What you can practise today
466
questions to practise
4
mock tests
0
previous-year papers and questions
10
subjects in the syllabus
Exam pattern
Checked against the source below on 4 Oct 2026. Always confirm with the official notification of your year.
Preliminary – General Studies Paper I
- Questions
- 100
- Marks
- 200
- Duration
- 2 h
- Negative marking
- One-third of the marks for that question (0.66) is deducted for each wrong answer
| Section | Questions | Marks | Wrong answer |
|---|---|---|---|
| General StudiesHistory · Indian Polity · Geography · Indian Economy · General Science · Current Affairs | 100 | 200 |
Preliminary – CSAT (General Studies Paper II)
Qualifying only
- Questions
- 80
- Marks
- 200
- Duration
- 2 h
- Negative marking
- One-third of the marks for that question (0.83) is deducted for each wrong answer
| Section | Questions | Marks | Wrong answer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Comprehension, reasoning and basic numeracyAptitude & Mental Ability · Reasoning · Quantitative Aptitude · General English | 80 | 200 |
Qualifying: at least 33%.
Main examination
Descriptive
Descriptive: nine papers, two of them qualifying (25%), four General Studies papers and two optional subject papers, then a personality test (275 marks).
Source: www.clearias.com · Official site: upsc.gov.in
Syllabus subjects
- HistoryIndian history and the national movement.67
- Indian PolityThe Constitution, government and public administration.52
- GeographyPhysical, Indian and Tamil Nadu geography.26
- Indian EconomyThe Indian and Tamil Nadu economy, planning and development.32
- General SciencePhysics, chemistry and biology at school level.83
- Current AffairsNational, state and world events of the past year.Being added
- Aptitude & Mental AbilitySimplification, percentages, ratios, logical and analytical reasoning.82
- ReasoningVerbal and non-verbal reasoning, puzzles and logical deduction.51
- Quantitative AptitudeArithmetic, algebra, data interpretation and elementary mathematics for competitive exams.42
- General EnglishGrammar, vocabulary and reading comprehension.31
Ralso Academy is an independent preparation platform and is not affiliated with the body that conducts this exam.