UPSC CSE preparation guide
Civil Services Examination (UPSC CSE) is a UPSC exam in India. ELA Exam Mentor helps you prepare for it with a diagnostic test that finds your weak topics, a personalised daily study plan, daily quizzes, and an AI tutor that explains answers step by step. Free to start on Android and the web.
Get it on Google PlayUse the web app
Direct download: most phones use the main APK; older 32-bit phones (armeabi-v7a) use the 32-bit phone APK.
- Full name
- Civil Services Examination
- Category
- UPSC
- Official website
- https://upsc.gov.in/examinations/Civil-Services-Examination
UPSC CSE syllabus outline
Prelims
General Studies Paper 1
- Indian Polity & Governance
Indian Constitution, Union & State Executive, Parliament & State Legislature, Judiciary, Centre-State Relations & Federalism, Local Government, Constitutional & Statutory Bodies - Modern Indian History
Advent of Europeans & British Conquest, Socio-religious Reform Movements, Indian National Movement - Indian Geography
Physical Geography of India, Economic Geography, World Geography - Indian Economy
Macroeconomic Indicators, Banking & Financial System, Public Finance & Budget, External Sector, Planning & Inclusive Growth - Environment & Ecology
Ecology Fundamentals, Environmental Issues, Conservation & Legislation - Science & Technology
Space & Defence Tech, Biotech & Health, Information & Emerging Tech - Current events of national & international importance
National Affairs, International Affairs - General Science (school-level)
Physics (basics), Chemistry (basics), Biology (basics)
CSAT - General Studies Paper 2
- Comprehension
Reading Comprehension - Logical Reasoning & Analytical Ability
Logical Reasoning, Analytical Reasoning - Decision Making & Problem Solving
Ethical Decisions - Basic Numeracy & Data Interpretation
Numeracy (Class X level), Data Interpretation - General Mental Ability
Mental Ability
Mains
Essay
- Essay Writing
Essay Craft
GS-I - Indian Heritage, History, Geography, Society
- Indian Heritage & Culture
Art Forms & Architecture - Indian History (detail)
Modern India (1757-1947), Post-Independence India - World History
Major Events - Indian Society
Social Issues - World Geography (detail)
Geographical phenomena
GS-II - Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice, International Relations
- Polity & Governance (detail)
Constitutional issues in depth - Social Justice
Welfare State - International Relations
India's Foreign Policy
GS-III - Technology, Economic Development, Bio-diversity, Environment, Security, Disaster Management
- Economic Development
Indian Economy issues - Science, Tech & Innovation
Frontier Tech - Environment & Disaster Mgmt
Environment in depth - Internal Security
Security Challenges
GS-IV - Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude
- Ethics & Human Interface
Foundations - Attitude, Aptitude & Emotional Intelligence
Behavioural concepts - Public/Civil Service Values
Probity in Governance - Case Studies
Applied ethics
How ELA Exam Mentor helps you prepare for UPSC CSE
- Diagnostic placement testA short adaptive test that finds which topics you already know and which need work.
- Personalised daily planLessons, practice questions and revision are chosen from your own results, not a one-size-fits-all schedule.
- Daily quizzesShort daily and weekly quizzes keep recall sharp, with explanations for every answer.
- AI tutor that explains step by stepAsk Mentor walks through a concept or a wrong answer one step at a time, in 12 Indian languages.
- Current affairsA daily current-affairs feed for exams that test general awareness.
UPSC CSE FAQ
What is UPSC CSE?
UPSC CSE stands for Civil Services Examination. In ELA Exam Mentor's catalog it is listed under UPSC. The official website is https://upsc.gov.in/examinations/Civil-Services-Examination.
What is the exam pattern of UPSC CSE?
In the app's syllabus data, UPSC CSE has 2 stages (Prelims; Mains) and 7 papers. Question counts, marks and timing for each paper are listed on this page. Confirm them against the latest official notification.
What does the UPSC CSE syllabus cover?
The outline covers subjects including Indian Polity & Governance, Modern Indian History, Indian Geography, Indian Economy, Environment & Ecology, Science & Technology, Current events of national & international importance, General Science (school-level), Comprehension, Logical Reasoning & Analytical Ability, Decision Making & Problem Solving, Basic Numeracy & Data Interpretation and 18 more. Each subject is broken into sub-topics you can practise in the app.
How does ELA Exam Mentor help me prepare for UPSC CSE?
It starts with a short adaptive diagnostic test to find your weak topics, builds a personalised daily study plan, gives daily quizzes with explanations, and includes an AI tutor that explains concepts and wrong answers step by step in English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Bengali, Marathi, Gujarati, Punjabi, Odia and Assamese.
Where do I find UPSC CSE dates, eligibility and vacancies?
These change from year to year, so this page does not quote them. Use the official notification at https://upsc.gov.in/examinations/Civil-Services-Examination, and treat any third-party figure as unverified.
Start preparing
Get it on Google PlayUse the web app
Direct download: most phones use the main APK; older 32-bit phones (armeabi-v7a) use the 32-bit phone APK.