UPPSC Mains Syllabus 2025

Note: Presently, No optional subjects
in UPPSC Mains, but now there have been two compulsory papers focusing on the
General
Studies of Uttar Pradesh.

The revised UPPCS Mains Syllabus 2024-25 has been officially released.
Below, you can find the complete and updated syllabus in an easy-to-read
table format. Prepare strategically with this new structure to excel in the
exam!

UPPCS
Syllabus General Studies – I

1. History
   of Indian Culture – Salient aspects of Art Forms, literature
   and Architecture from ancient to modern times.
2. Modern
   Indian history(from A.D.1757 to A.D. 1947): Significant events,
   personalities and issues, etc.
3. The
   Freedom Struggle- its various stages and important
   contributors/contributions from different parts of the country.
4. Post-independence
   consolidation and reorganization within the country (till 1965A.D.).
5. History
   of the world – From the 18th century to the middle of the 20th
   century such as the French revolution of 1789, the Industrial
   revolution, World Wars, redrawing of national boundaries, Socialism,
   Nazism, Fascism etc. (Their forms and effect on the society)
6. Salient
   features of Indian Society and culture.
7. Role
   of Women in society and women’s organization, population and associated
   issues, poverty and developmental issues, urbanization, their problems
   and their remedies.
8. Meaning
   of liberalization, privatization and globalization and their effects on
   economy, polity and social structure.
9. Social
   empowernment, communalism, regionalism & secularism.
10. Distribution
    of major natural resources of World- Water, Soils, Forests in reference
    to South and South-East Asia with special reference to India. Factors
    responsible for the location of industries (with special reference to
    India).
11. Physical
    Geography- Earthquake, Tsunami, Volcanic activity, Cyclone, Ocean
    Currents, winds and glaciers.
12. Oceanic
    resources of India and their potential.
13. Human
    migration-refugee problem of the World with focus on India.
14. Frontiers
    and boundaries with reference to Indian sub-continent.
15. Population
    and Settlements- Types and Patterns, Urbanization, Smart Cities and
    Smart Villages.

UPPCS
Syllabus General Studies – II

1. Indian
   Constitution- historical underpinnings, evolution, features, amendments,
   significant provisions and basic structure, Role of Supreme Court in
   evolution of basic provisions of Constitution.
2. Functions
   and responsibilities of the Union and the States: issues and challenges
   pertaining to the federal structure, devolution of powers and finances
   up to local levels and challenges therein .
3. Role
   of Finance Commission in Centre- State financial relations.
4. Separation
   of powers, dispute redressal mechanisms and institutions. Emergence and
   use of alternative dispute redressal mechanisms.
5. Comparison
   of the Indian constitutional scheme with that of other major democratic
   countries.
6. Parliament
   and State legislatures- structure, functioning, conduct of business,
   powers and privileges and concerned issues.
7. Structure,
   organization and functioning of the Executive and the Judiciary:
   Ministries and Departments of the Government, Pressure groups and
   formal/informal associations and their role in the Polity. Public
   Interest Litigation (PIL).
8. Salient
   features of the Representation of People’s Act.
9. Appointment
   to various Constitutional posts, Powers, functions and responsibilities.
10. Statutory,
    regulatory and various quasi-judicial bodies including NITI Aayog, their
    features and functioning.
11. Government
    policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues
    arising out of their design, implementation and Information
    Communication Technology (ICT).
12. Development
    processes- the role of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), Self Help
    Groups (SHGs), various groups and associations, donors, charities,
    institutional and other stakeholders.
13. Welfare
    schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and
    States and the performance of these schemes, mechanisms, laws,
    institutions and Bodies constituted for the protection and betterment of
    these vulnerable sections.
14. Issues
    relating to the development and management of Social Sector/Services
    relating to Health, Education, and Human Resources.
15. Issues
    relating to poverty and hunger, and their implication on politics.
16. Important
    aspects of governance. Transparency and accountability, e-governance
    applications, models, successes, limitations and potential, citizens,
    charters and institutional measures.
17. Role
    of Civil Services in a democracy in the context of emerging trends.
18. India
    and its relationship with neighbouring Countries.
19. Bilateral,
    Regional and Global groupings and agreements involving India and/
    or affecting India’s interest.
20. Effect
    of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on
    India’s interests- Indian diaspora.
21. Important
    International Institutions, Agencies their structure, mandate and
    functioning.
22. Current
    affairs and events of Regional, National and International importance.

