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UPSC CSE (Civil Services Exam — Prelims) mock test
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UPSC CSE (Civil Services Exam — Prelims) Syllabus 2026

The complete UPSC CSE (Civil Services Exam — Prelims) syllabus for 2026 — 9 sections and 89 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 CSE (Civil Services Exam — Prelims) mock below.

Indian History & Culture (GS Paper I)10 topics

  • Indus Valley Civilisation (Harappa, Mohenjo-daro, Lothal, Dholavira — town planning, trade, decline theories)
  • Vedic Age, Mahajanapadas, Magadha, Maurya empire (Chandragupta, Ashoka, Arthashastra) and Gupta classical age
  • Early Medieval India (Cholas, Chalukyas, Rashtrakutas, Pallavas — temple styles: Dravida, Nagara, Vesara)
  • Delhi Sultanate (Slave, Khilji, Tughlaq, Sayyid, Lodi) and Mughal empire (Akbar's Mansabdari, Jagirdari)
  • Bhakti and Sufi movements (Kabir, Guru Nanak, Mirabai, Chishti and Suhrawardi silsilas)
  • Advent of Europeans and rise of British power (Plassey 1757, Buxar 1764); 1857 Revolt and socio-religious reforms
  • Indian National Movement 1885-1947: Moderates, Extremists, Revolutionaries, Gandhian phase, Quit India, INA, Partition
  • Art and Culture — 8 classical dances, Hindustani vs Carnatic music, schools of painting (Mughal, Rajput, Pahari, Tanjore)
  • UNESCO World Heritage Sites in India (43+ listed including Hoysala temples 2023, Santiniketan 2023, Moidams 2024)
  • Indian philosophical schools (six Astika, three Nastika — Charvaka, Jain, Buddhist)

Indian Geography (GS Paper I)9 topics

  • Physical features — Himalayas (Trans, Greater, Lesser, Shiwalik), Northern Plains, Peninsular Plateau, Coastal Plains, Islands
  • Drainage — Himalayan rivers (Indus, Ganga, Brahmaputra), Peninsular rivers (Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna, Kaveri, Narmada, Tapi)
  • Indian monsoon (ITCZ, El Niño/La Niña, IOD, Mascarene High, Tibetan Plateau heating); Köppen climate regions
  • Soils (alluvial, black, red, laterite, arid, forest) and natural vegetation; 10 biogeographic zones of India
  • Agriculture — Kharif/Rabi/Zaid, cropping patterns, Green/White/Blue/Yellow Revolutions, MSP, PDS
  • Mineral and energy resources (coal belts, iron ore, bauxite, Mumbai High, KG basin, renewable energy clusters)
  • Industrial regions (Mumbai-Pune, Hugli, Bangalore-TN, Gujarat, Chhota Nagpur); transport (GQ, DFCs, NW1-NW111)
  • Indian Census 2011 (literacy, sex ratio, density, urbanisation); 2021 Census deferred status
  • World Geography basics — continents, oceans, major mountain systems, climatic zones, ocean currents

Indian Polity & Governance (GS Paper I)11 topics

  • Preamble, salient features of the Constitution, Constituent Assembly debates, 12 Schedules
  • Fundamental Rights (Articles 12-35), DPSPs (Articles 36-51), Fundamental Duties (Article 51A)
  • Union — President (Articles 52-78), PM and Council of Ministers, Parliament (Articles 79-122)
  • State Government — Governor, CM, State Legislatures; centre-state relations (Articles 245-263); GST Council
  • Judiciary — Supreme Court (124-147), High Courts (214-231), judicial review, PIL, basic structure doctrine
  • Constitutional bodies — ECI (Article 324), CAG (148), UPSC (315), Finance Commission (280), AG (76)
  • Statutory and regulatory bodies — NHRC, CIC, Lokpal, NCW, NCSC, NCST, NCBC, CVC, CBI
  • Local Governance — 73rd and 74th Amendments, PRIs, Municipalities, 11th and 12th Schedules
  • Emergency provisions (Articles 352, 356, 360) and amendment procedure (Article 368)
  • Recent Acts — RTI 2005, RTE 2009, GST, CAA 2019, Women's Reservation Act 2023, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023
  • Landmark judgments — Kesavananda Bharati, Minerva Mills, Maneka Gandhi, S.R. Bommai, Vishaka, NJAC, Puttaswamy

