RPSC Exam Syllabus – Mains

• 29 Jan 2025

The Mains Examination of the Rajasthan State and Subordinate Services Combined Competitive Examination or RPSC- RAS is designed to comprehensively assess candidates' knowledge, analytical abilities, and understanding of diverse subjects relevant to the state, nation, and global affairs.  

The syllabus emphasizes a balance of theoretical understanding and practical application across varied domains, fostering a holistic evaluation of aspirants' competencies.

Scheme and Syllabus of Examination:  

• The number of candidates to be admitted to the Main Examination will be 15 times the total approximate number of vacancies to be filled in the year.  
• The written examination will consist of the four papers which will be descriptive /analytical. The standard of General Hindi and General English will be that of Sr. Secondary Level. The time allowed for each paper shall be 3 hours. 

The detailed syllabus for the Mains Examination is provided below for the reference. 

Paper I: General Studies - I

Unit I - History
Part A - History, Art, Culture, Literature, Tradition and Heritage of Rajasthan	Major landmarks in Rajasthan’s history from pre-historic times to the 18th century, including dynasties, administrative, and revenue systems.  Salient events of the 19th and 20th centuries: Peasant and Tribal Movements, Political Awakening, Freedom Movement, and Integration.  Heritage: Performing and fine arts, handicrafts, architecture, World Heritage sites, fairs, festivals, folk music, and dance.  Rajasthani Literature and Dialects.  Saints, Lok Devtas, and eminent personalities.
Part B - Indian History & Culture	Indian Heritage: Fine art, performing art, architecture, and literature from the Indus Civilization to the British Era.  Religious movements and philosophy in Ancient and Medieval India.  Modern Indian history (19th century to 1965): Significant events, personalities, and issues.  Indian National Movement: Various stages and contributions from different regions.  Socio-religious reform movements in the 19th and 20th centuries.  Post-Independence: Accession of princely states and linguistic reorganization.
Part C - History of the Modern World (up to 1950 AD)	Renaissance and Reformation.  American War of Independence, French Revolution (1789), and Industrial Revolution.  Imperialism and colonialism in Asia and Africa.  Impact of World Wars.
Unit II - Economics
Part A - Indian Economy	Agriculture: Growth, productivity trends, food processing, and management.  Industrial Sector: Policies, finance, liberalization, globalization, and privatization.  Inflation, prices, and demand-supply management.  Fiscal Policies: Centre-State financial relations, Finance Commission, and tax reforms.  Social Sector: Poverty, unemployment, healthcare, education policies, and state roles in economic development.
Part B - World Economy	Global economic issues and trends.  Role of World Bank, IMF, and WTO.  Sustainable development and climate change.
Part C - Economy of Rajasthan	Agriculture: Production, productivity, irrigation, and marketing.  Rural Development: Panchayati Raj, infrastructure, and State Finance Commission.  Industrial growth, khadi, village industries, and public-private partnership (PPP) projects.  Major development projects, state budget, fiscal management, and welfare schemes.  Education, health services, and sustainable development goals.
Unit III - Sociology, Management, Accounting & Auditing
Part A - Sociology	Development of sociological thought in India.  Caste and Class: Nature, origin, functions, and challenges.  Social Change Processes: Sanskritization, Westernization, Secularization, and Globalization.  Challenges: Dowry, child marriage, corruption, poverty, unemployment, drug addiction, and vulnerable sections (Dalit, elderly, disabled).  Tribal communities in Rajasthan: Bhil, Mina, and Garasia.
Part B - Management	Marketing: Concepts, mix (product, price, place, promotion), supply chain, and E-commerce.  Finance: Wealth maximization, sources, capital structure, banking, stock market, FDI, and FIIs.  Organizational Behavior: Leadership, motivation, team building, and conflict management.  Entrepreneurship: Startups, venture capital, angel investors, and incubation.  Essential Services: Education, healthcare, tourism, and hospitality management.
Part C - Accounting & Auditing	Double-entry accounting and financial statement analysis.  Auditing: Social, performance, efficiency audits, and government audits.  Budgeting: Performance and zero-based budgeting.

Paper II: General Studies - II 

Unit I - Administrative Ethics
Ethics and Human Values	Lessons from lives and teachings of great leaders, reformers, and administrators.  Role of family, society, and educational institutions in inculcating values.
Ethical Concepts	Rit and Rin.  Concept of Duty, Good, and Virtue.
Ethics in Relationships	Ethics in private and public relationships.  Behaviour, moral and political attitudes of administrators.  Philosophical basis of Integrity.
Specific Ethical Teachings	Ethics of Bhagavad Geeta in administration.  Gandhian Ethics.
Moral Thinkers and Philosophers	Contributions from Indian and global moral thinkers.
Administrative Challenges	Ethical concerns, dilemmas, and challenges in administration.  Ethical decision-making and contributing factors.  Social justice, humanitarian concerns, accountability, and code of ethics.
Practical Applications	Case studies on the above topics.
Unit II - General Science & Technology
Chemistry in Everyday Life	States of Matter, Atomic Structure, and Metallurgical Principles.  Acid, Base, and Salts; pH and Buffers.  Important Drugs, Antioxidants, Preservatives, Insecticides, Pesticides, Herbicides, Fertilizers, and Sweeteners.  Carbon compounds and their applications.  Radioactivity concepts and applications.
Physics in Everyday Life	Gravitation, Human Eye, Heat, Electricity, Magnetism, Sound, and Electromagnetic Waves.  Magnetic resonance imaging, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Fission, and Fusion.
Biology in Everyday Life	Human systems: Reproductive, Excretory, Respiratory, Circulatory, and Digestive.  Blood groups, Hormones, Genetics, Lifestyle Diseases, Communicable and Non-communicable Diseases.  Plant parts, Plant growth regulators, Medicinal Plants (Rajasthan), Organic Farming, and Biotechnology.
Computer Science & IT	Human systems: Reproductive, Excretory, Respiratory, Circulatory, and Digestive.  Blood groups, Hormones, Genetics, Lifestyle Diseases, Communicable and Non-communicable Diseases.  Plant parts, Plant growth regulators, Medicinal Plants (Rajasthan), Organic Farming, and Biotechnology.
Scientific Developments	Robotics, Machine Learning, Augmented Reality, Nanotechnology, RFID, Quantum Computing.  Contributions of Indian scientists and Rajasthan’s development in Science and Technology.
Space & Defence Technology	Indian space program, Satellites, Remote sensing, and Launch vehicles.  Defence technology: Missiles, Indian missile program, Chemical and Biological weapons.
Unit III - Earth Science (Geography & Geology)
Part A - World	Structure of the Earth and Geological Time Scale.  Broad physical features: Mountains, Plateaus, Plains, Deserts.  Earthquakes and Volcanoes: Types, distribution, and impact.  Major geopolitical and environmental issues.
Part B - India	Physical features: Mountains, Plateaus, Plains, Deserts.  Major rivers and physiographic divisions.  Climate: Monsoon, Rainfall distribution, Climatic regions.  Natural resources: Water, Forest, Soil, Rocks, and Minerals.  Population: Growth, distribution, density, sex ratio, literacy, urban and rural population.
Part C - Rajasthan	Physical features: Mountains, Plateaus, Plains, Deserts.  Major rivers, lakes, and climatic classifications.  Major crops and their distribution.  Minerals: Metallic, Non-metallic, and their industrial uses.  Energy resources: Conventional and Non-conventional.  Demographic characteristics, major tribes, wildlife, and biodiversity.  Concept of UNESCO Geo-parks and Geo-heritage sites.  Environmental issues and conservation efforts.

 

