UPSC CGGE (Combined Geo-Scientist) Syllabus 2026

The complete UPSC CGGE (Combined Geo-Scientist) syllabus for 2026 — 4 sections and 60 topics in all, organised exactly as the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) prescribes. Use it as your revision checklist, then test yourself with a free UPSC CGGE (Combined Geo-Scientist) mock below.

General Studies — Prelims Paper I (common to all four streams)12 topics

Current events of national and international importance (last 12 months, with a tilt towards science/mining/environment news)
History of India (Ancient, Medieval, Modern) and the Indian National Movement (1857 to 1947)
Indian and World Geography — physical (plate tectonics, monsoon, ocean currents), social and economic geography (Indian states, mineral belts, river systems)
Indian Polity and Governance — Constitutional framework, Fundamental Rights and DPSPs, Parliament, judiciary, federalism, panchayati raj, public policy and Rights issues
Economic and Social Development — sustainable development, poverty alleviation, demographics (Census 2011), social-sector initiatives, inclusion
General issues on Environmental Ecology, Biodiversity and Climate Change (UNFCCC, IPCC, India's NDC, biodiversity hotspots, ecosystem services) — no subject specialisation needed
General Science — Class 10-12 NCERT-level Physics, Chemistry and Biology with an applied twist (materials, instrumentation, biotechnology basics)
Indian Economy — RBI, monetary policy, fiscal policy, Union Budget, banking, agriculture, industry, infrastructure
Static GK — national symbols, awards, sports, books and authors, important days
Geo-relevant current affairs — Critical Mineral Mission, lithium discoveries (Reasi J&K), G20 outcomes on energy, Atal Bhujal Yojana, NAQUIM progress, mining policy reforms
Science and Technology — ISRO missions, defence indigenisation, IT and computing, biotechnology, nanotechnology
Disaster Management — earthquakes, landslides, floods, cyclones, NDMA framework

Geology — Prelims Paper II and Mains Papers I-III (Stream I Geologist and Stream IV Junior Hydrogeologist)17 topics

Physical Geology and Geomorphology — weathering and soil profiles, fluvial/glacial/aeolian/marine landforms and processes, Indian physiographic divisions, drainage evolution
Structural Geology — stress-strain, folds (classification, mechanism), faults (Anderson's classification), joints, foliation, lineation, stereographic projection, shear zones
Crystallography and Mineralogy — symmetry, 32 crystal classes, silicate structures (Bowen reaction), optical mineralogy under the petrographic microscope, rock-forming and ore minerals
Igneous Petrology — magma generation, Bowen's reaction series, IUGS classification (QAPF, TAS), layered intrusions, ophiolites, Indian examples (Deccan, Rajmahal, Sylhet)
Metamorphic Petrology — types of metamorphism, facies and facies series, ACF/AKF diagrams, P-T-t paths, common assemblages, regional metamorphism in the Himalaya and the Eastern Ghats
Sedimentary Petrology and Stratigraphy — clastic and chemical sediments, sedimentary textures and structures, depositional environments, sequence stratigraphy
Indian Stratigraphy and Geological History — Archaean cratons (Dharwar, Singhbhum, Bastar, Aravalli, Bundelkhand), Cuddapah and Vindhyan supergroups, Gondwana sequence, Deccan Traps, Siwaliks, Quaternary
Palaeontology and Micropalaeontology — index fossils (Phanerozoic), mass extinctions, biostratigraphy, palaeobotany of Gondwana flora, foraminifera in petroleum exploration
Economic Geology — metallic deposits (Cu, Pb-Zn, Fe, Mn, Au, Cr, REE), non-metallic deposits, coal and lignite of India, petroleum systems, critical minerals (Li, Co, Ni, Ga, In, Nb-Ta)
Mining Geology and Ore Reserve Estimation — exploration sequence, sampling, UNFC classification, JORC/NI 43-101 frameworks
Hydrogeology — aquifer types (confined, unconfined, perched), Darcy's law, hydraulic conductivity and transmissivity, well hydraulics (Thiem and Theis equations), India's groundwater status, NAQUIM, fluoride/arsenic/salinity contamination
Engineering Geology — rock mass classification (RMR, Q-system), dam and tunnel site investigations, slope stability, landslide hazard zonation
Marine Geology and Oceanography — continental margins, mid-ocean ridges, marine sediments, manganese nodules, gas hydrates, Indian EEZ resources
Geochemistry — elemental abundance, isotope geology (Rb-Sr, Sm-Nd, U-Pb, stable isotopes), geochemical cycles, geochronology
Applied Geophysics for Geologists — gravity, magnetic, electrical and seismic basics relevant to mineral and groundwater exploration
Remote Sensing and GIS — EMR spectrum, sensors (LANDSAT, Sentinel, IRS-Cartosat, Resourcesat), digital image processing, geological interpretation, GIS for resource mapping
Environmental Geology — mineral resources and sustainability, mine waste, AMD, groundwater pollution, climate change geology

Geophysics — Prelims Paper II and Mains Papers I-III (Stream II Geophysicist)14 topics

