Without beating much around the bush let me get straight to the point. The UPSC exam is a 3-phase affair:

Phase 1 is the UPSC Preliminary Examination, also called UPSC Prelims. This exam contains questions of the objective type.

Phase 2 is the UPSC Mains Examination, also called UPSC Mains. This exam contains descriptive-type questions.

Phase 3 is the Personal Interview round conducted to test the Personality of the Candidate.

UPSC Prelims Syllabus

Starting with the UPSC Prelims syllabus, it should come as no surprise that the syllabus is quite extensive in and of itself.

The UPSC Prelims examination, on the other hand, is mostly used for screening purposes. As a result, if you pass the Prelims exam, you will be qualified to take the Mains exam.

In addition, if you make it to the interview phase, your Prelims scores will not be factored towards your final order of merit.

The UPSC prelims examination consists of two papers: a general studies paper and a CSAT (Civil Services Aptitude Test) paper.

UPSC Mains Syllabus

This is due to the fact that only those applicants who pass Phase 1, or the Prelims, are eligible to take the Phase 2 or Mains exam. In other words, only those applicants who pass the UPSC Prelims exam with a score higher 
than the UPSC cut-offs are eligible to take the Mains exam.
Fundamentally, the UPSC 2022 Mains exam is designed to evaluate your grasp of the many subjects covered by  the UPSC syllabus, and it is designed to do so in a timed manner.

It’s worth noting that, with the exception of the two language papers in the UPSC Mains curriculum, all of the papers can be written in any of the languages listed in Schedule 8 of the Indian Constitution.

Q1. What are the 9 papers in UPSC Mains?

The 9 papers of UPSC Mains Exam consists of:

  • 1 Language Paper of your choice
  • 1 English Language Paper
  • 1 Essay Paper
  • 4 General Studies Papers
  • 2 Optional Subject Papers

Click here to read about UPSC CSE.