UPPSC PCS Exam Syllabus - (New) PCS Exam Pattern

Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPSC) had changed the PCS Exam Pattern from UPPSC Prelims 2018 onward. UPPSC syllabus is based on the new PCS exam pattern. In this article, we will provide you with the latest UPPSC syllabus and exam pattern for Prelims and Mains 2024.

Latest Update:

On February 25, 2023, it was announced by the Uttar Pradesh State Government that two papers in the UPPSC PCS Mains on an optional subject will be replaced with two new general knowledge papers that will test the candidates’ knowledge about the state of Uttar Pradesh. The decision was made in the light of candidates who used UPPSC as a backup for the Union Public Service Commission exam (IAS exam). Candidates would prepare for both the exams as the syllabus for both were quite similar.

This move will ensure that candidates who will put UPPSC as a first preference will be the first pick for the State Government.

UPPSC Syllabus 2024 | Salient Points of UPPSC Exam Pattern

UPPSC conducts the PCS Exam for recruiting Group A and Group B officers in the administrative services of the state government. UPPSC Prelims 2018 onwards, the PCS exam pattern has been changed.

The salient points of the UPPSC new exam pattern are:

1. Introduction of 0.33% negative marking in the Prelims Exam
2. The UPPSC mains will have 4 GS papers and only one optional subject (2 papers) along with the Essay and General Hindi paper.
3. Two papers for optionals will be replaced with two general knowledge papers about the state of Uttar Pradesh
4. The interview will be for 100 marks

The new PCS exam pattern is closely modelled on the lines of the UPSC IAS Exam.

UPPSC 2024 Notification was released by the state commission on January 1, 2024. You can download the UPPSC Notification 2024 from the below links:

UPPSC 2024 Notification (English):- Download PDF Here

UPPSC 2024 Notification (Hindi):- Download PDF Here

UPPSC Exam Pattern 2024

The UPPSC conducts the PCS Exam in three stages:

1. Prelims – 2 papers – objective type questions (MCQs)
2. Mains – 8 papers – essay/descriptive type
3. Interview

UPPSC PCS Prelims Exam Pattern

The PCS exam pattern for UPPSC Prelims is given in the table below:

UPPSC PCS Mains Exam Pattern

The PCS Exam pattern for UPPSC Mains 2024 is given below. The same pattern is followed in UPPSC Mains 2023 too:

Given below are the 34 optional PCS exam subjects for UPPSC Mains 2023 per the latest exam pattern:

UPPSC PCS Interview

The UPPSC Personality Test/Viva-Voce/Interview is held for the candidates who clear the Main stage of the PCS Exam. The interview (in the new PCS exam pattern) is for 100 marks and tests the general awareness, character, expression of power/personality, intelligence and general suitability for the service.

• The Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission has introduced changes in the PCS Interview. Earlier subject experts, IPS and IAS officers would consist in the interview panel. Now officers like former judges, brigadiers and eminent educationists will also be called for interview. This change has extended the scope of the interview board. 
• This change has been introduced to improve the process of the interview and raise the level of interviews. It has also been decided that there must be at least 2 members in the panel of the Interview Board. 

UPPSC Syllabus 2024 – PCS Exam Syllabus

The UPPSC syllabus overlaps significantly with the UPSC CSE Syllabus for the IAS Exam.

With the new PCS exam pattern and UPPSC syllabus, candidates preparing simultaneously for the Civil Services Exam and the state civil services exam will have a slightly easier task.

UPPSC Prelims Syllabus

The Prelims syllabus for Paper 1 and Paper 2 is given below.

Paper 1:

1. Current events of National & International importance
2. Indian History and National Movement
3. Indian and World Geography – Socio-economic, Physical geography
4. Indian Governance and Polity – Political System, Constitution, Public Policy, Panchayati Raj, Rights issues, etc.
5. Social and Economic Development – Demographics, Sustainable Development, Poverty Inclusion, Social Sector initiatives etc.
6. Environmental Ecology, Climate Change, and Biodiversity – general issues that do not require subject specialisation
7. General Science

Note: – Candidates are expected to have general awareness about the above subjects with special reference to Uttar Pradesh.

To cover broad topics from the subjects mentioned above, candidates can take the help of the following links:

There will be questions on the above topics with special reference to Uttar Pradesh. The official syllabus will be given in the UPPSC Notification. Given below is the syllabus from the official notification.

The detailed UPPSC syllabus for PCS Prelims Paper 1 is :

Paper 2:

1. Comprehension
2. Interpersonal skills (including communication skills)
3. Analytical Ability & Logical Reasoning
4. Problem Solving & Decision Making
5. General Mental Ability
6. Elementary Mathematics (class X level – Algebra, Statistics, Geometry and Arithmetic)
7. General English (class X level)
8. General Hindi (class X level)

The detailed UPPSC syllabus for Maths, English and Hindi sections of PCS Exam Prelims Paper 2 is:

Candidates can check the eligibility criteria for the UPPSC PCS Exam and the latest UPPSC results from the links below:

• PCS Exam Eligibility
• UPPSC Results

UPPSC Mains Syllabus – 2024

In the changed pattern, the UPPSC Mains comprises of the following

The general studies 4 of the UPPSC PCS Mains syllabus has topics that overlap with IAS Mains GS 1 syllabus to an extent. BYJU’S came up with the UPSC Mains GS 4 strategy from which PCS candidates too can align their preparation accordingly.

Learn from the experience of previous year IAS Toppers and kickstart your preparation now!

Regarding the UPPSC syllabus for the 34 optional subjects, candidates can refer to the UPPSC notification 2023 below: