UPSC Syllabus Weightage, UPSC Prelims Subject-wise Weightage

Every year the Union Public Service Commission conducts the Civil Services Examination which acts as the doorway to recruit candidates that are best suited for the prestigious All India Services and Central Government Services. Successful candidates who clear the Civil Services Examination are eligible to start a vibrant career in the IAS, IFS, IPS, IRS and so on and so forth. There are 24 civil services that are categorised into Group - A and Group - B services. Currently, there are 3 All India Services such as the IAS, IPS and IFoS (Indian Forest Service).  

The first step to prepare for the Civil Services Examination is to have a precise idea about the syllabus framed by the UPSC. It is always reiterated by the experts and the successful candidates that knowing the syllabus is indispensable for success in this exam. Aspirants often find it difficult to follow the relevant resources and get confused amidst the ocean of resources that are available in the market.

Therefore, the syllabus provides a clear idea of what to study, what not to study and how to study.

Download the UPSC Syllabus in the link.

This article gives a detailed analysis of the syllabus weightage enabling the aspirants to get a better understanding about the prerequisites to clear the exam.                                       

UPSC Syllabus Weightage For Prelims

The Preliminary exam is the first step of the Civil Services Examination and consists of two papers and includes negative marking. 

1. GS Paper 1: 

• Total Marks - 200

• Number of Questions - 100

• Duration - 2 hours

• Type - Objective 

• Negative Marks - ( 0.67 ) marks deducted for each wrong answer

• Nature - Merit Based 

2. GS Paper 2 : 

• Total Marks - 200

• Number of Questions - 80

• Duration - 2 hours

• Type - Objective

• Negative Marks - 0.83 marks deducted for every wrong answer

• Nature - Qualifying

• Qualifying Marks - 66 marks (33% of the total marks)

• UPSC is infamous for being highly unpredictable and it keeps changing its trend making it difficult in the actual sense to gauge which part of the syllabus carries more weightage. However, looking at the trend of the past 10 years, we have tried to give a scientific approach to assess the important areas of the syllabus.

• We still recommend all the aspirants to prepare with a holistic approach and proffer equal importance to every subject mentioned in the syllabus along with active attention towards the current events.

UPSC Prelims GS 1 Trend Analysis

Observations from the Graph:

• It is noteworthy to observe that a considerable number of questions have been asked from Environment and Ecology in a regular pattern ranging from 15 to 18 questions every year.

• Number of questions from Polity varied from 7 in 2016 to 22 in the year of 2017.

• Current affairs segment significantly fluctuated every year for example there were no questions asked from this part in the year 2013. Surprisingly there were 27 questions from current affairs in the year 2016.

Trend for CSAT (GS II):

Syllabus weightage for Mains:

1. Paper A :-

• Subject - Compulsory Indian Language

• Duration - 3 hours

• Total Marks - 300

• Nature - Qualifying

• Qualifying Marks - 75 (25% of the total marks)

2. Paper B :-

• Subject - English

• Duration - 3 hours

• Total Marks - 300

• Nature - Qualifying

• Qualifying Marks - 75 (25% of the total marks)

3. Paper I:-

• Subject - Essay

• Duration - 3 hours

• Total Marks - 250

• Nature - Merit Based

4. Paper II:-

Subjects :GS - I

• Indian Heritage and Culture

• History and Geography of the World

• Indian Society

           Duration - 3 hours

           Marks - 250

5. Paper III

Subjects : GS- II

• Governance

• Constitution

• Welfare Initiatives

• Social Justice

• International Relations

              Duration - 3 hours

               Marks - 250 

6. Paper IV

Subjects : GS - III

• Science and Technology

• Economic Development

• Agriculture

• Biodiversity

• Security

• Disaster Management 

                 Duration - 3 hours

                   Marks - 250 

7. Paper V

Subjects : GS - IV

• Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude

            Duration - 3 hours

           Marks - 250 

8. Paper VI 

Subject - Paper I Optional Subject

           Duration - 3 hours

           Marks - 250 

9. Paper VII

Subject - Paper II Optional Subject

           Duration - 3 hours

           Marks - 250