UPSC CSE IAS

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English Language & Comprehension

Grammar Rules, Error Spotting, Cloze Test, One-Word Substitutions, Synonyms & Idioms

• Grammar & Sentence StructureCore grammar rules including tenses, subject-verb agreement, articles, prepositions and modals.
• VocabularyWord-meaning skills covering usage, connotation and contextual application of English words.
• Idioms & PhrasesMeaning and correct usage of common English idioms and phrasal expressions.
• Cloze Test & Reading ComprehensionFilling contextual blanks in a passage and answering questions based on reading passages.
• Sentence & Para RearrangementReordering shuffled sentence parts and jumbled sentences into a logical sequence.
• Active & Passive VoiceConverting sentences between active and passive voice while preserving meaning and tense.
• Direct & Indirect SpeechConverting sentences between direct narration and reported indirect speech.
• Spotting ErrorsIdentifying the grammatically incorrect part within a divided sentence.
• Sentence ImprovementChoosing the best alternative to correct a highlighted part of a sentence.
• Fill in the BlanksCompleting sentences with contextually and grammatically appropriate words.
• One Word SubstitutionReplacing a phrase or definition with a single precise word.
• Synonyms & AntonymsIdentifying words with similar or opposite meanings to a given word.
• Spelling CorrectionDetecting misspelt words and identifying correctly spelled options.
• Homonyms & HomophonesDistinguishing words that sound alike or are spelled alike but differ in meaning.

General Awareness

Indian Polity, History, Geography, Economy, General Science, Environment & Current Affairs

• Indian Polity & ConstitutionConstitution, fundamental rights, Parliament, judiciary, amendments and governance structures.
• Indian HistoryAncient, medieval and modern Indian history with emphasis on the freedom struggle.
• GeographyIndian and world physical geography including rivers, climate, soil and important places.
• General SciencePhysics, chemistry and biology concepts at around tenth-standard level.
• EconomicsBasic macroeconomics, Indian economy, banking, budget and economic reforms.
• Current AffairsNational and international events of the last several months including schemes, sports and awards.
• Static GKUnchanging general knowledge on dances, dams, first-in-India, superlatives and miscellaneous facts.
• Art & CultureIndian classical dances, music, paintings, festivals and cultural heritage.
• Awards & HonoursNational and international awards, their fields and recent recipients.
• SportsSports events, tournaments, cups, terminologies and recent winners.
• Books & AuthorsFamous books and their authors, both classical and recently released titles.
• Important Days & ThemesNational and international days, their dates and yearly observance themes.
• Government SchemesCentral and state government schemes, their objectives and associated ministries.
• National & International OrganizationsUN bodies and other important world and Indian organizations with their headquarters and heads.
• Environment & Pollution ControlEcosystems, biodiversity, air/water/soil/noise pollution, waste, EIA, and the Indian Acts and boards that control pollution — the RRB JE CBT-2 environment block, also asked in…

General Intelligence & Reasoning

Coding-Decoding, Analogies, Series, Syllogisms, Blood Relations & Non-Verbal

• Coding-DecodingEncoding and decoding of words and numbers using letter shifts, patterns and symbolic operations.
• Analogy & ClassificationIdentifying relationships and odd-one-out among semantic, symbolic, number and figural elements.
• Series (Number, Alphabet & Figural)Finding the missing or next term in number, alphabet, alphanumeric and figural series.
• Blood Relations & Direction SenseFamily relationship puzzles and direction-distance tracking using position and turns.
• SyllogismDrawing valid conclusions from given statements using Venn-diagram-based logical deduction.
• Non-Verbal ReasoningFigure-based reasoning covering figural series, analogy, classification and pattern completion.
• Seating Arrangement & PuzzlesArranging people or items in linear, circular and complex seating and ordering puzzles.
• Clocks & CalendarsAngle and time problems on clocks and finding days using odd-days and leap-year concepts.
• Venn DiagramsRepresenting relationships between groups and solving set-based logical questions using diagrams.
• Mathematical OperationsSolving equations after interchanging mathematical signs and numbers based on given rules.
• Order & RankingDetermining positions of people or objects from left, right, top or bottom in an arrangement.
• Logical Puzzles & ArrangementsComplex puzzles including scheduling, floor, box and category-based arrangement problems.
• Statement & Conclusion / AssumptionEvaluating whether conclusions, assumptions or inferences logically follow from given statements.
• Mirror & Water ImagesIdentifying the reflection of figures, letters and numbers in mirror and water surfaces.
• Paper Folding & CuttingPredicting the appearance of paper after folding, punching and unfolding, a spatial reasoning skill.
• Cubes & DiceProblems on dice faces, opposite faces and counting painted or cut cubes.
• Coded InequalityRead a chain of P > Q ≥ R = S < T (or a coded-symbol key) and decide which conclusions definitely follow.
• Machine Input–OutputName the hidden rewriting rule on a token line (arrangement, circular or block shift, or number operation) from two consecutive machine steps, then predict a later step or the…
• Reasoning Data SufficiencyDecide whether statement (I), (II), either, both, or neither suffice to answer a reasoning question — ranking and direction stems, not quantitative DS.
• Embedded Figures & Figure CountingFind figure X embedded in an option with rotation not allowed; complete a missing-figure pattern; count triangles or squares in a line figure, including composites.
• Dictionary Order & Word BuildingArrange words as in a dictionary; form one meaningful English word from given letters; count letter-pairs in a word that have as many letters between them as in the alphabet.

UPSC General Studies & Ethics

Indian Constitution, Governance, Ethics & Integrity, Environmental Ecology & CSAT

• Preamble & Fundamental RightsCovers the Preamble to the Constitution and the Fundamental Rights guaranteed under Part III.
• Indian Polity & GovernanceCovers the constitutional framework, organs of government, and governance topics of the polity syllabus.
• Local Governance & Panchayati RajCovers the three-tier Panchayati Raj system, urban local bodies and decentralised governance.
• Ancient & Medieval Indian HistoryCovers the Indus Valley Civilisation, Vedic age, major empires and medieval dynasties of India.
• Modern India & Freedom StruggleCovers modern Indian history from the mid-eighteenth century and the Indian national movement.
• Indian Art & CultureCovers Indian art forms, architecture, literature, dance, music and cultural heritage from ancient to modern times.
• Physical Geography (India & World)Covers physical geography including geomorphology, climatology, oceanography and Indian physiography.
• Indian & Economic GeographyCovers social and economic geography of India including rivers, agriculture, minerals and resources.
• Economic & Social DevelopmentCovers Indian economy, sustainable development, poverty, inclusion, demographics and social sector initiatives.
• Environment, Ecology & Climate ChangeCovers environmental ecology, biodiversity, climate change and conservation as per the Prelims syllabus.
• General Science & TechnologyCovers general science across physics, chemistry, biology and recent science and technology developments.
• Current Events of National & International ImportanceCovers current affairs including schemes, reports, indices, summits, awards and persons in news.
• CSAT Reading ComprehensionCovers reading comprehension and interpersonal and communication skills in the qualifying CSAT paper.
• CSAT Logical & Analytical ReasoningCovers logical reasoning, analytical ability and decision making and problem solving in the CSAT paper.
• CSAT Basic Numeracy & Data InterpretationCovers basic numeracy at Class X level and data interpretation using charts, graphs, tables and data sufficiency.
• Ethics, Integrity & AptitudeCovers ethics, integrity and aptitude concepts of GS Paper IV including values, attitude and public service ethics.

Previous year papers

• UPSC Civil Services Examination Previous Year Question PapersOfficial papers with provenance, free to read.