Medical Science

About this optional

Medical Science is one of the optional subjects of the Civil Services (Main) Examination. A candidate who chooses it writes two papers on it, and both are counted for merit.

• Both papers are of conventional (essay) type. Together they carry 500 of the 1750 marks of the written examination.
• For Medical Science the notice sets the level of the syllabus at a bachelor's degree (for most other optionals it is broadly of honours degree level).
• The question papers are set in Hindi and English. The candidate may answer in English or in any one language of the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution.
• The optional papers are taken into account only if the candidate gets 25% in each of the qualifying papers, Indian Language and English.

The rules common to every optional are on the Optional Subject (two papers) page. Below is the complete official syllabus of both papers, as the notice gives it.

Paper I

1. Human Anatomy

Applied anatomy including blood and nerve supply of upper and lower limbs and joints of shoulder, hip and knee.

Gross anatomy, blood supply and lymphatic drainage of tongue, thyroid, mammary gland, stomach, liver, prostate, gonads and uterus.

Applied anatomy of diaphragm, perineum and inguinal region.

Clinical anatomy of kidney, urinary bladder, uterine tubes, vas deferens.

Embryology: Placenta and placental barrier. Development of heart, gut, kidney. uterus, ovary, testis and their common congenital abnormalities.

Central and Peripheral Autonomic Nervous System: Gross and clinical anatomy of ventricles of brain, circulation of cerebrospinal fluid; Neural pathways and lesions of cutaneous sensations, hearing and vision; Cranial nerves distribution and clinical significance; Components of autonomic nervous system.

2. Human Physiology

Conduction and transmission of impulse, mechanism of contraction, neuromuscular transmission, reflexes, control of equilibrium, posture and muscle tone, descending pathways, functions of cerebellum, basal ganglia, Physiology of sleep and consciousness.

Endocrine System: Mechanism of action of hormones; formation, secretion, transport, metabolism, function and regulation of secretion of pancreas and pituitary gland.

Physiology of Reproductive System: Pregnancy menstrual cycle, lactation, pregnancy.

Blood: Development, regulation and fate of blood cells.

Cardio-vascular, cardiac output, blood pressure, regulation of cardiovascular functions.

3. Biochemistry

• Organ function tests—liver, kidney, thyroid Protein synthesis.
• Vitamins and minerals.
• Restriction fragment length. polymorphism (RFLP).
• Polymerase chain reaction (PCR).
• Radio-immunoassays (RIA).

4. Pathology

Inflammation and repair, disturbances of growth and cancer, Pathogenesis and histopathology of rheumatic and ischaemic heart disease and diabetes mellitus. Differentiation between benign, malignant, primary and metastatic malignancies, Pathogenesis and histopathology of bronchogenic carcinoma, carcinoma breast, oral cancer, cancer cervix, leukemia, Etiology, pathogenesis and histopathology of—cirrhosis liver, glomerulonephritis, tuberculosis, acute osteomyelitis.

5. Microbiology

Humoral and cell mediated immunity.

Diseases caused by and laboratory diagnosis of—

• Meningococcus, Saimonella
• Shigella, Herpes, Dengue, Polio
• HIV/AIDS, Malaria, E. Histolytica, Giardia
• Candida, Cryptococcus, Aspergillus.

6. Pharmacology

Mechanism of action and side effects of the following drugs:

• Antipyretics and analgesics, Antibiotics,
• Antimalaria, Antikala-azar, Antidiabetics,
• Antihypertensive, Antidiuretics, General and cardiac vasodilators, Antiviral, Antiparasitic, Antifungal, Immunosuppressants,
• Anticancer.

7. Forensic Medicine and Toxicology

Forensic examination of injuries and wounds; Examination of blood and seminal stains; Poisoning, sedative overdose, hanging, drowning, burns, DNA and finger print study.

Paper II

1. General Medicine

Etiology, clinical features, diagnosis and principles of management (including prevention) of—Typhoid, Rabies, AIDS, Dengue, Kala-azar, Japanese Encephalitis.

