Key Areas for UPSC Examination: The UPSC Civil Services Examination covers essential subjects that significantly impact candidates’ success. The following breakdown presents critical topics for Prelims 2025, organized by paper and subject. Both static subjects and relevant current affairs topics are included to help aspirants understand their interconnections.
Important Topics for UPSC Prelims 2025
While many topics overlap between UPSC Prelims and Mains, certain areas deserve special focus for Prelims preparation. Here are the key topics requiring particular attention for the Preliminary examination:
| No. | Topic | No. | Topic |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tungnath Temple | 26 | Uttaramerur Inscription |
| 2 | TEMPO | 27 | AAINA Dashboard |
| 3 | 30 Years of Project Elephant | 28 | Digital Public Infrastructure and India Stack |
| 4 | Sacred Ensembles of Hoysalas | 29 | Aspirational Block Programme |
| 5 | Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) | 30 | Sarna Code |
| 6 | Global Sovereign Debt Roundtable | 31 | Freedom on The Net 2023 Report |
| 7 | Article 371F | 32 | Washington Declaration |
| 8 | Dabba Trading | 33 | India To Train ASEAN Women in UN |
| 9 | Enemy Property | 34 | Peacekeeping Operation |
| 10 | NHRC | 35 | India-EFTA Trade Pact |
| 11 | SHREYAS Scheme | 36 | Cyber Surakshit Bharat Initiative |
| 12 | Thirunelly Temple | 37 | NCRB 2022 Report On Crime In India |
| 13 | Pushkaralu Festival | 38 | IF-CAP |
| 14 | 3200 Phaethon | 39 | ‘Silkworm Eating’ Strategy |
| 15 | TeLEOS-2 & Lumelite-4 | 40 | Visit of PM Modi to Egypt |
| 16 | Konark Wheel | 41 | Vikshit Bharat Sankalp Yatra |
| 17 | Edakkal Caves | 42 | Railway Officers Training in Disaster Management |
| 18 | MeerKAT Telescope | 43 | Road Crash Death In India |
| 19 | International Big Cats Alliance | 44 | Gram Manchitra |
| 20 | NITI Aayog’s State Health Index | 45 | Israel-Palestine Conflict |
| 21 | India’s New Parliament Building | 46 | NATO PLUS |
| 22 | Washington Declaration | 47 | World Bank President |
| 23 | Logistic Performance Index 2023 | 48 | IOM |
| 24 | Geographical Indication Tag | 49 | Wagner Group |
| 25 | SHREYAS Scheme | 50 | India Gifts INS Kirpan to Vietnam |
Places on Map in News
| No. | Location | No. | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cuba | 16 | Maitree Power Plant |
| 2 | Gabon | 17 | Gulf of Oman |
| 3 | Uzbekistan | 18 | Yanomami |
| 4 | Sittwe Port | 19 | Chetumal Bay |
| 5 | Coco Islands | 20 | Fuego Volcano |
| 6 | 9-Dash line | 21 | Orkney Islands |
| 7 | Timor Leste | 22 | Vilnius |
| 8 | Nagorno-Karabakh | 23 | Kakhovka Dam |
| 9 | Alexandria Port | 24 | Batagaika Crater |
| 10 | Libya | 25 | Cam Ranh Bay |
| 11 | Gaza Strip | 26 | Strait of Hormuz |
| 12 | Uzbekistan | 27 | Crimean Bridge |
| 13 | DRC | 28 | Armenia |
| 14 | Ubinas Volcano | 29 | Morocco |
| 15 | Peru | 30 | Hemis Monastery |
Top Current Affairs Topics for UPSC Prelims 2025
Current affairs play a crucial role in both UPSC Prelims and Mains examinations. Here are the essential current affairs topics for UPSC Prelims 2025:
History and Culture:
- Guru Tegh Bahadur
- Gopal Krishna Gokhale
- Rani Durgavati
Social Issues:
- Practice of Polygamy In India
- Manual Scavenging in India
- Child Trafficking In India
- Freedom of Religion
- Same-Sex Marriage
International Relations:
- First Global Buddhist Summit
- Centre Looking To Design Human Development Index for PVTGs
- Assam-Arunachal Border Dispute
- Indus Water Treaty
- SCO Summit
- G20 Summit
- NATO Summit
- BIMSTEC Foreign Ministers’ meet
- Quad Summit
- Official Visit of Prime Minister of Nepal to India
- Sudan Crisis
- Mizoram, Assam New Active Sectors For Infiltration: BSF
- WTO
- UN Democracy Fund (UNDEF)
Economics and Trade:
- Foreign Trade Policy
- Falling Long-Term Growth Prospects
- Falling Bond Yields
- Changes In GST
- Volatility In Edible Oil Prices
- PLI Scheme
Science and Technology:
- Chandrayaan-3
- Blue Hole
- CoWIN Data Breach
- Electronic Interlocking System in Railways
- Electromagnetic Ion Cyclotron (EMIC) Waves
- LIGO-India Project
- Human Genome Project
- Seed Bank At Asola Bhatti Sanctuary
- Space Science and Technology Awareness Training (START)
- Foucault Pendulum
- Dark Patterns
Governance and Policy:
- Mission Vatsalya Scheme
- Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Ordinance, 2023
- National Medical Commission
- Model Prisons Act
- National Medical Devices Policy
- Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC)
- Changes In GST
- Foreign Exchange Management Act
- Universal Basic Income (UBI)
- India Rethinking Its Anaemia Policy
- The PoSH Act
- Violence in Manipur
- Article 370
Finance and Trade:
- Changes In GST
- Volatility In Edible Oil Prices
- Falling Bond Yields
- Foreign Exchange Management Act
- India’s Gold Reserves
Important Topics for UPSC Mains 2025
The UPSC syllabus is vast and can be daunting. Understanding the key focus areas helps candidates streamline their preparation and avoid spending time on less important topics.
