UPSC Syllabus 2025 is crucial for candidates who are preparing for the Civil Services Examination 2025. This syllabus helps us to understand which topics to study and how to manage time and preparation in both the Prelims and Mains exams. The UPSC Syllabus 2025 consists of various subjects which are divided into sub-topics to help candidates with their preparation.
The UPSC Syllabus 2025 will be released on the official website along with the official notification. It is expected that the UPSC Syllabus 2025 will follow the previous year’s pattern, ensuring consistency in the examination structure. Candidates should familiarize themselves with the UPSC Syllabus 2025 to identify key areas to focus on and manage their study time accordingly.
UPSC Syllabus 2025 Overview
The UPSC Syllabus 2025 is very large and includes a wide range of subjects, such as General Studies, Aptitude, and Optional Subjects. Every subject consists of a number of topics and subtopics, which are meant to test the candidate’s knowledge, analytical skills, and problem-solving abilities. The UPSC Syllabus 2025 improve their study plans and focuses efforts on the right areas. An overview of the UPSC Syllabus 2025 is discussed below:
| UPSC Syllabus 2025 Overview | |
| Particular | Details |
| Conducting Authority | Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) |
| Exam Name | UPSC Civil Services Exam 2025 |
| Stages |
|
| Total Papers | Prelims: Two
Mains: Nine |
| Time Duration | Prelims: 2 hours (Each paper)
Mains: 3 hours (Each paper) |
| Exam Mode | Offline, Pen and Paper |
| Type of Questions | Prelims: Objective Type
Mains: Subjective Type |
| Official website | upsc.gov.in |
UPSC Syllabus 2025
The UPSC Syllabus 2025 consists of three parts Prelims with subjects like General Studies and CSAT papers, Mains with nine papers including essays and optional subjects, and the Interview, which tests your personality, confidence, and communication skills.
UPSC Syllabus 2025 for Prelims
UPSC Prelims consists of two papers which include General Studies Paper I and CSAT. These papers are qualifying tests that shortlist candidates for mian. The duration for each paper is 120 minutes during which candidates have to complete an objective type question which consists total mark of 200 marks.
Paper I General Studies
This paper consists of a wide range of subjects which include:
- General Science
- Indian Polity, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, and Governance Constitution, etc.
- Indian and World Geography-Physical, Social, and Economic Geography of India and the World
- Current events of national and international importance
- Economic, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives, and Social Development-Sustainable Development, etc.
- Environmental Ecology, Bio-diversity, and Climate Change
- History of India and the Indian National Movement
Paper II CSAT
In paper II, you need to score 33% marks to be pass out for the next rounds:
- Interpersonal skills including communication skills
- Decision-making and problem-solving
- Logical reasoning and analytical ability
- General mental ability
- Basic numeracy (numbers and their relations, orders of magnitude, etc.), Data interpretation (charts, graphs, data sufficiency, etc.
- Comprehension
Also read: UPSC Preparation Strategy for Beginners
UPSC Syllabus 2025 for Mains
The Mains exam is more broad-based as it tests knowledge on a wide range of topics in the question papers. However, since two of them, Paper A and Paper B, are qualifying, marks for the merit list are calculated out of 1750 marks from seven papers, with each of them carrying 250 marks.
Here is the UPSC Mains syllabus for each paper:
Paper A English
- Precis Writing
- Short Essays
- Usage and Vocabulary
- Comprehension of given passages
Paper B Indian Languages
- Translation from English to the Indian Language and vice-versa
- Precis Writing
- Short Essays
- Comprehension of given passages
- Usage and Vocabulary
Essay Paper
Candidates will be required to write essays on a number of titles. They will be expected to stick closely to the subject of the essay to structure their ideas in orderly fashion and to write concisely. Credit will be given for effective and exact expression.
General Studies Papers I to IV
General Studies I: Indian Heritage and Culture, History and Geography of the World and Society.
General Studies II: Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice, and International Relations.
General Studies III: Technology, Economic Development, Bio-diversity, Environment, Security, and Disaster Management.
General Studies IV: Ethics, Integrity, and Aptitude.
Optional Papers I & II
Candidates can choose two papers from a set of 48 optional subjects that the UPSC lists. These range from literature to engineering. There would be two papers from the chosen subject carrying 250 marks each. The syllabus of these subjects is detailed in the official notification. Here is the list of subjects for UPSC Optionals:
- Electrical Engineering
- Psychology
- Agriculture
- Botany
- Literature Subjects
- Sociology
- Zoology
- Civil Engineering
- History
- Geography
- Law
- Management
- Commerce and Accountancy
- Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Science
- Anthropology
- Mathematics
- Statistics
- Medical Science
- Economics
- Mechanical Engineering
- Public Administration
- Political Science and International Relations
- Chemistry
- Geology
- Philosophy
- Physics
UPSC Syllabus 2025 for Interview
The interview stage is also known as the personality test, through which a candidate’s overall personality with regard to his leadership qualities, ethics integrity, and communication skills are judged. As per UPSC Syllabus 2025 for interviews, the Board would ask questions in general topics to judge the suitability of the candidate for a career in public service.
This will be a type of interview assessing the mental alertness of the candidate, social skills, and interest in current affairs. Some qualities that will be tested are clarity in thinking, sound judgment, leadership qualities, and high morals. Background, academics, and all current events that can be presented have to be well-prepared in case there are questions at this stage.
UPSC Examination Pattern 2025
It has divided the UPSC Exam Pattern 2025 into three stages, namely, preliminary, main, and interview rounds. Preliminary consists of two papers, General Studies Paper I and CSAT. The nine descriptive papers that are part of the Main round include Essays, General Studies I-IV, optional papers I & II, and language papers.
The personality of candidates is observed through the Interview stage worth 275 marks. UPSC Exam Pattern 2025 is as under, after considering the previous year:
| UPSC Examination Pattern 2025 | ||||
| Stages | Name | No. of Papers | Type of Exam | Marks |
| Stage 1 | UPSC Prelims | 2 Papers | Objective | 400 |
| Stage 2 | UPSC Mains | 9 Papers | Descriptive | 1750 |
| Stage 3 | UPSC Interview | Personality Test | 275 | |
| Final Merit List | UPSC Mains + Interview Marks = 2025 Marks | |||
UPSC Syllabus 2025 FAQs
Q1 Where can I see the official UPSC Syllabus 2025?
Ans You can see through the official website of UPSC at upsc.gov.in
Q2 How many papers are in the UPSC Syllabus 2025?
Ans In Prelims: Two Papers and In Mains: Nine Papers
Q3 Does the UPSC Syllabus 2025 include questions on current affairs?
Ans Yes, it includes questions on current affairs
