Admissions open · Civil Services Mains 2027

The Mains-First
Programme

General Studies 1 · 2 · 3 · 4

Be Mains ready by Christmas. Begin your Prelims 2027 preparation on 1 January with clarity and confidence — not with a syllabus still unread.

See all 85 themes, day by day
Programme begins
28 September 2026
Programme concludes
24 December 2026
Chief mentor
Rohan Dange
₹24,999₹21,99912% off
Inclusive of GST

The argument

Most aspirants meet Mains too late.

The conventional sequence — finish Prelims, then discover Mains in the ten weeks after the result — is the single largest source of avoidable marks lost in this examination.

Mains is not a memory paper. It rewards a trained hand: the ability to read a demand accurately, structure a response under time pressure, and write with substantiation rather than assertion. That hand takes months to build, and it cannot be built in the weeks between two results.

This programme inverts the order. Between 28 September — 24 December 2026 you cover the entire General Studies 2 and 3 syllabus, broken into daily micro-themes, together with the current-affairs core of General Studies 1 and ethics case studies for General Studies 4. Every theme is taught, written, and evaluated.

85

Thematic tracks, one every day except Sundays

GS 1–4

All four General Studies papers, in 85 themes

14

Weekly Sunday tests included

13

Full-length papers across two phases

4 days

Copy evaluation turnaround

Every theme

Model answer and notes

Every GS paper, topic by topic

Every theme, section by section — eighty-five daily tracks across all four General Studies papers. Open a section to see its themes and dates.

GS-ISociety & Social Change12 tracks

28 Sep – 10 Oct 2026

  1. 01Social Change, Aspirational India & New Social Fault LinesMon 28 Sep
  2. 02Globalisation & Changing Indian SocietyTue 29 Sep
  3. 03Women's Work & the Care EconomyWed 30 Sep
  4. 04Gender, Women & Child DevelopmentThu 1 Oct
  5. 05Ageing India & the Future of Social SecurityFri 2 Oct
  6. 06Urbanisation: Opportunity or Governance Crisis?Sat 3 Oct
  7. 07Heat-Resilient Cities & Urban Climate GovernanceMon 5 Oct
  8. 08India's Demographic Transformation: Dividend to DivergenceTue 6 Oct
  9. 09Linguistic Reorganisation of States & Linguistic Divide in IndiaWed 7 Oct
  10. 10Sons of Soil Doctrine — Historical PerspectiveThu 8 Oct
  11. 11Genesis of Riots & Social ConflictFri 9 Oct
  12. 12Social Media & Its Impact on Society and CultureSat 10 Oct
GS-IArt & Culture1 track

12 Oct 2026

  1. 13Art & Culture in News — 2026Mon 12 Oct
GS-IIPolity & Constitution21 tracks

13 Oct – 5 Nov 2026

  1. 14Constitutionalism, Basic Structure & Constitutional MoralityTue 13 Oct
  2. 15Parliament: Law-Making to Legislative AccountabilityWed 14 Oct
  3. 16Finance Commission & Fiscal FederalismThu 15 Oct
  4. 17Governor–State Relations & Federal TrustFri 16 Oct
  5. 18Judiciary: Independence, Accountability & ReformSat 17 Oct
  6. 19Delimitation & Representative FederalismMon 19 Oct
  7. 20Local Governments: The Missing Third TierTue 20 Oct
  8. 21Women's Political RepresentationWed 21 Oct
  9. 22Civil Services ReformThu 22 Oct
  10. 23Digital Governance, DPI & the Platform StateFri 23 Oct
  11. 24Transparency, RTI & AccountabilitySat 24 Oct
  12. 25Press Freedom, Academic Freedom & Democratic InstitutionsMon 26 Oct
  13. 26Governance Reform: From Schemes to OutcomesTue 27 Oct
  14. 27Electoral ReformsWed 28 Oct
  15. 28Preamble & Constitutional FoundationsThu 29 Oct
  16. 29Secularism — The Indian ModelFri 30 Oct
  17. 30Federal Character of the Indian UnionSat 31 Oct
  18. 31Indra Sawhney & Reservation JurisprudenceMon 2 Nov
  19. 32Shreya Singhal & Freedom of SpeechTue 3 Nov
  20. 33Aadhaar, Privacy & Data RightsWed 4 Nov
  21. 34Data Governance, Data Protection & Digital RightsThu 5 Nov
GS-IIInternational Relations12 tracks

