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IFS Syllabus 2025 - Download UPSC IFS prelims and mains syllabus here
Edited By Meghana Mohana Krishnan | Updated on Jan 22, 2025 02:30 PM IST | #UPSC IFS
Upcoming Event
UPSC IFS Exam Date : 16 Nov' 2025 - 16 Nov' 2025
Union Public Services Commission prescribed the UPSC IFS syllabus 2025 in the official notification. Candidates can download the official IFS 2025 syllabus online at upsc.gov.in. Candidates attempting the UPSC IFS exam 2025 must refer to the syllabus before beginning their preparation. The UPSC IFS syllabus contains a comprehensive list of details of all of the topics that is covered in the UPSC IFS Exam.
This Story also Contains
- IFS Syllabus 2025
- IFS Syllabus 2025 - UPSC IFS Mains Syllabus
- IFS Exam Pattern 2025
Along with the syllabus of the exam, candidates must also refer to the IFS exam pattern 2025 to get a good idea of how the paper will look and the distribution of marks. Candidates must use the syllabus of the IFS 2025 exam to create a robust study plan for preparation. For more details, candidates can go through the material below.
IFS Syllabus 2025
Union Public Service Commission IFS exam has three stages - prelims, mains and personality test. All the IFS exam stages are conducted in offline mode. The syllabus for UPSC IFS prelims and mains exam is prescribed separately by the Commission in the notification. The IFS exam syllabus 2025 can be divided into two parts as follows:
IFS prelims syllabus
IFS mains syllabus
IFS Syllabus 2025 - UPSC IFS Prelims Syllabus
The IFS prelims exam has two GS papers. Questions from topics like Current Affairs, General Science, World Geography, Indian Polity, Economy, and Indian National Movement are asked in the UPSC IFS prelims examination, along with questions on General and Mental Ability, Hindi and more. Refer to the table below for a short glimpse of the IFS prelims syllabus.
IFS Prelims Syllabus
General Studies 1 | General Studies 2 (CSAT) |
National & International Current Affairs History of India Indian National Movement Freedom Movement Social, economic & political aspects of Indian History Growth of nationalism Attainment of independence. Indian & World Geography Physical, social & economic Geography of India Indian Polity & Governance Panchayati Raj Constitution Political System Public Policy Rights Issues Economic & Social Development Sustainable Development Social Sector Initiatives Poverty Inclusion Biodiversity Climate Change General Science Physics Chemistry Biology, etc. | Logical reasoning Analytical ability Decision making Comprehension General mental ability Arithmetic Algebra Geometry Statistics Direct & indirect speech Punctuation & spellings Active voice & passive voice Parts of speech Transformation of sentences Words meanings Vocabulary & usage Idioms & phrases Fill in the blanks Hindi Varnmala Sandhi Samaras Kriya Anekarthi Shabd Vilom Shabd Tatsam, Tatbhav, Deshaj, Videshi Shabd Rachna Vakya Rachna Arth Shabd Roop Paryayvachi Shabd Muhavare Lokoktiyan, etc. |
Other Important Links
IFS Syllabus 2025 - UPSC IFS Mains Syllabus
The IFS mains exam is descriptive in nature having six papers of 1400 marks in total. Questions in the UPSC IFS mains exam are asked from subjects like General English and General Knowledge & two optional subjects. There is no negative marking in the IFS mains exam as it is descriptive in nature. Check the IFS mains syllabus in the table below:
IFS Mains Syllabus
Subjects | Topics |
General English | Comprehension of given passages Precis Writing Usage Vocabulary Short Essay |
General knowledge | General Knowledge Knowledge of current events Matters of everyday observation and experience The political system The Constitution of India History of India Geography of nature |
Paper 3 to 6 (optional subjects) | Candidates have to select two optional subjects for IFS mains. Here is a list of IFS optional subjects: Agriculture Agricultural Engineering Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Science Botany Chemical Engineering Civil Engineering Forestry Mathematics Mechanical Engineering Physics Statistics Zoology Geology Chemistry |
Note: Candidates appearing for the IFS mains exam should also note that optional subjects in the following combinations can not be selected.
Agriculture and Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Science
Agriculture and Forestry
Agriculture and Agricultural Engineering
Chemistry and Chemical Engineering
Statistics and Mathematics
From the engineering subjects such as Agricultural Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering and Mechanical Engineering - choose one subject only.
IFS Exam Syllabus - Personality Test/ Interview
The shortlisted candidate will be interviewed by an SSC of competent and unbiased observers.
The object of the Interview is to assess the personal suitability of the candidate for the Service.
