Punjab PCS Syllabus 2025, Prelims and Mains Exam Pattern

• Prelims - 400
• Mains - 1350
• Interview - 150

• States of matter, structure of atoms, versatile nature of carbon
• Acids, bases, salts, corrosion in metals, action of soaps
• Life on Earth: evolution, marine & terrestrial life
• Human body and life processes, nutrition, disease—its causes & prevention, infectious diseases, lifestyle diseases
• Public health initiatives, mother and child health, immunization & vaccination, HIV-AIDS, TB, polio
• Force-laws of motion & gravitation, Archimedes principle
• Energy kinetics & potential
• Light—reflection & refraction—concepts and applications. Sound: propagation & reflection—concepts and applications. Electric current: concepts and applications
• Computers and telecommunications: concepts and applications

• Composition and structure of the atmosphere. Solar system: heat balance & temperature
• Atmospheric circulation & weather system, water cycle
• Climate change: fossil fuels, greenhouse gases, renewable energy, clean development mechanisms, carbon credits.
• Water: oceans, rivers, glaciers, lakes, groundwater, etc. Biodiversity & conservation
• Soil: types, crops, food chain, etc. Pollution and toxicity

• Basic concepts of freedom, equality, social justice, rights & duties, citizenship, nationalism, secularism, etc.
• United Nations and its organs/agencies, other international organizations like the World Bank, IMF, WTO, EU, G20, BRICS, etc. and their role in world peace, trade, & development.

• Basic features, provisions, schedules of the Indian Constitution, key amendments
• Panchayati Raj. Elections—People’s Representation Act, electoral reforms. Rise of regionalism and coalition politics
• Armed challenges to the Indian state since independence

• The Indus Valley Civilization
• The Aryan and the Vedic age. Jainism and Buddhism
• The Maury and Gupta periods
• The advent of Islam and Sultanate period (political, social, & cultural). The Bhakti Movement
• The Mughals (political, social, & cultural till Aurangzeb)
• The coming of the European powers and the advent of British rule. The Mutiny of 1857
• The British rule and the Indian National Movement (1857–1947)

• The Renaissance and the Industrial Revolution in Europe. The American Revolution 1776
• The French Revolution, 1789
• The Russian Revolution 1917
• World Wars I & II

• Indian economic development (1950-1991): key economic policies, public sector dominance, bank nationalization, etc
• Five-year plans: key goals and main achievements
• Liberalization, privatization and globalization era since 1991: key policies, decisions and results
• Performance of Indian economy since 1991: growth, fiscal & revenue deficits, trade, commerce & balance of payments, inflation, growth of service sector
• Key challenges and responses: agriculture and food security, industrialization, poverty alleviation & employment, rural & urban infrastructure, social sector (health, education, etc.)

• Population: distribution, density, growth, and comparison. Migration: types, causes and consequences
• Human development. Human settlements. Land resources and agriculture
• Water resources
• Mineral and energy resources. Manufacturing industries
• Planning and sustainable development in India. Transport and communication
• International trade
• Geographical perspective on selected issues and problems

• Geography: Geographical and Agro-climatic regions, rivers, water resources, sharing of waters, demographics, human development indices
• People, Society, and Cultur3: Major personalities in the history of Punjab, religious movements, major religions & spiritual personalities, Punjabi literature, folk or performing arts, fine arts and crafts
• History:
• Sufis, saints and gurus, Lodhis and Mughals, Sikh rulers, the British period, nationalist movement in Punjab, Punjab in independent India
• Economy: Agriculture, animal husbandry, industrial & service sectors, major occupations, development & economic growth, public finance (including central-state fiscal issues), public sector institutions, cooperatives, etc.

• Reading comprehension; Punjabi and English language comprehension, antonyms and synonyms, grammar, and sentence formation.
• Interpersonal skills including communication skills.
• Logical reasoning, analytical and mental ability.
• Basic numerical skills; numbers, magnitudes, percentages, numerical relation appreciation.
• Data analysis; Graphic presentations, charts, tables, spreadsheets.

Note: The topics listed in the syllabus are only indicative for the general guidance of the candidates and cannot be deemed as an exhaustive list.

• History of the world: Events from the 18th century; industrial revolution, world wars, redraw of national boundaries, colonization, decolonization, political philosophies like Communism, Capitalism, Socialism
• Indian culture- Salient aspects of Art Forms, Literature and Architecture from ancient to modern times
• Modern Indian history from the middle of the eighteenth century until the present significant events, personalities and issues
• Socio-religious reform movements with special reference to Punjab
• The Freedom Struggle - its various stages and important contributors /contributions from different parts of the country with special reference to Punjab
• Post-independence consolidation and reorganization within the country
• History of Punjab: Ranjit Singh’s rise to power, civil and military administration and relations with the British, Annexation of Punjab with special reference to the causes and consequences of the Anglo-Sikh wars

• Physical Geography: Salient features of the world’s physical geography. Distribution of key natural resources across the world (including South Asia and the Indian subcontinent); factors responsible for the location of primary, secondary, and tertiary sector industries in various parts of the world (including India)
• Important Geophysical phenomena such as earthquakes, Tsunami, Volcanic activity, cyclones etc., geographical features and their location- changes in critical geographical features (including water-bodies and ice-caps) and in flora and fauna and the effects of such changes
• Geography of Punjab: Physiographic details of Punjab; Geomorphic features of Punjab, Punjab’s strategic location with reference to International Border
• Crops of Punjab; Modern concepts of Farming; Problems faced by Agriculturists/ Issues in Agriculture: Depletion of groundwater

