Exhaustive coverage of syllabi: The syllabi of the UPSC CSE Prelims and Mains are covered completely.

Updated notes & study material: At the time of admission to the programme, you are provided comprehensive, updated notes and printed study material.

Regular MockTests: You will undergo regular mock tests on individual subjects in the latest Prelims and Mains Examination format. Only when you are tested in an exam atmosphere with negative marking, will you be able to deliver in the actual situation. Moreover, these mocks help you become cognizant of your strengths and weaknesses.

Progress Tracking: With proper analysis of the revision test results, you will be informed where you stand in all India ranking. Progress tracking is another feature of this programme.

Weekly Discussions: Regular weekly discussions on current issues will keep you abreast with the latest topics and the happenings around the world. These discussions will also help you augment your confidence and communication skills.

Writing Skill Development Sessions: Writing skills is of paramount importance in the Mains stage of CSE. These sessions concentrate on honing your writing skills – language, speed, style, etc.

Personal Mentoring and Guidance: Most of the hurdles you, as an aspirant, come across can be crossed easily if there is a mentor to help you identify your shortcomings and rectify them, and nudge you back on the track.

Syllabus

General Studies Paper I

• Current events of national and international importance
• History of India and Indian national movement
• Indian and World Geography- Physical, Social, Economic Geography of India and the world
• Indian Polity and Governance – Constitution, Political system, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights issues, etc.
• Economic and Social development – sustainable development, poverty, inclusion, demographics, social sector initiatives etc.
• General issues on environmental ecology, Bio-diversity and Climate change-that donot require subject specialization
• General science

CSAT Syllabus – Paper II

• Comprehension
• Interpersonal skills including communication skills
• Logical reasoning and analytical ability
• Decision making and problem solving
• General mental ability
• Basic numeracy (numbers and their relations, orders of magnitude etc.) (Class X level), Data Interpretation (charts, graphs, tables, data sufficiency etc. – Class X level)
• English Language Comprehension skills (Class X level)
• Questions relating to English Language Comprehension skills of Class X level. (will be tested through passages from English language only without providing Hindi translation)

PAPER-I

Essay:

Candidates will be required to write an essay on a specific topic. The choice of subjects will be given. They will be expected to keep closely to the subject of the essay to arrange their ideas in orderly fashion, and to write concisely. Credit will be given for effective and exact expression. English Comprehension & English Precis will be to test the English language Comprehension and English précis writing skills (at 10th standard level).

PAPER-II

General Studies- I :

Indian Heritage and Culture, History and Geography of the World and Society.

• Indian culture will cover the salient aspects of Art Forms, Literature and Architecture from ancient to modern times.
• Modern Indian history from about the middle of the eighteenth century until the present- significant events, personalities, issues
• The Freedom Struggle - its various stages and important contributors /contributions from different parts of the country.
• Post-independence consolidation and reorganization within the country.
• History of the world will include events from 18th century such as industrial revolution, world wars, redrawal of national boundaries, colonization, decolonization, political philosophies like communism, capitalism, socialism etc.- their forms and effect on the society.
• Salient features of Indian Society, Diversity of India.
• Role of women and women’s organization, population and associated issues, poverty and developmental issues, urbanization, their problems and their remedies.
• Effects of globalization on Indian society
• Social empowerment, communalism, regionalism & secularism.
• Salient features of world’s physical geography.
• Distribution of key natural resources across the world (including South Asia and the Indian sub-continent); factors responsible for the location of prim ary, secondary, and tertiary sector industries in various parts of the world (including India)
• Important Geophysical phenomena such as earthquakes, Tsunami, Volcanic activity, cyclone etc., geographical features and their location- changes in critical geographical features (including water-bodies and ice-caps) and in flora and fauna and the effects of such changes.

PAPER-III

General Studies- II:

Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice and International relations.

