UPSC Prelims Syllabus 2026: Detailed GS & CSAT Syllabus PDF

Every year, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) conducts the Civil Services Examination (CSE) to recruit candidates for prestigious government positions, including IAS, IPS, IFS, and IRS. The selection process comprises three distinct stages: the Preliminary Examination, the Main Examination, and the Personality Test (Interview). The UPSC Prelims Exam serves as the initial qualifying gateway, consisting of two objective-type papers: General Studies (GS) and the Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT). While the scores from the UPSC Prelims 2026 are not included in the final merit list, qualifying this stage with high marks is essential to advance to the Mains exam.

UPSC Prelims Syllabus 2026

To streamline your preparation, we have outlined the comprehensive UPSC Prelims Syllabus 2026 in this guide. Having a firm grasp of the detailed syllabus is the most effective way to build confidence and develop a winning strategy for the UPSC CSE 2026. The UPSC CSE Prelims Exam 2026 is scheduled for May 2026; therefore, it is vital to start your preparation immediately to stay ahead of the competition.

UPSC Syllabus 2026- Overview
Particulars	Details
No. of Papers	Two (General Studies & CSAT)
Types of Questions	Objective Type
Duration of Exam	2 hours each
Total Marks	400
Medium of Exam	English & Hindi
Negative Marking	⅓rd mark
Marks Counted in Merit	No

UPSC Prelims Admit Card 2026 Released - Download Now

UPSC Prelims Exam Pattern 2026

Before diving into the UPSC Syllabus 2026, candidates must thoroughly understand the exam structure of the UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE). The Preliminary examination consists of two compulsory papers: Paper I (General Studies) and Paper II (CSAT - Civil Services Aptitude Test).

UPSC IAS Prelims Exam Pattern 2026
Paper	Subjects	Marks	No. of Question	Duration
I	General Studies (GS)	200	100	2 hours
II	CSAT	200	80	2 hours

1. A negative marking scheme is applicable, where 1/3 of the marks assigned to a question are deducted for every incorrect answer. Unanswered questions do not attract any penalty.

2. In General Studies (Paper I), each correct answer carries 2 marks, while 0.66 marks are deducted for every incorrect response.

3. In the CSAT (Paper II), each correct answer is awarded 2.5 marks, with a deduction of 0.833 marks for each incorrect answer.

4. The marks obtained in the Preliminary stage are purely for screening and are not considered in the calculation of the final UPSC merit list.

5. Paper II (CSAT) is strictly qualifying in nature, requiring a minimum score of 33% to pass.

6. Both papers are conducted on the same day, with General Studies scheduled for the morning shift and CSAT for the afternoon session.

UPSC Exam Pattern 2026 [Prelims + Mains] - View Details

UPSC IAS Prelims Syllabus 2026

This section provides a detailed breakdown of the UPSC 2026 syllabus for the Prelims Exam. Candidates should review the General Studies (Paper I) syllabus carefully to structure their study plan for the UPSC CSE 2026.

UPSC Prelims Syllabus for General Studies (GS)

The General Studies paper covers a vast range of topics, which can be categorized into the following core subject areas for the UPSC Prelims 2026:

1. Current Affairs of national and international significance.

2. History of India and the Indian National Movement.

3. Indian and World Geography: Covering Physical, Social, and Economic aspects.

4. Indian Polity and Governance: The Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, and Rights issues.

5. Economic and Social Development: Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, and Social Sector Initiatives.

6. General issues on Environmental Ecology, Biodiversity, and Climate Change (not requiring subject-specific expertise).

7. General Science.

The following section details the specific sub-topics frequently tested in the UPSC Prelims. Aspirants preparing for the 2026 cycle should ensure comprehensive coverage of these areas, as each contributes significantly to the final score.

Geography

General Geography

1. Universe
2. Earth Evolution

Geomorphology

1. Earth’s Interior
2. Geology and Rock System
3. Geomorphic Process
4. Earthquakes and Volcanism
5. Distribution of Continents and Oceans
6. Landforms and their evolution
7. Landforms across the world

Oceanography

1. Hydrosphere
2. Submarine Relief Features
3. Temperature and Salinity
4. Waves, Oceans, Currents, Tides
5. Marine Resources
6. Ocean, Deposits and Corals

Climatology

1. Atmosphere
2. Inversion of Temperature
3. Insolation and Heat Budget
4. Air Mass, Fronts, Cyclones and Jet Streams
5. Wind and Pressure Belts
6. Precipitation
7. Climate Zones of the World

Biogeography

1. Soil Characteristics
2. Vegetation Resources

Human and Economic Geography

1. Demography and Census
2. Human Development
3. Economic Activities
4. Transport and Communication
5. International Trade
6. Settlement

Indian Geography

1. Physiography of India
2. Drainage System
3. Climate
4. Soils in India
5. Natural Vegetation
6. Population
7. Settlements and Urbanization
8. Land Resource
9. Mineral Resource
10. Energy Resource
11. Agriculture and Basic Terminology
12. Recent development in agriculture
13. Productivity of Crops
14. Industry
15. Transport
16. Recent developments in Industry and Transport

