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:

  1. UPSC CSE (Preliminary) – October 10, 2021
  2. UPSC CSE (Main) – Revised Dates – January 7th to January 16th  2022 [Earlier Dates: 17th September 2021 onwards]
  3. IAS Interview/ UPSC Personality Test
UPSC Mains Exam Date 20219 AM – 12 PM2 PM – 5 PM
8th January 2021Essay Paper–
9th January 2021General Studies-IGeneral Studies-II
10th January 2021General Studies-IIIGeneral Studies-IV
16th January 2021Indian Language PaperEnglish Language Paper
17th January 2021Optional Paper-IOptional Paper-II

UPSC Mains 2021 – IAS Exam 2021

Topics covered in this article:

  1. Brif detail about UPSC Mains Exam/IAS Mains exam
  2. Preparation Strategy for UPSC Mains 2021
  3. UPSC Mains Exam Pattern for IAS exam 2021
  4. UPSC Mains Syllabus – IAS exam 2021
    1. Qualifying Papers
    2. Essay
    3. General Studies
    4. Optional Subjects
  5. 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.NoPapersSubjectNature of ExamTotal Marks
1Paper AIndian LanguageQualifying300
2Paper BEnglishQualifying300
3Paper IEssayCounted for Merit250
4Paper-IIGeneral Studies (GS) ICounted for Merit250
5Paper IIIGeneral Studies (GS) IICounted for Merit250
6Paper IVGeneral Studies (GS) IIICounted for Merit250
7Paper VGeneral Studies (GS) IVCounted for Merit250
8Paper VIOptional Subject Paper-ICounted for Merit250
9Paper VIIOptional Subject Paper-IICounted for Merit250

UPSC Mains Syllabus – IAS Syllaus 2021

The UPSC Mains syllabus 2021 can be divided into two parts:

  1. Qualifying Papers
    1. Paper A
    2. Paper B
  2. Papers which are counted for merit ranking
    1. Essay
    2. General Studies (Paper II to Paper V)
    3. 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 SyllabusQualifying papers syllabus

UPSC Mains Paper

UPSC Optional Subject Syllabus

AgricultureAnimal Husbandry and Veterinary ScienceAnthropologyBotanyChemistry
Civil EngineeringCommerce and AccountancyEconomicsElectrical EngineeringGeography
GeologyHistoryLawManagementMathematics
Mechanical EngineeringMedical SciencePhilosophyPhysicsPolitical Science and International Relations
PsychologyPublic AdministrationSociologyStatisticsZoology