RPSC RAS Syllabus 2026: Prelims and Mains Paper-wise Topics
The RPSC RAS syllabus covers two written stages: an objective Preliminary exam on General Knowledge and General Science, and four descriptive Mains papers. The Rajasthan Public Service Commission revised the syllabus in January 2026, so the RAS/RTS Combined Competitive Exam 2026 is the first cycle to follow the new version. Rajasthan-specific history, geography, economy and polity run through both stages.
This page breaks the RAS syllabus down paper by paper and unit by unit, with tables you can use as a study checklist. It also shows what changed in 2026, where Prelims and Mains overlap, and how to plan your coverage before the Prelims on 6 December 2026 and the Mains planned for May 2027.
Table of Contents
RPSC RAS Syllabus
Stage | Paper | Questions | Marks | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Prelims | General Knowledge and General Science (objective) | 150 | 200 | 3 hours |
Mains | Paper I: General Studies I | 34 | 200 | 3 hours |
Mains | Paper II: General Studies II | 34 | 200 | 3 hours |
Mains | Paper III: General Studies III | 34 | 200 | 3 hours |
Mains | Paper IV: General Hindi and General English | Varies by part | 200 | 3 hours |
Interview | Personality test | - | 100 | - |
The Prelims only screens candidates for the Mains. The final merit uses Mains and Interview marks. For marking rules and question types.
Key Changes in the RAS Syllabus 2026
Sports and Yoga removed from Prelims: This section, worth about 20 marks earlier, is no longer part of the Prelims syllabus.
Rajasthan exam law added: The Rajasthan Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2022 now appears in the Prelims syllabus under current affairs and state issues.
No more 2-mark questions in Mains: General Studies papers now have only 5-mark answers (about 50 words) and 10-mark answers (about 150 words).
More weight on management and law: Sociology, management, accounting and auditing form a full unit in Paper I, and behaviour and law form a unit in Paper III.
Paper IV restructured: General Hindi carries 90 marks, General English 70 marks, and one essay of about 600 words carries 40 marks.
Older pages and study material may still show the earlier syllabus with Sports and Yoga or 2-mark questions. Follow the revised syllabus published by RPSC.
RPSC RAS Prelims Syllabus
The Prelims is a single objective paper on General Knowledge and General Science. RPSC lists the topics unit-wise but does not publish marks per unit. The "Start with" column is our study suggestion, not an official weightage.
Section | Topics to cover | Start with |
|---|---|---|
History, art, culture, literature, tradition and heritage of Rajasthan | Prehistoric and historic sites, major dynasties and their administration, 18th and 19th century events, peasant and tribal movements, Praja Mandal movements, integration of Rajasthan, architecture, paintings, handicrafts, performing arts, Rajasthani language and literature, religious movements, saints, fairs, festivals, customs and important personalities | Praja Mandal movements, integration, folk arts and fairs |
Indian history | Ancient and medieval India: major dynasties, religious movements, art and culture; modern India from the 19th century: freedom struggle, social reformers, and nation-building after independence | Freedom struggle and modern India |
World and Indian geography | Earth's physical features, rivers, lakes, vegetation, environmental issues; India's physiography, monsoon, drainage, crops, minerals, industries and transport | Indian physiography and monsoon |
Geography of Rajasthan | Physical divisions, climate, rivers and lakes, soils, vegetation, agriculture, livestock, irrigation projects, minerals, energy, population and tribes, tourism | Physical divisions, rivers and irrigation projects |
Indian Constitution, political system and governance | Making of the Constitution, Preamble, Fundamental Rights and Duties, DPSP, Union executive and Parliament, judiciary, Centre-State relations, emergency provisions, constitutional and statutory bodies, citizen charter, social audit | Fundamental Rights, Parliament and judiciary |
Political and administrative system of Rajasthan | Governor, Chief Minister, State Legislative Assembly, High Court, Secretariat, district administration, State Human Rights Commission, Lokayukta, State Election Commission, Panchayati Raj and urban local bodies | Panchayati Raj and state institutions |
Economic concepts and Indian economy | Growth and development, budget, fiscal and monetary policy, inflation, banking, agriculture, industry, services, economic reforms, social justice schemes | Budget and fiscal terms |
Economy of Rajasthan | State economy overview, state budget, agriculture and industry, infrastructure, rural development, welfare schemes for different groups | State budget and flagship schemes |
Science and technology | Everyday science, computers and ICT, space and defence technology, biotechnology, health and nutrition, environment and biodiversity, agriculture and animal husbandry with a Rajasthan focus | Environment and everyday science |
Reasoning and mental ability | Logical reasoning, statements and assumptions, coding-decoding, blood relations, directions, series, Venn diagrams, ranking and seating; basic numeracy such as ratio, percentage, interest, averages and data interpretation | Coding, series and percentages |
Current affairs | Major events and issues of Rajasthan, India and the world; important persons and places; sports; awards; government schemes; the Rajasthan Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2022 | Rajasthan schemes and the 2022 Act |
Rajasthan history, art and culture is the biggest single area in recent papers, followed by polity and Rajasthan geography. Reasoning is smaller but very scoring, so practise it every week. Because one-third of a question's marks is deducted for a wrong answer, accuracy in these high-weight areas matters more than attempting everything.