• Indian Constitution- historical underpinnings, evolution, features, amendments, significant provisions and basic structure.
• 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.
• Separation of powers between various organs dispute redressal mechanisms and institutions. Comparison of the Indian constitutional scheme with that of other countries
• Parliament and State Legislatures - structure, functioning, conduct of business, powers & privileges and issues arising out of these.
• 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.
• Salient features of the Representation of People’s Act.
• Appointment to various Constitutional posts, powers, functions and responsibilities of various Constitutional Bodies.
• Statutory, regulatory and various quasi-judicial bodies
• Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.
• Development processes and the development industry- the role of NGOs, SHGs, various groups and associations, donors, charities, ins titutional 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.
• Important aspects of governance, transparency and accountability, e-governance- applications, models, successes, limitations, and potential; citizen s charters, transparency & accountability and institutional and other measures.
• Role of civil services in a democracy.
• India and its neighborhood- relations.
• Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests
• Effect of policies and politics of developed and de veloping countries on India’s interests, Indian diaspora.
• Important International institutions, agencies and fora- their structure, mandate.

PAPER-V

General Studies- IV:

Ethics, Integrity, and Aptitude This paper will include questions to test the candidates’ attitude and approach to issues relating to integrity, probity in public life and his problem solving approach to various issues and conflicts faced by him in dealing with society. Questions may utilise the case study approach to determine these aspects. The following broad areas will be covered.

• Ethics and Human Interface: Essence, determinants and consequences of Ethics in human actions; dimensions of ethics; ethics in private and public relationships. Human Values – lessons from the lives and teachings of great lead ers, reformers and administrators; role of family, society and educational institutions in inculcating values.
• Attitude: content, structure, function; its influence and relation with thought and behaviour; moral and political attitudes; social influence and persuasion.
• Aptitude and foundational values for Civil Service , integrity, impartiality and non-partisanship, objectivity, dedication to public service, empathy, tolerance and compassion towards the weaker-sections.
• Emotional intelligence-concepts, and their utilities and application in administration and governance.
• Contributions of moral thinkers and philosophers from India and world.
• Public/Civil service values and Ethics in Public administration: Status and problems; ethical concerns and dilemmas in government and private institutions; laws, rules, regulations and conscience as sources of ethical guidance; accountability and ethical governance; strengthening of ethical and moral values in governance; ethical issues in international relations and funding; corporate governance.
• Probity in Governance: Concept of public service; Philosophical basis of governance and probity; Information sharing and transparency in government, Right to Information, Codes of Ethics, Codes of Conduct, Citizen’s Charters, Work culture, Quality of service delivery, Utilization of public funds, challenges of corruption.
• Case Studies on above issues.

PAPER-VI & PAPER VII

Optional Subject Papers I & II

Candidates may choose any optional subject from amongst the list of subjects given in para 2 (Group 1). However, if a candidate has graduated in any of th e literatures of languages indicated in Group-2 , with the literature as the main subject, then the candidate can also opt for that particular literature subject as an optional subject.

Prelims-cum-Mains programme is a year-long programme and has two stages:

• Regular Classroom Sessions: These classroom sessions span 7 months with each class having a duration of 3hours. The focus on subjects is roughlyas given below:
  • In the initial 4-5 months, the emphasis shall be on the 5 core subjects, viz., Economics, Polity, History-Art-Culture, Geography, and Environment.
  • The last 2½months shall be devoted to specific Mains topics like Ethics, Internal Security, Society, Social Justice, and Disaster Management.

  At the time of admission to this programme,printed study material shall be provided to the student.

• Weekly Mentorship-cum-Enrichment Sessions: These sessions are sustained till the Prelims and theEnlite R & D Team works closely with the aspirants in analyzing the evolving trends in CSE and helps tweak courses and strategies accordingly. Our mentors are student-friendly who afford personal guidance and make learning process stress-free and effective.

MEDIUM OF INSTRUCTION

The media of instruction include English and Malayalam.