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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.
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
Comprehension of given passages
Precise Writing
Vocabulary
Short Essay
Translation from English to the Indian language and vice-versa (22 Indian Languages)
(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)
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.
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
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:
Literature Optional Subjects
Candidates can also choose literature as an optional subject. The list of literature subjects are as follows:
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
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:
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.
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.
Yes there is negative marking in the preliminary stage but not in the mains stage.
You can check the details syllabus from the official website as well as from this article.
Others:28 January,2025 - 30 April,2025
Others:31 January,2025 - 30 April,2025
Application Date:28 March,2025 - 29 April,2025
Others:31 March,2025 - 30 April,2025
Application Date:07 April,2025 - 03 May,2025
To become an IAS officer, you must clear the Civil Services Examination (CSE) conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), and then undergo training at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA). While any bachelor's degree is acceptable, choosing a degree that aligns with the UPSC syllabus, particularly in humanities and social sciences, can be advantageous.
UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE):
This is the primary exam for becoming an IAS officer, involving three stages: Preliminary, Main, and Personality Test (Interview).
Any Bachelor's Degree:
A graduate degree from a recognized university is the basic requirement to be eligible for the CSE.
Beneficial Degrees:
Degrees in humanities and social sciences, such as Bachelor of Arts (BA), can be helpful due to the syllabus overlap with subjects like History, Political Science, Sociology, and Economics.
Optional Subject:
You can choose an optional subject in the Mains exam, and a BA degree can provide a wide range of options.
Hope it helps!!
Hello!!
That's a great goal—and your background as a research scholar can actually be a big asset in preparing for the UPSC Civil Services Exam (CSE), which is the path to becoming an IAS officer.
Step-by-Step Guide to Become an IAS Officer:
1. Understand the Exam Structure
The UPSC CSE has three stages:
Prelims: Objective (GS Paper + CSAT)
Mains: Descriptive (9 papers)
Interview: Personality Test
2. Check Eligibility
Age: 21 to 32 (for General category)
Degree: Any graduate degree (you already qualify)
3. Choose Your Optional Subject
Choose something you’re comfortable with (can be from your research field if it's available).
Popular optionals: Sociology, Geography, PSIR, Anthropology, etc.
4. Build a Study Plan
Since you're a research scholar, time management is key.
Daily 4–6 hours of focused study can work if you're consistent.
Focus on:
NCERTs (6th–12th)
Standard books (like Laxmikanth for Polity, Spectrum for History)
Current Affairs (The Hindu, Indian Express, or PIB + Monthly compilations)
5. Join a Test Series (Optional but Helpful)
For Prelims and Mains: to build speed, writing skills, and clarity.
6. Practice Answer Writing
Mains is all about articulation. Practice with previous year questions and mock tests.
7. Appear for the Exam
Notification comes out around February.
Prelims is in May/June, Mains in September, and Interview early next year.
How to Align This With Your Research Schedule:
Create a realistic time-table that includes 2–3 hours on weekdays, and more on weekends.
Use your research experience for deeper understanding and essay writing.
If your goal is to become an IAS officer, choose a degree that supports UPSC preparation and also provides a good backup:
BA in Political Science, History, Geography, or Economics is ideal for IAS.
BSc or BCom is fine too, but you'll need to study humanities separately for UPSC.
For backup, pick a subject with good job prospects like BBA or Computer Science.
KCET is required only if you're planning professional courses like Engineering or Agriculture. It's not needed for BA or general degrees.
Hello aspirant,
For becoming IAS , you have to first complete your graduation from any background from any recognised university or college. If you are in your final year, then also you are eligible. After that you have to give an entrance exam name UPSC . If you will clear this exam then according to your marks you may get the IAS position.
To know about UPSC entrance exam, kindly go through the given link:
https://competition.careers360.com/exams/upsc-cse
All the best!!
Hello Rishika,
You can take any stream for becoming IAS. As per the eligibility criteria of UPSC IAS , student have to graduate from any stream from any recognised university or college. So it's doesn't matter from which stream you choose. But if you really want to become IAS, then humanities , arts related subject helps you alot.
To know more, kindly go through the given link:
https://competition.careers360.com/exams/upsc-cse
Good luck!
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