IFS Preliminary Exam Syllabus

As the Preliminary Exam is common to CSE Exams, the same syllabus is to be followed as UPSC CSE Preliminary Exam. Candidates may refer to the UPSC Prelim Syllabus here to get a sense of what to cover for the Prelim Paper I (GS) and Paper II (CSAT).

IFS Mains Examination Syllabus

Paper-I General English – (300 Marks)

• Candidates will be required to write an essay in English.
• Other questions will be set to test their understanding of English and vocabulary such as Error Spotting, Sentence Correction etc.
• Passages will usually be set for Comprehension and summary/precis-writing.

Paper-II General Knowledge – (300 Marks)

The General Knowledge paper will test the candidates knowledge of current affairs, recent observations made in news and scientific updates and developments. This paper will also include questions on:

• Indian Polity such as the political system and the Constitution of India
• History of India
• Physical Geography and Indian Geography

Paper-III, Paper-IV, Paper-V, and Paper-VI – (200 Marks for each paper)

Any 2 subjects to be picked from the list of the optional subjects mentioned in the exam pattern tab. There are 14 optionals candidates may choose from. Every optional subject will further be divided into 2 papers.