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UKPSC PCS Syllabus 2026; Check Detailed Subject-Wise Topics

Sep 14, 2026

UKPSC Upper PCS Syllabus 2026 covers the topics tested in all three stages of the Uttarakhand Combined State Civil / Upper Subordinate Services exam. UKPSC Upper PCS 2026 Prelims is an objective, paper-based exam covering General Studies and the General Aptitude Test, while the Mains is a descriptive exam of eight papers followed by an interview. UKPSC Upper PCS 2026 candidates should prepare for the Prelims and Mains together because a large part of the syllabus overlaps, and Uttarakhand-related topics carry weight in both stages.

Table of Content

UKPSC PCS Prelims Syllabus 2026
UKPSC PCS Mains Syllabus 2026
UKPSC PCS 2026 Interview Syllabus
UKPSC PCS Syllabus 2026 Important Topics

UKPSC Upper PCS Syllabus 2026 Highlights

UKPSC Upper PCS Syllabus 2026 is given in the Notification and covers the Prelims, the Mains, and the interview. The table below provides the key recruitment details.

Particulars	Details
Organisation	Uttarakhand Public Service Commission (UKPSC)
Exam Name	Uttarakhand Combined State Civil / Upper Subordinate Services Exam, 2026
Advertisement Number	A-1/E-1/2026-27
Post Name	Deputy Collector, Police Dy. Superintendent, BDO, State Tax Officer and 12 more
Exam Date	To Be Announced
Exam Level	State
Exam Mode	Offline (Objective Prelims and Descriptive Mains)
Exam Stages	Prelims, Mains and Interview
Official Website	psc.uk.gov.in

UKPSC Upper PCS Prelims Syllabus 2026

UKPSC Upper PCS Prelims consists of two objective papers. Paper I is General Studies, while Paper II is the General Aptitude Test.

Paper	Subject	Questions	Marks	Mode
Paper I	General Studies	150	150	Objective
Paper II	General Aptitude Test	100	150	Objective
Total	Two Papers	250	300	Objective

UKPSC Upper PCS Mains Syllabus 2026

UKPSC Upper PCS Mains consists of eight descriptive papers. General Hindi and Essay carry 150 marks each, while General Studies Papers I to VI carry 200 marks each.

Paper	Subject	Marks	Mode
Paper I	General Hindi	150	Written
Paper II	Essay	150	Written
Paper III	General Studies-I	200	Written
Paper IV	General Studies-II	200	Written
Paper V	General Studies-III	200	Written
Paper VI	General Studies-IV	200	Written
Paper VII	General Studies-V	200	Written
Paper VIII	General Studies-VI	200	Written
Total	Eight Papers	1500	Written

UKPSC Upper PCS Mains carries 1500 marks, while the Personality Test carries 150 marks, for a total of 1650 marks for the written exam and interview.

UKPSC Upper PCS Prelims Syllabus 2026

UKPSC Upper PCS Prelims Syllabus focuses on the candidate’s general awareness of national and state affairs along with aptitude and reasoning ability. The preliminary exam is a screening exam, and its marks are not added to the marks of the Mains and the interview.

Paper	Number of Questions	Marks	Major Areas
Paper I: General Studies	150	150	History, geography, polity, economy, science and current events, including Uttarakhand
Paper II: General Aptitude Test	100	150	Aptitude, reasoning, decision-making, numerical ability and language comprehension
Total	250	300	General Studies + Aptitude

A minimum of one-third of the 150 questions in Paper I are asked with reference to the state of Uttarakhand. Paper II is qualifying in nature, and the merit list of the Prelims is prepared only from the marks obtained in Paper I.

UKPSC Upper PCS Paper I Syllabus 2026 (General Studies)

UKPSC Upper PCS General Studies Syllabus is divided into six units covering national, international, and Uttarakhand-specific topics.