UPPCS
Syllabus General Studies – III

1. Economic
   planning in India: Ojectives and achievements, Role of NITI Aayog,
   Pursuit of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s).
2. Issues
   of Poverty, Unemployment, Social justice and inclusive growth.
3. Components
   of Government Budgets and Financial System.
4. Major
   Crops, Different types of irrigation and irrigation systems, storage,
   transport and marketing of agricultural produce, e-technology in the aid
   of farmers.
5. Issues
   related to direct and indirect farm subsidies and minimum support prices, Public
   Distribution System – objectives, functioning, Limitations,
   revamping, issues of buffer stocks and food security, Technology
   missions in agriculture.
6. Food
   processing and related industries in India- scope and significance,
   location, upstream and downstream requirements, supply chain management.
7. Land
   reforms in India since independence.
8. Effects
   of liberalization and globalization on the economy, changes in
   industrial policy and their effects on industrial growth.
9. Infrastructure:
   Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways etc.
10. Science
    and Technology – Developments and applications in everyday life and
    in National Security, India’s Science and Technology policy.
11. Achievements
    of Indians in science & technology, indigenization of technology.
    Developments of New technologies, transfer of technology, dual and
    critical use technologies.
12. Awareness
    in the fields of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and
    Space Technology, Computers, Energy resources, nano-technology,
    microbiology, bio- technology. Issues relating to intellectual property
    rights (IPR) and digital human rights.
13. Environmental
    security and Ecosystems, Conservation of Wildlife, Biodiversity,
    Environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact
    assessment.
14. Disaster
    as a Non-traditional security and safety challenge, disaster mitigation
    and management.
15. Challenges
    of International Security: Issues of Nuclear proliferation, Causes
    and spread of extremism, Communication networks, role of media and
    social networking, Basics of cyber security, money laundering and human
    trafficking.
16. India’s
    internal security challenges: Terrorism, corruption, insurgency and
    organized crimes.
17. Role,
    kind and mandate of security forces, Higher defence organizations
    in India
18. Issues
    in Agriculture, Horticulture, Forestry and Animal Husbandry.

UPPCS
Syllabus General Studies – IV

1. Ethics
   and Human Interface: Essence, determinants and consequences of
   Ethics in human action, dimensions of ethics, ethics in private and
   public relationships. Human Values-lessons from the lives and teachings
   of great leaders, reformers and administrators, role of family, society
   and educational institutions in inculcating values.
2. Attitude:
   Content, structure, function, its influence and relation with thought
   and behaviour, moral and political attitudes, social influence and
   persuasion.
3. Aptitude
   and foundational values for Civil Service: Integrity, impartiality and
   non- partisanship, objectivity, dedication to public services, empathy,
   tolerance and compassion towards the weaker-sections.
4. Emotional
   Intelligence – Concept and dimensions, its utility and application
   in administration and governance.
5. Contributions
   of moral thinkers and philosophers from India and world.
6. Public/Civil
   Service values and ethics in Public Administration – Status and
   problems, ethical concerns and dilemmas in government and private
   institutions, laws, rules, regulations and conscience as sources of
   ethical guidance, accountability and ethical governance, strengthening
   of moral values in governance, ethical issues in international relations
   and funding, corporate governance.
7. Probity
   in Governance: Concept of public service, the philosophical basis
   of governance and probity, information sharing and transparency in
   government. Right to Information, codes of ethics, codes of conduct,
   citizen’s charter, work culture, quality of service delivery, utilization
   of public funds, and challenges of corruption.
8. Case
   studies on the aforementioned topics