Economics & Development (GS Paper I)11 topics

  • Basic concepts — GDP, GNP, NNP, GVA (basic vs market prices), real vs nominal, base year 2011-12
  • Money and Banking — RBI, monetary policy (repo, reverse repo, CRR, SLR, MSF), MPC, inflation targeting 4% +/- 2%
  • Banking sector — PSBs, SFBs, Payments Banks, NBFCs, IBC 2016, NPAs, PCA framework
  • Fiscal Policy — Union Budget structure, FRBM Act 2003, fiscal/revenue/primary deficit, fiscal consolidation roadmap
  • Taxation — direct taxes (income, corporate), GST (CGST, SGST, IGST, compensation cess), GST Council
  • Inflation — CPI (rural, urban, combined), WPI, core inflation, demand-pull vs cost-push
  • External sector — BoP, current/capital account, FDI vs FPI, FEMA, forex reserves
  • Planning history — Five Year Plans (1951-2017), NITI Aayog (2015 onwards), Aspirational Districts Programme
  • Agriculture economy — MSP, PM-KISAN, PMFBY, eNAM, APMC reforms, food and fertiliser subsidy
  • Industrial policy — Make in India, PLI schemes (14 sectors), MSME definition revision
  • Poverty and unemployment — Tendulkar, Rangarajan committees, PLFS, MPI

Environment & Ecology (GS Paper I)10 topics

  • Ecology basics — ecosystem, biotic/abiotic, food chains and webs, trophic levels, biogeochemical cycles
  • Biodiversity — levels, India's 4 hotspots (Himalaya, Western Ghats, Indo-Burma, Sundaland), IUCN Red List categories
  • Protected Areas — 100+ National Parks, 550+ Wildlife Sanctuaries, 55+ Tiger Reserves, 18 Biosphere Reserves (12 in UNESCO MAB)
  • Wildlife conservation — Project Tiger (1973), Project Elephant (1992), Project Cheetah (2022 Kuno), Vulture Action Plan
  • Climate change — IPCC AR6, UNFCCC, Paris Agreement (NDCs), India's Panchamrit at COP26, Net-Zero by 2070
  • International conventions — CBD, CITES, Ramsar (India 80+ sites), Montreal, Stockholm, Basel, Rotterdam
  • Pollution — air (NAQI, NCAP, PM2.5/PM10), water (CPCB classes), soil, noise, plastic, e-waste
  • Indian environmental laws — EPA 1986, Forest Conservation Act 1980 (2023 Amendment), WPA 1972, Biodiversity Act 2002
  • Renewable energy — Solar (ISA), green hydrogen mission, E20 biofuels, PM-KUSUM, PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana 2024
  • Recent — International Big Cat Alliance, Mission LiFE, India State of Forest Report, Western Ghats (Gadgil/Kasturirangan)

