UPSC CSE Prelims Subject-wise Weightage 2024

UPSC CSE Prelims Subject-wise Weightage: To prepare well for UPSC Prelims, candidates must be familiar with the UPSC Prelims subject-wise weightage. The prelims exam consists of two papers, General Studies and CSAT. The marks for the prelims exam are not counted since they are qualifying in nature. Candidates are selected through a set cut-off, which is based on the score of the General Studies paper that counts to a total of 200 marks. This paper includes questions from various UPSC subjects namely History, Geography, Environment, Polity, Current Affairs, and more. On the other hand, in the UPSC Mains examination, candidates have to score more than 33% or 66 marks to qualify for the Mains Examination. Here, we will take you through the UPSC Prelims subject-wise weightage for each of the papers based on previous-year trends.

The UPSC Civil Services Prelims exam 2024 is scheduled for May 26, 2024. Every year, lakhs of candidates appear for the exam to achieve their dreams of becoming civil servants. To pursue a career in Civil Services in India, candidates have to go through three phases of the UPSC CSE 2024exam. The Prelims is the first step, after which candidates have to appear for the Mains examination. The qualifying candidate can then appear for the personality test/ Interview round. 

Also Read: 

UPSC Prelims Passing Marks 2024	UPSC Mains Passing Marks 2024

UPSC Subject-wise Weightage for Civil Services Prelims Exam (2012-2021)

The table mentioned shows the total number of questions from different UPSC subjects. The data, available from the year 2012 to 2021, will provide a sufficient idea of important topics to aspirants. Accordingly, candidates can prepare for each of the subjects in the UPSC CSE Prelims exam:

Year	Current Affairs	History	Economics	Geography	Polity	Science and Technology	Environment
2021	14	20	15	10	14	12	15
2020	18	20	15	10	17	10	10
2019	22	17	14	14	15	07	11
2018	14	22	18	10	13	10	13
2017	15	14	16	09	22	09	15
2016	27	15	18	07	07	08	18
2015	26	17	13	16	13	08	11
2014	08	22	10	14	14	16	18
2013	0	16	19	18	16	14	17
2012	1	19	17	17	20	9	17

UPSC CSE Prelims Exam Pattern & Syllabus 2024

In the UPSC Prelims, lakhs of candidates appear but only thousands get selected for the UPSC Mains exam. It is important for students to get familiar with the syllabus and prepare well. A comprehensive understanding of the subjects with the weightage of marks covered in this exam can help students plan a strategy. Here is an analysis of the trends in mark distribution for various subjects covered in the exam for past years.

UPSC CSE Prelims Exam Pattern 2024

The prelims exam mainly consists of objective-type questions. For each of the wrong answers, a negative marking will be done. The table below shows the structure of the UPSC CSE Exam Pattern 2024:

Paper	Total Marks	Type	No. of Questions	Duration	Nature	Negative Marking
General Studies Paper 1	200	Objective	100	2 hours	Merit Ranking	Yes
General Studies Paper 2 (CSAT)	200	Objective	80	2 hours	Qualifying	Yes

UPSC CSE Prelims Syllabus 2024

Knowing the UPSC CSE Syllabus 2024 for Prelims is equally important to understand the weightage given to different subjects in the examination:

General Studies Paper I	General Studies Paper II
Current events that are of national and international importance	Comprehension
Indian Polity and Governance - Constitution	General mental ability
Climate Change, General issues on Environmental ecology, Biodiversity	Data interpretation (charts, graphs, tables, data sufficiency etc. — Class X level); Basic numeracy (numbers and their relations, orders of Magnitude, etc.) - (Class X level)
Geography of India and World	Decision-making and problem-solving
History of India and Indian National Movement	Interpersonal skills including communication skills
Indian and World Geography-Physical, Social, Economic	Logical reasoning and analytical ability
Political System, Public Policy, Panchayati Raj, Rights Issues, etc.	-
Economic and Social Development - Sustainable	-
Development, Demographics, Social, Poverty, Inclusion	-
Sector Initiatives, etc.	-
General Science	-

Also Read: List of NCERT Books Required for UPSC Preparation 2024

Analysis of Subject-wise Important Topics in UPSC CSE Prelims (2011-2020)

In the UPSC Civil Services Prelims, Current Affairs is one of the most important subjects followed by History and Polity. Read on to know the preparation tips and important topics for each of the UPSC subjects:

Current Affairs 

This is a wide subject as the question can appear from diverse sections including science & technology, government initiatives, security issues, defence, and international relations. Hence, it needs candidates to stay tuned to all the updates of different segments. 

History

According to the previous years’ trend, history is one of the most popular subjects among UPSC candidates. A lot of questions are asked from this subject. Questions from different topics such as heritage, art & culture are asked in UPSC prelims. While preparing, candidates can focus on NCERTs and other books to study these topics. 

Geography

In the prelims exam, questions are asked from the physical geography of India and the world. To prepare the best, candidates can rely on NCERT Geography books recommended for classes VIII to XII. 

Polity

Indian constitution is a highly important subject for UPSC CSE Prelims. The candidates preparing for UPSC CS Prelims examination need a thorough reading of Indian Polity. They can also use NCERTs and other materials to strengthen the foundation before going for the exam.

Science & Technology

Questions related to recent developments in science & technology are commonly asked. Candidates with a good command of current affairs, specifically the Science & Technology portion can score high marks. 

Economy

Economy is also one of the important sections of the UPSC Prelims syllabus. Questions can be asked from diverse topics such as national income, fiscal and monetary policies, fiscal deficit, inflation-deflation, taxes, and so on. 

Environment

Questions related to ecology, environment and biodiversity, climate change can appear in the exam. Candidates can learn from NCERT books and other online study material to prepare for this portion of the exam. 

It is rightly said that UPSC CSE is one of the toughest exams in the world, with only around 25% of test-takers getting through every year. However, with the right amount of dedication and smart preparation, you can certainly achieve your goal. Instead of wasting your time on irrelevant topics, invest your time in the most important topics or the ones that carry the highest weightage. 

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