RAS Mains: Paper III, General Studies III (Indian Polity, Governance, International and Current Affairs, Public Administration, Behavior and Law)
About this paper
General Studies III is Paper III of the RAS/RTS Main Examination (Stage 2) conducted by the Rajasthan Public Service Commission. RPSC's syllabus heads it “General Knowledge and General Studies”. All four Mains papers are compulsory, and their marks count for the final merit list together with the interview.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Marks | 200 |
| Duration | 3 hours |
| Type | Descriptive/analytical: brief, medium, long answer and descriptive type questions |
| Counted for merit | Yes (Mains 800 marks and interview 100 marks) |
| Language | Hindi or English (not partly in each, unless allowed) |
To be called for the interview, a candidate needs at least 10% marks in each Mains paper and 15% in the aggregate of all Mains papers (5% relaxation for SC/ST candidates).
RPSC's Scheme of Examination gives this plan of questions for Paper III:
| Unit | Questions | Marks | Word limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit I | 11 of 5 marks; 3 of 10 marks | 55 + 30 | 50; 150 |
| Unit II | 6 of 5 marks; 3 of 10 marks | 30 + 30 | 50; 150 |
| Unit III | 11 of 5 marks | 55 | 50 |
| Total | 200 |
RPSC says the scheme is only for general guidance, and the unit-wise distribution of marks and questions may vary.
Official syllabus
RPSC's syllabus for Paper III has three units. Its headings are below; each sub-page quotes RPSC's full text for its part, word for word.
Unit I - Indian Polity, Governance, India and International Affairs and Current Affairs
- Origin, Structure, and Key Principles of the Constitution of India
- Institutional Framework & Governance Mechanisms
- Dynamics of Indian Polity
- State Policies and governance in Rajasthan
- India and International Affairs
- Current Affairs & Issues
Unit II - Concepts, Issues and Dynamics of Public Administration
- Public Administration: Theories and Principles
- Union Government and Administrative Institutions
- Comparative Public Administration
- State & District Administration
Unit III - Behavior and Law
- Part A - Behavior
- Part B - Law: Contemporary Legal Issues; Crimes against Women and Children; Important Land Laws in Rajasthan; The Bhartiya Nyay Sanhita, 2023; The Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023
Subject-wise breakdown
Unit I - Indian Polity, Governance, India and International Affairs and Current Affairs
- Constitution of India: Origin, Structure and Key Principles: Constituent Assembly, influences, Fundamental Rights, Directive Principles, Fundamental Duties, basic structure, amendments, recent judgments, constitutional morality.
- Union Executive, Parliament, Federalism and the Judiciary: President, Vice-President, Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, Parliament, trends in federalism, Supreme Court and High Courts, judicial review and activism, eCourts.
- Dynamics of Indian Polity, Elections and Internal Security: Party system, regionalism, coalitions, inclusive and issue-based politics, AI in campaigns, voting behaviour, electoral reforms, internal security.
- Rajasthan: State Politics, Local Government and Public Policy: Rajasthan's political participation and parties, Panchayati Raj and municipalities, new challenges, public policy making, e-governance.
- India and International Affairs: Post-Cold War world, Indian foreign policy, major powers and neighbours, diaspora, UN to DAKSHIN, climate diplomacy, strategic initiatives.
- Current Affairs: Events, Rajasthan's Schemes, Awards, Sports and Yoga: Events and personalities, Rajasthan's schemes, awards and literature, science and ICT, sports, Yoga.
Unit II - Concepts, Issues and Dynamics of Public Administration
- Public Administration: Theories and Principles: Meaning and evolution of the discipline, new paradigms, theories and approaches, principles of organisation, administrative behaviour.
- Union Government, Administrative Institutions and Personnel: UPSC, Election Commission, CAG, Finance Commission, Lokpal, NITI Aayog; personnel administration; issues; control over administration.
- Comparative Public Administration: USA, UK, France and China: Administrative systems of the USA, UK, France and China.
- State and District Administration in Rajasthan: Governor, Chief Minister, Secretariat, directorates, police, Board of Revenue, state commissions, Lokayukta; the district.
Unit III - Behavior and Law
- Behaviour: Intelligence, Leadership, Communication and Stress at Work: Kinds of intelligence, leadership, workplace communication, flourishing at work, stress and burnout.
- Law: Right to Information, Information Technology and Intellectual Property: RTI Act sections 1 to 20, the IT Act's listed sections and definitions, intellectual property rights.
- Law: Crimes against Women and Children, and Senior Citizens: Domestic Violence Act, POSH Act, POCSO Act and the Senior Citizens Act, section by section.
- Law: Land Laws of Rajasthan (Tenancy Act and Land Revenue Act): Rajasthan Tenancy Act, 1955 and Rajasthan Land Revenue Act, 1956: definitions and listed sections.
- Law: Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita: Listed sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita.
How this paper connects
- The Prelims covers Indian polity, the political and administrative system of Rajasthan and current affairs in short: RAS Prelims.
- Paper I's Management part (organisational behaviour, human resource management) overlaps with Unit II and Unit III, Part A: General Studies I.
- Paper II's Administrative Ethics shares ground with leadership, values at work and public service: General Studies II.
- The Essay theme “Society, Governance, and Public Affairs” draws on this paper: General Hindi and General English.
- Governance and Rajasthan's administration are common ground in the Interview.
Spelling note: RPSC's PDF has a few typing slips, corrected on these pages: “Determinates” (Determinants), “Barries” (Barriers) and “RAISEC” (RIASEC, John Holland's model).
Source: Rajasthan Public Service Commission, Scheme & Syllabus of the Rajasthan State and Subordinate Services Combined Competitive (Mains) Examination, 9 January 2026, PDF; Scheme of Examination (Mains), 9 January 2026, PDF. Last checked 11 November 2026.