As the IAS Prelims exam is the primary stage of the selection process. It is a screening stage. Here is the CSE Prelims syllabus:

CSE Prelims: General Studies Ability Test (GSAT) Paper I Syllabus

  • 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,
    • Biodiversity and Climate Change – that do not require subject specialisation
  • General Science

CSE Prelims: Civil Service Aptitude Test (CSAT) Paper-II

  • 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)