UPPCS Mains: General Studies II

About this paper

General Studies II is one of the eight compulsory papers of the UPPCS Main (Written) Examination, the second of the examination's three stages (Preliminary Examination, Main Examination and Viva-Voce). Its syllabus covers the Indian Constitution and polity, governance, social justice and welfare, and international relations. The advertisement gives the General Studies papers no titles.

• Language of answers: English (Roman script), Hindi (Devanagari script) or Urdu (Persian script).
• Standard: what a holder of a university Bachelor's degree is expected to know.
• Handwriting: marks may be deducted for handwriting that is not easily legible.
• Merit: the paper's 200 marks are part of the Main Examination's 1,500. Final selection is made on the total marks of the Main (Written) Examination and the Interview (100 marks). Three times as many candidates as there are vacancies are called for the interview.
• Minimum standard: candidates scoring less than 40% in the Main Examination (35% for SC and ST candidates) are not placed in the merit or select list.

Official syllabus

General Studies II:

• Indian Constitution: historical underpinnings, evolution, features, amendments, significant provisions and basic structure, Role of Supreme Court in evolution of basic provisions of Constitution.
• Functions and responsibilities of the Union and the States: Issues and challenges pertaining to the federal structure, devolution of powers and finances up to local levels and challenges therein.
• Role of Finance Commission in Centre-State financial relations.
• Separation of powers, dispute redressal mechanisms and institutions. Emergence and use of alternative dispute redressal mechanisms.
• Comparison of the Indian constitutional scheme with that of other major democratic countries.
• Parliament and State legislatures: structure, functioning, conduct of business, powers and privileges and concerned issues.
• Structure, organization and functioning of the Executive and the Judiciary: Ministries and Departments of the Government, Pressure groups and formal/informal associations and their role in the Polity, Public Interest Litigation (PIL).
• Salient features of the Representation of People's Act. Appointment to various Constitutional posts, Powers, functions and their responsibilities.
• Statutory, regulatory and various quasi-judicial bodies including NITI Aayog, their features and functioning.
• Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design, implementation and Information Communication Technology (ICT).
• Development processes: the role of Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs), Self Help Groups (SHGs), various groups and associations, donors, charities, institutional and other stakeholders.
• Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States and the performance of these schemes, mechanisms, laws, institutions and Bodies constituted for the protection and betterment of these vulnerable sections.
• Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.
• Issues relating to poverty and hunger, their implication on body politic.
• Important aspects of governance. Transparency and accountability, e-governance applications, models, successes, limitations and potential, citizens charters and institutional measures.
• Role of Civil Services in a democracy in the context of emerging trends.
• India and its relationship with neighbouring Countries.
• Bilateral, Regional and Global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India's interest.
• Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India's interests; Indian diaspora.
• Important International Institutions, Agencies: their structure, mandate and functioning.
• Current affairs and events of Regional, National and International importance.

The advertisement numbers these points 1 to 22 but has no point 9; they are shown here as bullets, in the advertisement's order.

Subject-wise breakdown

Each page below quotes its official line and breaks it down point by point.

• Indian Constitution: History, Features, Amendments and Basic Structure: constitutional history under British rule, the Constituent Assembly, sources and features, the Preamble, key provisions, amendments, the basic structure and the Supreme Court's role.
• Union and States: Federal Structure and Devolution to Local Levels: nature of Indian federalism, legislative and administrative relations, the Governor, inter-state bodies, Panchayati Raj and urban local bodies.
• Finance Commission and Centre-State Financial Relations: Article 280, the Commission's functions, tax sharing and grants, the recent Finance Commissions and current issues.
• Separation of Powers, Dispute Redressal and Alternative Dispute Resolution: the doctrine and its Indian form, checks and balances, courts and tribunals, Lok Adalats, arbitration and mediation.
• Indian Constitutional Scheme Compared with Other Major Democracies: India set against the United Kingdom, the United States, France, Germany, Canada, Australia, Japan and others.
• Parliament and State Legislatures: composition, presiding officers, sessions and business, law-making and budget procedure, committees, privileges and current issues.
• Executive, Judiciary, Ministries, Pressure Groups and Public Interest Litigation: the Union and state executive, ministries and departments, the courts, pressure groups and associations, and PIL.
• Representation of the People Acts and Constitutional Posts: the 1950 and 1951 Acts, the Election Commission and electoral reforms, and the appointment, powers and functions of constitutional posts.
• Statutory, Regulatory and Quasi-judicial Bodies, including NITI Aayog: NITI Aayog in detail, statutory commissions, economic and sectoral regulators, tribunals and the issues they face.
• Government Policies, Interventions for Development and the Use of ICT: the policy cycle, design and implementation problems, sector-wise interventions and the role of information and communication technology.
• Development Processes: NGOs, SHGs and Other Stakeholders: NGOs and their regulation, self help groups and livelihood missions, co-operatives, donors, charities and CSR.
• Welfare of Vulnerable Sections: Schemes, Laws and Institutions: who the vulnerable sections are, constitutional safeguards, protective laws, commissions, welfare schemes and their performance.
• Social Sector: Health, Education and Human Resources: health policy and programmes, school and higher education, skills and human resource development, and the issues in each.
• Poverty and Hunger and their Implications for the Body Politic: measuring poverty and hunger, the main programmes, food security law, and what poverty and hunger mean for democracy.
• Governance, Transparency, Accountability and E-governance: good governance, RTI and anti-corruption institutions, e-governance applications and models, citizens' charters and institutional measures.
• Role of Civil Services in a Democracy: history and constitutional position of the civil services, their roles, neutrality, and reforms in the light of emerging trends.
• India and its Neighbouring Countries: India's neighbourhood policy and its relations with each neighbour, with the cross-cutting issues.
• Bilateral, Regional and Global Groupings and Agreements: India's strategic partnerships, regional and global groupings, trade agreements and treaties that involve or affect India.
• Policies of Developed and Developing Countries, and the Indian Diaspora: how other countries' trade, technology, migration, climate and foreign policies affect India, and the Indian diaspora.
• Important International Institutions and Agencies: the United Nations system, the Bretton Woods institutions, the WTO, development banks and other bodies: structure, mandate and functioning.
• Current Affairs and Events of Regional, National and International Importance: what kinds of events to follow and how to connect them to the rest of this paper.

How this paper connects

• Prelims General Studies Paper I tests Indian polity and governance (Constitution, political system, Panchayati Raj, public policy, rights issues), social development and current events in objective form.
• General Studies I covers the freedom struggle and post-independence consolidation, the background to the Constitution, and social issues such as poverty and the role of women.
• General Studies III covers economic planning and the role of NITI Aayog, poverty and inclusive growth, government budgets and the Public Distribution System.
• General Studies IV covers probity in governance, the right to information, codes of conduct and the citizen's charter from the ethical side.
• General Studies V applies this paper to Uttar Pradesh: its political system, Governor, legislature, High Court, Public Service Commission, State Election Commission, local self government, Lokayukta, e-governance and central welfare schemes in the state.
• General Studies VI covers Uttar Pradesh's schemes, public finance and human resource development.
• Governance, democracy and India's place in the world are frequent themes for the Essay.

Source: UPPSC Advertisement No. A-1/E-1/2026 (25 June 2026), Appendix-2 (plan of examination) and Appendix-4 (Main Examination syllabus), published on the UPPSC website. Last checked 11 November 2026.