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Union Public Services Commission released the UPSC IAS syllabus 2025 online on the official website. Candidates can download the UPSC IAS syllabus PDF online at upsc.gov.in. Candidates attempting the UPSC CSE exam can go through the article below for a detailed explanation of the syllabus and exam pattern, along with some preparation tips. Aside from the extreme competition, another factor that contributes to the difficulty of the exam is the vast IAS Syllabus 2025. Candidates looking to attempt the IAS 2025 exam must be extremely diligent with their preparation.
The first step to good preparation is to know all the topics in the IAS 2025 syllabus. Candidates can consult the material below for a detailed description of the IAS exam syllabus 2025 for both prelims and mains. The UPSC Civil Services Exam, colloquially known as the IAS exam, is an extremely competitive exam held annually to recruit capable candidates for various UPSC posts. Due to the prestigious nature of posts such as IAS and IPS, many lakhs of candidates attempt the exam every time.
Particulars | Details |
Name of exam | Civil Services Exam (UPSC CSE) |
Conducting Body | Union Public Service Commission |
Mode of Exam | Offline |
Number of Stages |
|
Number of papers in UPSC Exam | Prelims: 2 Mains: 7 |
Time Duration of UPSC CSE exam | Prelims: 2 hours (Each paper) total 4 hours |
Mains: 3 hours (Each paper) total 27 hours conducted across various days | |
Type of questions | Prelims: Objective type |
Mains: Subjective type |
UPSC released the syllabus of prelims and mains separately in the official IAS 2025 notification. The prelims will consist of 2 papers, General Studies 1 and 2. This part mostly consists of topics pertaining to general social sciences, reasoning, interpersonal skills and basic data interpretation.
Candidates must diligently prepare for this portion, as the IAS prelims round serves as a screening of sorts where most candidates are eliminated. Therefore, candidates should take special care to prepare all the topics in the IAS Syllabus 2025 well in this round in order to succeed.
Candidates can find the IAS 2025 syllabus for both papers of the in the table below. A comprehensive list of topics present in the UPSC prelims syllabus 2025 is given below. Candidates can refer to the IAS syllabus 2025 of prelims before preparing for the exam.
Paper | Civil Services exam syllabus - Important topics |
Paper 1 (GS 1) |
|
Paper 2 (GS 2) - CSAT |
|
Candidates can find the UPSC CSE Syllabus 2025 of mains in the official notification. The IAS 2025 syllabus for mains is incredibly vast, as there are many papers a candidate needs to attempt in this round. According to the IAS exam pattern, candidates must attempt 7 papers, including 2 optional papers. Candidates can find some of the important topics in the IAS syllabus 2025 for Papers 1 to 5 below.
Paper | Topics |
Paper 1 | Essay writing |
Paper 2 (GS 1) | Based on Indian Heritage and Culture, History and Geography of the World and Society.
|
Paper 3 (GS 2) | Based on Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice and International Relations.
|
Paper 4 (GS 3) | Based on Technology, Economic Development, Biodiversity, Environment, Security and Disaster Management
|
Paper 5 (GS 4) | Based on Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude
|
Also read: UPSC Essay Topics 2025
The last 2 papers of the UPSC IAS mains exam consist of 2 optional subjects. Candidates must choose their optional subjects during the IAS 2025 application process. Candidates can view the IAS syllabus 2025 for their respective optional subjects on the pages linked below.
Literature of any one of the following languages: Assamese, Bengali, Bodo, Dogri, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Maithili, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Odia, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Santhali, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu and English. |
Also read:
Along with the syllabus, the UPSC also releases the UPSC IAS 2025 exam pattern. Candidates attempting the IAS exam must also be sure to check the exam pattern of IAS 2025 before beginning preparation. The UPSC CSE exam pattern for prelims and mains is prescribed separately.
As per the exam pattern, the full marks of the prelims stage are 500 whereas the total marks for the mains stage are 600. Candidates can check the details about the UPSC IAS exam pattern in the table below.
Number of papers | GS 1 AND GS 2 |
Language of paper | English |
Hindi | |
Duration of exam | 4 hours (2 hours each) |
Number of questions | General studies paper 1: 100 General studies paper 2: 80 |
Maximum marks | 400 (200 each) |
Qualifying marks | 33% for Paper 2 |
Number of papers | 9 |
Language of paper | English |
Hindi | |
Descriptive paper | |
Duration of exam | 3 hours each |
Subjects | Compulsory Indian language English Essay
|
Number of questions | Part A and B: 300 each General Studies and Optional Paper: 250 each |
Maximum marks | 1750 |
Read the UPSC IAS Syllabus 2025 and exam pattern thoroughly to get a better idea of the structure of the exam and all the topics appearing in it.
Create a robust UPSC IAS 2025 Study plan and follow it diligently.
Pick the best books for UPSC IAS 2025 Preparation.
Take notes of the study material and revise them from time to time.
Practice solving as many UPSC IAS question papers to develop your time management skills.
Do not neglect your health during preparation time.
The UPSC IAS syllabus 2025 is not likely to change too much.
You can prepare for the UPSC exam by reading the IAS 2025 syllabus and exam patterns and picking the best books to study from. Additionally, practice solving past question papers.
The highest IAS post is that of the Cabinet Secretary.
The 24 posts of UPSC IAS include Indian Administrative Services, Indian Police Services, Indian Forest Services, Indian Foreign Services and many more.
The UPSC IAS exam is considered one of the toughest exams in the country as it is highly competitive and has a vast CSE Syllabus 2025.
No, 12th marks are not accounted for in the UPSC IAS selection process.
Others:28 January,2025 - 31 May,2025
Others:18 February,2025 - 31 May,2025
Application Date:13 April,2025 - 10 May,2025
Others:30 April,2025 - 31 May,2025
Application Correction Date:04 May,2025 - 13 May,2025
Hello!
IRAS (Indian Railway Accounts Service) officers can be posted in both cities and rural areas since Indian Railways has offices and operations nationwide. They typically work in divisional offices, zonal offices, workshops, and production units. Transfers do happen but are usually not very frequent and depend on government policies and organizational needs.
Hope this helps!
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!!
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