UPSC Prelims Syllabus 2026 PDF Download: GS Paper 1 & CSAT Topic-Wise Breakdown

Around 90% of UPSC aspirants fail the Prelims exam. Among those who pass the Prelims GS Paper 1, only 20% are able to pass CSAT. Now, before you fall into a spiral, it is mandatory to first lock your foundation. While the stats may not look promising, you need to understand that there are always exceptions. The first thing you shall do to pass UPSC Prelims is learn about the Prelims syllabus. The UPSC Prelims Syllabus 2026 PDF can be downloaded at the official website - upsc.gov.in, or get it directly here:

The UPSC Prelims exam consists of two compulsory papers. MCQs will be asked in both papers, and the duration for each will be two hours. The maximum marks for each paper are 200, and it is mandatory to appear for both papers. These question papers will consist of General Knowledge questions. Prelims Paper II, commonly known as ‘Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT)’, is qualifying in nature, where the minimum number of marks is fixed at 33%.

Also Read: UPSC Prelims Question Papers 2019-2024

UPSC Prelims Syllabus 2026 GS Paper 1

First, you will appear for UPSC Prelims GS Paper 1. Here are the topics that are usually seen in GS Paper 1:

• Current events of national and international importance
• History of India and the Indian National Movement
• Indian and World Geography – Physical, Social, Economic Geography of India and the World
• Indian Polity and Governance – Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues, etc.
• Economic and Social Development – Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives, etc.
• General issues on Environmental Ecology, Bio-diversity, and Climate Change (that do not require subject specialisation)
• General Science

UPSC Prelims Syllabus 2026 CSAT

There is a tiny number of people who successfully appear for Mains after clearing CSAT, and the one thing they usually do before preparing for CSAT is to understand the topics that are asked during it:

• 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)

CSAT may seem scary since a lot of aspirants often fail during this stage, while a minority of the aspirants usually go AFK during CSAT, the other half are just not able to make it out to the main. But with the correct approach, you can definitely be counted among the statistics of successful aspirants.

Also Read: Why Understanding the UPSC Exam Early Helps Long-Term Preparation

UPSC Prelims will be conducted on Sunday, May 24, 2026. Now is the perfect time to polish your foundation by understanding the syllabus in depth. For GS Paper 1, you should focus on History, Geography, Polity, Economics, Environmental Science, and Current Affairs. While CSAT is tough to tackle, you can easily crack it by working on your Reasoning.