6 – 19 Nov 2026

  1. 35India & Its NeighbourhoodFri 6 Nov
  2. 36India–China Strategic CompetitionSat 7 Nov
  3. 37Indo-Pacific & India's Maritime StrategyMon 9 Nov
  4. 38India–US Strategic PartnershipTue 10 Nov
  5. 39India–Russia & Strategic AutonomyWed 11 Nov
  6. 40India–EU, Japan & France: New PartnershipsThu 12 Nov
  7. 41Global South & India's Diplomatic RoleFri 13 Nov
  8. 42West Asia, Red Sea & India's Strategic InterestsSat 14 Nov
  9. 43Reforming Global GovernanceMon 16 Nov
  10. 44Technology, Geopolitics & the Emerging Global OrderTue 17 Nov
  11. 45Geopolitics of Strategic Technologies & Critical MineralsWed 18 Nov
  12. 46Blue Economy & Ocean GovernanceThu 19 Nov
GS-IIIEconomy15 tracks

20 Nov – 7 Dec 2026

  1. 47GDP Growth vs Inclusive DevelopmentFri 20 Nov
  2. 48Green Revolution & Modern Agriculture in IndiaSat 21 Nov
  3. 49India's Employment Problem: Growth Without Enough Good JobsMon 23 Nov
  4. 50Gig Economy & Future of WorkTue 24 Nov
  5. 51Agricultural Transformation: Farm Income to CompetitivenessWed 25 Nov
  6. 52Food Security, Nutrition & Resilient Food SystemsThu 26 Nov
  7. 53Manufacturing, MSMEs & Global Value ChainsFri 27 Nov
  8. 54Infrastructure, Logistics & Cost of Doing BusinessSat 28 Nov
  9. 55Energy Transition vs Energy SecurityMon 30 Nov
  10. 56Fiscal Policy, Public Debt & Macroeconomic StabilityTue 1 Dec
  11. 57Inflation, Monetary Policy & RBIWed 2 Dec
  12. 58Free Trade Agreements & India's Trade StrategyThu 3 Dec
  13. 59SEZ Policy of IndiaFri 4 Dec
  14. 60Dedollarisation & Internationalisation of the RupeeSat 5 Dec
  15. 61Food Processing & Value Addition in AgricultureMon 7 Dec
GS-IIIScience & Technology9 tracks

8 – 17 Dec 2026

  1. 62AI: Productivity Revolution or Employment Disruption?Tue 8 Dec
  2. 63Data Centres: Digital Growth vs Environmental CostsWed 9 Dec
  3. 64Semiconductors & India's Technology SovereigntyThu 10 Dec
  4. 65Space Economy & India's Strategic FutureFri 11 Dec
  5. 66Biotechnology, Genomics & the BioeconomySat 12 Dec
  6. 67Lithium Batteries & Their SignificanceMon 14 Dec
  7. 68Nuclear Technology & India's FutureTue 15 Dec
  8. 69Alternative Fuels & Ethanol BlendingWed 16 Dec
  9. 70Emerging Technologies — 2026Thu 17 Dec
GS-IIIEnvironment, Biodiversity & Disaster Management8 tracks

18 – 26 Dec 2026

  1. 71Urban Resilience & Anthropogenic DisastersFri 18 Dec
  2. 72Climate Change: Mitigation, Adaptation & Climate JusticeSat 19 Dec
  3. 73Himalayan Disasters: GLOFs, Flash Floods & Climate RisksMon 21 Dec
  4. 74Tiger Conservation & Landscape GovernanceTue 22 Dec
  5. 75Ecocide, Environmental Governance & DevelopmentWed 23 Dec
  6. 76Pollution, Waste & Circular EconomyThu 24 Dec
  7. 77Water Security: Groundwater, Rivers & Blue EconomyFri 25 Dec
  8. 78Sustainable Agriculture, Soil Health & Land DegradationSat 26 Dec
GS-IIIInternal Security & Disaster Management2 tracks

28 – 29 Dec 2026

  1. 79Insurgency, Ethnic Conflict & the Development–Security NexusMon 28 Dec
  2. 80Defence Indigenisation, Future Warfare & Disaster ResilienceTue 29 Dec
GS-IVEthics, Integrity & Aptitude5 tracks

30 Dec 2026 – 4 Jan 2027

  1. 81Ethics Case Study — Hate SpeechWed 30 Dec
  2. 82Ethics Case Study — Moral PolicingThu 31 Dec
  3. 83Ethics Case Study — Tukaram MundeFri 1 Jan
  4. 84Ethics Case Study — Bittu TabahiSat 2 Jan
  5. 85Ethics Case Study — Protests in IndiaMon 4 Jan

Day-wise calendar

See what is taught on every day

All 85 themes and 14 Sunday tests, day by day from Monday, 28 September 2026 — with what is on today. Filter by paper, search a topic, and add any day, or all of them, to your calendar.

Open the calendar

A grid of all 99 days from Mon 28 Sep to Mon 4 Jan, one column per week, coloured by General Studies paper.

