CSIR SO Syllabus : Paper I, II and III Topic-wise Guide

The CSIR SO syllabus covers three written papers in the Combined Administrative Services Examination (CASE) conducted by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research. Paper I tests General Awareness and English, Paper II spreads 200 marks across eight subjects, from reasoning to management principles, and Paper III is a descriptive paper on essay, precis and letter writing. Section Officer candidates then face an interview.

CSIR lists subject areas in its advertisement but does not publish a detailed topic-by-topic syllabus. The topic lists below are built from the official CASE-2023 advertisement (the latest CASE scheme as of October 2026) and the type of questions asked in that cycle. Use them as a working checklist, not as an official list, and recheck the next CASE notification when it is released.

CSIR SO Syllabus at a Glance

Objective papers carry 0.33 negative marks per wrong answer.

Key Points to Know Before You Start

• Paper II is a mix, not just reasoning: Its official name is General Intelligence, Reasoning and Mental Ability, but only 25 of its 200 marks are pure reasoning. The rest comes from arithmetic, science, economy and environment, ethics, decision making, management and geography.

• Management and procurement matter: CASE recruits for General, Finance and Accounts, and Stores and Purchase cadres, so Paper II includes management principles with procurement, stores and inventory. Many generic syllabus pages skip this part.

• English part is English-only: All papers are bilingual except the English section of Paper I. Paper III can be written in English or Hindi.

• No CPT for SO: The Computer Proficiency Test is only for ASO candidates. Some pages list it under SO; that is not correct as per the CASE-2023 advertisement.

• The 2026 SO drive had no syllabus: The 2026 recruitment from UPSC CSE-2024 candidates used CSE marks plus a CSIR interview, so it had no written syllabus. The syllabus below applies to CASE.

Paper I Syllabus: General Awareness

General Awareness carries 100 marks, the single largest block in Paper I. The official advertisement names three areas.

Polity and modern history are the most stable scoring areas because they reward revision. Current affairs is wide, so focus on government schemes, science and technology, and international events from the last year.

Paper I Syllabus: English Language and Comprehension

The English section carries 50 marks and is set in English only. The official list is short, so every topic is worth covering.

Grammar rules come first because they also lift your Paper III writing. Read one editorial a day to build reading speed for comprehension.

Paper II Syllabus: Eight Subjects

Paper II has 200 questions of 1 mark each, with eight subjects of 25 marks. Because every subject has equal weight, no subject can be skipped.

1. General Intelligence, Reasoning and Mental Ability

• Verbal reasoning: Analogy, classification, series, coding-decoding, blood relations, direction sense, syllogism, statement and conclusion, order and ranking.

• Non-verbal reasoning: Figure series, mirror and water images, paper folding, embedded figures.

• Analytical puzzles: Seating arrangement, scheduling, data sufficiency.

2. Arithmetical and Numerical Ability

• Number basics: Number system, simplification, HCF and LCM, averages.

• Commercial arithmetic: Percentage, profit and loss, simple and compound interest, ratio and proportion, partnership.

• Applied problems: Time and work, time, speed and distance, mixtures, mensuration basics.

• Data interpretation: Tables, bar graphs and pie charts.

3. General Science

• Physics: Motion, force, work and energy, light, sound, electricity, magnetism.

• Chemistry: Matter, atoms, acids, bases and salts, metals and non-metals, everyday chemistry.

• Biology: Cell, human body systems, nutrition, diseases, plant life.

• Computers and IT: Basics of hardware, software, internet, MS Office and cyber security terms.

4. Economic and Social Development, Environment, Ecology, Biodiversity and Climate Change

• Economy: National income, inflation, poverty, employment, budget, banking basics, inclusive growth and social sector schemes.

• Environment: Ecosystems, biodiversity hotspots, protected areas, pollution, climate change agreements and India's climate commitments.

5. Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude

• Concepts: Ethics and human values, integrity, probity in public life, attitude, emotional intelligence.

• Public service values: Impartiality, objectivity, accountability, codes of conduct, RTI and citizen charters.

• Case-based questions: Choosing the most ethical action in office situations.

6. Decision Making and Problem Solving

• Situational judgement: Workplace scenarios, prioritisation, handling conflicts and grievances.

• Logical problem solving: Cause and effect, course of action, evaluating options with incomplete information.

7. Management Principles and Practices

• Core management: Planning, organising, staffing, directing, controlling; leadership, motivation and communication theories.

• Office and HR administration: Delegation, coordination, record management, basics of government office procedure.

• Procurement, stores and inventory: Purchase procedures, tendering basics, GeM, inventory control methods such as EOQ and ABC analysis, stores management.

8. National Geography

• Physical geography of India: Location, physiography, rivers, climate, monsoon, soils, natural vegetation.

• Economic geography: Agriculture, minerals, industries, transport, population.

A useful order for Paper II: start daily practice of reasoning and arithmetic, finish general science and geography as reading subjects, then build ethics, decision making and management through case-style questions.

Paper III Syllabus: Descriptive Writing

Paper III is a 150-mark pen-and-paper test in CASE-2023, written in English or Hindi. It decides a large share of your final merit.

With 100 marks for two essays, plan about 50 minutes per essay and 20 minutes for the precis and letter combined.

Interview: Is There a Syllabus?

No. CSIR does not publish a syllabus for the 100-mark Section Officer interview. Expect questions on your background and graduation subject, current affairs, the role of CSIR and its laboratories, basic administration, and situational questions on office management. In the 2026 UPSC-route drive, the CSIR interview carried 350 marks, but that drive had no written papers.

Overlap Between Papers

How to Cover the CSIR SO Syllabus

1. Weeks 1 to 6, foundations: Daily reasoning and arithmetic practice, polity and modern history reading, grammar rules, and 30 to 40 minutes of current affairs with monthly notes.

2. Weeks 7 to 10, Paper II depth: Cover general science, geography, economy and environment. Start ethics, decision making and management with case-based questions. Take 20-minute sectional tests twice a week.

3. Weeks 11 to 14, writing and speed: One timed essay, one precis and one letter each week. Shift to full-length Paper I and Paper II tests in the CBT format.

4. Final phase, revision: Two or three full mocks a week, same-day analysis, an error log of repeated mistakes and short notes for last-week revision.

Official website: https://www.csir.res.in/