The UPSC Prelims 2025 is the initial phase of the Civil Services Examination held by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). It is a screening test for applicants who want to join elite services such as the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS), and Indian Foreign Service (IFS). The test includes two objective-type papers: General Studies (GS) Paper 1 and the Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT) Paper 2. Whereas GS Paper 1 is a make-or-break kind of paper that decides a candidate's Mains exam eligibility, CSAT Paper 2 is a qualifying paper where a minimum of 33% marks is required. The UPSC Prelims is extremely competitive and requires strategic preparation by the candidates to make it to the next level. The UPSC Prelims 2025 syllabus includes major topics like Indian history, geography, polity, economy, general science, environment, and current affairs.

Exam Pattern

General Studies (Paper 1) Syllabus

• History of India and Indian National Movement: Ancient, Medieval, and Modern History, Freedom Struggle
• Geography: Physical, Social, and Economic Geography of India and the World
• Indian Polity and Governance: Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues
• Economic and Social Development: Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives
• Environmental Ecology and Biodiversity: General issues on Climate Change, Environmental Conservation
• General Science: Basic Science and Technology, Recent Developments
• Current Affairs: National and International Events of Importance

Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT) (Paper 2) Syllabus

• Comprehension: English and Hindi passages with interpretation
• Logical Reasoning and Analytical Ability: Puzzles, Seating Arrangements, Syllogisms
• Decision Making and Problem Solving: Situational Judgment-based Questions
• Basic Numeracy: Numbers, Averages, Ratios, Percentage, Profit & Loss, Time & Work, Data Interpretation
• General Mental Ability: Simplification, Coding-Decoding, Blood Relations, Directions
• Communication Skills: Basic language skills for effective communication

Note: CSAT is qualifying in nature, requiring 33% marks (66 out of 200) to pass.

Examination Dates

Mode of Examination: TBA (To be announced)

Format: Offline (Pen and Paper-based)

The UPSC Prelims exam analysis assists candidates in knowing the level of difficulty, question trends, and subject-wise weightage. The exam tends to have an unpredictable trend, with differential focus on subjects every year. General Studies Paper 1 consists of questions related to history, geography, polity, economy, environment, science, and current affairs. The level of difficulty may vary from moderate to challenging, with a combination of factual and analytical questions. CSAT, although qualifying in nature, has become more demanding, particularly with regard to understanding and logical reasoning portions. The most prominent trend noticed over the past few years is the importance accorded to environment, science, and general awareness, due to which static knowledge and concept clarity become unavoidable.
Application-based understanding is preferred over mugging up. Polity and economy are central themes, and concept and constitutional-based questions crop up quite regularly. History and geography questions are not always predictable and need thorough preparation. The unpredictable nature of the exam requires that candidates have an equal preparation plan for all subjects. In total, the UPSC Prelims test is aimed at screening the candidates for the Mains phase by assessing analytical reasoning, conceptual understanding, and knowledge of various subjects. The cutoff is different every year depending on the level of difficulty and the number of candidates. The candidates must check the exam pattern, analyse previous trends, and practice mock tests to enhance precision and time management.

Study Plan

• Read the Syllabus – Read the UPSC Prelims syllabus in detail to learn the key topics and areas of focus.
• Read Standard Books – Adhere to standard books such as NCERTs, Laxmikanth for Polity, Spectrum for History, and Ramesh Singh for Economy.
• Keep Yourself Updated with Current Affairs – Read daily newspapers such as The Hindu or Indian Express and monthly current affairs compilations.
• Practice Mock Tests – Practice previous year papers and take full-length mock tests to enhance speed, accuracy, and time management.
• Revise Regularly – Keep revising crucial topics, notes, and key facts to retain information properly.
• Focus on CSAT Preparation – Although CSAT is qualifying, practice comprehension, logical reasoning, and numerical ability to escape last-minute shocks.
• Solve Previous Year Papers – Knowing the trend of past papers is helpful in anticipating trends and emphasizing high-priority subjects.
• Take Brief Notes – Make concise and useful notes for rapid revision before the exam.
• Utilize Time Efficiently – Allocate study hours effectively, distributing time equally to General Studies as well as CSAT preparation.
• Be Consistent and Confident – Adhere to a consistent study pattern, remain motivated, and do not stress unnecessarily prior to the examination.

Best Books

• NCERT Books (Class 6-12) – Essential for building a strong foundation in history, geography, polity, economy, and science.
• Indian Polity by M. Laxmikanth – A comprehensive book covering constitutional and political concepts.
• History of Modern India by Bipan Chandra – Useful for understanding the freedom struggle and modern history.
• Indian Economy by Ramesh Singh – Covers economic concepts, policies, and current trends in the Indian economy.
• Certificate Physical and Human Geography by G.C. Leong – Important for geography preparation.
• Environment by Shankar IAS – A must-read book for environmental topics and ecology.
• General Science and Technology by TMH or NCERT Science (Class 6-10) – Covers basic science concepts relevant to the exam.
• Indian Art and Culture by Nitin Singhania – Important for art, culture, and heritage-related topics.
• Manorama Yearbook or any Monthly Current Affairs Compilation – Helps in covering dynamic current affairs.
• CSAT by Arihant or Tata McGraw-Hill – Useful for logical reasoning, comprehension, and aptitude preparation.