World Regional Geography

1. Continents, Countries, and Cities
2. Location in News

Ecology & Environment

1. Origin of Life Forms
2. Basic Concepts of Ecology
3. Ecosystem Functions
4. Population Ecology
5. Adaptation of Species and Interactions
6. Terrestrial Ecosystem
7. Aquatic Ecosystem
8. Nutrient Cycling

Biodiversity

1. Basics of Bio-Diversity
2. Animal and Plant Diversity
3. Threats to Biodiversity
4. Biodiversity Conservation
5. Estuaries
6. Mangroves
7. Coral Reliefs
8. Wetlands
9. Resource Degradation and Management
10. Environmental Pollution
11. Climate Change
12. Environmental Governance

History

Ancient History

1. Pre-Historic Times
2. Indus Valley Civilization
3. Rig Vedic Period
4. Later Vedic Period
5. Jainism
6. Buddhism
7. Mahajanpadas
8. Mauryan Period
9. Post-Mauryan Period
10. Gupta Period
11. Harshwardhana Period
12. Sangam Period (South-Indian Dynasties)

Medieval History

1. Major Dynasties of Early Medieval India (Pratiharas, Pallavas, Chalukyas, Rashtrakutas)
2. Cholas and South-Indian Kingdoms
3. Early Muslim Invasions
4. The Delhi Sultanate
5. Afghans, Rajputs & Mughals
6. Establishment of North-Indian Empire
7. The Mughal Empire
8. Marathas and the Other Indian States
9. The decline of the Mughal Empire
10. Vijaynagar Empire

Modern History

1. Advent of Europeans
2. British Expansion
3. Administration before 1857
4. Economic Policies of the British
5. Impact of British Administration
6. Revolt of 1857
7. Administrative Changes after 1857
8. Development of Civil Services
9. Development of Education
10. Development of Press
11. Socio-Religious Reforms
12. Peasant Movements
13. Revolutionary Nationalism
14. Indian National Movement-I (1905-1918)
15. Indian National Movement-II (1918-1929)
16. Indian National Movement-III (1930-1947)
17. Governors-General and Viceroys of India
18. Constitutional Development of Indian

Art & Culture

1. Architecture
2. Sculpture
3. Paintings
4. Pottery Tradition
5. Numismatics
6. Performing Arts
7. Religion and Literature
8. National and Regional Festivals

Polity

1. Evolution of the Consitution
2. Salient Features of Indian Constitution
3. Union & Its Territory
4. Citizenship
5. Fundamental Rights
6. Directive Principles of State Policy
7. Fundamental Duties
8. System of Governance
9. Union Executive
10. Union Legislature
11. State Executive
12. State Legislature
13. Local Government
14. UT and Special Areas
15. Judiciary
16. Constitutional & Non-Constitutional Bodies
17. Political Dynamics (Political Parties, Election, Pressure Groups)
18. Governance
19. International Relations

Economy

Basic Economic Concepts

1. Macroeconomic Concepts
2. Microeconomic Concepts

Economic Measurements

1. National Income & Its Calculation
2. Economic Growth and Development
3. Inflation

Money & Banking

1. Money Function & Classification
2. Financial Markets & Its Instruments
3. Banking Structure in India

Public Finance in India

1. Budgeting
2. Fiscal Policy
3. Centre-state Distribution
4. Tax Structure in India

Planning

1. Meaning, Objective & History
2. Planning Institutions
3. Five Year Plans in India
4. NITI Aayog

Open Economy

1. Foreign Trade Concepts
2. International Organizations
3. Trade Agreements
4. Recent Development

Economic Sectors

1. Poverty
2. Employment and Unemployment
3. Government Schemes and Programmes

General Science

1. Science & Technology in India
2. Space
3. IT and Communication
4. Materials, Nano Technology and Robotics
5. Defence
6. Nuclear Technology
7. Intellectual Property Rights and Other Miscellaneous Issues
8. Biotechnology

UPSC Prelims CSAT Syllabus 2026

The CSAT syllabus, as defined by the UPSC, evaluates candidates on the following core competencies:

1. Reading Comprehension

2. Interpersonal and Communication Skills

3. Logical Reasoning and Analytical Ability

4. Decision-making and Problem-solving

5. General Mental Ability

6. Basic Numeracy (Class X level), including Data Interpretation, Graphs, Charts, and Data Sufficiency.

UPSC Prelims Syllabus 2026 PDF - Download Now

Subject-Wise Weightage and Marks Distribution

Below is the subject-wise weightage for the UPSC IAS Prelims (GS Paper I) based on trends from the last seven years. History and Current Affairs consistently represent a significant portion of the paper, making them critical focus areas for all aspirants.

UPSC Prelims Paper 1 (GS) Marks Distribution and Weightage
Year	History	Geography	Current Affairs	Polity	Science and Technology	Environment	Economics
2022	16	12	17	13	14	11	17
2021	20	10	27	14	8	11
2020	20	10	18	17	10	10
2019	17	14	22	15	7	11
2018	22	10	14	13	10	13
2017	14	9	15	22	9	15
2016	15	7	27	7	8	18