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UPSC IAS Mains; Questions,Solutions,Preparations and Books:
Updated: Dec 15, 2021
The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) IAS 2021 Prelims result has been released on the official website. All the candidates who had taken the exam can check the result on the UPSC website. The UPSC Prelims was conducted on October 10, 2021, and the Mains are scheduled for January 07, 2022. All the people who have cleared the Prelims Congratulations!! People who haven't, Don't worry buddy You have yet another chance to Prove!!
UPSC CSE Main Exam Syllabus
According to the Latest Pattern of Civil Services (2013), the exam has 4 General Studies(GS) papers + 2 optional papers + 1 essay paper. In addition to this, there are 2 language papers that are only qualifying in nature. So There is a total of 9 papers.
Exam Tip:
Be Aware of Mains Syllabus.
Follow a Daily Study Plan
Work on your Answer writing skills.
Maintain a Balance between GS and Optional Subject.
Work hard on the Essay section
Stay updated with Current affairs.
MARK COUNTED PAPERS
Paper 1 – Essay
250 Marks, score determines cut-off and final merit list
Duration : 3 Hours
Candidates are required to write essays on given topics. Multiple topics are given and you can choose accordingly.
You can write this paper in English or any recognized Regional Language.
2. Paper 2 – General Studies
250 Marks, score determines cut-off and Final Merit List
Duration : 3 Hours
Questions are asked from Indian Heritage and Culture, History and Geography of the World and Society.
3. Paper 3 – General Studies
250 Marks, score determines cut-off and final merit list
Duration : 3 Hours
Questions are asked from Social Justice, Constitution, Polity, Governance, and International relations.
4. Paper 4 – General Studies
250 Marks, score determines cut-off and final merit list
Duration : 3 Hours
Questions are asked from Economic Development, Technology, Environment, Security, Bio‐diversity, and Disaster Management.
5. Paper 5 – General Studies
250 Marks, score determines cut-off and final merit list
Duration : 3 Hours
Question are asked from Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude.
6. Paper 6 – Optional
250 Marks, score determines cut-off and final merit list
Duration : 3 Hours
Candidates have to choose an optional subject (list given below) and questions will be asked from the subject.
The difficulty level is a little over graduation.
Optional Subjects List: Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science, Anthropology, Botany, Chemistry, Electrical Engineering, Geography, Geology, History, Law Management, Literature, Philosophy, Physics, Political Science and International Relations, Psychology, Public Administration, Sociology, Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering, Medical Science, Statistics, Zoology, Civil Engineering, Commerce and Accountancy, Economics.
7. Paper 7 – Optional
250 Marks, score determines cut-off and final merit list
Duration : 3 Hours
This is the 2nd paper for your chosen optional subject.
QUALIFYING PAPERS
Paper A – Regional Language.
300* Marks, Paper is of Qualifying Nature only
Duration : 3 Hours
Candidate needs to choose an additional language from the recognized Indian languages (List of Choices for Second Language Paper: Assamese, Bengali, Bodo, Dogri, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Maithili, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Oriya, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu.) other than English for this paper.
Marks for this paper are also not used to determine merit lists or cut-off for mains and just need to be qualified.
2. Paper B – English Language.
300* Marks, Paper is of Qualifying Nature only
Duration : 3 Hours
This paper for the English language just needs to be qualified and its marks are not used to determine the final merit list or mains cut-off
Sub Total (Written-Test) : 1750 Marks
Interview Marks : 275 marks
Grand Total : 2025 Marks
Note : Marks of language papers (English and Regional) are not used for written test marks calculation because of their qualifying nature. Hence the subtotal for the UPSC mains exam is 1750 marks.
UPSC Booklist – Best Books For IAS Mains
Candidates who clear the Prelims reach the Mains stage of the IAS Exam. There are 9 theory papers in UPSC 2021 out of which two papers are on the optional subject. Candidates should follow the important IAS general studies Mains books for the best preparation.
Subject and UPSC Books
1. History, Indian Heritage & Culture [GS Paper 1]
History of Medieval India by Satish Chandra
Ancient India by R.S Sharma
Indian Art and Culture by Nitin Singhania
India’s Struggle for Independence by Bipan Chandra
India after Independence by Bipan Chandra
2. Geography [GS Paper 1]
Geography of India by Majid Husain
Certificate Physical and Human Geography – G C Leong
Fundamentals of Physical Geography NCERT Class 11
World Geography by Majid Husain
World Atlas (Orient Black Swan)
3. Polity & International Relations [GS Paper 2]
Indian Polity by M. Laxmikanth
International Relations: Pushpesh Pant
Introduction to the Constitution of India by DD Basu
4. Economy [GS Paper 3]
Indian Economy – Nitin Singhania
Challenges to Internal Security of India – Ashok Kumar
Environment and Disaster Management – Tata McGraw Hill
5. Ethics [GS Paper 4]
Ethics, Integrity, and Aptitude for Civil Services Main Examination by Subba Rao and P.N. Roy Chaudary
6. Solved Papers
IAS General Studies Prelims Solved Papers – Vishal Publications
Wishing you All the Best:
Wish you all the best for your Mains exam. During those three hours – Forget the world, Forget about the Future and just try to give your Best till the Last Minute.
We sincerely hope that you will do well and end up getting a Top Rank.