Paper III: General Studies - III 

Unit I - Indian Political System, World Politics and Current Affairs
Constitution of India	Framing, Features, Amendments, Basic Structure.
Ideological Contents	Preamble, Fundamental Rights, Directive Principles of State Policy, Fundamental Duties.
Institutional Framework - I	Parliamentary System, President, Prime Minister, Council of Ministers, Parliament.
Institutional Framework - II	Federalism, Centre-State relations, Supreme Court, High Courts, Judicial Review, Judicial Activism.
Institutional Framework - III	Election Commission of India, Comptroller and Auditor General, UPSC, NITI Aayog, Central Vigilance Commission, CIC, NHRC.
Political Dynamics	Role of Caste, Religion, Class, Ethnicity, Language, and Gender in Indian Politics.  Political Parties, Electoral Behaviour.  Civil Society and Political Movements.  National Integrity, Security, and Socio-Political conflicts.
State Politics of Rajasthan	Party System, Political Demography, Political competition phases, Panchayati Raj, and Urban Self-Government.
Emerging World Order	Post-Cold War era, USA’s hegemony and resistance.  UN, Regional Organizations, International Economy, Terrorism, Environmental Issues.
Foreign Policy of India	Evolution, Determinants.  India’s relations: USA, China, Russia, EU, Neighbouring Countries.  Role in UN, NAM, BRICS, G-20, G-77, SAARC.
Geo-political and Strategic Issues	South Asia, South East Asia, West Asia, Far-East and their impact on India.
Current Affairs	Current events, persons, and places of Rajasthan.  National and international importance.  Recent sports activities.
Unit II - Concepts, Issues and Dynamics of Public Administration and Management
Administration and Management	Meaning, nature, significance, and role in developed/developing societies.  Evolution of Public Administration, New Public Administration.
Key Concepts	Power, Authority, Legitimacy, Responsibility, Delegation.
Principles of Organization	Hierarchy, Span of Control, Unity of Command.
Functions of Management	Corporate governance, Social responsibility, New Public Management, Change Management.
Attitude and Values of Civil Services	Ethics, integrity, impartiality, non-partisanship, dedication to public service.  Generalists vs Specialists.
Control over Administration	Legislative, Executive, and Judicial: Means and limitations.
Administrative Setup of Rajasthan	Governor, Chief Minister, Council of Ministers, State Secretariat, Directorates, Chief Secretary.
District Administration	Role of District Collector, District Magistrate, Superintendent of Police, Sub-divisional and Tehsil administration.
Development Administration	Meaning, scope, characteristics.
Key Commissions/Acts in Rajasthan	State Human Rights Commission, State Election Commission, Lokayukt.  Rajasthan Public Service Commission, Guaranteed Delivery of Public Services Act (2011), Right to Hearing Act (2012).
Unit III - Sports and Yoga, Behavior and Law
Part A - Sports and Yoga	Sports Policies of India and Rajasthan.  Sports Authorities: SAI, Rajasthan State Sports Council.  National and Rajasthan State-level Sports Awards.  Yoga: Positive way of life.  Eminent sports personalities of India.  First Aid and Rehabilitation.  Indian participation in Olympics, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, Para-Olympics.
Part B - Behavior	Intelligence: Cognitive, Social, Emotional, Cultural, Spiritual.  Personality: Traits, Types, Determinants, Assessment.  Learning and Motivation: Styles, Models of memory, Causes of forgetting.  Stress and Management: Nature, Symptoms, Effects, Stress Management, Mental Health promotion.
Part C - Law	Concepts of Law: Ownership, Possession, Personality, Liability, Rights, Duties.  Contemporary Legal Issues: RTI, IT Law, Cyber Crimes, IPR.  Crimes against Women/Children: Domestic Violence, Sexual Harassment, POCSO Act (2012), Child Labour Laws.  Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act (2007).  Important Land Laws in Rajasthan: Rajasthan Land Revenue Act (1956), Rajasthan Tenancy Act (1955).

 

Paper IV: General Hindi and General English 

General English (Total Marks: 80)	Details
Part A - Grammar & Usage (20 Marks)	Correction of sentences: 10 sentences with errors related to:   Articles & Determiners  Prepositions  Tenses & Sequence of Tenses  Modals  Voice - Active & Passive  Narration - Direct & Indirect  Synonyms & Antonyms  Phrasal Verbs & Idioms  One Word Substitutes  Words Often Confused or Misused
Part B - Comprehension, Translation & Precis Writing (30 Marks)	Comprehension of an unseen passage (approximately 250 words):   5 questions based on the passage (Q5 preferably on vocabulary)   Translation of 5 sentences from Hindi to English.  Precis Writing: A short passage (approximately 150-200 words)
Part C - Composition & Letter Writing (30 Marks)	Paragraph Writing: Any 1 out of 3 given topics (approximately 200 words).  Elaboration of a given theme: Any 1 out of 3 topics (approximately 150 words).  Letter Writing or Report Writing (approximately 150 words).