Unit	What to Prepare
Unit 1: Indian History, Culture and National Movement	Pre-historic period, Harappa and Vedic civilization, Sangam age, Mauryan and Gupta empires, post-Gupta period, advent of Islam and the Delhi Sultanate, Mughal empire, advent of Europeans, Viceroys of India (1858:1947), Indian National Congress, First World War and the national movement, Government of India Act 1935, and the history and culture of Uttarakhand
Unit 2: Indian and World Geography	Geography of the world including lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, resources, population and world trade; geography of India; and geography of Uttarakhand covering relief, climate, drainage, minerals, agriculture, tourist places and natural hazards
Unit 3: Indian Polity	National and international polity, Constitution of India, Indian polity, Panchayati Raj, public policy, issues concerning rights, and the political system of Uttarakhand
Unit 4: Economic and Social Development	National economic policy, FDI, inflation, poverty and unemployment programmes, census, budget, agriculture, financial markets; international organisations such as WTO, IMF, SAARC, ASEAN and BRICS; and the economy of Uttarakhand
Unit 5: General Science and Technology	Science and technology in India, current affairs in science, ecology and environment, natural resources, biodiversity, environmental crisis, climate change, remote sensing and GIS, weather forecasting
Unit 6: Current Events	Current events of state, national and international importance, including awards, sports, books and authors, reports, conferences and important days

UKPSC Upper PCS 2026 History and Culture of Uttarakhand

The Uttarakhand portion of Unit 1 covers the pre-historic and proto-historic period, ancient tribes of Uttarakhand, Kuninda and Yaudheya, Kartikeypur dynasty, Kattyuri dynasty, Parmar dynasty of Garhwal, Chand dynasty of Kumaon, Gorkha invasion and rule, British rule, Tehri Estate, the freedom movement in Uttarakhand including the First War of Independence (1857), the role of Uttarakhand in the national movement, and people’s movements of Uttarakhand.

UKPSC Upper PCS Paper II Syllabus 2026 (General Aptitude Test)

UKPSC Upper PCS General Aptitude Test checks reasoning ability, decision-making, and language comprehension. The paper is divided into two units with a fixed distribution of questions and marks.

Unit	Questions	Marks	Topics
Unit 1	80	120	Aptitude test, communication and interpersonal skills, logical and analytical ability, decision-making and problem-solving, general mental ability, numerical aptitude, statistical analysis
Unit 2	20	30	English language comprehension skill (7 questions) and Hindi language comprehension skill (13 questions)

UKPSC Upper PCS Paper II Unit 1

Unit 1 covers statements and syllogism, analogy, similarity and dissimilarity, word formation, coding-decoding, numerical operations, arguments and conclusions, Venn diagrams, number series, direction sense, social and emotional intelligence, critical thinking, puzzles, data sufficiency, classification of numbers, divisibility rules, remainder theorem and presentation of data through charts, graphs and tables.

UKPSC Upper PCS Paper II Unit 2

Unit 2 carries a long English passage followed by three comprehension questions and four grammar-based questions on vocabulary, antonyms, synonyms, one-word substitution, phrases and transformation of sentences. The Hindi portion has six questions on an unseen passage and seven questions on title, purpose, idioms, alankar, tatsam-tadbhav, synonyms, antonyms, upsarg, pratyay, sandhi, samas, and verb forms.

UKPSC Upper PCS Mains Syllabus 2026

UKPSC Upper PCS Mains Syllabus focuses on descriptive writing across eight compulsory papers. Two of the eight papers are devoted entirely to Uttarakhand, which makes state-specific preparation essential.

Paper	Subject	Marks	Duration
1	General Hindi	150	3 hours
2	Essay	150	3 hours
3	General Studies-I	200	3 hours
4	General Studies-II	200	3 hours
5	General Studies-III	200	3 hours
6	General Studies-IV	200	3 hours
7	General Studies-V	200	3 hours
8	General Studies-VI	200	3 hours

All question papers are compulsory, and a minimum of 35 per cent marks is mandatory in the General Hindi paper.

UKPSC Upper PCS 2026 General Hindi Syllabus

UKPSC Upper PCS General Hindi is generally based on the High School level syllabus and carries a fixed mark distribution for each component.

Topic	Marks
Shabd Rachna: upsarg, pratyay, sandhi, samas, vachan, ling, grammatical categories	15
Shabd Vivek: shabd bhed and shabd shuddhi	15
Vakya Rachna: sentence transformation, punctuation, vakya shuddhi, slogan writing	15
Muhavare and Lokoktiyan: meaning and usage in sentences	10
Patra Lekhan: formal and informal letters	15
Prativedan Lekhan and translation of Hindi administrative words into English	10 + 10
Bodhan: comprehension questions on an unseen passage	15
Saar Lekhan / Saransh / Sankshepan	15
Pallavan: explanation and expansion of famous quotations and proverbs	10
Translation of a Hindi passage into English	10
Translation of an English passage into Hindi	10

UKPSC Upper PCS 2026 Essay Syllabus

UKPSC Upper PCS Essay paper has three sections, and candidates write one essay of 700:800 words from each section in the chosen language option, with 50 marks for each essay.

