Due to the syllabus of UPSC being vast and at the same time vague at the time, Prelims Exam Syllabus for UPSC is considered one of the most difficult exams in India. To clear this exam every student tries their best to take the right approach to pass their exams. What topics to study and what not may become very confusing at times. Hence it is best to know what is coming in exams without wasting any time on topics that are not important. Without further ado, let’s move on to the list of important topics.
Science and Technology
The topics below are referenced from the book “Science and Technology Ready Reckoner” by LA Excellence IAS Academy:
● Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering
● Health and Diseases
● Nanotechnology
● Nuclear Science
● Advancements in the Field of Fundamental Physics
● Robotics
● Space Technology
● Defence
● Energy Technologies
● ICT and Computer
● Technologies and Innovations in Day–To–Day Life
Art and Culture
The topics are referenced from the book “Indian Art and Culture” by Nitin Singhania by McGraw Hill Publications:
● Indian Architecture, Sculpture, and Pottery
● Indian Paintings
● UNESCO’s List of Tangible World Heritage Sites in India
● Indian Music
● Indian Dance Forms
● UNESCO’s List of Intangible Cultural Heritage
● Indian Literature
– Appendix 2
– Appendix 3
– Appendix 4
– Appendix 5
Economics
The topics are referenced from the book “Introductory Macroeconomics” by NCERT:
● National Income Accounting
● Money and Banking
● Income Determination
● The Government: Functions and Scope
● Open-Economy Macroeconomics
● Theory of Consumer Behaviour
● Production and Costs
● The Theory of Firm under Perfect Competition
● Market Equilibrium
Indian Polity
The topics are referenced from the book “Indian Polity” by McGraw Hill Publications:
● Making of the Constitution
● Salient Features of the Constitution
● Schedules of the Constitution
● Preamble
● Union and its Territory
● Citizenship
● Fundamental Rights
● Directive Principles of State Policy
● Fundamental Duties
● Amendment to the Constitution
● Federal System
● Centre-state Relations
● Inter-State Relations
● Public Acts, Records, and Zonal Councils
● Emergency Provisions
● President
● Vice President
● Parliament of India
● Prime Minister and Council of Ministers
● Presiding Officers of The House
● Legislative Procedure in Parliament
● Annual Financial Statement or Budget [Article 112]
● Parliamentary Privileges
● Supreme Court
● Governor of States
● Chief Minister and the Council of Ministers
● State Legislature
● Legislative Procedure in the State
● High Court
● Subordinate Courts
● Panchayati Raj
● Urban Local Government
● Scheduled Areas And Tribal Areas
● Election Commission
● Union Public Service Commission
● State Public Service Commission
● Finance Commission
● National Commission for SC and ST
● Comptroller And Auditor General of India
● Attorney General of India
● Advocate General of States
● National Development Council
● National Human Rights Commission
● State Human Rights Commission
● Central Information Commission
● State Information Commission
● Central Vigilance Commission
Ancient Indian History
The topics are referenced from the book “India’s Ancient Past” by R. S. Sharma:
● The Linguistic Background
● Old Stone Age
● Neolithic Age
● Harappan Culture
● Age of Rig Veda
● Jainism and Buddhism
● The territorial States and the Rise of Magadh
● The Maurya Age
● The Satavahana Phase
● Crafts, Commerce, and Urban Growth (200 BC to 250 AD)
● Rise and Growth of Gupta Empire
● Life in Gupta Age
● Harsha and his Times
● Cultural Interaction with Asian Countries
Mediaeval Indian History
The topics are referenced from the book “History of Mediaeval India (800 – 1700)” by Satish Chandra:
● Northern India: Age of the Three Empires (800–1000 AD)
● South India: The Chola Empire (900–1200 AD)
Economic and Social Life, Education and Religious Beliefs (800–1200AD)
The Delhi Sultanate
Government, and Economic and Social Life under the Delhi Sultanate
The Age of Vijayanagara and the Bahmanids, and the Coming of the Portuguese (1350–1565 AD)
Cultural Development in India (1200–1500 AD)
Mughals and Afghans (1525–1555AD)
Consolidation of the Mughal Empire
The Deccan and South India (Up to 1656 AD)
Economic and Social Life under the Mughal rule
Cultural and Religious Developments
Modern Indian History
The topics are referenced from the book “A Brief History of Modern India” by Spectrum Publications:
● Reinforcements and Expansion of British Power in India
● The Revolt of 1857
● Socio-Religious Reform Movements
● A General Review of the Reform Movements and their Leaders
● Beginning of Modern Nationalism in India
● Indian National Congress: Foundation and Moderate Phase
● First Phase of Revolutionary Activities (1907–1917)
● First World War and Nationalist Response
● Non-Cooperation Movement and Khilafat Aandolan
● The arrival of Swarajists, Socialist Ideas, Revolutionary Activities, and Other New Forces
● Simon Commission and the Nehru Report
● Round Table Conferences and the Civil Disobedience Movement
● Nationalist Response in the aftermath of World War II
● Demand for Pakistan, Quit India Movement, and the INA
● Constitutional, Administrative, and Judicial Developments
● Survey of British Policies in India
● Economic Impacts of British Rule in India
● Development of Indian Press
● Development of Education
● Peasant Movements 1857 – 1947
● The Movement of the Working Class
Geography
The topics are referenced from the book “Certificate Physical and Human Geography” by G. C. Leong:
● The Earth’s crust
● Volcanism and earthquake
● Landforms made by running water
● Landform of glaciations
● Arid or Deserts land reform
● Limestone and chalk landforms
● Lakes
● Coastal landforms
● Islands and coral reefs
● The oceans
● Weather
● Climate
● The Hot, wet equatorial climate
● The Tropical marine and tropical monsoon climates
● The savanna or Sudan climate
● The hot desert and mid-latitude deserts climates
● Western margin (Mediterranean) climates and the warm temperate
● The temperate continental (steppe) climate
● The Arctic and polar climate
In addition to this are some more topics that are worth looking into. These Topics are available in other sourcebooks and are also provided by BYJU’S through their Geography notes:
● Physiography of India
● Biodiversity in the Himalayas
● Peninsular Plateau
● Indian Desert
● Coastal Plains
● Islands
● Drainage System
● Indian Drainage System
● Weather and Climate of India
Environment and Ecology
The topics are referenced from the book “Environment (6th Edition)” by Shankar IAS Academy Book Publications:
● Functions of an Ecosystem
● Terrestrial Ecosystem
● Aquatic Ecosystem
● Environmental Pollution
● Biodiversity
● Indian Biodiversity
● Schedule Animals of WPA, 1972
● Animal Diversity of India
● Plant Diversity of India
● Marine Organism
● Protected Area Network
● Conservation Efforts
● Climate Change
● Ocean Acidification
● Impact of Climate Change – India
● Mitigation Strategies
● Climate Change Organisations
● Agriculture
● Acts and Policies
● Institution and Measures
● Environmental Organisations
● International Environmental Conventions
Current Affairs
Current affairs do not have any fixed topics as it is a dynamic subject. The best way of approaching these topics is to keep tabs on the daily news regarding the national and international activities taking place.
Conclusion
Knowing every topic that may come in the exams provides much relief. However, this is not enough. To make proper preparation for the UPSC Prelim exams one must also go through the previous year’s past papers to understand the paper pattern.
