UKPSC Syllabus and Exam Pattern for Uttarakhand PCS

UKPSC exam pattern: three stages

Think of prelims as a filter. Your GS marks alone fix the mains shortlist, and CSAT simply needs the 33 percent pass mark. Final ranks come from adding mains and interview marks, which recent notices put at 1,650 in all.

Wrong answers in prelims attract a cut of a quarter of what that item carries, while unanswered ones carry no penalty. Calculators are not allowed.

UKPSC mains syllabus and marks

Each paper runs for 3 hours. The scheme has no optional paper, which means everyone is judged on the same papers and Uttarakhand knowledge alone carries 400 marks.

Prelims General Studies and CSAT topics

Paper 1: General Studies

• Indian history, the freedom struggle, with Uttarakhand's history and culture
• Landforms, climate, population and resources of India and the wider world, with the physical and human geography of Uttarakhand
• Indian polity, the Constitution, panchayati raj and public policy
• Economic and social development, schemes and the state economy
• Ecology and environment issues, including biodiversity loss and a warming climate
• General science and current events of state, national and international importance

Paper 2: General Aptitude

• Comprehension and communication skills
• Reasoning puzzles, analysis of arguments, choosing a course of action
• Mental ability items, plus number work and reading of charts and tables pitched at class 10

For the CSAT style questions, our UPSC CSAT syllabus page is a close match.

What each mains paper asks for

General Hindi tests grammar, vocabulary, word pairs of like and opposite meaning, one word replacements, muhavare, sentence correction, official letters and notes, comprehension and precis. Since it carries 150 marks and counts in merit, aspirants from English medium backgrounds should start it early.

Essay asks for essays across themes such as society, polity, economy, environment, science, culture and current affairs, judged on structure and expression.

GS I to IV follow the lines of the UPSC mains papers: Indian and world history, art and culture, society, the Constitution and governance, the economy, science, environment, internal security and disasters, and ethics with case studies. See the UPSC mains syllabus for a detailed topic map you can adapt.

GS V and GS VI cover Uttarakhand in depth: ancient and medieval dynasties, British rule and local movements such as Chipko and the statehood struggle, folk culture, fairs, languages and tribes, physiography, rivers, glaciers, forests, agriculture and horticulture, tourism, hydropower, migration, rural development, state polity, administration and laws. The exact split between the two papers is set in the official syllabus, so read it before you divide your notes.

UKPSC syllabus in Hindi

उत्तराखंड पीसीएस के तीन पड़ाव हैं। पहले पड़ाव यानी प्रीलिम्स में सामान्य अध्ययन का प्रश्नपत्र मेरिट के लिए गिना जाता है और सीसैट केवल अर्हक है, जिसमें 33 प्रतिशत अंक चाहिए। मुख्य परीक्षा में आठ वर्णनात्मक प्रश्नपत्र हैं: सामान्य हिंदी, निबंध और छह सामान्य अध्ययन। इनमें से दो पेपर पूरी तरह उत्तराखंड के इतिहास, संस्कृति, भूगोल, अर्थव्यवस्था और प्रशासन पर आधारित हैं। अंत में साक्षात्कार होता है। नवीनतम विज्ञप्ति से सभी विवरण मिलाकर देखें।

How to plan your UKPSC preparation

Since prelims and mains overlap heavily, build one set of notes for both. Divide the first months between national GS and Uttarakhand, then move to answer writing.

1. Months 1 to 4: the school NCERTs from class 6 upward for history, maps, civics and the economy, plus a standard Uttarakhand general knowledge book or the state board textbooks on the region.
2. Months 5 to 7: mains style answers, two a day, rotating GS papers. Write one essay every week and one General Hindi practice set.
3. Final months before prelims: objective practice with past UKPSC papers from the commission's website and CSAT drills twice a week because failing CSAT wipes out a good GS score.

If you are also eyeing a neighbouring state, the UPPSC syllabus has a similar shape. Browse more commissions in the state exams section.