• Salient Features of Indian Society, Diversity of India
• Role of women and women’s organization, population and associated issues, poverty and developmental issues, urbanization, their  problems and their remedies
• Effects of globalization on Indian society
• Social empowerment, communalism, regionalism & secularism
• Ethics and Society: Essence, determinants and consequences of Ethics in human actions; dimensions of ethics; ethics in private and public relationships
• Human Values – Role of family, society and educational institutions in inculcating values; lessons from the lives and teachings of great leaders and reformers- Gautam Buddha, Mahavira, Kabir, Guru Nanak; Swami Vivekananda, Jyotibha Phule, Ishwar Chandra Vidya Sagar and Mahatma Gandhi
• Vulnerable sections of the population - Welfare schemes by the Centre and State of Punjab and their performance; Mechanisms, laws, institutions and Bodies constituted for their protection and betterment
• Issues relating to the development and management of the Social Sector- Health, Education, and Human Resources; Issues relating to Poverty and Malnutrition

• Indian Constitution- historical underpinnings, evolution, features, amendments significant provisions and basic structure
• Functions and responsibilities of the Union and the States, issues and challenges pertaining to the federal structure, devolution of powers and finances up to local levels and challenges therein
• Separation of powers between various organs; Dispute redressal mechanisms and institutions
• Comparison of the Indian constitutional scheme with that of other countries
• Parliament and State Legislatures - structure, functioning, conduct of business, powers & privileges and issues arising out of these structure, organization and functioning of the Executive and the Judiciary; Ministries and Departments of the Government; pressure groups and formal/informal associations and their role in the Polity
• Salient features of the Representation of People’s Act
• Appointment to various Constitutional posts; Powers, functions and responsibilities of various Constitutional Bodies
• District Administration - Evolution of District Administration; Panchayati Raj Institutions and Urban Local Bodies

• Statutory, regulatory and various quasi-judicial bodies
• Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation; Development processes and the development organizations- the role of NGOs, SHGs, donors, charities, institutional and other stakeholder
• Important aspects of governance, transparency and accountability, e-governance applications, models, successes, limitations and potential; citizens charters, transparency & accountability and institutional and other measures; Role of civil services in a democracy; Changing trends in Governance
• Values and Ethics in Governance- Ethical concerns and dilemmas in government and private institutions; laws, rules, regulations and conscience as sources of ethical guidance; accountability and ethical governance; strengthening of ethical and moral values in governance; ethical issues in international relations and funding
• Probity in Governance: Concept of Governance; Philosophical basis of governance and probity; corporate governance; Information sharing and transparency in government, Right to Information, Codes of Ethics, Codes of Conduct, Citizen’s Charters, Work culture, Quality of service delivery, Utilization of public funds, challenges of corruption

• India and its neighborhood- relations; Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests
• Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests, Indian Diaspora
• Important International institutions, agencies and forum- their structure and mandate.

• Issues relating to planning, mobilization of resources, growth, development and employment; sustainable development; Inclusive growth and issues arising from it; Government Budgeting.
• Major crops, cropping patterns in various parts of the country, different types of irrigation and irrigation systems; storage, transport and marketing of agricultural produce- issues and related constraints; e-technology in the aid of farmers; Issues related to direct and indirect farm subsidies and minimum support prices; Technology missions; economics of animal rearing
• Public Distribution System- objectives, functioning, limitations, revamping; issues of buffer stocks and food security;
• Food processing and related industries in India- scope and significance, location, upstream and downstream requirements, supply chain management
• Land reforms in India; Effects of liberalization on the economy, changes in industrial policy and their effects on industrial growth
• Infrastructure- Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways
• Human Resource Development: Importance of Human capital in economic development, Nature, types and problems of unemployment in India, Trends of Employment in India, Skill Development and demographic dividend

• Linkages between development and spread of extremism; Role of external, State and non-state actors in creating challenges to internal security; Challenges to internal security through communication networks; role of media and social networking sites in internal security challenges
• Basics of cyber security; money-laundering and its prevention; Security challenges and their management in border areas; linkages of organized crime with terrorism
• Various Security forces and agencies and their mandate

• Developments and applications of science and technology and their effects on everyday life
• Achievements of Indians in science & technology; indigenization of technology and development of new technology
• Recent developments in the fields of IT, Space, Computers, robotics, nanotechnology, etc
• Issues relating to intellectual property rights
• Modern Trends in Life Sciences
• Progress of Agricultural Science and its impact– Introduction to Biotechnology and its applications; Veterinary and Animal Sciences- latest developments
• Introduction to and Applications of Genetic Engineering & Stem Cell Research
• Human Diseases and Microbial infections; Common infections and preventive measures; preventive measures during out breaks; Immunity and vaccination

• Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, Issues related to Climate change; environmental impact assessment
• Water Management- Issues in India; Present scenario, Methods and importance of water conservation
• Definition, nature, types and classification of disasters
• Natural Hazards: Floods, earthquakes, tsunamis, landslides, etc., Risk reduction and mitigation measures

• Tackling situations of Natural disasters, Major Accidents and Law and order, Controlling riots, Handling public protests, Land Acquisition and Rehabilitation, Designing Projects
• Implementation of National Flagship Schemes and Programmes, Public Private Partnership in effective service delivery, Managing and financing Municipal services e.g. Solid waste management, Conservation of natural resources- water, forests
• Pollution control, Reviving a loss-making PSU, Planning and target achievement, Gender sensitization and women empowerment Empowerment of vulnerable sections of the society
• Improving Education and Enhancing Skill development, Urban settlement-Slums and Housing issues
• Managing Issues related to Urban/ Rural drinking water supply and sanitation