General Studies

UPSC Mains Syllabus for General Studies

General Studies holds greater significance in the IAS Mains exam. Among the total of 9 papers, 4 papers are specifically designated as General Studies. Additionally, the Essay paper, although loosely related to General Studies, encompasses topics from various subjects.

Here are the nine papers of the UPSC Mains General Studies:

• Paper-I: Essay

This paper assesses the candidate’s ability to express their thoughts effectively and coherently on a given topic.

• Paper-II: General Studies-I

This paper covers topics such as Indian History, Heritage and Culture, and Geography of the Society and World.

• Paper-III: General Studies-II

This paper focuses on Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice, and International Relations.

• Paper-IV: General Studies-III

This paper covers Technology, Economic Development, Environment, Biodiversity, Security, and Disaster Management.

• Paper-V: General Studies-IV

This paper examines Ethics, Integrity, and Aptitude, and includes topics like Emotional Intelligence, Moral Philosophy, and Case Studies.

• Paper-VI: Optional Subject – Paper 1

Candidates have the option to select a single subject from a predetermined list presented by the UPSC. This paper is the first part of the optional subject chosen by the candidate.

• Paper-VII: Optional Subject – Paper 2

This is the second part of the optional subject chosen by the candidate.

• Paper-VIII: Language Paper – A

Candidates have to choose one Indian language from the languages listed in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the candidate’s level of proficiency in the selected language.

• Paper-IX: Language Paper – B (English)

The objective of this paper is to assess the candidate’s proficiency in the English language.

It’s important to note that Papers VI, VII, VIII, and IX are only applicable if the candidate chooses an optional subject and an Indian language as per the UPSC guidelines.

The syllabus for General Studies in UPSC CSE Mains is as follows, paper-wise:

UPSC CSE Mains General Studies I (Mains Paper II) Syllabus:

• Indian Heritage: Salient aspects of Indian art, architecture, and literature from ancient to modern times, important historical sites, monuments, and their significance, cultural traditions, festivals, and performing arts of India, contributions of Indian philosophers, thinkers, and scholars to the world.
• Indian Culture: The diversity of Indian culture and its regional variations, socio-religious movements and reforms in India, Indian languages, literature, and traditions, impact of globalization on Indian culture, preservation, promotion, and revitalization of cultural heritage.
• History of the World and Society: Major events, personalities, and issues in world history from the 18th century to the present, Industrial Revolution and its impact on society, decolonization and its consequences, World wars, the cold war, and the post-cold war world order, globalization and its socio-economic implications.
• Geography of the World and Society: Physical geography of the world, including landforms, climate, and natural resources, human geography, including population, migration, urbanization, and regional development, geopolitical issues, international relations, and global challenges, environmental issues and sustainable development, interactions between society, culture, and the environment.

UPSC CSE Mains General Studies II (Mains Paper III) Syllabus:

• Governance: Indian governance systems, structures, and institutions, role of various stakeholders in governance, government policies and interventions for development in various sectors, issues and challenges in governance and their solutions, transparency and accountability in governance.
• Constitution: Historical background and making of the Indian constitution, salient features and key provisions of the Indian constitution, fundamental rights, fundamental duties, and directive principles of state policy, constitutional amendments and their significance, role of constitutional bodies, statutory institutions, and non-constitutional bodies.
• Polity: Indian political system and its evolution, union, state, and local governments in India, parliament and state legislatures: structure, functioning, and powers, electoral processes and reforms, political parties, pressure groups, and their influence on policy making.
• Social Justice: Issues of social justice, inequality, and inclusive growth in India, rights-based approaches and social empowerment initiatives, reservation policies and affirmative action, vulnerable sections of society and their welfare schemes, social movements and their impact on social change.
• International Relations: India’s relations with neighboring countries and major powers, India’s foreign policy and its key principles, international organizations, institutions, and their role in global governance, bilateral, regional, and global groupings and agreements involving India, India’s role in addressing global challenges like climate change, terrorism, etc.

UPSC CSE Mains General Studies III (Mains Paper IV) Syllabus:

• Technology: Different aspects of technology, its applications, and effects on society, government policies and initiatives for promoting technology and innovation, ethical concerns and challenges in the use of technology, digital governance, e-governance, and the role of technology in governance, technology and inclusive development.
• Economic Development: Indian economy: issues, challenges, and various sectors, planning, development, and inclusive growth, economic reforms and their impact on the economy, poverty, unemployment, and social sector initiatives, inclusive development and sustainable development goals.
• Biodiversity: Types of biodiversity and their significance, conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, threats to biodiversity and measures for its protection, international conventions and initiatives on biodiversity, biodiversity hotspots and their conservation.
• Environment: Environmental ecology: concepts, issues, and concerns, environmental degradation and its impact on human health, conservation and management of natural resources, environmental policies and regulatory frameworks, climate change, global warming, and their mitigation.
• Security and Disaster Management: Security challenges and their management in various sectors, border security, internal security, and terrorism, disaster management: types, mitigation, and preparedness, role of technology in disaster management, cybersecurity and its implications.

