UKPSC PCS Syllabus 2026: Prelims & Mains Syllabus, Exam Pattern and Official PDF (Uttarakhand Upper PCS)

This page gives the complete UKPSC PCS Syllabus 2026 — Preliminary and Main exam — for the Uttarakhand Combined State Civil / Upper Subordinate Services Examination 2026 (67 posts including Deputy Collector and DSP). Everything is taken from the official UKPSC notification (Advt. A-1/E-1/2026-27, 9 September 2026), pages 45–81, and the official PDF is linked below.

The prelims is proposed on 29 November 2026. Use this page as a checklist: the prelims has two objective papers, and at least one-third of the General Studies questions are about Uttarakhand. We will update this page if UKPSC issues any change.

UKPSC PCS Exam Pattern 2026 at a Glance

• Negative marking in prelims: ¼ of the question's marks for each wrong answer, and also when more than one option is marked.
• Prelims merit is made only from Paper 1 (GS). Paper 2 (CSAT) is qualifying — you must score 33%.
• In Mains, all papers are compulsory and you need at least 35% in General Hindi.

UKPSC PCS Prelims Syllabus — Paper 1: General Studies

150 questions, 150 marks, 2 hours. At least 50 questions (one-third) are asked with reference to Uttarakhand.

Unit 1 — Indian History, Culture and National Movement

• Ancient India: Harappan, Vedic and Sangam age; Mahajanapadas and Magadh; Jainism, Buddhism, Bhagavatism and Shaivism; Mauryan empire and Ashoka's Dhamma; Kushanas; Gupta empire and its administration, society and art.
• Medieval India: Harshavardhan, Pala, Pratihara, Rashtrakuta, Chola, Pallava, Chandel, Paramar and Chauhan; Delhi Sultanate; Vijayanagar; Sufism and Bhakti movement; Mughal empire, Mansabdari and Jagirdari; Marathas, Sikhs and Jats.
• Modern India: arrival of Europeans; British administration (1758–1857); economic impact of British rule; 19th-century reform movements; Viceroys 1858–1947; 1857 revolt; tribal and peasant movements; Acts of 1858, 1919 and 1935.
• National movement: INC, Moderates and Extremists; Partition of Bengal and Swadeshi; Morley-Minto reforms; Home Rule; Lucknow Pact; Gandhian era — Rowlatt Act, Jallianwala Bagh, Khilafat, Non-Cooperation, Chauri Chaura, Simon Commission, Civil Disobedience, Round Table Conferences, Poona Pact, Cripps Mission, Quit India, INA, Cabinet Mission, Mountbatten Plan and Independence.
• History and culture of Uttarakhand: prehistoric and proto-historic periods; ancient tribes; Kuninda and Yaudheya; Kartikeyapur and Katyuri dynasties; Parmar dynasty of Garhwal; Chand dynasty of Kumaon; Gorkha rule; British rule; Tehri state; 1857 and Uttarakhand's role in the national movement; people's movements of Uttarakhand.

Unit 2 — Indian and World Geography

• World: solar system, earth's movements, latitude and longitude, time, landforms, rocks, atmosphere, oceans (currents, tides, salinity), agriculture, minerals, industries, population, transport and world trade groups.
• India: relief and structure, climate, drainage, vegetation, soils, irrigation, water resources, agriculture, minerals, industries, population and urbanisation, transport, foreign trade and pollution.
• Uttarakhand: location, relief, climate, drainage, vegetation and wildlife, minerals, agriculture and animal husbandry, irrigation, major cities and tourist places, population, SC/ST, transport, power, industry and natural hazards.

Unit 3 — Indian Polity, Constitution and Governance

• Constitution: constitutional development, Constituent Assembly, Preamble, basic features, Fundamental Rights and Duties, DPSP, amendments, federal and parliamentary system, parliamentary committees, Election Commission, CAG, Supreme Court and High Courts.
• Polity: Union and State executive, Parliament and State legislatures, elections, parties and pressure groups, administrative reforms, district administration, reorganisation of states and Union Territories.
• Panchayati Raj and public policy: 73rd and 74th Amendments, State Finance Commission, local bodies; good governance, citizen charter, e-governance, Lokpal and Lokayukta, RTI, Right to Education and Right to Services.
• Issues and international relations: coalition politics, electoral reforms, welfare of SC/ST/OBC/minorities and women; UN, SAARC, ASEAN, BRICS and India's approach to world issues.
• Political system of Uttarakhand: Governor, CM and Council of Ministers, legislature, High Court, Public Service Commission, Advocate General, official language, local government, Lokayukta, Samadhan Yojana and related governance issues.

Unit 4 — Economic and Social Development

• National: economic reforms and LPG, FDI, inflation, inclusive growth, poverty and unemployment programmes, HDI, census, union budget, national income, planning and NDC, agriculture (green revolution, food security, buffer stock, crop insurance), money and capital markets, banking, insurance, tax structure and fiscal policy.
• International: WTO, IMF, World Bank, SAARC, ASEAN, SAPTA, BRICS, OPEC; FERA, FEMA and PMLA; flow of capital and technology.
• Uttarakhand economy: budget and main features, natural and energy resources, industries, schemes, agriculture and livestock, public finance, census and HDI, tourism, and the role of herbs and culture in development.

Unit 5 — General Science and Technology

• Everyday science; science and technology in India; awards, discoveries and conferences; organisations such as IUCN, WWF, IPCC, WHO and UNESCO.
• Computers and IT: computer organisation, Boolean algebra and logic gates, networks and security, internet, cloud computing, software packages, cyber law, spreadsheets and databases.
• Chemistry (states of matter, acids and bases, polymers, biomolecules, vitamins, food chemistry), physics (mechanics, waves, heat, light, electricity, magnetism, nuclear and space physics, semiconductors) and life science (biotechnology, nanotechnology, vaccines, GM organisms).
• Ecology and environment: ecosystems, biodiversity and its conservation, pollution and laws, climate change, remote sensing and GIS, weather forecasting, and the natural resources of Uttarakhand.

Unit 6 — Current Events

State, national and international current affairs: awards, books and authors, sports, defence, space, important days, reports, conferences, heritage sites, dances, languages, cultural institutions and welfare organisations.

UKPSC PCS Prelims Syllabus — Paper 2: General Aptitude Test (CSAT)

100 questions, 150 marks (1.5 marks each), 2 hours. Qualifying — 33% needed.

UKPSC PCS Mains Syllabus 2026 (Summary)

The full topic-wise Mains syllabus runs for several pages in the official notification — download it from the link below.

How to Use This Syllabus

1. Start with Uttarakhand. One-third of prelims GS and two full Mains papers (GS-V and GS-VI) are about the state.
2. Do not ignore CSAT. It is only qualifying, but 33% of 150 is needed to get into the merit list at all.
3. Practise previous papers from the UKPSC website (Candidate Corner → Old Question Paper) to understand the level and the Uttarakhand weightage.
4. Keep current affairs from the last 12 months, especially Uttarakhand government schemes, budget and events.

Important Links