UPSC Mains 2021
The Union Public Service Commission conducts UPSC CSE ( UPSC IAS ) exam every year. This exam is conducted in two stages 1) UPSC Prelims Exam and, 2) UPSC Mains exam.
The pattern of UPSC Civil Service Exam 2021:
- UPSC CSE (Preliminary) – October 10, 2021
- UPSC CSE (Main) – Revised Dates – January 7th to January 16th 2022 [Earlier Dates: 17th September 2021 onwards]
- IAS Interview/ UPSC Personality Test
UPSC Mains Exam Date 2021 | 9 AM – 12 PM | 2 PM – 5 PM |
8th January 2021 | Essay Paper | – |
9th January 2021 | General Studies-I | General Studies-II |
10th January 2021 | General Studies-III | General Studies-IV |
16th January 2021 | Indian Language Paper | English Language Paper |
17th January 2021 | Optional Paper-I | Optional Paper-II |
UPSC Mains 2021 – IAS Exam 2021
Topics covered in this article:
- Brif detail about UPSC Mains Exam/IAS Mains exam
- Preparation Strategy for UPSC Mains 2021
- UPSC Mains Exam Pattern for IAS exam 2021
- UPSC Mains Syllabus – IAS exam 2021
- Qualifying Papers
- Essay
- General Studies
- Optional Subjects
- UPSC Mains previous year question papers
About UPSC Mains exam
The UPSC Mains exam is the second stage of the Civil Services Examination. IAS aspirants who clear the Prelims i.e. those who score above the cutoff in General Studies Paper I and more than 33% marks in General Studies Paper-II (CSAT) are eligible to appear for the UPSC Mains. Marks scored in the mains exam and Interview decides the rank of candidates in the final result.
UPSC Mains exam Pattern
The UPSC Mains exam pattern was revised in 2015. As per the revised pattern, the UPSC Mains 2021 will comprise nine theory papers (essay descriptive type). Out of the nine papers, only seven will be counted for merit ranking. Candidates also have to choose one optional subject for UPSC Mains.
The maximum marks for the UPSC Mains exam are 1750 (7 papers 250 marks each). All papers are of three-hour duration.
The UPSC Mains pattern for Civil Services Exam 2021 is given below:
S.No | Papers | Subject | Nature of Exam | Total Marks |
1 | Paper A | Indian Language | Qualifying | 300 |
2 | Paper B | English | Qualifying | 300 |
3 | Paper I | Essay | Counted for Merit | 250 |
4 | Paper-II | General Studies (GS) I | Counted for Merit | 250 |
5 | Paper III | General Studies (GS) II | Counted for Merit | 250 |
6 | Paper IV | General Studies (GS) III | Counted for Merit | 250 |
7 | Paper V | General Studies (GS) IV | Counted for Merit | 250 |
8 | Paper VI | Optional Subject Paper-I | Counted for Merit | 250 |
9 | Paper VII | Optional Subject Paper-II | Counted for Merit | 250 |
UPSC Mains Syllabus – IAS Syllaus 2021
The UPSC Mains syllabus 2021 can be divided into two parts:
- Qualifying Papers
- Paper A
- Paper B
- Papers which are counted for merit ranking
- Essay
- General Studies (Paper II to Paper V)
- Optional Subject (Two Papers)
UPSC Mains GS 1 Syllabus | UPSC Mains GS 2 Syllabus |
UPSC Mains GS 3 Syllabus | UPSC Mains GS 4 Syllabus |
UPSC Essay Syllabus | Qualifying papers syllabus |
UPSC Mains Paper
UPSC Optional Subject Syllabus
Agriculture | Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science | Anthropology | Botany | Chemistry |
Civil Engineering | Commerce and Accountancy | Economics | Electrical Engineering | Geography |
Geology | History | Law | Management | Mathematics |
Mechanical Engineering | Medical Science | Philosophy | Physics | Political Science and International Relations |
Psychology | Public Administration | Sociology | Statistics | Zoology |