UPSC Mains Syllabus
Remember how I mentioned the Himalayan valley reminding me of the UPSC syllabus? It was the UPSC Mains syllabus that came to mind at the time.
The enormity of the IPS/IAS Mains syllabus is capable of sending even the most experienced applicants into nervous chills.
The following is a summary of the main points from the UPSC Mains syllabus for IAS/IPS:
Mains Syllabus Highlights
This is due to the fact that only those applicants who pass Phase 1, or the Prelims, are eligible to take the Phase 2 or Mains exam. In other words, only those applicants who pass the UPSC Prelims exam with a score higher than the UPSC cut-offs are eligible to take the Mains exam.
Fundamentally, the UPSC 2022 Mains exam is designed to evaluate your grasp of the many subjects covered by the UPSC 2022 Mains syllabus, and it is designed to do so in a timed manner.
It's worth noting that, with the exception of the two language papers in the UPSC Mains curriculum, all of the papers can be written in any of the languages listed in Schedule 8 of the Indian Constitution.
Okay, now that we've covered the two language papers, it's time to look at the UPSC Mains exams' seven main papers. To help you understand, I've created a table that lists all of the subjects in each of the seven papers that make up the Mains curriculum, as well as their weightage:
List of Papers in UPSC Mains Exam
| Papers | Subjects | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| Paper A | Any Indian Language (compulsory) - qualifying paper | 300 |
| Paper B | English - qualifying paper | 300 |
| Paper 1 | Essay (you can choose to write it in a medium of your choice) | 250 |
| Paper 2 | General Studies 1 (Indian and World History, Culture, Heritage, & Geography) | 250 |
| Paper 3 | General Studies 2 (Polity, Constitution, Governance, International Relations & Social Justice) | 250 |
| Paper 4 | General Studies 3 (Economic Development, Technology, Disaster Management & Security, Biodiversity) | 250 |
| Paper 5 | General Studies 4 (Aptitude, Ethics, & Integrity) | 250 |
| Paper 6 | Optional Subject: Paper 1 | 250 |
| Paper 7 | Optional Subject: Paper 2 | 250 |
UPSC Syllabus for Language Papers: (Any Indian Language & English)
In these papers there’d be:
- An essay question of 100 marks where you’d have to select one out of a few given topics.
- 5-6 questions related to reading comprehension: of a maximum of 60 marks.
- Precis writing questions worth 60 marks which you’d have to attempt on special answer sheets with grid lines.
- Translation-based questions: English to the chosen Indian language & vice versa for 20 marks each, totaling 40 marks.
- Questions based on grammar, synonyms, sentence corrections, and basic language usage, of a total of 40 marks.
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