Science & Technology (GS Paper I)9 topics

  • Space — ISRO (Chandrayaan-1/2/3, Mangalyaan, Aditya-L1, Gaganyaan, NISAR, SSLV, PSLV, LVM3), IN-SPACe and private sector
  • Defence — DRDO programmes (Agni, BrahMos, Astra, Akash, MR-SAM, Tejas, AMCA), nuclear triad
  • Biotechnology — GM crops (Bt cotton, GM mustard), CRISPR, mRNA vaccines, BioE3 Policy 2024
  • Health tech — Covishield/Covaxin, Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, TB Mukt Bharat 2025 target, PM-JAY
  • IT — 5G rollout, India Semiconductor Mission, India Stack (UPI, Aadhaar, DigiLocker), DPDP Act 2023
  • AI and emerging tech — IndiaAI Mission 2024, Bhashini, National Quantum Mission 2023 (Rs 6003 cr)
  • Nuclear energy — PHWRs, FBRs, Kudankulam, AHWR, three-stage nuclear programme, IAEA, NSG
  • Public health — antimicrobial resistance, NMC reforms, eSanjeevani
  • Recent S&T policy — Anusandhan NRF 2023, Vigyan Dhara scheme, STIP draft

Current Affairs (GS Paper I)10 topics

  • National schemes (last 12-15 months) — PM Surya Ghar, PM Vishwakarma, Vibrant Villages, PM-JANMAN for PVTGs
  • International summits — G20 Delhi 2023, BRICS expansion, SCO, QUAD, ASEAN, EAS, COP28-29
  • Economic releases — Union Budget (latest cycle), Economic Survey themes, RBI MPC outcomes
  • Reports and indices — HDR, Global Hunger Index, Global Innovation Index, Ease of Living, EPI
  • Awards — Bharat Ratna, Padma awards, Nobel Prizes (Indian connection), Magsaysay, Booker, Jnanpith
  • Defence exercises — Yudh Abhyas, Indra, Malabar, Garuda Shakti, Tiger Triumph, Vajra Prahar
  • Government appointments — ECI, CAG, RBI, NITI Aayog, NHRC chairs
  • Supreme Court and High Court landmark judgments (last 12-15 months)
  • Sports — Olympics/Asian Games/CWG medal tallies, Khelo India, TOPS
  • Books, persons, places in news; defence, science and space events of national importance

International Relations (GS Paper I)9 topics

  • Neighbourhood — Pakistan, China (LAC, Galwan, disengagement), Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Myanmar
  • Act East and Neighbourhood First policies; Indo-Pacific strategy — QUAD, AUKUS implications, IPEF
  • India-US — iCET, GE-414 engine deal, defence pacts (LEMOA, COMCASA, BECA, ISA)
  • India-Russia — S-400, energy imports post-Ukraine war; India-EU and India-UK FTA status; India-EFTA TEPA 2024
  • Middle East — India-Israel, India-UAE CEPA, I2U2, IMEC (India-Middle East-Europe Corridor)
  • Africa — India-Africa Forum Summit; BRICS expansion (Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, UAE joined 2024)
  • Multilateral bodies — UN reform (UNSC permanent seat), WTO disputes, WHO, IMF/World Bank quota reforms
  • Regional groupings — SAARC (dormant), BIMSTEC (active), SCO, ASEAN, G20 India Presidency 2023 outcomes
  • Diaspora policy — OCI, NRI welfare, Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, Indian community abroad

CSAT — Civil Services Aptitude Test (Prelims Paper II)10 topics

  • Reading comprehension — long passages (300-500 words) with inferential and assumption-based questions
  • Critical reasoning — strengthen/weaken arguments, assumptions, conclusions, statement-course of action
  • Logical reasoning — syllogisms, statement-conclusion, statement-assumption, cause and effect
  • Analytical reasoning — seating arrangement (linear, circular), puzzles, blood relations, direction sense
  • Decision making — situational judgement questions (NO negative marking for these specific items)
  • Basic numeracy (Class X) — number system, percentages, ratio-proportion, averages, time-work, time-speed-distance
  • Algebra and geometry basics — linear/quadratic equations, triangles, circles, mensuration
  • Data interpretation — tables, bar/line/pie charts, caselet DI; data sufficiency (single/two-statement)
  • General mental ability — series, coding-decoding, classification, analogy
  • Interpersonal skills and communication (passage-based; high overlap with comprehension)

Know the syllabus — now see where you stand.

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