UPPCS
Syllabus General Studies – V

1. History,
   Civilization, Culture and Ancient Cities of UP.
2. Architecture,
   their significance and maintainability, museum, archive and archaeology
   of UP.
3. Contributions
   of UP in Pre and post-1857 freedom struggles of India.
4. Eminent
   freedom fighters and personalities of UP.
5. Rural,
   Urban and Tribal issues: social structure, festivals, fairs, music, folk
   dances, literature and languages/dialects, social customs of UP.
6. Political
   System of UP: Governance, Governor, Chief Minister, Council of
   Ministers, State Assembly and State Council, Center-State Relation.
7. Public
   Service, Public Service Commission, Auditing, Advocate General, High
   Court and its jurisdiction in UP.
8. Special
   State Selection Criteria, Official Language, Consolidated Fund and
   Contingency fund, Political Parties and State Election Commission of UP.
9. Local
   Self Government: Urban and Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Right
   related issues in U P.
10. Good
    Governance, Eradication of Corruption, Lokayukta, Citizen Charters, E-
    Governance, Right to Information, Redressal Policy.
11. Land
    Reforms and its impact in UP.
12. Issues
    Related to Security in UP:
13. (i)
    Linkage between development and spread of extremism.

(ii) Role of External, State and
Interstate actors in creating challenges to internal security through
communication networks, media and social networking sites.

(iii) Basic rules of cyber
security, money- laundering and its prevention.

(iv) Various security forces and
agencies and their mandate.

(v) Security challenges and
their management in border areas, linkage of organized crimes with terrorism.

14. Law
    and Order and Civil Defense in UP.
15. Medical
    and Health issues in UP
16. State
    Education System of UP.
17. Contribution
    of U P in the development of India.
18. Current
    Affairs of UP.
19. Implementation
    of Jal Shakti Mission and other central welfare schemes in UP.
20. NGOs
    in UP: Issues, Contribution and Impact
21. Tourism
    in U P: Issues and prospects.
22. Emphasis
    on Innovation in various fields in UP: Issues and it’s impact on
    employement and socio-economic development of the society.

UPPCS Syllabus
General Studies – VI

1. Overview
   of Economy of UP: Main features of economy and State Budgets,
   Infrastructure and importance of Physical Resources.
2. Trade,
   Commerce and industries of UP.
3. UP
   Government Schemes, Projects and Planned Development for welfare of
   People, Human Resources and Skill Development.
4. Investment
   in U P: Issues and Impact
5. Public
   Finance and Fiscal Policy, Tax and Economic Reforms, One District One
   Product Policy of UP Government.
6. Planning
   and management of renewable and non-renewable energy resources of UP.
7. Demography,
   Population and Censuses of UP.
8. Commercialization
   of agriculture and production of agricultural crops in UP.
9. UP
   New Forest Policy.
10. Agro
    and Social Forestry in U.P
11. Agricultural
    Diversity, Problems of agriculture and their solutions in UP.
12. Developmental
    Indices of U P in various fields.
13. Geography
    of UP: Geographical Location, Relief and Structure, Climate,
    Irrigation, Minerals, Drainage System and Vegetation.
14. National
    Parks and Wild Life Sanctuaries in UP.
15. Transport
    Network in UP.
16. Power
    Resources, Infrastructure and Industrial Development of UP.
17. Pollution
    and Environmental Issues in U P: Pollution Control Board and its
    functions.
18. Natural
    Resources of UP: Soil, Water, Air, Forests, Grasslands, Wetlands.
19. Climate
    Change and Weather Forecasting issues in UP.
20. Habitat
    and Ecosystem: Structure and function, adjustment; Flora and Fauna
    with reference to UP.
21. Science
    and Technology: Its issues, advancements and efforts in U P.
22. Aquaculture,
    Viticulture, Sericulture, Floriculture, Horticulture, and Arboric
    culture in up and its impact on the development of UP.
23. The
    evolvement of Public-Private Partnership (PPP) for the development of
    UP.

Paper

No. of Questions

Total Marks

Duration

Paper-1 – General Studies I

150

200 marks

2 Hours (9.30-11.30 am)

Paper-2 – General Studies II (CSAT)

100

200 marks

2 Hours (2.30- 4.30 pm)

Name of Exam

Combined State/Upper Subordinate Services (General
Recruitment/Physically Handicapped – Backlog/Special Recruitment)
(Preliminary) Examination

Number of Papers

Two Papers-

1. Paper
   1 – General Studies I
2. Paper
   2 – General Studies II (CSAT)

UPPSC Exam Date (Prelims)

• Prelims
  2022 – 22^nd December 2024

Duration of Exam

2 hours each;

• Both
  papers are conducted on the same day;
• Paper
  1 – 9.30 AM – 11.30 AM
• Paper
  2 – 2.30 PM – 4.30 PM