RPSC RAS Mains Syllabus: Paper I
Paper I (General Studies I) carries 200 marks and has three units. The mark split below follows the revised 2026 scheme as reported; check it against the official syllabus document.
Unit | Main topics | Questions and marks |
|---|---|---|
Unit I: History | History, art, culture, literature, tradition and heritage of Rajasthan; Indian history and culture from ancient times to independence; modern world history including industrial revolution, world wars, decolonisation and major global events | 8 x 5 marks + 3 x 10 marks = 70 |
Unit II: Economics | Indian economy, growth and planning, agriculture, industry and services; public finance and budgeting; world economy and global institutions; Rajasthan's economy, agriculture, industry, infrastructure and welfare schemes | 6 x 5 marks + 3 x 10 marks = 60 |
Unit III: Sociology, Management, Accounting and Auditing | Indian society, caste, class, social change and social problems; management concepts, leadership, motivation, decision-making and entrepreneurship; basics of accounting, financial statements, budgeting and auditing in government | 14 x 5 marks = 70 |
Total | - | 34 questions, 200 marks |
How to Approach Paper I
History needs Rajasthan depth: Prelims notes on Rajasthan's history and culture form a base, but add analysis of causes, impact and significance for 10-mark answers.
Unit III is all short answers: Fourteen 50-word questions reward clear definitions, a key point and an example. Build one-page notes for each management and accounting concept.
RPSC RAS Mains Syllabus: Paper II
Paper II (General Studies II) carries 200 marks and covers ethics, science and earth science.
Unit | Main topics | Questions and marks |
|---|---|---|
Unit I: Administrative Ethics | Ethics and human values, role of family, society and education; values in public administration, integrity, probity and accountability; ethical dilemmas in governance; contributions of thinkers including Gandhian ethics; emotional intelligence; case studies | 7 x 5 marks + 3 x 10 marks = 65 |
Unit II: General Science and Technology | Physics, chemistry and biology in daily life; computers, IT and emerging technologies; space and defence technology; biotechnology and health; nanotechnology and energy; science policy | 14 x 5 marks = 70 |
Unit III: Earth Science (Geography and Geology) | World geography and geological processes; physical, social and economic geography of India; geography of Rajasthan including resources, drought, desertification and water management; environment and climate change | 7 x 5 marks + 3 x 10 marks = 65 |
Total | - | 34 questions, 200 marks |
How to Approach Paper II
Ethics needs examples: Prepare short real-life or administrative examples for values like integrity, empathy and impartiality, and practise structured case-study answers.
Science is factual: Fourteen short answers mean you need precise definitions and applications, not long theory.
Use maps and diagrams: Simple sketches of Rajasthan's physical divisions or river systems make geography answers stronger.
RPSC RAS Mains Syllabus: Paper III
Paper III (General Studies III) carries 200 marks and focuses on polity, administration and law.
