General Studies
- The UPSC Preliminary Examination shall comprise two compulsory papers of 200 marks each. Paper I - (200 marks) Duration : Two hours:- It consists of Current events, History of India, .Indian and World Geography, Indian Polity, Economic and Social Development Sustainable Development, General issues on Environmental Ecology, Bio-diversity and Climate Change, General Science.
- Paper II- (200 marks) Duration: Two hours:- It consists of Comprehension, Interpersonal skills including communication skills; Logical reasoning and analytical ability, Decision-making and problem-solving General mental ability Basic numeracy (numbers and their relations, orders of magnitude, etc.) (Class X level), Data interpretation (charts, graphs, tables, data sufficiency etc. - Class X level).
General Studies at Mains level is divided in four Papers each consisting of 250 marks. Paper I includes History, Political Philosophies, Social Issues and Geography. Paper II includes Indian Polity and International Relations. Paper III includes Technology, Economic Development, Biodiversity, Environment, Security and Disaster Management. Paper IV includes Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude.
Note : The questions will be of multiple choice, objective type.
Sociology
Sociology is the scientific study of societies and human social behavior. But studying sociology is not just a routine process of acquiring knowledge. On the contrary, it is a reflecting understanding of society. Learning sociology is to know society and evaluate its working. Learning sociology is, in fact, a richer awareness of us and others. Sociology is the youngest of the social sciences. It is concerned with the life and activities of man. It studies the nature and character of human society and also its origin, development, structure, and functions. It analyses the group life of man and examines the bond of social unity. The basic insight of sociology is that the groups to which people belong largely shape human behavior. Sociology like physical sciences seeks to discover, describe and explain the order, which characterizes the social life of man.
History
History consists of two papers each of 250 marks. Paper I consists of mainly Indian history both Ancient and Medieval. Topics in this paper are such as, archaeological resources, Indus valley Civilization, Aryan and Vedic Period, Mauryan Empire, Guptas, Early Medieval India and so on. Paper II consists of Modern Indian History especially British Rule and India's response. Topics are such as, European Penetration in India, British Expansion in India, Early structure of the British Raj, Indian Response to British Rule and so on.
Geography
Geography consists of two papers each is of 250 marks. Paper I consists of Principles of Geography and Paper II of Geography of India. In Principles of Geography there are two main topics Physical Geography and Human Geography. In Physical Geography some important topics are Geomorphology, Climatology, Environmental Geography and so on. In human Geography some important topics are Perspective of Human Geography, Economic Geography, Population and settlement Geography and so on. In Paper II Geography of India some important topics are Resources, Agriculture, Industry, Transport and Communication, Settlements and so on.