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UPSC Commerce & Accountancy Syllabus - The UPSC IAS exam has Commerce And Accountancy as one of the subjects within the list of discretionary choices for Mains exam which has 48 subjects in addition as well. The UPSC IAS Exam is conducted in three stages, two exams and one interview stage after which the final merit list of selected candidates is declared.

  • IAS Commerce and Accountancy Optional Subject has Paper 1 and Paper 2 in UPSC Mains. Each paper is of 250 marks with a total of 500 marks.
  • Chartered Accountants, candidates with a commerce foundation and individuals working in finance or fund related profiles would discover this discretionary to be the finest choice.
  • The topics included in the Commerce UPSC Syllabus are accounting, taxation and auditing, financial management, financial institutions and markets, human resource management and industrial relations etc.

The following article has been written for candidates’ reference regarding the UPSC Commerce and Accountancy Syllabus.

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UPSC Commerce and Accountancy Syllabus PDF

It is important that the candidates check the UPSC IAS exam syllabus before they start planning their preparation. Candidates thinking to choose Commerce as their optional subject can check the UPSC Commerce and Accountancy Syllabus PDF below -

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UPSC Commerce and Accountancy Syllabus - Optional Paper 1

Download UPSC Commerce and Accountancy Syllabus in Hindi 2023 PDF Paper- I

Download UPSC Commerce and Accountancy Syllabus in 2023 PDF Paper- I

UPSC Commerce & Accountancy Optional Syllabus - Paper 1
Financing Accounting Accounting as a financial information system; Impact of behavioural sciences. Accounting Standards e.g., Accounting for Depreciation, Inventories, Research and Development Costs, Long-term Construction Contracts, Revenue Recognition, Fixed Assets, Contingencies, Foreign Exchange Transactions, Investments and Government Grants, Cash Flow Statement, Earnings per Share
Accounting for Share Capital Transactions including Bonus Shares, Right Shares. Employees Stock Option and Buy-Back of Securities.
Preparation and Presentation of Company Final Accounts.
Amalgamations, Absorption and Reconstruction of Companies.
Cost Accounting Nature and functions of cost accounting. Installation of Cost Accounting System. Cost Concepts related to Income Measurement, Profit Planning, Cost Control and Decision Making
Methods of Costing: Job Costing, Process Costing, Activity Based Costing.
Volume-cost-Profit Relationship as a tool of Profit Planning.
Incremental Analysis/Differential Costing as a Tool of Pricing Decisions, Product Decisions, Make or Buy Decisions, Shut-Down Decisions etc.
Techniques of Cost Control and Cost Reduction : Budgeting as a Tool of Planning and Control. Standard Costing and Variance Analysis
Responsibility Accounting and Divisional Performance Measurement.
Taxation Income Tax: Definitions. Basis of charge; Incomes which do not form part of total income. Simple problems of Computation of Income (of individuals only) under various heads, i.e., Salaries, Income from House Property, Profits and Gains from Business or Profession, Capital Gains, Income from other sources, Income of other Persons included in Assessee’s Total Income.
Set-off and Carry forward of Loss.
Deductions from Gross Total Income
Salient Features/Provisions Related to VAT and Services Tax
Auditing Company Audit: Audit related to Divisible Profits, Dividends, Special investigations, Tax audit.
Audit of Banking, Insurance, Non-Profit Organization and Charitable Societies/Trusts/Organizations.
Financial Management Finance Function : Nature, Scope and Objectives of Financial Management : Risk and Return Relationship
Tools of Financial Analysis: Ratio Analysis, Funds-Flow and Cash-Flow Statement.
Capital Budgeting Decisions: Process, Procedures and Appraisal Methods. Risk and Uncertainty Analysis and Methods.
Cost of Capital : Concept, Computation of Specific Costs and Weighted Average Cost of Capital. CAPM as aTool of Determining Cost of Equity Capital.
Financing Decisions: Theories of Capital Structure—Net Income (NI) Approach.
Net Operating Income (NOI) Approach, MM Approach and Traditional Approach. Designing of Capital structure: Types of Leverages (Operating, Financial and Combined), EBIT-EPS Analysis, and other Factors.
Dividend Decisions and Valuation of Firm : Walter’s Model, MM Thesis, Gordan’s Model, Lintner’s Model. Factors Affecting Dividend Policy.
Working Capital Management: Planning of Working Capital. Determinants of Working Capital. Components of Working Capital—Cash, Inventory and Receivables.
Corporate Restructuring with focus on Mergers and Acquisitions (Financial aspect only).
Financial Markets and Institutions  Indian Financial System: An Overview
Money Markets: Participants, Structure and Instruments. Commercial Banks. Reforms in Banking Sector. Monetary and Credit Policy of RBI. RBI as a Regulator.
Capital Market : Primary and Secondary Market. Financial Market Instruments and Innovative Debt Instruments; SEBI as a Regulator.
Financial Services : Mutual Funds, Venture Capital, Credit Rating Agencies, Insurance and IRDA.