  • GS-I13 days
  • GS-II33 days
  • GS-III34 days
  • GS-IV5 days
  • Sunday test14 days

One theme. Five deliverables.

The syllabus is divided into micro-themes rather than broad heads, so nothing is covered in the abstract. 85 tracks run one every day except Sundays across the three-month span — coverage is sequential and cumulative, each theme building on the analytical vocabulary established before it.

  1. 01

    A theme lecture

    The concept discussed in full — scope, debates, institutional and constitutional grounding, and the examiner's likely angle of attack.

  2. 02

    An answer-writing philosophy for that theme

    Not generic advice. What a good answer on this specific theme must do, what it must avoid, and where marks are actually awarded.

  3. 03

    A structural template

    A reusable skeleton for the theme — introduction, body architecture, substantiation, and a closing that adds value rather than repeating the body.

  4. 04

    A model answer

    Written to the standard expected in the examination hall, so the target is visible rather than described.

  5. 05

    Comprehensive notes

    Consolidated theme notes, issued alongside the model answer, that stand on their own for revision.

How each day runs: questions in the morning, the lecture in the evening, then the model answer and a master file — previous-year questions, examples, data and committees for the theme.

Thirteen full-length papers, in two phases

Writing is assessed the way it is examined — full paper, full duration, full syllabus. Every copy is evaluated and returned within four days of submission, so the correction reaches you while the attempt is still fresh.

Phase One

Six papers

From 10 December 2026

  • General Studies 12 tests
  • General Studies 22 tests
  • General Studies 32 tests

Phase Two

Seven papers

After Prelims 2027

  • General Studies 12 tests
  • General Studies 22 tests
  • General Studies 32 tests
  • General Studies 4 — Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude1 bonus paper

Copy evaluation for the post-Prelims phase is provided free to registered aspirants after the end of the course.

September 2026 to Mains 2027

Enrolment does not end in December. Registered aspirants stay inside the programme through the Prelims cycle and out the other side.

  1. 28 September 2026

    The programme begins

    Eighty-five daily tracks across GS-I, GS-II, GS-III and GS-IV, one every day except Sundays.

  2. 10 December 2026

    Full-length test series opens

    Six papers — two each on GS1, GS2 and GS3. Copies returned within four days.

  3. 24 December 2026

    The programme concludes

    You are Mains ready.

  4. 1 January 2027

    Prelims 2027 preparation begins

    With clarity and confidence, against a syllabus you have already written on.

  5. January 2027 onward

    One lecture every week

    With questions and model answers for that week. Free access for registered aspirants.

  6. After Prelims 2027

    Seven further full-length papers

    Two each on GS1, GS2 and GS3, plus a bonus GS4 paper on Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude. Copy evaluation provided free.

Meet Your Mentor

Rohan Dange — Founder & Chief Mentor, Roundtable IAS

Rohan Dange Sir — Founder & Chief Mentor

Founder & Chief Mentor

Rohan Dange Sir

Rohan Dange Sir is the Founder of Roundtable IAS and a Distinguished Fellow at the Forum for Global Studies, New Delhi, where his work engages deeply with global affairs, security studies, and India's evolving strategic and foreign policy landscape.

With over 15 years of experience in UPSC coaching, Rohan has mentored civil services aspirants across international relations, economy, world history, essay, and political science. His teaching philosophy rejects rote learning in favour of structured dialogue and analytical rigour — translating complex policy and defence concepts into accessible, exam-ready frameworks.

Under his leadership, Roundtable IAS prioritises substance over spectacle — fostering collaborations with institutions, experts, and stakeholders committed to strengthening India's strategic discourse through knowledge and informed engagement.

“The UPSC doesn't test what you know — it tests how you think about what you know. Our job is to build that thinking muscle.”

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Fees and registration

Programme fee

₹21,999

12% off the ₹24,999 standard fee, inclusive of GST.

Standard fee

₹24,999

The full programme fee, before the current cohort discount.

Included in the fee

  • Eighty-five thematic tracks across GS-I, GS-II, GS-III and GS-IV, one every day except Sundays
  • Answer-writing philosophy and a structural template for every theme
  • A model answer for every theme, plus comprehensive theme notes
  • Fourteen weekly Sunday tests, plus questions and model answers alongside each lecture
  • Six full-length tests from 10 December — two each on GS1, GS2, GS3
  • Copy evaluation within four days of submission
  • Free access to the weekly lecture series from January 2027
  • Seven post-Prelims papers, including the bonus GS4 paper, evaluated free

Before you register

Be Mains ready by Christmas

The programme begins 28 September 2026. Enroll now at ₹21,999 — 12% off the ₹24,999 standard fee.