GS 3 Syllabus: Latest UPSC GS Paper 3 Syllabus

What is GS 3 Syllabus?

GS Paper 3 is one of the 9 papers in the UPSC Mains exam, and the weightage of GS 3 is 250 marks. Candidates will get 3 hours to complete the GS Paper 3. UPSC is known for its tricky way of framing questions, and that’s why candidates need to cover the GS 3 Syllabus in the best possible way and be ready for all sorts of questions asked in this paper.

The GS Paper 3 Syllabus is focused on the following subjects:

• Science & Technology
• Security
• Disaster Management
• Economic Development
• Biodiversity
• Environment

UPSC GS 3 Syllabus

The official notification titles the GS 3 Syllabus as UPSC CSE General Studies-III Technology, Economic Development, Biodiversity, Environment, Security, and Disaster Management.

GS 3 Syllabus PDF

It is recommended to keep a PDF of the GS 3 Syllabus to ensure that you remember to cover any crucial topic while preparing the GS 3 paper. Candidates can download the syllabus’s PDF directly from UPSC’s official website. However, to simplify this process, we have provided the link below to download the UPSC GS 3 Syllabus.

GS Paper 3 Syllabus PDF

Additionally, it would help to figure out the topics that overlap in the UPSC Prelims Syllabus and other papers of the UPSC Mains Syllabus.

Topics under GS Paper 3 Syllabus

The focus areas under the UPSC GS 3 Syllabus, from Economics to Disaster management, are mentioned below.

GS 3 Syllabus UPSC and its Focus Areas
Science & Technology	Dark Matter GM Crops Gene Editing Higgs Boson Artificial Intelligence Space Technology Defence Technology Rare Earth Elements
Economics	Economic Development in India Macroeconomics
Disaster Management	Disaster Management in India National Disaster Management Plan 2016 PM Cares Fund
Biodiversity	Types of Biodiversity Biodiversity and Environment
Security	Internal Security Challenges in India Money-Laundering Extremism Terrorism

How to prepare UPSC GS3 Syllabus?

Covering the GS 3 Syllabus can be tough and stressful as it comprises a wide range of topics. However, an effective strategy and robust study plan beat all the hurdles. Below we have mentioned the best strategic approach to cover the GS Paper 3 Syllabus most efficiently.

• First, the candidates must be familiar with the GS 3 Syllabus and the UPSC Exam Pattern.
• Many topics from the GS Paper 3 Syllabus overlap with Current Affairs, so candidates must stay updated with recent news and current events.
• Choose the best books and study materials for your preparation. Start with NCERT Books for UPSC, then go for advanced level UPSC Economics Books, UPSC Science & Technology Books, etc., for a better understanding of concepts.
• While covering the UPSC Books for GS 3 Syllabus, make your hand-written notes.
• Go through the UPSC Previous Year Question Papers to understand question trends. Try to analyze the question papers properly to figure out the important sections from the GS 3 Syllabus.
• You can draw diagrams, flowcharts, etc., which would help you during revision.

Study Materials to Cover GS 3 Syllabus

Candidates must have the best resources and study materials when it comes to UPSC Exam preparation. Below we have mentioned some of the highly recommended sources which can be beneficial for the preparation of the UPSC GS 3 Syllabus.

GS 3 Syllabus	Study Materials for GS Paper 3Syllabus
Biodiversity, Environment	Current Affairs, Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) Official Website, Yojana (January 2020) – Click the link to get the gist of Yojana, and Textbook of Environmental Studies For Undergraduate Courses’ by Erach Bharucha
Economic Development	Current Affairs, Select articles from The Hindu’, Economic Survey of India and India Year Book, and Class 12 NCERT – Introductory Macroeconomics.
Technology	Current Affairs
Security & Disaster Management	Current Affairs, Yojana (January 2017) edition- this covers Disaster Management perspectives.

Notes to Cover GS 3 Syllabus

Making hand-written notes for GS 3 Syllabus is the best thing you can do for an effective preparation. However referring to some notes covering the topics from GS Paper 3 syllabus can also help you ace the paper. Below we will be providing some of the best notes to prepare for the GS 3 Paper.

• Environment Notes for GS 3 Syllabus
• Science & Technology Notes for GS Paper 3 Syllabus
• Artificial Intelligence Notes for GS 3 Syllabus
• Money-Laundering Notes for GS 3 Syllabus
• Extremism Notes for GS 3 Syllabus
• Terrorism Notes for GS Paper 3 Syllabus
• Types of Biodiversity Notes for GS 3 Syllabus
• Biodiversity and Environment Notes for GS 3 Syllabus
• Disaster Management in India Notes for GS Paper 3 Syllabus
• PM Cares Fund Notes for GS 3 Syllabus
• Economic Development in India Notes for GS Paper 3 Syllabus

Best Books for UPSC GS 3 Syllabus

There are a lot of books available in the market to prepare for the GS 3 Syllabus. To narrow down the search and make it easier for the aspirants, we have mentioned some of the highly rated reference books below.

1. NCERT Class X – Understanding Economic Development
2. NCERT Class XI – Indian Economic Development
3. NCERT Class XII – Macroeconomics (chapters 2,5 and 6 are very important)
4. IGNOU Notes on Disaster Management.
5. IGNOU Notes on Cyber Security.
6. Challenges to Internal Security of India by Ashok Kumar and Vipul
7. Indian Economy for Civil Services Examinations – Ramesh Singh
8. India Year Book

GS 3 Syllabus Structure

A common preparation strategy that all the IAS toppers abide by is understanding the GS paper 3 structure. Understanding the paper structure of GS 3 Syllabus will help the aspirants prepare a strategy to attempt the paper and fetch good marks. Below we have given the paper structure for the GS 3.

• The GS 3 Syllabus is divided into two sections.
• Both sections have an equal number of questions.
• The total number of questions asked from GS 3 Syllabus is 20, and each section includes 10 questions.
• This paper carries a total of 250 marks. The first section will have 10 marks for each question, and for the second section, each question will have 15 marks.
• The first section has a word limit of 150 words per answer, and for the section, the word limit would be 250.

GS Paper 3 Syllabus Trend Analysis

From the trend analysis data, aspirants would under the number of questions asked from each subject of the GS 3 Syllabus. In the table below, we have provided a detailed trend analysis for UPSC Mains GS Paper 3.

Topic from UPSC GS 3 Syllabus	2020	2019	2018
Agriculture/Food industry	50	55	60
Economy	50	50	50
Science/Tech/Environment/Disaster	100	100	100
Security	50	45	40
Total	250	250	250