography, Social Issues, Polity & Governance, Economy, Internal Security, Environment, Science & Technology, etc.

Current Events of International Importance – Major news related to India’s Bilateral Relations, International Organizations, Multilateral Bodies & Organizations, International Treaties & Agreements, etc.

2. History of India and Indian National Movement

History of Ancient India – Pre-History Period; Indus Valley Civilization; Vedic Period; Rise of Heterodox Sects such as Buddhism, Jainism, etc; Pre-Mauryan Period, Mauryan Period & Post-Mauryan Period; Gupta Period; Post-Gupta Period, etc

History of Medieval India – Early Medieval India; Delhi Sultanate; Mughal Period; Maratha Kingdom etc

History of Modern India – Period from the decline of Mughals upto establishment of British Rule in India; Revolt of 1857; Rise of Nationalism; India’s Freedom Struggle etc

3. Indian and World Geography-Physical, Social, and Economic Geography of India and the World

Physical Geography – Latitude & Longitude; Geomorphology; Oceanography; Climatology; Biogeography; Environmental Geography

Social and Economic Geography – Human population and its distribution and growth; Primary, Secondary, Tertiary, and Quaternary activities; Distribution of Minerals in India and the World; Location of Industries in India and the World; Agriculture in India and the World; Energy Resources, Transport etc in India and World.

World Geography – The continents and major geographic features therein such as Mountains, Plateaus, Rivers, etc.

Indian Geography – Physiographic Divisions of India; Drainage System of India; Indian Climate; Soils and Vegetations of India

4. Indian Polity and Governance-Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues, etc.

Constitution of India – The Indian Constitution, its evolution and salient features; Preamble to the Indian Constitution; Citizenship; Fundamental Rights; Directive Principles of State Policy; Fundamental Duties; Amendment of the Constitution, etc

Legislature – Parliament; Parliamentary Committees; State Legislature; Major issues related to Legislature.

Executive – President; Vice President; Union Council of Ministers; Governor; State Council of Ministers; Local Self Governments including Panchayati Raj Institutions and Urban Local Bodies.

Judiciary – Supreme Court; High Court; Subordinate Courts; Major issues related to Indian Judiciary

Other areas – Major Constitutional Bodies; Major Non-Constitutional Bodies; Elections and Political Parties etc

5. Economic and Social Development-Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives, etc.

Fundamentals of Economics – Factors of Production; Law of Demand and Supply; National Income Accounting etc

Growth and Development – Human Development; Poverty, Inequality and Inclusive Growth; Employment and Skill Development etc

Fiscal Policy in India – Development Planning and NITI Aayog; Government Annual Budgeting; Taxation System in India; Inflation; Business Cycles etc

Monetary Policy in India – Money and its supply; Reserve Bank of India and Banking System in India etc

Financial System in India – Money Market; Capital Market

Sectors of Indian Economy – Agriculture; Manufacturing and Industries; Service Sector etc

External Sector – Foreign Trade; Balance of Payment; Foreign Exchange, Foreign Investment etc

International Economic Organizations – World Bank; International Monetary Fund (IMF); World Trade Organization (WTO) etc

Other areas – Infrastructure such as Transport, Energy, etc; Investment Models, etc

6. General issues on Environmental ecology, Bio-diversity and Climate Change – that do not require subject specialization.

Fundamental of Ecology and Ecosystem – basic terminologies such as Ecology, Ecosystem, Species, Speciation, Succession etc

Biodiversity – Animal Diversity, Plant Diversity and Marine Organisms in India and the World, etc

Protection and Conservation of Biodiversity – Protected Area Networks in India such as National Parks, Wildlife Sanctuaries, etc; Other Indian efforts for biodiversity conservation such as Environmental Acts & Policies, Environmental Institutions, etc; Global initiatives for biodiversity conservation such as Man And Biosphere (MAB) program, international environmental organizations and conventions, etc

Environmental Pollution – types of Pollution; Climate Change, Global Warming, Acid Rain, etc; Indian and international efforts to fight Climate Change.

Other areas – Farming Systems, Irrigation Systems, etc which aid in environmental protection

7. General Science

Biology – Cell Biology; Genetics; Human Physiology; Health and Diseases

Physics – Force and Laws of Motion; Work, Energy and Power; Fluids; Heat & Temperature; Wave Motion; Sound; Optics; Electrostatics; Magnetism etc.

Chemistry – Matter & its states; Structure of Atom; Classification of Elements; Chemical Reactions; Chemistry in everyday life.

1. Comprehension

Reading Passages and answering questions based on them.

2. Interpersonal Skills including Communication Skills

Verbal Interpretations; Analogies; Critical Reasoning etc

3. Logical Reasoning and Analytical Ability

Sequence & Series; Coding & Decoding; Blood Relations

Venn Diagrams; Distance & Directions; Seating Arrangements; Puzzles

4. Decision Making and Problem Solving

Ethical dilemmas and hypothetical questions based on them

5. General Mental Ability

Profit & Loss; Mixture & Alligations; Time & Work; Time & Distance

Geometry; Mensuration & Area

Partnerships; Clocks; Dices etc

6. Basic Numeracy (numbers and their relations, orders of magnitude, etc.) (Class X level)

Number Systems; LCM & HCF; Averages; Fractions; Ratio & Proportion

Averages; Percentage; Simple & Compound Interests etc

7. Data Interpretation (charts, graphs, tables, data sufficiency etc. — Class X level)

Pie Charts, Bar Graph, Line Graph, Tables etc.