UPSC CSE Prelims 2024 Exam: Detailed Subject-Wise Syllabus

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has set the date for the CSE Prelims in 2024 on May 26, 2024. Here, you can find information about the exam date, subject-wise syllabus, and essential guidelines for the upcoming examination.

UPSC CSE Prelims 2024

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) conducts its annual Civil Services Examination to fill prestigious positions like IAS, IFS, and IRS within the Government of India. As part of the recruitment process for these positions, candidates must successfully navigate three rounds of examination, with the initial stage being the ‘Prelims.’ The UPSC CSE Prelims consists of two papers: General Studies and CSAT, both featuring Multiple Choice Questions (Objective type). Each paper carries a duration of two hours and is worth 200 marks. Candidates can opt to answer in either English or Hindi, but it’s crucial to note that there is a 1/3rd mark deduction for each incorrect response. The UPSC CSE Prelims 2024 Exam Date has already been announced, and here you can find information on the exam date, subject-wise syllabus, and other vital guidelines.

UPSC CSE Prelims 2024 Exam Date

Prospective candidates should take note that, as per the official ‘Union Public Service Commission Programme of Examinations/Recruitment Tests (RTs) – 2024,’ the notification for the Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination, 2024, is scheduled for February 14, 2024. The deadline for the receipt of applications for UPSC SCE Prelims 2024 is March 5, 2024. Mark your calendars, as the UPSC CSE Prelims 2024 is set to take place on May 26, 2024.

Subject-Wise Syllabus

Check below, the detailed topics that are part of the UPSC CSE Prelims 2024 Syllabus for the different subjects.

Geography Syllabus

The syllabus is divided into two major parts, ‘Fundamentals Of Geography’ and ‘Principles of Indian Geography’.

Fundamentals of Geography

General Geography- Universe, Earth Evolution.

Geomorphology- Earth’s Interior, Geology and Rock System, Geomorphic Process, Earthquakes and Volcanism, Distribution of Continents and Oceans, Landforms and their evolution, Landforms across the world

Oceanography- Hydrosphere, Submarine Relief Features, Temperature and Salinity, Waves Oceans Currents and Tides, Marine Resources, Ocean Deposits and Corals

Climatology- Atmosphere, Inversion of Temperature, Insolation and Heat Budget, Air Mass, Fronts, Cyclones and Jet Streams, Wind and Pressure Belts, Precipitation, Climate Zones of the World

Bio Geography- Soil characteristics, Vegetation resources

Human and Economic Geography- Demography and Census, Human Development, Economic Activities, Transport and Communication, International Trade, Settlement.

Principles of Indian Geography-

Indian Geography- Physiography of India, Drainage System, Climate Soils in India, Natural Vegetation, Population, Settlements and Urbanization, Land Resource, Mineral Resource, Energy Resource, Agriculture and Basic Terminology, Recent development in agriculture, Productivity of Crops, Industry, Transport, Recent developments in Industry and Transport

World Regional Geography- Continents Countries and Cities, Location in News

History Syllabus

The UPSC CSE Prelims 2024 History Syllabus will include three sections for Indian History- ‘Ancient History’, ‘Medieval History’ and ‘Modern History’ and there will be different section of World History.

Ancient History- Pre-Historic Times, Indus Valley Civilization, Rig Vedic Period, Later Vedic Period, Jainism, Buddhism, Mahajanpadas, Mauryan Empire, Post-Mauryan Period, Gupta Period, Harshwardhana Period, Sangam Period (South-Indian Dynasties)

Medieval History- Famous Early Medieval Indian Dynasties (Pallavas, Pratiharas, Chalukyas, Rashtrakutas), Cholas and South Indian Kingdoms, Early Muslim Invasions, The Delhi Sultanate
Afghans Rajputs & Mughals, Establishment of the North-Indian Empire, The Mughal Empire, Marathas and the Other Indian States, The decline of the Mughal Empire, Vijaynagar Empire

Modern History- Advent of Europeans, British Expansion, Administration before 1857, Economic Policies of the British, Impact of British Administration, Revolt of 1857, Administrative Changes after 1857, Development of Civil Services, Development of Education, Development of Press, Socio-Religious Reforms, Peasant Movements, Revolutionary Nationalism, Indian National Movement-I (1905-1918), Indian National Movement-II (1918-1929), Indian National Movement-III (1930-1947), Governors-General and Viceroys of India, Constitutional Development of India

World History- French Revolution, Industrial evolution, World War I, World War II

Art And Culture Syllabus

The Art and Culture Syllabus for UPSC CSE Prelims 2024 includes the following topics-

Architecture, Sculpture, Paintings (Mural & Miniature), Pottery Tradition, Numismatics, Performing Arts (Dance, Music, Theater, Martial Arts), Religion and Literature, National and Regional Festivals

Environment Syllabus

The UPSC CSE Prelims 2024 Environment Syllabus is divided between ‘Environment and Ecology’ and ‘Biodiversity’.

Environment and Ecology- Origin of Life Forms, Basic Concepts of Ecology, Ecosystem Functions, Population Ecology, Adaptation of Species and Interactions, Terrestrial Ecosystem, Aquatic Ecosystem, Nutrient Cycling

Biodiversity- Basics of Biodiversity, Animal and Plant Diversity, Threats to Biodiversity, Biodiversity Conservation, Estuaries, Mangroves, Coral Reefs, Wetlands, Resource Degradation and Management, Environmental Pollution, Climate Change, Environmental Governance

Polity Syllabus

The UPSC Prelims 2024 Polity Syllabus includes the following points-

Evolution of the Constitution, Salient Features of the Indian Constitution, Union Territories, Citizenship, Fundamental Rights, Directive Principles of State Policy, Fundamental Duties, System of Governance, Union Executive, Union Legislature, State Executive, State Legislature, Local Government, UT and Special Areas, Judiciary, Constitutional & Non-Constitutional Bodies, Political Dynamics (Political Parties, Elections, Pressure Groups), Governance, International Relations

Economy Syllabus

Basic Concepts- Macroeconomic concepts, microeconomic concepts

Economic Measurements- National Income and its Calculation, Economic Growth and Development, Inflation

Money and Banking- Money function and classification, Financial markets and its instruments, banking structure in India

Public Finance in India- Budgeting, Fiscal Policy, Centre-State Distribution, Tax Structure in India

Planning- Meaning objective and history, Planning Institutions, five-year plans in India, NITI Aayog

Open Economy- Foreign trade concepts, international organisations, trade agreements, recent development

Economic Sectors- Poverty, Employment and unemployment, government schemes and programmes

General Science Syllabus

The UPSC CSE Prelims 2024 General Science Syllabus includes the following topics-

Science and technology in India, Space, IT and Communication, Materials Nano Technology and Robotics, Defence, Nuclear Technology, Intellectual Property Rights and other Miscellaneous issues, biotechnology.

CSAT Syllabus

For the UPSC CSE Prelims 2024 CSAT Paper, the syllabus included the following topics-

Comprehension, inter-personal skills including communication skills, logical reasoning and analytical ability, decision-making and problem-solving, general mental ability, basic numerical skills of class X level (orders of magnitude, numbers and their relations, etc.), data interpretation of class X level (graphs, charts, tables, data sufficiency, etc).