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There is no such restrictions in terms of belonging to specific stream when it comes to eligibility criteria of UPSC, however if you pursue graduation in political science, history, geography, sociology, public administration, economics etc. then there is considerable overlap with the syllabus of general studies and optional subjects, if you look at previous year toppers they come from diverse backgrounds as that of medical/engineering/commerce/science etc, so eventually it's your personal attributes such as single minded focus, dedication and perseverance which help you sail through the exam.

To provide you a brief, UPSC Civil Service Exam consists of three stages-

Preliminary : First Stage is MCQs based exam, it has two papers and each one consists of 200 marks,its numbers ain't added to final list, you just need to score the required cut offs against your category.

First is GS Paper-I which consists of the following topic such as History of India and Indian national movement, Indian and World geography, Economic and social development- sustainable development, poverty,inclusion demographics, social sector initiatives etc,Indian polity and governance-constitution,political system,Current Events nationally and Internationally, General Science,General Issues on environmental ecology,biodiversity and climate change. you just need to score the required cut offs against your category.

Second Paper is CSAT which is qualifying by nature,you need to score merely 33% which is 66 marks out of 200, it includes following topics such as basic numeracy, comprehension, logical reasoning and analytical ability, general mental ability, decision making and problem solving, interpersonal skills including communication skills.

Mains : This is a second stage which it's more of a subjective type, you are required to write answers for Four General Studies Paper such as

GS-I includes Indian Heritage and Culture,History and Geography of the World and Society,
GS-II includes Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice and International Relations,
GS-III includes Technology, Economic Development, Bio-Diversity, Environment, Security and Disaster Management,
GS-IV includes Ethics, Integrity, and Aptitude

Two Optionals to be chosen among the following-

Agriculture
Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science
Anthropology
Botany
Chemistry
Civil Engineering
Commerce & Accountancy
Economics
Electrical EngineeringSyllabus
Geography
GeologySyllabus
History
Law
Management
Mathematics
Mechanical Engineering
Medical Science
Philosophy
Physics
Political Science & International Relations
Psychology
Public Administration
Sociology
Statistics
Zoology

Other than this, you can also consider literature subjects for optionals such as Assamese,Bengali,Bodo,Dogri,Gujarat,Hindi,Kannada,Kashmiri,Konkani,Maithili,Malayalam,Manipuri,Marathi,Nepali,Oriya,Punjabi,Sanskrit,Santhali,Sindhi,Tamil,Telugu,Urdu,English

Two Language Paper which is only qualifying by nature, each is of 300 Marks, and candidates need to get merely 25% that is 75 Marks

One Essay

In total there are nine papers in Mains, except the two language papers , each paper is of 250 marks, total adds up to 1750 marks.

Interview : Prelims and Mains are further followed by personality test of 275 marks.
the total marks attributed in UPSC CSE is 2025 marks.

Panjab University (PUCHD)

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