UPSC Medical Science Optional Syllabus for IAS Mains: PDF Download

UPSC Medical Science Syllabus: Medical Science is a popularly chosen optional subject in the UPSC Mains exam. It mainly assesses the candidate’s knowledge of basic concepts and usage of knowledge to address the issues faced by the patient. Scoring high marks in this subject is crucial as it can boost the overall marks in the UPSC IAS exam. Candidates with science backgrounds can opt for Medical Science as their UPSC optional to excel in this subject. 

Going by the past five years’ statistics, approximately 150-250 aspirants pick Medical Science optional subject, and the success rate hovers around 10%. It is recommended to adhere to the Medical Science Syllabus for UPSC to prepare comprehensively for the civil service exam. As per the past UPSC exam analysis, it is found that the difficulty level of the UPSC Medical Science optional subjects was medium in nature.

In this article, we shared the UPSC Medical Science Syllabus PDF for Mains, question weightage, preparation tips, and best books.

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UPSC Medical Science Syllabus PDF

The UPSC Medical Science optional syllabus comprises two papers, i.e., Papers 1 and 2. The UPSC Medical Science subject is conducted for a total of 500 marks, with each paper carrying 250 marks. Candidates must carefully review the UPSC Medical Science Syllabus PDF for Papers 1 and 2 to get an idea of the important topics and build a robust approach. Download the topic-wise UPSC Medical Science Syllabus PDF for papers 1 and 2 tabulated below.

UPSC Medical Science Optional Syllabus For IAS Mains

There are two papers in the UPSC Medical Science Optional Syllabus i.e., Paper 1 and Paper 2. Before commencing the preparation, it is vital to check the topic-wise UPSC Medical Science syllabus for main optional papers 1 and 2 as it will allow them to differentiate between important and unimportant topics.

UPSC Medical Science Syllabus for Paper 1

The UPSC Medical Science Paper I syllabus covers topics like Human Anatomy, Human Physiology, Biochemistry, Pathology, Microbiology, Pharmacology, Forensic Medicine and Toxicology. Check the topic-wise UPSC Medical Science Optional Syllabus for Paper I below.

1. Human Anatomy:

Applied anatomy including blood and nerve supply of upper and lower limbs and joints of shoulder, hip and knee.

Gross anatomy, blood supply and lymphatic drainage of tongue, thyroid, mammary gland, stomach, liver, prostate, gonads and uterus.

Applied anatomy of the diaphragm, perineum and inguinal region.

Clinical anatomy of kidney, urinary bladder, uterine tubes, vas deferens.

Embryology: Placenta and placental barrier. Development of heart, gut, and kidney, uterus, ovary, testis and their common congenital abnormalities.

Central and Peripheral Autonomic Nervous System: Gross and clinical anatomy of ventricles of the brain, circulation of cerebrospinal fluid; Neural pathways and lesions of cutaneous sensations, hearing and vision; Cranial nerves distribution and clinical significance; Components of the autonomic nervous system.

2. Human Physiology:

Conduction and transmission of impulse, mechanism of contraction, neuromuscular transmission, reflexes, control of equilibrium, posture and muscle tone, descending pathways, functions of the cerebellum, basal ganglia, Physiology of sleep and consciousness.

Endocrine System: Mechanism of action of hormones; formation, secretion, transport, metabolism, function and regulation of secretion of pancreas and pituitary gland.

Physiology of Reproductive System: Pregnancy menstrual cycle, lactation, pregnancy.

Blood: Development, regulation and fate of blood cells.

Cardio-vascular, cardiac output, blood pressure, regulation of cardiovascular functions.

3. Biochemistry:

Organ function tests—liver, kidney, thyroid Protein synthesis.

Vitamins and minerals.

Restriction fragment length.

polymorphism (RFLP).

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

Radio-immunoassays (RIA).

4. Pathology:

Inflammation and repair, disturbances of growth and cancer, Pathogenesis and histopathology of rheumatic and ischaemic heart disease and diabetes mellitus. Differentiation between benign, malignant, primary and metastatic malignancies, Pathogenesis and histopathology of bronchogenic carcinoma, carcinoma breast, oral cancer, cancer cervix, leukaemia, Etiology, pathogenesis and histopathology of— cirrhosis liver, glomerulonephritis, tuberculosis, acute osteomyelitis.

5. Microbiology:

Humoral and cell mediated immunity.

Diseases caused by and laboratory diagnosis of —

Meningococcus, Saimonella

Shigella, Herpes, Dengue, Polio

HIV/AIDS, Malaria, E. Histolytica, Giardia

Candida, Cryptococcus, Aspergillus.

6. Pharmacology:

Mechanism of action and side effects of the following drugs :

Antipyretics and analgesics, Antibiotics,

Antimalaria, Antikala-azar, Antidiabetics,

Antihypertensive, Antidiuretics, General and cardiac vasodilators, Antiviral, Antiparasitic, Antifungal, Immunosuppressants,

Anticancer.

7. Forensic Medicine and Toxicology

Forensic examination of injuries and wounds; Examination of blood and seminal stains; Poisoning, sedative overdose, hanging, drowning, burns, DNA and fingerprint study.

UPSC Medical Science Syllabus for Paper 2

The UPSC Medical Science Paper II Syllabus focuses on topics like General Medicine, Paediatrics, Dermatology, General Surgery,  Obstetrics and Gynaecology including Family Planning, and Community Medicine (Preventive and Social Medicine). Check the topic-wise UPSC Medical Science Optional Syllabus PDF for Paper II below.