Download UPSC Commerce and Accountancy Syllabus PDF here!

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UPSC Commerce and Accountancy Syllabus - Optional Paper 2

Download UPSC Commerce and Accountancy Syllabus in Hindi 2023 PDF Paper- II

Download UPSC Commerce and Accountancy Syllabus in 2023 PDF Paper- II

UPSC Commerce & Accountancy Optional Syllabus - Paper 2
Organisation Theory Nature and Concept of Organisation; External Environment of Organisation—Technological, Social, Political, Economical and Legal; Organizational Goals Primary and Secondary Goals, Single and Multiple Goals; Management by Objectives.
Evolution of Organisation theory : Classical Neo-classical and system approach. Modern Concepts of Organisation Theory : Organisational Design, Organisational Structure and Organisational Culture
Organisational Design—Basic Challenges; Differentiation and Integration Process; Centralization and Decentralization Process; Standardization/Formalization and Mutual Adjustment. Coordinating Formal and Informal Organizations. Mechanistic and Organic Structures
Designing Organizational structures—Authority and Control; Line and Staff Functions, Specialization and Coordination. Types of Organization Structure—Functional. Matrix Structure, Project Structure. Nature and Basis of Power, Sources of Power, Power Structure and Politics. Impact of Information Technology on Organizational Design and Structure.
Managing Organizational Culture.
Organisation Behaviour Meaning and Concept; Individual in organization: Personality, Theories, and Determinants; Perception Meaning and Process.
Motivation : Concepts, Theories and Applications. Leadership—Theories and Styles. Quality of Work Life (QWL): Meaning and its impact on Performance, Ways of its Enhancement. Quality Circles (QC)—Meaning and their Importance. Management of Conflicts in Organizations. Transactional Analysis, Organizational Effectiveness, Management of Change.
Human Resources Management (HRM)  Meaning Nature and Scope of HRM, Human Resource Planning, Job Analysis, Job Description, Job Specification, Recruitment Process, Selection Process, Orientational and Placement, Training and Development Process, Performance Appraisal and 360° Feedback, Salary and Wage Administration, Job Evaluation, Employee Welfare, Promotions, Transfers and Separations.
Industrial Relations (IR) Meaning, Nature, Importance and Scope of IR, Formation of Trade Union, Trade Union Legislation, Trade Union Movement in India. Recognition of Trade Unions, Problems of Trade Unions in India. Impact of Liberalization on Trade Union Movement.
Nature of Industrial Disputes: Strikes and Lockouts, Causes of Disputes, Prevention and Settlement of Disputes.
Worker’s Participation in Management: Philosophy, Rationale, Present Day Status and Future Prospects.
Adjudication and Collective Bargaining.
Industrial Relations in Public Enterprises Absenteeism and Labour Turnover in Indian Industries and their Causes and Remedies.
ILO and its Functions.

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UPSC Commerce and Accountancy Syllabus & Exam Pattern 2023

Candidates who will be appearing for the exam should know the detailed UPSC Commerce and Accountancy Syllabus beforehand. The prelim paper has a general studies paper and an aptitude test which is of total 400 marks.

UPSC mains exam will consist of several papers including the UPSC commerce syllabus papers. Check the exam pattern for the same below:-

Mains Papers  Subject  Marks 
Paper VI Optional Subject Paper-I 250
Paper VII Optional Subject Paper-II 250
Total  500
Time duration  3 hours (180 minutes)
  • The mains test is a total of 1750 marks and all the questions will be descriptive.
  • There will be two qualifying papers (English and Indian Language) and other seven papers will be merit based papers
  • UPSC civil engineering consists of two papers (paper I and paper II) in the UPSC Mains Exam. Each paper is of 250 marks with a total of 500 marks. These 2 optional papers are a part of UPSC Mains Examination that takes place after IAS Preliminary exam.