Etiology, clinical features, diagnosis and principles of management of:

• Ischaemic heart disease, pulmonary embolism.
• Bronchial asthma.
• Pleural effusion, tuberculosis, Malabsorption syndromes; acid peptic diseases, Viral hepatitis and cirrhosis of liver.
• Glomerulonephritis and pyelonephritis, renal failure, nephrotic syndrome, renovascular hypertension, complications of diabetes mellitus, coagulation disorders, leukaemia, Hypo and hyper thyrodism, meningitis and encephalitis.

Imaging in medical problems, ultrasound, echo- cardiogram, CT scan, MRI.

Anxiety and Depressive Psychosis and schizophrenia and ECT.

2. Paediatrics

Immunization, Baby friendly hospital, congenital cyanotic heart disease, respiratory distress syndrome, broncho— pneumonias, kernicterus. IMNCI classification and management, PEM grading and management. ARI and Diarrhea of under five and their management.

3. Dermatology

Psoriasis, Allergic dermatitis, scabies, eczema, vitiligo, Stevan Johnson’s syndrome, Lichen Planus.

4. General Surgery

• Clinical features, causes, diagnosis and principles of management of cleft palate, harelip.
• Laryngeal tumour, oral and esophageal tumours.
• Peripheral arterial diseases, varicose veins, coarctation of aorta.
• Tumours of Thyroid, Adrenal, Glands.
• Abscess cancer, fibroadenoma and adenosis of breast.
• Bleeding peptic ulcer, tuberculosis of bowel, ulcerative colitis, cancer stomach.
• Renal mass, cancer prostatie.
• Haemothorax, stones of Gall bladder, Kidney, Ureter and Urinary Bladder.
• Management of surgical conditions of Rectum, Anus and Anal canal, Gall bladder and Bile ducts.
• Splenomegaly, cholecystitis, portal hypertension, liver abscess, peritonitis, carcinoma head of pancreas.
• Fractures of spine, Colles’ fracture and bone tumors.
• Endoscopy.
• Laprascopic Surgery.

5. Obstetrics and Gynaecology including Family Planning

• Diagnosis of pregnancy.
• Labour management, complications of 3rd stage, Antepartum and postpartum hemorrhage, resuscitation of the newborn, Management of abnormal life and difficult labour. Management of small for date or premature newborn.
• Diagnosis and management of anemia. Preeclampsia and Toxaemias of pregnancy, Management of Post-menopausal Syndrome.
• Intra-uterine devices, pills, tubectomy and vasectomy. Medical termination of pregnancy including legal aspects.
• Cancer cervix.
• Leucorrhoea, pelvic pain; infertility, dysfunctional uterine bleeding (DUB), amenorrhoea, Fibroid and prolapse of uterus.

6. Community Medicine (Preventive and Social Medicine)

• Principles, methods approach and measurements of Epidemiology.
• Nutrition, nutritional diseases/diorders and Nutrition Programmes.
• Health information Collection, Analysis and Presentation.
• Objectives, components and critical analysis of National programmes for control/eradication of: Malaria, Kala-azar, Filaria and Tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, STDs and Dengue.
• Critical appraisal of Health care delivery system.
• Health management and administration; Techniques, Tools, Programme Implementation and Evaluation.
• Objectives, Components, Goals and Status of Reproductive and Child Health, National Rural Health Mission and Millennium Development Goals.
• Management of hospital and industrial waste.

Overlaps with General Studies

• General Studies II is the closest: its social sector topic names health, and Community Medicine's national disease-control programmes, the health care delivery system, reproductive and child health, nutrition programmes and the health goals feed straight into questions on health policy, welfare schemes for vulnerable sections, and poverty and hunger.
• General Studies III meets this subject in its science and technology part, where biotechnology (DNA techniques such as PCR, diagnostics, vaccines) comes up, and in its environment part through the management of hospital and industrial waste. Epidemics and public health response also link to its disaster management topic.
• Prelims General Studies Paper I includes General Science, under which the human body, diseases and their causes, and immunisation fall at a general level, and its economic and social development part names social sector initiatives, which take in health schemes.
• Most of the clinical content (anatomy, pathology, pharmacology, surgery and obstetrics) is specialised and has no counterpart in the General Studies papers.

Source: UPSC Examination Notice No. 05/2026-CSE, Civil Services Examination, 2026, 4 February 2026, Appendix I, Section III, Part B, PDF. Last checked 11 November 2026.