Section	Topics
Section A	Literature and culture, social sphere, political sphere, economic sphere covering agriculture, industry and trade
Section B	Science, environment and technology, national and international events, natural disasters such as landslides, earthquakes, floods and drought, national development schemes and projects
Section C	Social structure of Uttarakhand, history, culture, art and literature, economic and geographical profile, tourism and migration, environment and disaster management, women empowerment in Uttarakhand

Each essay is evaluated on language and grammatical accuracy with legible handwriting, original ideas on the subject, multi-dimensional understanding, systematic and logical presentation, and clarity of expression along with the ability to expand and summarise the subject.

UKPSC Upper PCS 2026 General Studies Papers Syllabus

UKPSC Upper PCS 2026 General Studies syllabus covers six descriptive papers covering history, geography, polity, economy, science, environment, Uttarakhand-specific topics, and other relevant areas.

Paper	Key Areas to Cover
General Studies-I	Indian heritage and culture from ancient to modern times, modern Indian history from the mid-18th century, the freedom struggle, post-independence consolidation, world history of the 18th century including the industrial revolution and world wars, Indian society and diversity, role of women, poverty and developmental issues, urbanisation, globalisation, social empowerment, physical geography of the world, distribution of natural resources and geophysical phenomena
General Studies-II	Indian Constitution and its features and amendments, functions and responsibilities of the Union and States, separation of powers, comparison with other constitutions, Parliament and State legislatures, executive and judiciary, Representation of the People Act, constitutional and statutory bodies, government policies and interventions, role of NGOs and self-help groups, welfare schemes for vulnerable sections, health and education services, poverty and hunger, governance and e-governance, citizens charter, role of civil services in a democracy, India and its neighbours, bilateral and global groupings, and important international institutions
General Studies-III	Indian economy and planning, inclusive growth, government budgeting, cropping patterns and irrigation, storage and marketing of agricultural produce, e-technology for farmers, minimum support price and the public distribution system, food processing industries, land reforms, effects of liberalisation, infrastructure, investment models, science and technology and its applications, achievements of Indians in science, IT, space, computers, robotics, nano-technology, bio-technology and IPR, environmental conservation and pollution, disaster management, linkages between development and extremism, internal security challenges including cyber security and money laundering, border area security, and security forces and their mandate
General Studies-IV	Ethics and human interface, attitude, aptitude and foundational values for civil service, emotional intelligence, contributions of moral thinkers and philosophers of India and the world, public and civil service values and ethics in public administration, probity in governance including the Right to Information, code of ethics, code of conduct, citizen charter, work culture and challenges of corruption, along with case studies on these topics
General Studies-V	Uttarakhand-specific paper covering the history of Uttarakhand, British rule in Uttarakhand, people’s movements such as the Coolie Begar, Dola-Palki and Chipko movements, society and culture including folk songs, folk dances, crafts, dialects, religious places, fairs and festivals, the political and local self-governance system, administrative system including the State Public Service Commission, Lokayukta, local bodies and Panchayati Raj, and current events relating to Uttarakhand
General Studies-VI	Uttarakhand-specific paper covering the geography of the state, hydroelectric projects and water crisis, tourism, national parks and sanctuaries, population and human development, the economy of Uttarakhand including natural resources, industrial development, infrastructure, economic planning, public finance and the state budget, welfare programmes, disaster management including the Disaster Management Act 2005 and the role of NDRF and SDRF, human resource and community development, education and health in Uttarakhand

UKPSC Upper PCS 2026 Interview Syllabus

The interview or personality test carries 150 marks and relates to subjects of general interest. It is conducted keeping in view the candidate’s general awareness, intelligence, character, ability of expression, personality and general suitability for the service.

UKPSC Upper PCS Syllabus 2026 Important Topics

UKPSC Upper PCS Important Topics can be divided stage-wise so that candidates can prioritise their preparation. The Prelims require broad general awareness, while the Mains require descriptive depth and state-specific knowledge.

Stage	Important Topics	Priority
Prelims Paper I	History and culture of Uttarakhand, geography of Uttarakhand, Indian polity, economic development, current events	Very High
Prelims Paper II	Logical and analytical ability, numerical aptitude, Hindi and English comprehension	High
Mains General Hindi	Shabd rachna, patra lekhan, saransh, pallavan, translation	High
Mains Essay	Uttarakhand-based topics in Section C	Very High
Mains GS-V and GS-VI	Uttarakhand history, society, administration, geography, economy and disaster management	Very High
Mains GS-I to GS-IV	Heritage, polity, economy, environment, security and ethics case studies	High

UKPSC Upper PCS candidates should give extra attention to Uttarakhand because a minimum of one-third of the questions in Prelims Paper I relate to the state, one essay section is entirely state-based, and two complete Mains papers of 200 marks each are devoted to Uttarakhand.