Maximum Marks

• Both
  Papers will be of 200 marks each.
• However,
  only Paper 1 will be considered for merit ranking
• Paper
  2 is a qualifying paper on the lines of UPSC CSE Prelims (33%
  qualifying criteria)

Number of Questions

Paper-I: 150 questions

Paper-II: 100 questions

Type of Exam

Offline (Pen-paper) OMR sheets

Nature of Questions

All questions will be of Objective type (MCQs)

Negative Marking

According to the updated UPPSC Prelims Exam
Pattern, a 0.33% negative marking
will be applied for each incorrect answer.

This translates to a deduction of one-third (1/3)
of the total marks assigned to a question. For instance, if a question is
worth 3 marks, 1 mark will be deducted
for a wrong response.

Additionally, marking multiple circles on the
OMR sheet for the same question will also be considered an incorrect answer,
leading to a penalty. However, there is no negative marking
for questions left unanswered. Understanding these rules is essential for
accurate and effective exam preparation.

Name of Exam

Combined
State/Upper Subordinate Services (General Recruitment/Physically Handicapped
– Backlog/Special Recruitment) Main (Written) Examination

Number of Papers

Eight

1. General Hindi
2. Essay
3. General Studies I
4. General Studies II
5. General Studies III
6. General Studies IV
7. General Studies V
8. General Studies VI

UPPSC Exam Date

• Mains 2023 – September 23, 2023
  onwards
• Mains 2022 – September 27, 2022
  onwards
• Mains 2021 – January 28, 2022 onwards
• Mains 2020 – January 22, 2021,
  onwards
• Mains 2019 – September 22, 2020,
  onwards

Duration of Exam

3 hours each

• Papers will be conducted over a
  week’s duration;
• Morning Session – 9.30 AM – 12.30 AM
• Afternoon Session – 2 PM – 5 PM

Maximum Marks

• General Hindi – 150 marks
• Essay – 150 marks
• All General Studies papers and will
  be of 200 marks each
• Total – 1500 marks

Type of Exam

Offline (Pen-paper)

Nature of Questions

Essay/descriptive type

Optional Subjects

No Optional Subject in UPPCS 2024 Exam

Paper

Description

Marks

1

General Hindi

150

2

Essay

150

3

General
Studies-I

200

4

General Studies
–II

200

5

General Studies
–III

200

6

General Studies
–IV

200

7

General Studies
– V

200

8

General Studies
– VI

200

Total
(Written Test)

1500

FAQs
About UPPSC Mains Syllabus and Exam

1.      How many papers are there in the UPPSC
Mains Exam?
The UPPSC Mains Exam consists of 8 compulsory papers, including General Hindi,
Essay, and six General Studies papers.

2.      Is there any optional subject in the
UPPSC Mains Exam?
No, the UPPSC Mains Exam no longer includes optional subjects.

3.      What is the total marks for the UPPSC
Mains Exam?
The Mains exam is conducted for a total of 1500 marks.

4.      What type of questions are asked in the
Mains Exam?
The exam features descriptive
and essay-type questions, requiring detailed written answers.

5.      What is the duration of each paper in
the Mains Exam?
Each paper in the UPPSC Mains exam is 3 hours.

6.      Is there negative marking in the UPPSC
Mains Exam?
No, there is no negative marking in the Mains exam as it is a descriptive
format.

7.      What are the key topics covered in the
General Studies papers?
The General Studies papers cover subjects like History, Geography, Polity,
Economy, Science, Environment, Ethics, and Uttar Pradesh-specific topics.

8.      How important is the Essay paper in
UPPSC Mains?
The Essay paper is significant as it tests your ability to present structured
arguments and is worth 150 marks.

9.      How should I prepare for the General
Hindi paper?
Focus on grammar, vocabulary, comprehension, and precise writing to score
well in the Hindi paper.

10.  Can I use English for the Mains Exam?
Yes, candidates can write the exam in English or Hindi, based on their preference,
except for the General Hindi paper.

11. 
How to increase marks in UPPSC Mains?

      Practice writing structured, concise,
and well-organized answers with clear introductions, body, and conclusions. Link
current events with General Studies topics to add depth and relevance to your
answers.