Solid Earth Geophysics — composition and internal structure, seismic discontinuities (Moho, LVZ, 410/660 km, CMB, ICB), heat flow, geomagnetism, palaeomagnetism and plate tectonics
Seismology — body waves (P, S) and surface waves (Love, Rayleigh), travel-time curves, focal mechanism and fault-plane solutions, earthquake magnitude scales (ML, mb, MS, MW), Indian seismic zonation
Gravity Methods — Newton's law and gravity field, instruments (LaCoste-Romberg, CG-5), corrections (drift, latitude, free-air, Bouguer, terrain), regional-residual separation, anomaly interpretation
Magnetic Methods — geomagnetic field elements (F, H, Z, D, I), IGRF, dipole models, proton precession and fluxgate magnetometers, aeromagnetic surveys, reduction to pole, depth estimation (Peters, Werner deconvolution)
Electrical Methods — resistivity (Schlumberger, Wenner, dipole-dipole arrays), VES vs profiling, induced polarisation (time and frequency domain), self-potential, electromagnetic methods (TEM, FEM, VLF, MT, CSAMT)
Seismic Exploration — reflection and refraction, CDP/CMP geometry, NMO and stacking, seismic processing (deconvolution, migration), AVO analysis, 3D seismic, vertical seismic profiling
Well Logging — gamma ray, neutron porosity, density, sonic, caliper, SP, resistivity (induction, laterolog, MSFL), formation evaluation (porosity, water saturation via Archie's law), log interpretation
Borehole and Cross-hole Geophysics — borehole gravity, magnetic susceptibility logging, full-waveform sonic, image logs
Geophysical Inversion and Signal Processing — Fourier analysis, sampling theorem, filtering, deconvolution, least-squares and damped least-squares inversion, regularisation
Mathematical Methods — vector calculus, PDEs (Laplace, Poisson, wave, heat), boundary-value problems, probability and statistics for geophysical data
Remote Sensing and GIS — sensors, image processing, integration with geophysical datasets for resource targeting
Geophysical Exploration for Resources — mineral, hydrocarbon and groundwater exploration case studies; geothermal and geotechnical investigations
Indian Geophysical Programmes — NGRI, IIG, NCESS, DST gravity-magnetic anomaly mapping, ONGC and OIL exploration, GSI airborne surveys
Environmental and Engineering Geophysics — GPR, micro-tremor (HVSR), shallow seismic, MASW for site characterisation

Chemistry — Prelims Paper II and Mains Papers I-III (Stream III Chemist)17 topics

Inorganic Chemistry — atomic structure, periodicity, chemical bonding (VBT, MOT, VSEPR), s-block and p-block chemistry, transition metal chemistry, lanthanides and actinides
Coordination Chemistry — Werner's theory, CFT and LFT, Jahn-Teller distortion, magnetic and electronic spectra, reaction mechanisms in coordination compounds (substitution, electron transfer)
Organometallic Chemistry — 18-electron rule, metal carbonyls and nitrosyls, metallocenes, catalysis (Ziegler-Natta, Wilkinson, hydroformylation, olefin metathesis)
Bioinorganic Chemistry — metalloproteins (haemoglobin, myoglobin, cytochromes), Fe-S clusters, photosynthesis, nitrogen fixation, metal toxicity
Organic Reaction Mechanisms — SN1/SN2/SNi, E1/E2/E1cb, addition to C=C and C=O, rearrangements (pinacol, Beckmann, Hofmann, Curtius), pericyclic reactions
Stereochemistry — chirality, R/S and E/Z, conformational analysis, asymmetric synthesis basics
Named Reactions and Synthesis — Diels-Alder, aldol, Claisen, Cannizzaro, Wittig, Grignard, Friedel-Crafts, Mannich, Heck, Suzuki, Sonogashira
Spectroscopy — UV-Vis (Woodward-Fieser rules), IR (functional group identification), 1H and 13C NMR (chemical shift, multiplicity, coupling), mass spectrometry (EI, CI, ESI, MALDI; fragmentation)
Biomolecules — carbohydrates, amino acids, peptides and proteins, nucleic acids, lipids, vitamins and coenzymes
Physical Chemistry — Thermodynamics (1st, 2nd, 3rd laws; partial molar quantities, chemical potential, phase rule)
Chemical Kinetics — rate laws, Arrhenius equation, transition-state theory, complex reactions, photochemistry and photophysics
Quantum Chemistry — postulates, Schrödinger equation, particle in a box, harmonic oscillator, rigid rotor, hydrogen atom; Hückel theory
Electrochemistry — Nernst equation, electrolytic and galvanic cells, conductance, polarography, batteries and fuel cells
Surface Chemistry, Colloids and Solid State — adsorption isotherms, micelles, lattice structures, defects, band theory, semiconductors
Analytical Chemistry — titrimetry (acid-base, redox, complexometric, precipitation), gravimetry, separation methods (solvent extraction, ion exchange, chromatography — GC, HPLC, IC, TLC)
Instrumental Analysis — AAS, ICP-OES, ICP-MS, XRF, XRD, electron microscopy (SEM, TEM, EPMA), thermal analysis (TGA, DSC)
Environmental and Applied Chemistry — water quality (BOD, COD, heavy metals), air pollutants, soil chemistry, green chemistry principles

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