UKPSC Upper PCS Prelims vs Mains Syllabus

UKPSC Upper PCS Prelims and Mains test different aspects of the same syllabus. The Prelims focus on factual recall and aptitude, while the Mains requires structured written answers.

Feature	Prelims	Mains
Main Focus	General awareness and aptitude	Descriptive understanding and written expression
Papers	2 papers	8 papers
Questions/Tasks	250 objective questions	Descriptive answers and essays
Marks	300	1500
Uttarakhand Weight	Minimum one-third of Paper I questions	Two complete papers of 200 marks each
Nature	Screening only, marks not carried forward	Counted in the final merit with the interview
Negative Marking	Applicable	Not applicable

UKPSC Upper PCS candidates should not postpone Mains preparation, because descriptive writing, essay structure, and answer presentation require regular practice to improve speed and accuracy.

UKPSC Upper PCS Exam Pattern 2026

UKPSC Upper PCS 2026 exam is conducted in three stages. Knowing the format and marking of each stage is equally important for preparation.

Stage	Subject	Duration	Marks
Prelims (Objective)	Paper I: General Studies	2 hours	150
Prelims (Objective)	Paper II: General Aptitude Test	2 hours	150
Mains (Descriptive)	Eight compulsory papers	3 hours each	1500
Interview	Personality Test	As scheduled	150

Negative marking of one-fourth of the marks allotted to a question applies in the Prelims, and marking more than one option is treated as a wrong answer. Calculators are prohibited in both the Prelims and the Mains.

How to Prepare UKPSC Upper PCS Syllabus 2026

UKPSC Upper PCS preparation should focus on both objective practice for Prelims and descriptive answer writing for Mains.

Cover Prelims GS and link overlapping topics with Mains GS papers.
Give special focus to Uttarakhand-specific topics and current affairs.
Practise Prelims Paper II regularly and follow the negative marking rule.
Practise General Hindi, essay writing and descriptive answers for Mains.
Solve case studies for General Studies-IV and practise time-bound writing.

Candidates should cover UKPSC Upper PCS syllabus systematically, with equal focus on Prelims practice, Uttarakhand-specific topics and Mains answer writing.

Relevant Link
UKPCS PCS Eligibility	UKPCS PCS Exam Pattern	UKPCS PCS Admit Card
UKPCS PCS A pplication Process	UKPCS PCS Result	UKPCS PCS Cutoff
UKPCS PCS Previous Year Papers	UKPCS PCS Answer Key	UKPCS PCS Salary

UKPSC Upper PCS Syllabus 2026 FAQs

Ques: How much of UKPSC Upper PCS syllabus is based on Uttarakhand?

Ans: A minimum of one-third of the 150 questions in UKPSC Upper PCS 2026 Prelims Paper I are asked with reference to Uttarakhand. In the Mains, one essay section is entirely state-based, and General Studies-V and General Studies-VI, carrying 200 marks each, are devoted completely to Uttarakhand.

Ques: Is the General Aptitude Test counted in UKPSC Upper PCS Prelims merit?

Ans: No. UKPSC Upper PCS 2026 Paper II is a qualifying paper in which candidates of all categories and sub-categories must obtain 33 per cent marks. The Prelims merit list is prepared only from the marks obtained in Paper I.

Ques: How many essays have to be written in UKPSC Upper PCS Mains?

Ans: Three essays, one from each of the three sections, each of 700:800 words and carrying 50 marks in the chosen language option.

Ques: Is there an optional subject in UKPSC Upper PCS Mains?

Ans: No. UKPSC Upper PCS 2026 Mains consists of eight compulsory papers. General Hindi, Essay, and General Studies-I to General Studies-VI. All question papers are compulsory.

Ques: Can I write UKPSC Upper PCS Mains in Hindi?

Ans: Yes. In UKPSC Upper PCS 2026, answers can be written in English or in Hindi in Devanagari script, but the entire paper must be answered in one language. Answering some questions in English and some in Hindi is prohibited, and mixing languages leads to a deduction of 5 per cent marks.