UPSC CSE Mains General Studies IV (Mains Paper V) Syllabus:

• Ethics: Understanding the essence, determinants, and consequences of ethics in human actions, application of ethical principles in public administration, governance, and business, analysis of ethical issues in international relations and their relevance to India, promoting probity in governance through ethical decision making, addressing challenges related to corruption, nepotism, and favoritism.
• Integrity: Importance of integrity in public service and administration, upholding impartiality and non-partisanship in the civil service, fostering objectivity, dedication, empathy, tolerance, and compassion, recognizing and enhancing emotional intelligence in governance, examining moral and political attitudes in the context of public service.
• Aptitude: Developing aptitude and foundational values for civil service, emphasizing integrity, impartiality, and non-partisanship in public administration, cultivating objectivity, dedication, empathy, tolerance, and compassion, harnessing emotional intelligence and emotional quotient in governance, drawing inspiration from moral thinkers and philosophers globally.

UPSC CS Mains Exam Pattern

The exam pattern for the UPSC Mains is structured as follows:

Latest Updates about UPSC 2023

The UPSC Interview 2022 is set to take place between April 24th and May 18th, 2023. The official website has released a notification containing the schedule, which aspirants can refer to for further details.

The UPSC Notification 2023 was published on February 1, 2023. The Civil Services (Preliminary) Exam 2022 is slated for May 28, 2023. Following the announcement of the Prelims exam results, eligible candidates who have cleared the Prelims will be required to fill out DAF-I (Detailed Application Form) in order to appear for the UPSC Mains. The UPSC CSE Mains exam is scheduled to be conducted from September 15, 2023. However, the specific dates for the IAS Interview 2023 are yet to be announced and will be notified in due course.

The exam dates for UPSC Mains 2023 are:

The UPSC (Union Public Service Commission) mains general studies is important for several reasons:

Why is UPSC Mains General Studies Important?

General studies is a crucial part of the civil services exam, covering subjects like history, geography, economics, and current affairs. It equips candidates with the knowledge needed for administrative roles, fostering analytical and problem-solving skills essential for decision-making. Emphasizing current affairs, it keeps candidates updated on national and international events, crucial for effective governance. 

With an interdisciplinary approach, it helps candidates connect different subjects, analyze issues from various perspectives, and tackle complex challenges. Additionally, general studies is a qualifying criterion, determining eligibility for further stages of the exam. Therefore, candidates must prioritize their preparation to build a strong foundation for the civil services.

Points to Remember

These are the important points to remember about the Mains Exam:

• UPSC mains exam is a crucial stage of the civil services examination.
• General studies is a mandatory paper covering various subjects.
• Stay updated with current affairs.
• Connect different subjects for a multidimensional understanding.
• Secure a minimum qualifying mark for eligibility in subsequent stages.
• Prioritize preparation for a strong knowledge base and problem-solving skills.
• Practice regularly and understand concepts thoroughly for success.

Choose the right option

As the impact of the optional subject is important, there is a need to choose the right option that is best for you! UPSC Coaching center in Chennai, the AARVAM Academy will guide you. Here are some crucial points: –

Choosing the right Optional Subject for UPSC

When a student before joining any IAS coaching institute students may have questions like “which optional subject may I choose” or “which one is the best optional subject for the main”. Before coming into any consequences, it is very difficult to fix for a counselor to decide which optional paper the student needs to require. Only depending upon the strength and background of the candidate a counselor can determine which optional subjects are for you best!

Reading this section can give you a brief idea to deal with your confusion with your optional subjects.

When any aspirants choose optional subjects on a certain ground, they can overlook the Optional papers chosen by the toppers in the previous year’s Optional subjects that are considered to be more scoring or Optional subjects with a larger overlap of the syllabus with GS papers, etc. Following this parameter, one can vanish their notion or confusion about how to choose the right option for them!

The right parameters to be looked into before selecting the ideal Optional Subject for your UPSC CSE attempt are:

1.  Your interest in a subject should be the first parameter that you consider for deciding your optional subject in UPSC civil services exam. When your interest level is on right track, attempt the UPSC examination successfully. With hard work and an understanding of the depth of the syllabus, you can score more than 50% marks on the optional paper.
2.  The extent of the syllabus is the next parameter that is to be considered in close consideration with the available length of time for your preparation. When one is preparing should need to know the vastness of the syllabus and should complete the preparation of the optional subjects on time with adequate resources given to the students. 
3. The discipline of graduation degree is another factor that can help in choosing the right option for the candidate. When a student chooses their optional subject in graduation it will be easier to choose the Optional subject in mains. However, keep in mind that while studying for graduation should choose your optional subjects, only if you choose the best optional subjects during your graduation that can help you to achieve the UPSC exam confidently.
4. The nature of the subject is another parameter that can be considered as well. For this exercise, the students go through previous years’ question papers and answer sheets given by the toppers. You can go through the syllabus and can at least read one or two standard books that are usually recommended for the optional subject. A few other parameters for preparing need to grasp a few tips like understanding, memorization, analytical thinking, etc., that is required for the optional subject.
5. The availability of study material and mentorship is another factor to be considered. Without proper guidance and authentic sources of information, it becomes a daunting task to start with preparation for the optional subject in the desired direction.

Optional Courses Offered at Aarvam IAS:

• Tamil
• History
• Anthropology
• Sociology

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