Unit | Main topics | Questions and marks |
|---|---|---|
Unit I: Indian Political System, World Politics and Current Affairs | Constitution, Union and State executive, legislature and judiciary, federalism, local self-government; Rajasthan's political and administrative system; India's foreign policy and relations; international organisations; current national, international and Rajasthan affairs | 11 x 5 marks + 3 x 10 marks = 85 |
Unit II: Public Administration | Concepts and theories of administration, organisational behaviour, personnel and financial administration, development administration, good governance, e-governance, citizen-centric administration, control over administration | 6 x 5 marks + 3 x 10 marks = 60 |
Unit III: Behaviour and Law | Human behaviour, intelligence, personality, motivation, stress and coping; constitutional and legal concepts, important laws on women and children, human rights, RTI, consumer protection, cyber laws and related acts | 11 x 5 marks = 55 |
Total | - | 34 questions, 200 marks |
How to Approach Paper III
Unit I carries the most marks: At 85 marks, polity and current affairs deserve your steadiest revision, with Rajasthan examples in every answer.
Law needs exact wording: Note the year, key provisions and purpose of each important act so you can write accurate 50-word answers.
RPSC RAS Mains Syllabus: Paper IV
Paper IV tests language skills at about senior secondary level. It has three units.
Unit | Part | What it covers | Marks |
|---|---|---|---|
Unit I: General Hindi | Part A | Prefixes and suffixes, synonyms, spelling and sentence correction, idioms and proverbs, administrative terminology | 30 |
Unit I: General Hindi | Part B | Precis (about 150 words), expansion of an idea (about 100 words), translation (about 50 words) | 30 |
Unit I: General Hindi | Part C | Official letters and drafting: notification, tender, circular, press release, office memorandum | 30 |
Unit II: General English | Part A | Grammar and usage | 20 |
Unit II: General English | Part B | Comprehension of an unseen passage, precis, translation from Hindi to English | 30 |
Unit II: General English | Part C | Elaboration of a theme, and an official or demi-official letter, memorandum or report | 20 |
Unit III: Essay | - | One essay of about 600 words in Hindi or English, chosen from six thematic areas | 40 |
Total | - | - | 200 |
Part-wise splits are as reported from the revised scheme. Word limits are approximate and RPSC prints the exact limit on the question paper.
Overlap Between Prelims and Mains
Much of what you study for the Prelims also serves the Mains. Plan these areas once, in a way that works for both stages.
Area | Prelims | Mains | How to plan |
|---|---|---|---|
Rajasthan history and culture | Facts, dates, places, personalities | Paper I Unit I analysis | Make fact notes first, then add "significance" points for Mains |
Geography | Physical features, resources | Paper II Unit III | Add maps, issues and data to Prelims notes |
Polity and Rajasthan administration | Articles, bodies, functions | Paper III Unit I | Write short answers on each institution after revising facts |
Economy | Concepts, budget, schemes | Paper I Unit II | Keep one updated sheet of state budget and scheme data |
Science and technology | Objective facts | Paper II Unit II | Turn each fact into a 50-word explanation with an application |
Current affairs | Events and schemes | Paper III Unit I and essay | Monthly notes with a short analysis line for each issue |
Ethics, management, accounting, sociology, public administration, behaviour and law, and Paper IV are Mains-only areas. Start them early so they do not pile up after the Prelims.
Is There a Syllabus for the Interview?
No. The interview carries 100 marks and has no separate syllabus. The board usually asks about your background, graduation subject, home district, Rajasthan's culture and administration, and current issues. Your Mains preparation and steady current affairs reading are the best base for it.
How to Cover the RAS Syllabus
The phases below assume you have about a year before the Mains. Compress them if your exam is closer.
Weeks 1 to 8, core Rajasthan subjects: Rajasthan history, art and culture, geography and polity. Read daily and make short notes. Add current affairs for 30 to 40 minutes a day.
Weeks 9 to 16, national subjects: Indian history, geography, polity, economy and science. Start one reasoning set every other day.
Weeks 17 to 24, Prelims practice: Topic-wise tests, then full-length tests. Solve previous year papers from RPSC to understand the real difficulty level.
After Prelims, Mains-only units: Ethics, management, accounting, sociology, public administration, law and Paper IV. Write five to eight short answers every day.
Final phase: Full Mains answer-writing tests under time, essay practice twice a week, and revision from your error log.
RPSC publishes the official syllabus documents and previous question papers on the official RPSC website. Check the syllabus there once before your final revision, because the Commission announces any change through its own notices.
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