UPSC Mains

UPSC Mains Syllabus 

The UPSC Mains 2025 is descriptive in nature and the syllabus for the exam consists of total 9 papers. 

This includes 1 essay, 2 language papers, 4 General Studies papers and 2 optional papers. All the papers are to be completed within time duration of 3 hours.   

I have provided a table listing all the subjects of the 9 papers comprising the Mains syllabus along with their weightage and nature:    

An important point to note is that all the papers except for the 2 language papers included in the UPSC Mains syllabus 2025 can be written in any of the languages mentioned in Schedule 8th of the Indian Constitution.

Syllabus of UPSC Mains Essay (No topics prescribed)

The UPSC syllabus 2025 for Essay in the Mains exam is not specifically defined. For this paper, you are expected to keep a close watch on the essay topic and to write your points in a concise manner.  

You would need to write 2 essays from a list of given topics in the paper. The maximum marks allotted for this paper is 250 marks.  

The key highlights from the UPSC Mains syllabus are provided in the image below:  

UPSC Mains Syllabus for General Studies 1 (GS 1)

The IAS syllabus for GS 1 includes the Culture, History, Heritage & Geography of India and the World. I have listed down below the points in detail: 

1. Culture of India
   • Major aspects of the various Indian art forms,  
   • Architecture & literature of India from ancient to modern India. 

2. Modern Indian History

• Personalities from the mid 18th century to the present, issues, Important events, etc. 
• Stages of the freedom struggle and the people who played a part in it. 
• History from the post-independence perspective and the reorganization and consolidation of the Indian states following that.

3. World History

• World events from the 18th century onwards and their effects on society & the world at large.  
• Events such as Industrial Revolution, World Wars, delineation of national boundaries, colonization, decolonization,  
• Effects of political philosophies like communism, capitalism, etc. 

4. Society

• Society of India, its diversity and important aspects. 
• Population and issues related to it, the role of women and women-led organizations in Indian societies,  
• Poverty, and development-related issues,  
• Urbanization, problems due to it and solutions, etc. 
• Communalism, regionalism, & secularism in India, social empowerment. 
• Globalization and its effects on Indian society.

5. Geography

• Important natural resources around the globe especially in South Asia and the Indian Subcontinent;  
• factors affecting the location of the primary, secondary and tertiary sector industries across the world along with India. 
• Key geographical phenomena and their causes like tsunamis, earthquakes, cyclones, volcanic activities, etc. 
• The various geographical features and their locations,  
• Changes of features with a location like water bodies and polar ice caps  
• Effects of these changes on flora and fauna. 
• Key features of the planet’s physical geography.

UPSC Syllabus for Mains paper: General studies 2 (GS 2)

The IAS syllabus for GS 2 includes the subjects of Polity, Constitution, Governance, International Relations, and Social Justice. I have listed below the points in detail: 

1. Polity and Indian Constitution

• Responsibilities and functions of the Union & States,  
• Challenges and issues related to the federal structure,  
• Finances, and devolution of powers down to the local levels, and the challenges that lie therein. 
• Segregation of power between the various government bodies, 
• Redressal mechanisms pertaining to conflict, and dispute management and the various institutions. 
• Organization, structure, and functions of the Judiciary, legislature, & Executive. 
• State and Parliamentary legislatures: 
• Departments & Ministries of the government;  
• Pressure groups and their informal/formal roles and associations in the polity. 
• Key features of the Representation of people’s Act 
• How the various constitutional posts are appointed, their functions, & powers. Also, those of the various constitutional bodies. 
• Various quasi-judicial, statutory, and regulatory bodies. 
• The various governmental interventions and policies are aimed at developing various sectors. 
• The development sector and its processes – the role of SHGs, NGOs, and other associations and groups, institutions, and other stakeholders.

2. Social Justice

• Welfare schemes issued by the Centre and states for vulnerable sections, the performance of these schemes;  
• Laws, mechanisms, bodies and institutions set up for the protection, and development of the vulnerable sections. 
• Issues in development and management of the social/service sectors. 
• Problems pertaining to hunger and poverty. 

3. Governance

• Key aspects of governance, e-governance- applications, successes, potential, accountability and transparency, models, limitations;  
• Citizen charters, and other measures. 
• The role of Civil Services in a democracy. 

4. International Relations

• India and its relationship with its Neighbours 
• Various international groupings and agreements involving India and other states. 
• The effects of policies and politics of other countries on Indian interests and the Indian diaspora. 
• Key international entities, institutions, agencies, their mandates, and structures. 

UPSC Syllabus for Mains paper: General studies 3 (GS 3)

The UPSC Mains syllabus for GS 3 includes the subjects of Economic Development, Environment, Disaster Management & Security, Technology, and Biodiversity. I have listed below the points in detail:

1. Economy

• The economy of Indian and planning-related issues. 
• Government budgeting. 
• Inclusive growth and issues/challenges associated with it. 
• Liberalization and its effects on the economy (post-1991). 
• Infrastructure – Ports, Airports, Roads, Energy, Railways, etc. 
• Investment models like PPP, etc. 

