UPSC GS Paper 1 Syllabus

UPSC GS Paper 1 Syllabus & GS 3 – General Studies Paper

UPSC Mains exam inculcates nearly nine papers among which four papers are General Studies I, II, III, and IV along with that, Essay, English, Indian Language, and Optional subject Paper I and II. These are the nine papers that you will be preparing after clearing the UPSC Mains exams. In this article, you will get to know about the UPSC Mains exam General studies important topics to prepare based on the syllabus, and topic wise information is elucidated for a better understanding. You will also get to know about the UPSC Books that you can refer to for General Studies I paper.

General Studies I preparation strategy – In a Nutshell!

If you are starting the General Studies preparations based on the syllabus, then you need to ensure that you are using the right paper. The questions in the General Studies paper will evaluate the candidate’s knowledge of the current issue, analytical skills, their perspective on socio-economic goals, aims, and demands. With their answers, the candidates should elucidate these attributes about them and assure that they are good to acquire a position in Indian Administrative Service. Before you move into the preparations, keep one thing in mind. You should learn effectively and you don’t have to master the subject. It is okay even if you master it but ensure you have a good understanding.

You will not get a proper understanding of reading once. A few subjects are easy to understand and you can wrap up the preparations soon. However, General studies necessitate you to read with concentration and it is not another book you read. You have to carefully take notes while preparing for the exams. Make use of the books available to better your preparations.

When it comes to Mains, It is not just about reading, you should also indulge in writing. By practicing regularly, you will be able to perform extremely well. General Studies I syllabus include India Heritage and Culture, history, and Geography of the World and Society.

Indian Culture – From ancient to modern times, the features of Art Forms, Architecture, and Literature.

First off, you have to start the preparations with NCERT and NIOS books. These books will cover the above specified topics. You will find An Introduction to Indian Art in Class 11 NCERT books from which you can start the preparations. Or else, you should initiate the preparations with the basics i.e., checking out NCERT Class VI History books and complete XII standard book as well. Before we move any further references, you should know about the chapter which has more importance.

Chapter 4, 5, 9, and 12 in VI standard NCERT History book (Our Past)
Chapter 5,6,8 and 9 in VII standard NCERT History book (Our Past I)
Chapter 4 and 6 in VIII standard NCERT History book (Our Past II, III)
Chapter 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10 and 12 in XII standard NCERT History book (Themes in Indian History)

While you are reading the above chapters, scrutinize the book to read the relevant topics and jot down the important points for better preparations. Make sure that you don’t miss any topic while taking notes and these notes will help you to tag along with your preparations. Moreover, you can also refer to other History books of famous authors to score more marks in the exam. Simultaneously, read the NIOS book and obtain relevant information regarding the topic. The questions from Indian Culture are unprecedented and also, the subtopics are more. From paintings to dance and festivals, you have to keep everything in mind. One of the advantages of the topic is that the question is opinion based so you don’t have to concentrate on factual names and location until it is really important.

Modern India – Important events, famous personalities, problems from 18th century to the present

When it comes to Modern India, you will have to read Freedom struggle and important events along with the contribution of renowned personalities and freedom fighters. These are the two important topics that you should concentrate on while preparing for the exams. You should utilize Current affairs and NCERT Books. You can make use of the previous year’s question papers to check the format and understand the question paper the board follows. You can also identify the repeated topics so that you can provide more importance to certain topics. Modern History is interesting than other topics as you will be learning about the revolutionary movements and the struggles of freedom fighters. When it is from the 18th century, you will have to learn about the American Revolution, Russian Revolution, Industrial revolution, and more. One of the important things that you have to do is, relate the static portions with current affairs by reading the Newspapers. However, you don’t have to read more books and keep it low when it comes to reference.

Diverse stages and essential contributors from various parts of the country during the Freedom Struggle

When it comes to the Freedom struggle, you have learned about the different phases and also know about the important personalities. You can refer to the books of famous authors like Bipan Chandra, especially for Independence of India as it is considered as an exceptional learning resource for History preparation. Moreover, you can also go for other books. Whatever book you choose, you shouldn’t forget two important points, read twice, jot down the important points and make a note.

Consolidation and recognition in the country after Independence

After Indian Independence, it is also an intriguing topic as you will learn the political situation right after freedom and how it was handled by our leaders. To make the more interesting, check out documentaries and other video content available to get a precise understanding. In the past few years, the questions asked are less so you can concentrate more on other topics as well. As this topic is loosely based on Independence, you can refer to the same book of Bipan Chandra but you have to focus on chapters from six to twelve. You can also check out another book which is considered an important resource. By using these two books, you can finish the preparations.

Important events around the world, impact society due to the events in the 18th century like the world war, industrial revolution, colonization, decolonization, and more

NCERT Books are the first and foremost learning resource you should refer to when you start the preparations for this topic. Mae use of Class IX, X, XII, and go for other books when you are done with NCERT. Books like Mastering Modern World History written by Norman Lowe’s and Arjun Dev’s History of the World are good for your preparations.

Diversity of India and Indian Society

When it society, Diversity of India, you should certainly read two books such as Indian Society and Social Problems in India. Both these books are written by the same author hence it will be easier for you to follow the learning resources. Jot down the important points.

Role of women and related issues

You should definitely check out Platform for Action Report on Indian women to know about the issues. Other than that, you can go for current affairs and read newspapers every day. To know about the role of women in ancient times, it is essential to utilize the reference books where you will find the life of women personalities, women’s place in ancient times, and more. You will also know about the renowned female freedom fighters. When you are answering the same question in the exam, it is essential to inculcate the three stages of history and write answers in a way that you elucidate all these stages. You can follow the same style while making notes.

Social empowerment

For this topic, you can utilize the NCERT books available and ensure that you know all the important subtopics like Regionalism, Secularism, Communalism, and others as well. You should also know that this subtopic is very important as the marks weightage is high so prepare well.

Distribution of natural resources across the globe

You should utilize NCERT class XII books and concentrate on Human Geography. You will have to read about the primary, secondary, and tertiary industry sectors present across the word.

Globalization effect in Indian Society

For this topic, you should utilize NCERT books which are more than enough to understand the basic topics.

Significant Geophysical phenomena

when it comes to this topic, you should learn about important topics like Tsunami, earthquakes, cyclones and more. Understand Geographical features based on the location including water bodies and ice caps. You should go through the flora and fauna and the impact of modification. You should utilize the book Certificate Physical and Human Geography which is written by Goh Cheng Leong. You have to learn about climate change, dumping wastes, and other factors like depletion of resources. You should also concentrate on Geographical features specified in the book. When you see the question paper, you will find that the questions are mostly based on global climate change.

Mark allotted in the past few years

Art and Culture – 20-40
Modern Indian History (Freedom Struggle) – 25-35
World history – 10-30
Post Independence – Very less
Role of women 10-20
Population, poverty and other issues 10-25
Social empowerment, regionalism and Secularism 10-35

Tips to utilize for better preparations

You should make use of a timetable and time management is also important. Plan a proper schedule so that you can utilize the time well.

It is essential for the candidates to pursue the right books while preparing and utilize the study resources properly.

You should utilize the NCERT books from the sixth standard to the twelfth before moving into any other reference books. The NCERT books are a nitty-gritty in your preparations so don’t miss them.

Once you have the right books, you can initiate the preparations but ensure that you regularly revise whatever you have learned.

Answer writing practice is one thing that you should never miss out on. It is essential to prepare well and finish up the learning without any doubts.