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    IPS Syllabus 2020 - Check Latest IPS Syllabus Subject Wise for Prelims & Mains Exam

    IPS Syllabus 2020 - Check Latest IPS Syllabus Subject Wise for Prelims & Mains Exam

    vikrant.shuklaUpdated on 27 Aug 2020, 10:58 AM IST

    IPS Syllabus 2020 - The Indian Police Services (IPS) is conducted by UPSC. IPS is not a different exam but it is a post that comes under the UPSC IAS exam recruitment. Candidates who top UPSC IAS, are recruited to various posts like IAS, IPS, IFS etc, one such is IPS. The posts in IPS are of Additional Director General of Police or Special Commissioner of Police/ Inspector-General of Police/Joint Commissioner of Police, Assistant Commissioner of Police etc. The IPS syllabus 2020 is prescribed by UPSC. In this article, candidates can check all the details related to the IPS 2020 syllabus along with the best books and preparation tips. To know more about the IPS exam 2020 and the syllabus, please refer to the detailed article here. UPSC IAS is conducted in three stages - Preliminary, Mains and Personality Test/Interview. Apart from the syllabus, this article also consists of best books and syllabus and as well as preparation tips etc.

    IPS Syllabus 2020 - Check Latest IPS Syllabus Subject Wise for Prelims & Mains Exam
    IPS Syllabus

    IPS Syllabus 2020 for Preliminary Exam

    Syllabus of Paper 1 (General Studies – 1)

    • Latest events and current affairs related to national and international relevance.

    • History of India, especially the British-era, Freedom struggle and the Indian National Movement.

    • Indian and the World Geography-Physical, Social, Economic Geography of India and the World.

    • Indian Polity and Governance – Constitution, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Political System, Civil Rights.

    • Economic and Social Development – Demographics, Social Sector initiatives, Inclusion, Sustainable Development and Poverty etc.

    • General issues related to Environmental Ecology, Climate Change and Biodiversity

    Syllabus for Paper 2 (CSAT/General Studies – 2)

    • Comprehension

    • Logical reasoning and analytical ability

    • Decision-making and problem-solving skills

    • Interpersonal skills that include communication skills

    • General mental ability

    • Basic questions related to numbers and their relations, which will be of class 10 level as well as data interpretation questions

    Paper A – Modern Indian Languages (300 Marks)

    • Comprehension of given passages

    • Precise Writing

    • Vocabulary

    • Short Essay

    • Translation from English to the Indian language and vice-versa (22 Indian Languages)

    UPSC CSE Preparation Strategy and Best Books
    UPSC CSE preparation strategy along with best books for prelims as well as mains exam for sure success.
    Download EBook

    (Assamese, Gujarati, Dogra, Telugu, Sindhi, Marathi, Bengali, Urdu, Telugu, Sindhi, Marathi, Bengali, Urdu, Malayalam, Konkani, Maithili, Nepali, Telugu, Sindhi, Marathi, Bengali, Urdu, Oriya, Santali, Manipuri, Tamil, Punjabi, Sanskrit)

    Paper B – English (300 Marks)

    It will test the candidate’s ability to read and understand serious discursive prose and how clearly and correctly they express their ideas, it will be conducted in English.

    • Comprehension of given passages

    • Precise Writing

    • Usage and Vocabulary

    • Short Essay

    The marks in the subjects and papers that will be counted for final merit list and final ranking of the candidate are as follows:

    Paper 1, Paper 2 GS, Paper 3 GS 2, Paper 4 GS 3, Paper 4 GS 3, Paper 5 GS 4, Paper 4 Optional Paper 1, Paper 7 Optional Paper 2, these papers will consist of a total of 1750 marks.

