GPSC Mains: General Studies-II
About this paper
General Studies-II is Paper V of the Main Examination of the Gujarat Administrative Service, Class-1, Gujarat Civil Service, Class-1 and Class-2 Examination held by the Gujarat Public Service Commission (GPSC). It covers Indian polity and the Constitution, governance and social justice, and current events.
| Paper | Subject | Marks | Time | Counted for merit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | Gujarati Language | 300 | 3 hours | No: qualifying, minimum 25% |
| II | English Language | 300 | 3 hours | No: qualifying, minimum 25% |
| III | Essay | 250 | 3 hours | Yes |
| IV to VII | General Studies-I to IV | 250 each | 3 hours each | Yes |
- Marks and time: 250 marks, three hours.
- Type: descriptive. Ten questions of 15 marks each, to be answered in 150 words, and five questions of 20 marks each, in 200 words.
- Counted for merit: yes. Papers III to VII (1,250 marks) and the Personality Test (150 marks) make the 1,400 marks of the final merit. The Preliminary Examination and the two language papers are not counted.
- Language: Gujarati or English. The candidate chooses the language for each of Papers III to VII on the Main Examination application; the choice is final once the form is submitted, and answers in any other language are not evaluated.
- Standard: the General Studies papers are of graduate standard.
- Attendance: a candidate who is absent from any paper of the Main Examination is not eligible.
What the Commission says about the General Studies papers:
The main examination intends to test a candidate's thinking skills and depth of understanding rather than just memory or facts. The nature and standard of questions in the General Studies papers (Paper IV to Paper VII) will be such that a well-educated person will be able to answer them without any specialized study.
The questions will check general awareness on various topics which will have relevance for a career in Civil Services. It will test basic understanding, analytical ability and decision-making on various issues. The candidates must give relevant, meaningful, logical and analytical answers.
Official syllabus
Paper V: General Studies-II
(A) Indian Polity and Constitution
- Indian Constitution: salient features, basic structure and important amendments.
- Functions and duties of the Indian Union and the State Governments.
- Issues and challenges pertaining to the Federal structure.
- Distribution of powers between the Union and States: Issues and challenges.
- Local self-government institutions.
- Constitutional Authorities: Powers, Functions and Responsibilities.
- Judiciary in India: Structure and functions, judicial review, Public Interest Litigation, Landmark Judgments.
(B) Governance and Social Justice
- Role of Civil Services in Democracy.
- Development processes: the role of civil society, SHG, NGOs, pressure groups and other stakeholders.
- Statutory, regulatory and various quasi-judicial authorities.
- Good governance and e-governance: challenges and opportunities of e-governance; Transparency, accountability and responsiveness in governance; Citizen's Charter. RTI, Public Service Act and their implications, Concept of Social Audit and its importance.
- Development and Social Sector Management: Challenges in health, education, and human resource development, Role of governance and policy-making in strengthening social sectors.
- Poverty and Hunger: Poverty, inequality, and their developmental implications. Causes, consequences, and strategies to tackle poverty and hunger.
(C) Current Events of Regional, National and International Importance.
The Commission states that where the syllabus needs interpretation, the English version is final. In part (B), the English text says "Public Service Act"; the Gujarati version names Gujarat's Act on citizens' right to public services.
Subject-wise breakdown
The first twelve pages follow the official lines of parts (A) and (B) in order. Four Gujarat pages then apply the same lines to the State, and the last page covers part (C).
- Indian Constitution: Salient Features, Basic Structure and Amendments: making of the Constitution, salient features, the basic structure doctrine and its cases, important amendments.
- Functions and Duties of the Union and State Governments: President, Prime Minister, Parliament, Governor, Chief Minister, State legislature, constitutional duties.
- Federal Structure and Distribution of Powers: legislative, administrative and financial relations, issues and reform commissions.
- Local Self-Government Institutions: 73rd and 74th Amendments, PESA, issues of devolution.
- Constitutional Authorities: Election Commission, Public Service Commissions, CAG, Finance Commission, law officers, commissions for weaker sections.
- Judiciary in India: structure, jurisdiction, judicial review, PIL, landmark judgments, reforms.
- Role of Civil Services in Democracy: constitutional framework, roles, values, issues and reforms.
- Development Processes: Civil Society, SHGs, NGOs and Pressure Groups: civil society, self-help groups, NGOs, pressure groups and other stakeholders.
- Statutory, Regulatory and Quasi-Judicial Authorities: rights bodies, anti-corruption bodies, economic regulators, tribunals.
- Good Governance, e-Governance, RTI, Citizen's Charter and Social Audit: the whole good governance line, including the Public Service Act.
- Development and Social Sector Management: health, education and human resource development, and the role of governance.
- Poverty and Hunger: concepts, measurement, causes and strategies against poverty and hunger.
- Gujarat: State Government, Legislature and High Court: formation of Gujarat, Article 371(2), the State executive, Assembly, High Court and State authorities.
- Gujarat: Panchayati Raj and Urban Local Bodies: Gujarat Panchayats Acts of 1961 and 1993, the three tiers, municipal laws, urban development.
- Gujarat: Governance, Public Services and e-Governance: Gujarat's Public Service Act, SWAGAT, Lokayukta, e-governance projects and State regulators.
- Gujarat: Social Sector, Poverty and Welfare: health, education, livelihoods, nutrition and welfare of weaker sections in Gujarat.
- Current Events of Regional, National and International Importance: part (C): what to follow, linked to the syllabus.
How this paper connects
- The Prelims paper General Studies has a section on the Constitution, polity, social justice and international relations; the Mains paper asks for the same ground in analytical, written form.
- General Studies-I covers Indian society, women and marginalised sections; read it with the social justice part here.
- General Studies-III covers the economy, inclusive growth, the co-operative sector of Gujarat and disaster management.
- General Studies-IV covers ethics, integrity and probity in governance, which overlaps with civil services and good governance here.
- Governance and social themes are frequent subjects for the Essay paper.
Source: Gujarat Public Service Commission, Syllabus of the Main Examination, Advertisement No. 05/2026-27 (31 July 2026), PDF; Detailed Advertisement No. 05/2026-27, PDF. Last checked 11 November 2026.