UPPSC PCS syllabus

Uttar Pradesh's Combined State / Upper Subordinate Services examination: two objective prelims papers, then a conventional Main Examination and an interview. Prelims Paper II is qualifying and is not added to the prelims merit.

Combined State / Upper Subordinate Services (Preliminary) Examination

General Studies I

150 questions, 200 marks · 2 hours

200 marks in two hours, 150 questions, so each question is 200/150 of a mark. Four options. A wrong answer takes away one third of the marks of that question. These marks, among candidates who also qualify Paper II, decide who is called for the Main Examination.

  • Current events of national and international importance
  • History of India and the Indian National Movement
  • India and world geography: physical, social and economic
  • Indian polity and governance, including Panchayati Raj
  • Economic and social development
  • Environment, ecology, biodiversity and climate change
  • General science
  • The same subjects with special reference to Uttar Pradesh

General Studies II (CSAT)

100 questions, 200 marks · 2 hours

Qualifying only: 33% of 200 marks, which is 66. 2 marks for a right answer. A wrong answer takes away one third of those 2 marks. Not counted in the prelims merit. Set in Hindi and English. The English-language items in this practice test keep the English wording in both languages.

  • Comprehension
  • Interpersonal skills, including communication
  • Logical reasoning and analytical ability
  • Decision-making and problem solving
  • General mental ability
  • Elementary mathematics up to Class X: arithmetic, algebra, geometry and statistics
  • General English up to Class X
  • General Hindi up to Class X

Combined State / Upper Subordinate Services (Main) Examination and interview

General Hindi

150 marks · 3 hours

Conventional. Counts for merit. The candidate must reach a minimum in this paper, which the Government or the Commission determines. The advertisement does not print that minimum.

  • Comprehension of a prose passage
  • Precis
  • Official and semi-official letters, telegram, office order, notification and circular
  • Vocabulary, prefixes and suffixes, antonyms, one word for a phrase, spelling and sentence correction
  • Idioms and proverbs

Essay

150 marks · 3 hours

Conventional. Counts for merit.

  • Three essays of about 700 words, one topic chosen from each of three sections: literature and culture, society and politics; science, environment, technology, economy, agriculture, industry and trade; national and international events, natural calamities, and development programmes

General Studies I

200 marks · 3 hours

Conventional. Counts for merit. May be answered in English, Hindi or Urdu.

  • Indian culture, modern Indian history and the freedom struggle
  • Post-independence consolidation to 1965
  • World history from the 18th century to the mid-20th
  • Indian society
  • World and Indian geography, resources, physical geography and population

General Studies II

200 marks · 3 hours

Conventional. Counts for merit.

  • Constitution, federalism, Parliament and State legislatures
  • Executive, judiciary and constitutional bodies
  • Governance, social sector and welfare
  • India and its neighbourhood, and international institutions

General Studies III

200 marks · 3 hours

Conventional. Counts for merit.

  • Planning, budgets, agriculture and food security
  • Industry, infrastructure and science and technology
  • Environment, disaster management and internal security

General Studies IV

200 marks · 3 hours

Conventional. Counts for merit.

  • Ethics, attitude, aptitude and emotional intelligence
  • Public service values, probity and case studies

General Studies V (Uttar Pradesh)

200 marks · 3 hours

Conventional. Counts for merit. The syllabus is specific to Uttar Pradesh.

  • History, culture and the freedom struggle of Uttar Pradesh
  • Polity, governance, security, health and education of the state
  • Environment, science and the economy of the state as they bear on its society

General Studies VI (Uttar Pradesh)

200 marks · 3 hours

Conventional. Counts for merit.

  • Economy, budgets, industry and agriculture of Uttar Pradesh
  • Geography, forests, energy, transport and environment of the state

Personality test

100 marks · A board interview, not a written paper

Counts for merit where the service rules include the interview. The advertisement says that for some posts the written total alone is used. About three times the vacancies are called.

  • A conversation on matters of general interest, to judge awareness, intelligence, character, expression and suitability for the service