General Studies I
Indian Heritage and Culture; and History and Geography of the World and Society:
| No. | Topic | No. | Topic |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Literature (Vedic-Mughal) | 14 | Quit India Movement |
| 2 | Vijayanagar Empire | 15 | Art & Architecture |
| 3 | Geography | 16 | Mountbatten Plan |
| 4 | Indian Society | 17 | Indian Independence Act |
| 5 | Rowlatt Act | 18 | Land Revenue System |
| 6 | Civil Disobedience Movement | 19 | Home Rule Movement |
| 7 | Modern India | 20 | Revolt of 1857 |
| 8 | Indian Freedom Struggle | 21 | Partition of Bengal |
| 9 | Gandhi-Irwin Pact | 22 | Charter Acts |
| 10 | Second Round Conference | 23 | GoI Act, 1919 |
| 11 | World History | 24 | First Round Conference |
| 12 | GoI Act, 1935 | 25 | Khilafat Movement |
| 13 | Socio-religious Reforms | 26 | Non-Cooperation Movement |
General Studies II
Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice and International Relations:
| No. | Topic | No. | Topic |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Indian Constitution | 11 | Government Policies |
| 2 | Comparative Constitutions | 12 | NGOs & SHGs |
| 3 | Separation of Powers | 13 | Welfare Schemes |
| 4 | Federalism | 14 | HR & Social Services |
| 5 | Legislature | 15 | Poverty & Hunger |
| 6 | Judiciary | 16 | Governance |
| 7 | Pressure Groups | 17 | Civil Services |
| 8 | Electoral Laws | 18 | International Relations |
| 9 | Constitutional Bodies | 19 | Indian Diaspora |
| 10 | Statutory Bodies | 20 | Global Institutions |
General Studies III
Technology, Economic Development, Biodiversity, Environment, Security and Disaster Management:
| No. | Topic | No. | Topic |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Indian Economy | 16 | IT & Space Technology |
| 2 | Growth & Development | 17 | Advanced Technologies |
| 3 | Inclusive Growth | 18 | IPR |
| 4 | Budgeting | 19 | Environment |
| 5 | Crops & Agriculture | 20 | EIA |
| 6 | Irrigation Systems | 21 | Disaster Management |
| 7 | Farm Subsidies | 22 | Internal Security |
| 8 | Food Security & MSP | 23 | External Threats |
| 9 | Animal Husbandry | 24 | Communication |
| 10 | Food Processing | 25 | Cyber Security |
| 11 | Land Reforms | 26 | Money Laundering |
| 12 | Economic Reforms | 27 | Border Security |
| 13 | Infrastructure | 28 | Organized Crime |
| 14 | Investment Models | 29 | Terrorism |
| 15 | Science & Technology | 30 | Security Agencies |
General Studies IV
Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude:
| No. | Topic | No. | Topic |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ethics & Human Interface | 16 | Conscience |
| 2 | Ethics in Human Actions | 17 | Accountability |
| 3 | Ethics in Relationships | 18 | Ethical Governance |
| 4 | Human Values | 19 | International Ethics |
| 5 | Attitude | 20 | Corporate Governance |
| 6 | Attitude’s Influence | 21 | Probity |
| 7 | Aptitude & Values | 22 | Transparency |
| 8 | Civil Service Values | 23 | RTI |
| 9 | Core Values | 24 | Ethics Codes |
| 10 | Emotional Intelligence | 25 | Conduct Codes |
| 11 | Moral Thinkers | 26 | Work Culture |
| 12 | Admin Ethics | 27 | Service Quality |
| 13 | Public Service Values | 28 | Public Funds |
| 14 | Ethical Dilemmas | 29 | Corruption |
| 15 | Legal Ethics | 30 | Case Studies |
FAQs on Important Topics for UPSC
Which topics are important for UPSC Prelims 2025?
The vital topics for UPSC Prelims include Indian National Movement, Indian Polity, Indian Economy, Geography, General Science, Environment, Current Affairs, Art and Culture, History of India, World History, Technology, Indian Society, and Logical Reasoning.
What should I study for UPSC Mains 2025?
Study the syllabus comprehensively, focusing on important topics for UPSC from subjects like History, Geography, Polity, Economy, Science and Technology, Environment, and Current Affairs. Solve previous year’s papers to get an idea about the pattern in which questions are framed.
Which Current Affairs Topics Are Important for UPSC Mains 2025?
The significant current affairs topics for UPSC Mains 2025 encompass Electromagnetic Ion Cyclotron (EMIC) Waves, LIGO-India Project, Human Genome Project, Model Prisons Act, National Medical Devices Policy, Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) and other evolving international relations.
