UPSC Civil Services 2025 | Exam Pattern & Syllabus | IAS IPS IFS | Prelims & Mains

UPSC Civil Services 2025 Overview | IAS | IPS | IFS

The UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE) is India’s most prestigious recruitment exam for top administrative posts like IAS, IPS, IFS, IRS, and others. Conducted annually by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), the exam involves three stages: Prelims, Mains, and Interview. This article provides the latest 2025 exam pattern, subject-wise syllabus, detailed topics, and complete selection process to help aspirants plan better.

📝 UPSC Civil Services 2025 Exam Pattern

The UPSC CSE is divided into three stages:

1. Preliminary Exam (Objective Type – Screening)
2. Mains Exam (Descriptive – Written)
3. Personality Test / Interview

✍️ UPSC CSE Prelims Exam Pattern 2025

The UPSC Prelims Exam Pattern comprises two papers: General Studies Paper 1 and the Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT) or GS Paper 2. GS Paper 1 evaluates a candidate’s understanding of a wide range of subjects such as History, Geography, Polity, and more. In contrast, the CSAT focuses on assessing logical reasoning, analytical ability, and comprehension skills. The Preliminary stage acts as a screening test, shortlisting candidates for the UPSC Mains Examination.

🔹 Prelims Exam Nature: CSAT Paper is qualifying in nature; candidates need at least 33% marks.
🔹 Negative Marking: For each incorrect answer, there is a penalty of 1/3rd of the assigned marks to that question.

📚 UPSC CSE Prelims 2025 Syllabus

🔹 General Studies (GS Paper-I)

🔹 CSAT (GS Paper-II)

📄 UPSC Civil Services Mains Exam Pattern 2025 – Written Exam

The UPSC Mains exam pattern forms the core of the evaluation process, featuring a combination of compulsory and optional papers. It covers language papers, essay writing, general studies papers, and optional subject papers. This stage is designed to thoroughly assess a candidate’s subject knowledge, analytical abilities, and capacity to present ideas effectively.

The written examination comprises 9 papers, of which 2 are qualifying in nature. The marks obtained in the remaining 7 papers, along with the Personality Test (Interview) scores, are used to determine the final merit ranking.

Total Marks (Mains): 1750
Personality Test / Interview: 275 Marks
Grand Total: 2025 Marks
Negative Marking: No negative marking in the UPSC Mains exam.

📘 UPSC Mains 2025 Syllabus – Subject-Wise Breakdown

📌 Paper A: Indian Language (Qualifying)

• Paper A is Qualifying in nature and assesses comprehension and writing skills in an Indian language.
• Candidates must select one language from the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution.
• Languages include Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, Marathi, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, and others (22 in total).
• The language choice should be different from the candidate’s medium of instruction in school.

📌 Paper B: English (Qualifying)

• Paper B is a qualifying paper in the UPSC Mains examination.
• Marks obtained in this paper are not counted for merit, but passing it is mandatory.
• It ensures that candidates possess a basic proficiency in English language communication.

📌 Paper-I: Essay

• Candidates must write two essays, choosing one topic from each of the two sections provided.
• Topics may include current affairs, philosophy, socio-economic issues, politics, and the environment.
• The paper plays a key role in assessing a candidate’s critical thinking and articulation abilities.

📌 Paper-II: General Studies Paper-I

GS Paper 1 covers a broad range of topics, including Indian Heritage & Culture, History, Geography, and Society, evaluating the candidate’s foundational understanding of civilizational and social contexts. UPSC Mains GS Paper 1 includes:

• Indian Heritage & Culture
• Modern Indian History
• Freedom Struggle
• Post-independence Consolidation
• World History
• Geography of the World & India
• Indian Society & Diversity

📌 Paper-III: General Studies Paper-II

GS Paper 2 tests a candidate’s understanding of India’s political system, governance structure, policy-making processes, welfare programs, and global relations. UPSC Mains GS Paper 2 includes:

• Indian Constitution & Polity
• Federalism & Governance Structure
• Separation of Powers & Dispute Resolution
• Structure & functioning of Executive, Judiciary & Legislature
• Constitutional & Statutory Bodies
• Government Policies & Development Programs
• Social Justice & Welfare Schemes
• Social Sector Issues
• Governance Reforms
• International Relations

📌 Paper-IV: General Studies Paper-III

GS Paper 3 tests a candidate’s understanding of current economic, technological, environmental, and security issues, along with practical knowledge and analytical ability to handle real-world challenges. UPSC Mains GS Paper 3 includes:

• Indian Economy & Economic Development
• Agriculture & Allied Sectors
• Science & Technology
• Environment & Ecology
• Disaster Management
• Internal Security & Cybersecurity

📌 Paper-V: General Studies Paper-IV

GS Paper 4 evaluates a candidate’s ethical reasoning, ability to handle moral dilemmas, and demonstrate integrity, empathy, and public service values essential for responsible civil service. UPSC Mains GS Paper 4 includes:

1. Ethics, Integrity, and Aptitude
2. Attitude
3. Aptitude & Core Civil Services Values
4. Emotional Intelligence (EI)
5. Moral Thinkers and Philosophers
6. Public Administration
7. Public Service Values & Ethics in Administration
8. Ethics in International & Corporate Governance
9. Probity in Governance

📌 Paper-VI & Paper-VII: Optional Subjects

Candidates must select one optional subject from a list of 48 options, with two papers contributing a total of 500 marks. Candidates can choose one optional subject such as:

• Anthropology
• Geography
• History
• Political Science
• Sociology
• Public Administration
• Philosophy
• Psychology
• Agriculture
• Literature of any Indian language

🧠 Personality Test (Interview)

The final stage, known as the UPSC Interview or Personality Test, evaluates the candidate’s overall personality. A panel of experts assesses traits like mental alertness, clarity and logic in expression, critical thinking, balanced judgment, leadership potential, social adaptability, and intellectual and moral integrity.

• Duration: 25–30 minutes
• Conducted by UPSC Board
• Assesses: Confidence, Communication, Personality, Logical Thinking, Awareness
• The interviews are usually conducted at the UPSC office in New Delhi.

🔗 Important Links | UPSC CSE 2025 Resources

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