2. Agriculture

• Predominant cropping patterns in various parts of the nation, various types of irrigation techniques and systems, storage, marketing, transportation of agricultural produce,  
• Challenges/issues related to it; use of e-technology in the agricultural sector. 
• Rearing of animals and the economics related to it. 
• Industries related to food processing and its kind in India – significance and scope, upstream-downstream requirements, location, supply chain management. 
• Problems related to indirect and direct farm subsidies and minimum support prices;  
• Objectives of Public Distribution System, functioning and its limitations, revamping; 
• Food security and buffer stock issues; technological missions. 
• Land reforms in India 

3. Science & Technology

• Recent technological developments and their effects. 
• Indians and their achievements in science & technology. 
• Indigenous technological innovation and the development of new tech. 
• General Awareness of Space, IT, Robotics, Computers, biotechnology, and nanotechnology. 
• Problems related to intellectual property rights.

4. Environment

• Conservation 
• Pollution of the environment and its degradation 
• EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment) 
• Disaster Management (Act, laws, etc.) 

5. Security

• Challenges to internal security (non-state actors and external state) 
• How extremism develops and spreads. 
• Internal security challenges pertaining to the communication networks. 
• Fundamentals of cyber security; money laundering and how to prevent it. 
• Challenges to security and managing security in border areas;  
• The connection between organized crime and terrorism. 
• The names of the various security agencies and forces and their mandates. 

UPSC Syllabus for Mains paper: General studies 4 (GS 4)

The IAS syllabus for GS 4 includes topics that will test you on your sense of Integrity, Ethics, and Aptitude. 

The GS 4 paper contains questions to check the approach and attitude that you might employ in situations requiring integrity and uprightness, problem-solving capabilities. The syllabus of the paper also includes some case – studies.  

I have listed below the major topics from the UPSC GS 4 Syllabus in detail: 

1. Human Interface & Ethics

• The essence of ethics, the determinants & consequences in human interaction. 
• Dimensions of Ethics 
• Ethics in public and private relationships 
• Human values. 
• The role of one’s family, society, and educational institutes in developing ethical and moral values in him/her.

2. Attitude

• The content of attitude. 
• The influence of attitude in behavior and thought. 
• The relation of attitude to behavior and thought. 
• Political and Moral attitudes. 
• Persuasion and social influence. 

3. Aptitude

• The foundational values and aptitude of civil services. 
• Integrity 
• Non-partisanship and impartiality. 
• Objectivity 
• Dedication to serving the public 
• Compassion towards society’s weaker sections. 

4. Emotional Intelligence

• The concept of emotional intelligence
• The application and utility of emotional intelligence.

5. Contributions of Philosophers and Thinkers

• From the world and India to the concepts of morality. 

6. Ethics in Public Administration and Civil/public service values

• Associated problems and Status 
• Dilemmas and Ethical concerns in private institutions and the government 
• Regulation, rules, laws, and conscience as the source of ethical guidance 
• Ethical governance and Accountability 
• Consolidation of moral and ethical values in governance 
• Ethical Issues in funding and international relations 
• Corporate governance. 

7. Probity in Governance

• Concept of public service 
• Governance & probity and its philosophical basis 
• Transparency & information sharing in government 
• Right to Information 
• Codes of ethics 
• Codes of conduct 
• Citizen’s charters 
• Work culture 
• Quality of service delivery 
• Utilization of public funds 
• Challenges of corruption 

UPSC Mains Syllabus for Optional subject (2 papers – Paper 1 and paper 2)

For the optional subject papers, you need to choose a subject of which you have an in-depth understanding. 

The UPSC allows you to choose one optional subject from out of a total of 26 different subjects. There’ll be 2 papers, Paper 1 and Paper 2 of 250 marks each pertaining to the subject that you choose. 

Having said that, I have shared a table listing all the optional subjects for UPSC, below: 

UPSC Syllabus for Language Papers: (Any Indian Language & English)

Literature subjects for language papers likewise the UPSC optional subjects, are a part of the Mains Exam, in these papers there’d be: 

• An essay question of 100 marks where you’d have to select one out of a few given topics. 
• 5-6 questions related to reading comprehension: of a maximum of 60 marks. 
• Precis writing questions worth 60 marks which you’d have to attempt on special answer sheets with grid lines. 
• Translation-based questions: English to the chosen Indian language & vice versa for 20 marks each, totaling40 marks. 
• Questions based on grammar, synonyms, sentence corrections, and basic language usage, of a total of 40 marks. 

While English language is a compulsory subject for language paper, the following is the list of 22 subjects from which you can pick your most appropriate literature subject for language paper: