UPSC CMS Syllabus 2026
The UPSC Combined Medical Services examination syllabus covers the standard MBBS curriculum across two papers. Both papers test clinical and theoretical knowledge at the level expected of a government medical officer. The syllabus is fixed and published by UPSC — it does not change from year to year, which makes long-term preparation straightforward.
| Paper I | General Medicine & Paediatrics — 120 Questions — 240 Marks — 2 Hours |
| Paper II | General Surgery, OBG & PSM — 120 Questions — 240 Marks — 2 Hours |
| Marking | +2 per correct; −0.667 (1/3) per wrong; 0 for unattempted |
| Medium | English only |
| Mode | Computer Based Test (CBT) |
- Internal Medicine: Cardiovascular, Respiratory, Gastrointestinal, Hepatic, Renal, Neurological, Haematological, Endocrine, Musculoskeletal, Infectious Diseases
- Dermatology and Venereology
- Psychiatry and Behavioural Sciences
- Ophthalmology
- Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT)
- Radiology and Imaging (clinical application)
- Clinical Pharmacology relevant to Medicine
- Neonatology and Newborn Care
- Growth and Development, Developmental Paediatrics
- Paediatric Nutrition and Nutritional Disorders
- Paediatric Infectious Diseases
- Paediatric Respiratory, Cardiovascular, Gastrointestinal, Renal
- Paediatric Neurology and Genetic Disorders
- National Immunization Programme and Child Health Programmes
- General Surgical Principles: Wound healing, infections, fluid management, shock, anaesthesia basics
- Abdominal Surgery: GI, hepatobiliary, pancreatic, hernias
- Breast, Thyroid, Parathyroid, Adrenal Surgery
- Vascular Surgery, Burns, Trauma (ATLS principles)
- Orthopaedics: Fractures, dislocations, common orthopaedic conditions
- Urology: Renal calculi, BPH, bladder and renal tumours
- Surgical Oncology: Staging principles, commonly tested cancers
- Paediatric Surgery: Common congenital anomalies
- Normal and Abnormal Labour, Operative Obstetrics
- High-Risk Pregnancy: Pre-eclampsia, APH, PPH, Gestational Diabetes
- Antenatal, Intranatal, Postnatal Care
- Gynaecological Disorders: Menstrual, Structural, Malignancies
- Reproductive Oncology: Cervix, Uterus, Ovary
- Family Planning and Contraception
- Infertility, Assisted Reproduction basics
- Epidemiology: Study designs, disease burden, outbreak investigation
- Biostatistics: Statistical tests, diagnostic accuracy measures
- National Health Programmes: NHM, RNTCP, NACP, NVBDCP, NPCB, NPCDCS
- Demography and Health Indicators (NFHS-5 data)
- Nutrition and Nutritional Programmes
- Environmental Health: Water, sanitation, waste management
- Health Administration and PHC system
- Occupational Health and Social Medicine
Not all topics in the syllabus carry equal weight in the exam. Analysis of previous year papers reveals clear patterns in topic frequency:
High-yield (must-prepare thoroughly): Infectious diseases (tuberculosis, HIV, malaria, dengue), diabetes and thyroid disorders, hypertension, anaemia, respiratory infections, PSM national health programmes, biostatistics formulas, epidemiological study designs, surgical emergencies (appendicitis, intestinal obstruction, hernias), obstetric emergencies (PPH, pre-eclampsia, eclampsia), family planning methods, and neonatal care.
Moderate-yield (important but fewer direct questions): Dermatology (common skin conditions), psychiatry (depression, schizophrenia, anxiety disorders), ophthalmology (cataract, glaucoma, common eye diseases), ENT basics, orthopaedic fractures, urological conditions, and gynaecological malignancies.
Lower-yield (know the basics, do not over-invest time): Radiology imaging physics, advanced surgical oncology staging details, rare genetic disorders in paediatrics, and highly specialised medical subspecialty topics. These may appear as 1–2 questions per year at most.
The practical implication: focus the majority of your preparation time on high-yield topics first. Once you are confident with those, expand to moderate-yield areas. Only in the final revision phase should you spend time on lower-yield topics, and even then, focus on core concepts rather than deep details.
| Medicine | Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine (21st Ed.) |
| Paediatrics | Ghai Essential Paediatrics (9th Ed.), Nelson Textbook |
| Surgery | Bailey & Love’s Short Practice of Surgery (28th Ed.) |
| OBG | DC Dutta’s Obstetrics & Gynaecology (9th Ed.) |
| PSM | Park’s Textbook of Preventive & Social Medicine (26th Ed.) |
| Pharmacology | KD Tripathi Essentials of Medical Pharmacology |
The CMS syllabus and NEET PG/INICET syllabus share the same foundation subjects — Medicine, Surgery, OBG, Paediatrics, and PSM. However, there are critical differences in depth, question style, and subject weighting:
Question depth: NEET PG and INICET questions are often multi-step clinical vignettes requiring specialty-level knowledge. CMS questions are more straightforward, testing broader MBBS-level knowledge. A question that requires knowing the mechanism of a rare drug side-effect in NEET PG might be replaced by a question about the first-line treatment of a common condition in CMS.
Subject weighting: CMS gives significant weight to PSM (roughly 40–50 questions in Paper II) and includes subjects like Ophthalmology, ENT, Dermatology, and Psychiatry within Medicine. NEET PG, by contrast, may test these as separate subjects with different weighting. Candidates preparing for NEET PG may need to adjust their PSM preparation specifically for CMS, as CMS PSM questions tend to focus on national programmes and biostatistics more heavily.
No pre-clinical or para-clinical subjects in CMS: Anatomy, Physiology, Biochemistry, Pathology, Microbiology, Pharmacology, and Forensic Medicine are not directly tested in CMS (though Pharmacology appears indirectly through clinical questions). If you are preparing solely for CMS, you can skip these subjects entirely. This saves significant preparation time compared to PG entrance exams.