1. General Medicine

• Aetiology, clinical features, diagnosis and principles of management (including prevention) of—Typhoid, Rabies, AIDS, Dengue, Kala-azar, and Japanese Encephalitis.
• Aetiology, clinical features, diagnosis and principles of management of :
• Ischaemic heart disease, pulmonary embolism.
• Bronchial asthma.
• Pleural effusion, tuberculosis, Malabsorption syndromes; acid peptic diseases, Viral hepatitis and cirrhosis of the liver.
• Glomerulonephritis and pyelonephritis, renal failure, nephrotic syndrome, renovascular hypertension, complications of diabetes mellitus, coagulation disorders, leukaemia, Hypo and hyper thyroid, meningitis and encephalitis.
• Imaging in medical problems, ultrasound, echocardiogram, CT scan, MRI.
• Anxiety and Depressive Psychosis and schizophrenia and ECT. 

2. Paediatrics

Immunization, Baby friendly hospital, congenital cyanotic heart disease, respiratory distress syndrome, broncho— pneumonia, kernicterus. IMNCI classification and management, PEM grading and management. ARI and Diarrhea of under five and their management.

3. Dermatology

Psoriasis, Allergic dermatitis, scabies, eczema, vitiligo, Stevan Johnson’s syndrome, Lichen Planus.

4. General Surgery

• Clinical features, causes, diagnosis and principles of management of cleft palate, harelip.
• Laryngeal tumour, oral and esophageal tumours.
• Peripheral arterial diseases, varicose veins, coarctation of aorta.
• Tumours of Thyroid, Adrenal, Glands.
• Abscess cancer, fibroadenoma and adenosis of the breast.
• Bleeding peptic ulcer, tuberculosis of the bowel, ulcerative colitis, cancer stomach.
• Renal mass, cancer prostate.
• Haemothorax, stones of the Gall bladder, Kidney, Ureter and Urinary Bladder.
• Management of surgical conditions of Rectum, Anus and Anal canal, Gall bladder and Bile ducts.
• Splenomegaly, cholecystitis, portal hypertension, liver abscess, peritonitis, carcinoma head of pancreas.
• Fractures of the spine, Colles’ fracture and bone tumours.
• Endoscopy.
• Laparoscopic Surgery.

5. Obstetrics and Gynaecology including Family Planning

• Diagnosis of pregnancy.
• Labour management, complications of 3rd stage, Antepartum and postpartum haemorrhage, resuscitation of the newborn, Management of abnormal life and difficult labour. Management of small for date or premature newborns.
• Diagnosis and management of anaemia. Preeclampsia and Toxaemias of pregnancy, Management of Postmenopausal Syndrome.
• Intra-uterine devices, pills, tubectomy and vasectomy. Medical termination of pregnancy including legal aspects.
• Cancer cervix.
• Leucorrhoea, pelvic pain; infertility, dysfunctional uterine bleeding (DUB), amenorrhoea, Fibroid and prolapse of uterus.

6. Community Medicine (Preventive and Social Medicine)

• Principles, methods approach and measurements of Epidemiology.
• Nutrition, nutritional diseases/disorders and Nutrition Programmes.
• Health information Collection, Analysis and Presentation.
• Objectives, components and critical analysis of National programmes for control/eradication of :
• Malaria, Kala-azar, Filaria and Tuberculosis,
• HIV/AIDS, STDs and Dengue.
• Critical appraisal of Health care delivery system.
• Health management and administration; Techniques, Tools, Programme Implementation and Evaluation.
• Objectives, Components, Goals and Status of Reproductive and Child Health, National Rural Health Mission and Millennium Development Goals.
• Management of hospital and industrial waste.

How to Prepare the UPSC Medical Science Syllabus 2023?

Candidates must follow the UPSC Medical Science syllabus and reshape the preparation strategy. This will help them to get a strong grip on the concepts and advanced chapters important from the exam perspective. As the UPSC Medical Science optional syllabus is lengthy, aspirants should consider specific points during the IAS exam preparation.

• Review the UPSC Medical Science optional syllabus thoroughly and segregate the topics based on marks weightage. This will enable them to finish the syllabus in a stipulated time period.
• Pick the highly recommended books and study resources to understand the concepts easily and comprehensively.
• Solve UPSC Medical Science’s previous year’s question paper to get an idea of the questions repeatedly asked over the years and question weightage.
• Revise all the important topics and chapters covered so far to retain concepts for a definite period.

Booklist for UPSC Medical Science Optional Syllabus

Numerous UPSC Medical Science optional books are available to strengthen the basics. Once they learn fundamentals, they should start covering core topics for the advanced preparation. The right books will help them to cover all the important topics specified in the UPSC Medical Science Optional Syllabus. Some of the best UPSC Medical Science Optional books are as follows.

Subject	Book Name with Author
Paper-I	Human Anatomy by B D Chaurasia Pathology by Robbins, and Cotran Textbook of Pathology by Harsh Mohan Embryology from I B Singh Biochemistry by U. Satyanarayana book. Illustrated Reviews Pharmacology by Lippincott Essentials of Medical Pharmacology by K D Tripathi Microbiology by D R Arora
Paper-II	General Medicine textbook of medicine by S N Chugh Manipal Manual of Surgery by K. Rajgopal Shenoy Pediatrics– Essential pediatrics by O P Ghai, Paul and Bagga. Clinical surgery by S Das. Emergency medicine by S N Chugh. Practical Aspects Of Pediatrics by Dr. Mayoor K Chheda

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