The candidate will be expected to have taken an intelligent interest not only in his/her subjects of academic study but also in events that are happening around him/her both within and outside his/her own state or country, as well as in modern currents of thoughts and in new discoveries which should rouse the curiosity of well-educated youth.
IFS Exam Pattern 2025
The IFS exam pattern is prescribed by the commission in the official UPSC CSE notification. As per the Civil Services notification, the IFS prelims exam is of 400 marks in total having two GS papers with negative marking. While IFS mains is of 1400 marks having 6 papers which are descriptive in nature. Check the IFS 2025 exam pattern in the tables below.
IFS Prelims 2025 Exam Pattern
Papers | Subjects | Maximum Marks | Duration |
Paper 1 | General Studies 1 | 200 | 2 hrs |
Paper 2 | General Studies 2 | 200 | 2 hrs |
IFS Mains Exam Pattern 2025
Papers | Subjects | Maximum Marks | Duration |
Paper 1 | General English | 300 | 3 hrs |
Paper 2 | General Knowledge | 300 | 3 hrs |
Paper 3 | Optional 1 | 200 | 3 hrs |
Paper 4 | Optional 1 | 200 | 3 hrs |
Paper 5 | Optional 2 | 200 | 3 hrs |
Paper 6 | Optional 2 | 200 | 3 hrs |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Is there any negative marking in the IFS prelims exam?
Yes, there is a negative marking in the prelims UPSC IFS exam.
2. What is the application fee for the IFS examination form?
UPSC IFS application form fee is Rs 100 for unreserved category candidates.
3. What are the different stages of the IFS examination?
UPSC IFS exam has three stages. They are as follows:
Prelims
Mains
Personality test
4. How many optional subjects does one have to select in the IFS mains exam?
In the IFS 2025 mains exam, one has to select 2 optional subjects.
5. Is UPSC IFS easy?
The UPSC IFS exam is considered a challenging exam because of high competition and a huge syllabus. It also demands a lot of analytical and writing skills.
6. What is the syllabus for IFS?
The UPSC IFS syllabus can be checked from the official notification.
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Have a question related to UPSC IFS ?
Dear aspirant !
Hope you are doing well !
The best degree to become an IAS officer is a Bachelor of Arts (BA) , as it covers many of the topics in the UPSC CSE syllabus. Many BA programs focus on humanities and social sciences, which are directly relevant to the syllabus.
Many students take their degree in ba course . It is one of most famous amongst the youth for upsc .
Best of luck
Shivanshu 20 April,2024
Hi,
Farrukhabad is district located in Uttar Pradesh .There are three tahsil in farrukhabad district whose name are,
1) Farrukhabad
2) Kaimganj
3) Amritpur
The Farrukhabad district is further divided in to Tehsils / Blocks / Community Development Blocks (C.D.Blocks) for administrative purposes. In India, the Block or C.D.Block is often the next level of administrative division after the tehsil. It is important to note that, In some states of India C.D.Blocks are equal to tehsils.
piyushkurwade 13 October,2021
To become an IFS officer you need to qualify the UPSC CSE examination. The eligibility for this examination is that you need to be a graduate in any subject. So you can study any subject which will make you eligible for UPSC CSE. Now for being an IFS you need to score good in your UPSC CSE examination and for that you have to prepare well for the UPSC syllabus. So you can do graduation in any subject there are no restrictions about it. To be an IFS officer you need to study well for UPSC.
To know more about UPSC CSE visit the link below:
https://competition.careers360.com/exams/upsc-civil-services-exam
To know more about the career of IFS visit the link below:
https://www.careers360.com/careers/indian-foreign-service-officer
I hope this answer helps. All the very best for your future endeavors!
Subhrajit Mukherjee 22 September,2021
Hello student no it's not mandatory to have a graduate degree in Bsc ZBC.
As per eligibility criteria student should be graduate with one of the following subjects to be eligible - Chemistry, Botany, Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Science, Geology, Mathematics, Physics, Zoology and Statistics.
If you hold a bachelor degree in any one of the subjects mentioned above then you're eligible for UPSC IFS.
Age eligibility - Minimum 21
Maximum 32 (General category)
Feel free to comment if you've any doubt
Good luck
Yash Dev 22 September,2021
Dear aspirant!
Hope you are doing great! There are many factors which decide our posting in foreign countries ,also one of the major is language which is must we must know the language where we will work.Another is demand ,if your demand will be more in any country for something then you have to go their ,here language doesn't matter because English is common language,another factor is relation with the country ,if our national relation good with a country the high chances for our people to go their for job.Hence these factors decide Posting in other countries.
Thanking you!
Shivanshu 22 October,2021
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