Short answer: the RAS Prelims 2026 syllabus is RPSC's revised scheme dated 9 January 2026. There is one paper, General Knowledge and General Science, with 150 questions for 200 marks in 3 hours, covering Rajasthan and Indian history, geography, polity and Rajasthan administration, the Indian and Rajasthan economy, science and technology, reasoning and numeracy, and current affairs.
Download the official text first, then use this page to plan. Where we summarise, the PDF is the authority.
Official RAS Prelims 2026 syllabus PDFs
- RAS Prelims syllabus 2026, English (RPSC, 9 January 2026)
- RAS Prelims syllabus 2026, Hindi (RPSC, 9 January 2026)
The same files are listed on the RPSC exam dashboard under "Raj. State and Sub. Services Comb. Comp Exam – 2026". The scheme (150 questions, 200 marks, 3 hours, 1/3 negative marking) is explained in our RAS Prelims exam pattern 2026 guide.
How much each area has carried in recent papers
RPSC does not fix marks per subject. The question counts below are from the 2021, 2023 and 2024 papers, taken from our previous-year paper analysis. They are a guide to priority, not a promise about 2026.
| Area | Questions (2021 / 2023 / 2024) |
|---|---|
| History, art and culture (Rajasthan and India) | 23 / 26 / 25 |
| Polity and Rajasthan administration | 23 / 23 / 24 |
| Economy (India and Rajasthan) | 22 / 22 / 21 |
| Geography (Rajasthan, India and world) | 21 / 19 / 20 |
| Science and technology | 21 / 20 / 20 |
| Reasoning and basic numeracy | 20 / 20 / 20 |
| Current affairs | 20 / 20 / 20 |
About 52 questions every year have been purely Rajasthan-specific static content (history, culture, geography, administration and economy).
Subject-wise syllabus 2026
Each heading below is the official one. The topics under it are our condensed wording of the official text; some lines are shortened, so check the PDF before you strike anything off your list.
History, Art, Culture, Literature, Tradition and Heritage of Rajasthan
- Prehistoric sites
- Sources of Rajasthan history
- Major dynasties and their relations with the central power
- Medieval administration and revenue
- 18th–19th century conditions
- Peasant, tribal and Praja Mandal movements
- Integration of Rajasthan
- Architecture, painting, handicrafts, music, dance and drama
- Dialects and literature
- Saints, sects and folk deities
- Fairs, festivals, customs and attire
- Leading personalities
Indian History
- Indus and Vedic age
- Ajivikas, Buddhism and Jainism
- Maurya to Chola dynasties
- Art, architecture and science in ancient India
- The Indian knowledge and value system
- Sultanate, Vijayanagara, Mughals and Marathas
- Bhakti and Sufi movements
- British imperialism and resistance
- The 1857 revolt
- The national movement
- Nation-building up to 2000
Geography of World and India
- World: landforms, rivers and lakes, natural vegetation, agriculture, industrial regions, transport, environmental issues. India: physiographic divisions, climate, rivers and lakes, irrigation, crops, minerals, industrial regions
Geography of Rajasthan
- Location and physiography
- Rivers and lakes
- Climate
- Vegetation, biodiversity and conservation
- Soil
- Agriculture
- Livestock
- Irrigation
- Population, urbanisation and tribes
- Minerals
- Tourism
Indian Constitution, Political System and Governance
- Framing of the Constitution, Preamble, citizenship, fundamental rights, directive principles, fundamental duties
- Union executive, legislature and judiciary
- Union–State relations and emergency provisions
- Local government
- Election Commission, UPSC, NHRC, NCW, NCPCR and NITI Aayog
- Public policy, citizen charter, social audit and grievance redressal
- Lokpal, CVC and CIC
Political and Administrative System of Rajasthan
- Governor, Chief Minister and Council of Ministers, Legislative Assembly, High Court and subordinate courts, Advocate General
- Chief Secretary, secretariat, directorates, Divisional Commissioner, Collector, SP, SDO and Tehsildar
- RPSC, State Election Commission, State Information Commission, State Women Commission, Board of Revenue and Lokayukta
- Panchayati Raj and municipalities
Economic Concepts and Indian Economy
- Growth, development and sustainability
- HDI and related indices
- Monetary and fiscal policy
- The recent Union Budget
- Fiscal federalism and the Finance Commission
- Agriculture, industry and services
- LPG reforms
- Energy, transport and communication
- Skill development, employment and social justice
Economy of Rajasthan
- Macro overview and state budget
- Agriculture, industry and services
- Infrastructure
- Rural development, Panchayati Raj and the State Finance Commission
- Education and health
- Major welfare schemes of the state government
Science and Technology
- Everyday science
- Computers and ICT
- Defence and space
- Inheritance and variation, genetic engineering, biotechnology and nanotechnology
- Health, nutrition, diseases and public health programmes
- Environment and biodiversity
- Agriculture, horticulture, forestry and animal husbandry in Rajasthan
- Science and technology programmes and policies
- Recent advances
Reasoning and Mental Ability
- Statement-based reasoning (assumptions, arguments, conclusions, courses of action), analytical and critical reasoning
- Sequences, coding-decoding, relations, direction, Venn diagrams, ranking and seating, shapes
- Basic numeracy: ratio and partnership, profit and loss, percentage, interest, area, data analysis, averages, permutation and combination, probability
Current Affairs and Issues (with special reference to Rajasthan)
- Personalities, places and issues in the news
- New welfare schemes
- Economic and political developments
- Sports
- Awards, publications and authors
- The Rajasthan Public Examination (Measures for Prevention of Unfair Means in Recruitment) Act, 2022
What changed from the 2024 syllabus
We compared the 2026 Prelims document line by line with RPSC's 2024 Prelims syllabus (dated 17 September 2024). The exam scheme did not change. The main changes in content are:
- Modern Indian history now runs to 2000, not 1964, and adds British imperialism and resistance (Maratha, Mysore, Sikh), the 1857 revolt, partition, and planning and economic reforms.
- New in Indian history: "Indian Knowledge and Value System" (varna-ashram, purushartha, sanskara, philosophy and education) and scientific development in ancient India.
- Rajasthan history no longer names specific dynasties (Guhila, Chauhan, Rathore and others). Instead it asks for "sources of Rajasthan history" and the dynasties' "cooperation and resistance with central power".
- Polity adds citizenship, Union–State relations, emergency provisions, UPSC, NCW, NCPCR, social audit and grievance redressal. The Comptroller and Auditor General and "coalition governments" are no longer named.
- Rajasthan administration now spells out the district and state hierarchy (Chief Secretary to Tehsildar), the Advocate General, the Board of Revenue and the State Women Commission. The State Human Rights Commission, asked in all three recent papers, is no longer named in this section.
- Economy is reorganised around development, fiscal federalism, the Union Budget and sector reforms. Named items such as stock market, e-commerce, inflation and the Happiness Index are no longer listed.
- Reasoning adds ranking and seating arrangement, critical reasoning and profit and loss, and drops mirror and water images.
- Current affairs now carries "with special reference to Rajasthan" and names the Rajasthan Public Examination (Measures for Prevention of Unfair Means in Recruitment) Act, 2022.
Two cautions. First, a topic that is "no longer named" can still appear inside a broader heading. For example, the SHRC can still come up under public policy or rights, so don't drop it outright. Second, some posts online say "Sports and Yoga" was removed from Prelims. Neither RPSC Prelims document we compared has a separate "Sports and Yoga" unit. Sports appears under current affairs in both.
How to use the syllabus in the last weeks
- Print the official PDF and tick each line as you finish its revision. It is the only checklist that matches the paper-setter's brief.
- Cover the Rajasthan core first. Rajasthan history, art and culture, geography, administration and economy have produced about 52 questions every year.
- Give the new lines a quick pass. The Indian knowledge system, post-1964 nation-building, the administrative hierarchy and the 2022 Unfair Means Act are new. Easy questions on them reward candidates who simply read them once.
- Test yourself on the whole syllabus at once. A full-length paper shows which areas still leak marks. Start with our free RAS Prelims mock tests, then use the mock score analysis method to turn mistakes into a revision list.
Checked against the RPSC website on 11 November 2026. RASTestSeries.com is an independent preparation website, not affiliated with RPSC. The official RPSC syllabus is the final authority.