Cracking an IAS exam is really though journey for every candidate, but every journey starts with our first step towards achieving the goal and in IAS exam the first step towards exam preparation is acknowledging first what to prepare, IAS exams are famous as one of the toughest in India, but if you plan your preparation strategy smartly you have won the half battle already, and in process of deciding what is your preparation strategy is going to be first you need to internalize the UPSC Syllabus, UPSC Syllabus is the most important and crucial factor in the IAS preparation.
So, here we are with all you need to know about UPSC Syllabus 2020
UPSC IAS Exam has three exam stages:
1Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination (Objective Type) for the selection of candidates for the Mains Exam
2.Civil Services Mains Examination (Written) for the selection of candidates for the next level of the UPSC IAS Exam.
3.Civil Services Personality Test (PT)- The final stage for selection
The syllabus for all three stages of the exam is inter-linked and hence needs a deeper look to understand the requirement of each stage of the IAS Exam.
UPSC Prelims Syllabus
| Paper | Question& Time | Marks |
| Paper 1 | 100 | 200 |
| Paper 2 | 80 | 200 |
Prelims Syllabus- Paper 1
- General Affairs (both national and international)
- History
- Geography
- Indian Polity
- Economics
- Ecology
- General Science
Prelims Syllabus-Paper 2
- Comprehension
- Interpersonal skills including communication skills
- Logical reasoning and analytical ability
- Decision making and problem-solving
- Basic numeracy
Both papers have the maximum time limit of two hours and the General Studies Paper-II, which is popularly known as CSAT, is only qualifying in nature. The exam is conducted on a single day with Paper 1 in the morning session and paper 2 in the evening session.
The UPSC does not follow any particular trend in its prelims question paper, hence it is tough to comprehend anything from the previous year question papers. But they can give clarity about what type of questions are asked in the UPSC IAS exam.
UPSC Main Syllabus
| Ma | Paper | Marks |
| Language(Indian) | 300 | |
| English | 300 | |
| Essay Paper | 250 | |
| General studies(4 papers) | 250 each | |
| Optional paper(2 papers) | 250 each | |
| Interview | 275 | |
| Total | 2025 |
General Studies Paper 1 syllabus – Indian Heritage and Culture, History, and Geography.
General Studies Paper 2 syllabus – Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice, and International Relations.
General Studies Paper 3 syllabus – Technology, Economic Development, Biodiversity, Environment, Security, and Disaster management.
General Studies Paper 4 syllabus – Ethics, Integrity, and Aptitude
So, this is Upsc Syllabus for 2020 it is quite similar to the UPSC syllabus 2019 as this syllabus is quite complicated but if you want to crack the IAS exam Upsc Syllabus must be in your mind always only then you can even start your preparation.
But after knowing and remembering Upsc Syllabus the second question in your mind is what books will be helpful for preparation,Â
So, we are giving you the name of some books which can help you cracking IAS exam :
- NCERT Books: The complete package
- India After Gandhi by Ramchandra Guha
- Indian Economy by Ramesh Singh
- Introduction to the Constitution of India
These books are a must-read for every IAS aspirants, NCERT Books from the syllabus as previously mentioned are the most helpful books to start from then dive deep into specific topics.
But, even after having clarity on the syllabus, right books you need to make right study routine don’t take your studies lightly, remind yourself this competition needs dedication and hard work but be also that don’t put so much pressure on yourself that it starts bothering your studies and mental peace remember key for cracking IAS exam is good remembering skills and this can happen with a healthy brain only.