    IPS Syllabus 2020 for Mains Exam

    The mains papers will be of the following subjects:

    Paper 1 - Essay

    Paper 2 General Studies 1 - History and Geography of the World and Society, Indian Heritage and Culture

    Paper 3 General Studies 2 - Constitution,Governance, Polity, Social Justice and International Relations

    Paper 4 General Studies 3 - BioDiversity, Economic Development, Environment, Security and Disaster Management, Technology

    Paper 5 General Studies 4 - Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude

    Also read Syllabus of Optional subjects

    IPS Syllabus for Mains Exam 2020 - Optional Subjects

    For the mains exam stage candidates will also have to choose one optional subject from the given list of optional subjects, the list of optional subjects are mentioned below:

    • Agriculture
    • Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science
    • Anthropology
    • Chemistry
    • Botany
    • Mathematics
    • Management
    • Medical Science
    • Mechanical Engineering
    • Physics
    • Philosophy
    • Psychology
    • Political Science
    • Sociology
    • Public Administration
    • Geography
    • Law, History
    • Zoology,
    • Statistics
    • Commerce and Accountancy
    • Civil Engineering
    • Electrical Engineering
    • Economics
    • Geology

    Literature Optional Subjects

    Candidates can also choose literature as an optional subject. The list of literature subjects are as follows:

    • Malayalam
    • Manipuri
    • Assamese
    • Bengali
    • Bodo
    • Dogri
    • Gujarati
    • Hindi
    • Kannada
    • Kashmiri
    • Konkani
    • Maithili
    • Marathi
    • Sanskrit
    • Santhali
    • Sindhi
    • Nepali
    • Odia
    • Punjabi
    • Tamil
    • Telugu
    • Urdu and English.

    The last and final stage is the IPS Interview, in this stage stage candidates face board members who analyse and judge the mental calibre, intellectual knowledge, social traits and interest in current affairs of the candidate. In order to qualify the exam candidates need to score and qualify the interview as well. All the questions asked during the interview will be on the basis of the DAF (Detailed Application Form) filled by the candidateThe IPS interview consists of 275 marks.

    The board members judge the candidate on the basis of the following things:

    • Candidate's Mental Alertness

    • Critical Powers of Assimilation

    • Clear and Logical exposition on real life cases as put up the Board members

    • Balance of Judgement

    • Variety and Depth of interest on various elements related to social, economic and international matters

    • Ability for social cohesion

    • Leadership qualities

    • Intellectual and Moral integrity

    • Social traits and interest in current affairs

    IPS Preparation Tips 2020

    • Always refer to the official UPSC CSE syllabus. Stick to the exam pattern and the marking scheme.

    • Prepare your IAS study plan around the official syllabus and don't run helter-skelter in search for notes and study materials. Not everything is related to the UPSC exam so study wisely.

    • Solve UPSC CSE previous year question papers for better preparation and to understand the question pattern and for practising.

    • Refer the best and selected books of UPSC IAS. Keep the list of your books precise and don't add anything referred to by everyone.

    More UPSC IAS Articles:

    Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

    Q: From where can I check the details syllabus of IPS?
    A:

    You can check the details syllabus from the official website as well as from this article.

    Q: Is there a separate IPS syllabus?
    A:

    No, there is no separate IPS syllabus released. The syllabus for IPS is same as of UPSC CSE. It is mentioned in the official notification PDF. Candidate's who qualify the UPSC CSE exam are recruited to the post of IPS on the basis of their rank.

    Q: How many papers are there in the IPS exam?
    A:

    There are two papers in the Preliminary stage. 5 GS papers in the Mains stage and 2 papers in mains for optional subject. The preliminary stage is of objective type while the mains papers is of conventional, essay type.

    Q: Is there negative marking in the IPS exam?
    A:

    Yes there is negative marking in the preliminary stage but not in the mains stage.

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    Questions related to UPSC CSE

    On Question asked by student community

    Have a question related to UPSC CSE ?

    Hey there,

    Copy-paste answer:

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    Hello Dear Student,

    Since you are in the first year of your bachelor's degree , this is an excellent time to begin preparing for the Civil Services Examination. You cannot apply yet because a recognized bachelor's degree is the minimum educational qualification, but you can use the next few years

    Hi Akshay,
    Coming from an MPC background is a hidden advantage if you're planning to prepare for the IAS exam. Here are a few tips to follow to be consistent with your goal.

    • Stay updated with current affairs
    • Analyze previous years' question papers
    • Refer NCERT books to enhance the Fundamentals

    Hi Aspirant,

    Candidates who want to become an IAS officer need to appear for the UPSC CSE exam consisting of prelims, mains, and then an interview.  To know complete information about IAS officers, read the article below.

    UPSC CSE 2026

    Hello Prativa

    You can refer to the link given below for knowing all the details about an IAS Officer or how to become an IAS Officer

    https://www.careers360.com/careers/ias-officer

    Hope It Helps.