🏆 UPSC CSE Topper Prep 2026–27

A complete preparation system for the UPSC Civil Services Examination — Prelims, Mains & Interview.

🚦 New here?

Start with the 🎯 Master Strategy — the complete long-term plan that works for everyone. Then:

1️⃣ `COVERAGE-AND-GAPS.md` — read this first

This repo is one layer of your preparation, not all of it. It does not cover current affairs (~25% of Prelims), your optional subject (500 marks), or replace standard books on first reading. Facts here are model-generated and must be verified.

Day 1 → Week 1 → all four phases, told in order, with the exact file to open at each step.

Looking for one specific topic? → INDEX.md maps every syllabus line to its file.

📂 Repository Map

 🎯 EXAMS (all government exams)
    EXAMS/ ................ pick an exam → pattern, syllabus, notes links, official links
                           (UPSC · SSC · Banking · Railways · APPSC · TGPSC ·
                            Police · Defence · Teaching)
    JOBS/ ................. live notification portals + this month's openings
                           (Central + AP + Telangana)

 📋 PLANNING
    START-HERE.md ......... navigation path (open this second)
    STUDY-PLAN.md ......... 15-month phase-wise plan
    COVERAGE-AND-GAPS.md .. honest map of what is/isn't covered
    INDEX.md .............. every topic → its file
    SYLLABUS/ ............. UPSC Prelims + Mains, as tickable checklists

 📖 LEARNING
    FOUNDATION/ ........... cross-subject concepts + NCERT summaries + NCERT downloads
    NOTES/ ................ 11 subject explainers, textbook-mapped (incl. CSAT, English, Hindi)
    RESOURCES/ ............ booklist + Core Textbook Reading Map + strategies
    CURRENT-AFFAIRS/ ...... monthly current-affairs digest + the tracking method

 ✍️ PRACTISING
    PRELIMS/ .............. PYQ analysis + 8 full mocks (100 GS + 80 CSAT each)
    PRACTICE/ ............. 15 timed sessions with rubrics + OMR template
    MAINS/ ................ answer frameworks, essays, 15 ethics cases, 5 papers

 🎯 SPECIALISING
    OPTIONAL/ ............. all 48 optionals + deep notes for 7
    INTERVIEW/ ............ question bank + DAF-based mock guide

Every folder has its own README explaining what's inside and how to use it.

📊 What's actually in here

Area	Contents
Subject notes	11 files — Polity, Geography, History, Economy, Environment, S&T, Art & Culture, CSAT Maths, CSAT Reasoning, English, Hindi. Every topic with what it is, why it matters, and how UPSC asks it
Prelims practice	PYQ trend analysis + 8 full mocks (100 GS + 80 CSAT questions each) with answer keys
Practice sessions	15 timed sessions — 3 sectional quizzes with per-question explainers, 5 Prelims simulations, 7 Mains/essay sets
Mains	Directive-word framework, essay manual with a full model essay, 15 worked ethics case studies, 5 complete papers with rubric
Optional	Syllabus + booklist + strategy for all 48 optionals; deep notes (thinkers, theories, frameworks) for PSIR, Sociology, Anthropology, Philosophy, Public Administration, Geography, History
Interview	~70 questions across 8 categories, sample answers, DAF question-bank method, 6-mock plan
Systems	Current-affairs method, progress trackers, error-notebook protocol, OMR template

🗺️ The roadmap

 Phase 1 · FOUNDATION      (Months 1–5)   NCERTs → standard books → notes → answer writing begins
 Phase 2 · PRELIMS SPRINT  (Months 6–10)  PYQs → 8 mocks → 3 revision cycles → CSAT secured
 Phase 3 · MAINS           (Months 10–13) frameworks → essays → ethics → 5 full papers
 Phase 4 · INTERVIEW       (Months 13–15) DAF prep → current affairs → 6 mocks

 Continuous throughout: current affairs (daily) · revision (1-7-30) · optional (~30% of time)

🧭 Core principles

Books teach; these notes revise. Never use NOTES/ as a first reading.
Limited resources, unlimited revision. One book read five times beats five read once.
PYQs are the syllabus decoded. Read PRELIMS/PYQ-Analysis.md before any mock.
Answer writing is a skill, not knowledge. Start in Month 3, one answer a day.
The analysis after a mock matters more than the mock.
Verify anything that surprises you. When this repo and your book disagree, the book wins.

⚖️ Disclaimer

Self-generated study material modelled on the UPSC pattern and publicly known syllabus. Not affiliated with UPSC. Always verify notifications, dates, syllabi and rules at upsc.gov.in, and cross-check facts against standard sources. See COVERAGE-AND-GAPS.md for an honest account of limitations.

→ Open START-HERE.md and begin.