Check UPSC Civil Services exam pattern and marking scheme here for prelims and mains in detail to prepare for the IAS exam.

How to Prepare for the UPSC Commerce and Accountancy Optional Syllabus?

Commerce as an optional subject which is exceptionally specialized in nature. It could be a great scoring optional subject and gives an advantage to commerce graduates as the undergrad and proficient students are utilized in both paper 1 & 2.

Candidates must choose UPSC Commerce and Accountancy Syllabus only if they are well-versed and have deep knowledge of the subject as there would be 500 marks for both the optional papers combined. Here are some preparation tips for the UPSC commerce syllabus Subject which the candidates can incorporate so as to confirm their names on the UPSC IAS Merit List:-

  • To begin with, legitimately understand what is asked in the question. Then answer accordingly to what is being inquired and not as per what knowledge you have.
  • Divide your answer/ solution into different parts you’d like to address and give subheadings. Answer the questions in a comprehensive way.
  • Include recommendations within the conclusion in case any issue is talked about within the question.
  • Always substantiate your answer with noticeable thinkers’ names/ hypotheses to guarantee that your reply does not seem generic.
  • Give real-life illustrations/ case considerations to form your answer differently. Draw tonnes of charts, flowcharts and tables to deliver a visual appeal.
  • Lastly, practice as many UPSC Previous year question papers as possible to know the trend of questions, important topics etc.

Previous Year’s Question Papers for UPSC Commerce and Accountancy Syllabus

So that candidates are fully prepared for the UPSC commerce Syllabus, here are some previous years papers which will help the candidates get an actual interpretation of the examination and know about the type of questions which they can expect under the IAS Mains commerce and accountancy section.

Optional Subject Papers PDF Links
Commerce and AccountancyPaper 1 Download PDF Here
Commerce and Accountancy Paper 2 Download PDF Here

Best Books for UPSC Commerce and Accountancy Syllabus 2023

UPSC applicants ought to get ready a few reference books. Candidates must choose the right UPSC Books for them after researching the subject topics and the books available. Here is a list of books to which the candidates can refer to for their preparation for UPSC Commerce and Accountancy Syllabus-

Subject  Books  Author/ Publication
Commerce and Accountancy Indian Financial System M. Y. Khan
Financial Management- Text and Problems Khan and Jain
Corporate Accounting Naseem Ahmed
Practical Approach to Income Tax, Service Tax, VAT and Wealth Tax: Problems and solutions Gupta and Ahuja
An introduction to Business Organisation and Management B.P. Singh and T.N. Chhabra
Human resource management –
Industrial relations, Trade unions and Labour Legislation P. R. N. Sinha
Solved Papers IAS General Studies Prelims Solved Papers Vishal Publications
Geography (General Studies Paper 1) Geography of India Majid Husain
Malayala Manorama English Yearbook 2021 Mammen Mathew Malayala Manorama English Yearbook 2021

The above article on UPSC Commerce and Accountancy Syllabus is intended to guide the candidates preparing for the exam. To boost your preparations, join the Testbook community right now! Testbook will help you prepare for the exams with the efficient notes, live classes, mock tests, test series, practice questions, and doubt clearing sessions all at the same place. Grab exciting offers available on the Testbook App

Check Related UPSC Syllabus for Other Subjects in the table below:
UPSC History Syllabus UPSC Economics Syllabus
UPSC Agriculture Syllabus UPSC Electrical Engineering Syllabus
UPSC Law Syllabus UPSC Geology Syllabus
UPSC Political Science Syllabus UPSC Public Administration Syllabus
UPSC Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science Syllabus UPSC Geography Syllabus
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UPSC Commerce and Accountancy Syllabus 2023 FAQs

Can I choose two different optional subjects for the optional papers?

No, candidates must choose only one subject they wanna appear for among the 48 optional subjects available. Commerce is one of the optional subjects which the candidates can opt for..

How many papers are there for the UPSC Commerce and Accountancy Syllabus exam?

The descriptive type exam for the UPSC Commerce and Accountancy Syllabus is divided into two papers i.e. Optional Subject Paper 1 and Optional Subject Paper 2.

What is the best way to cover the UPSC Commerce and Accountancy Syllabus 2023?

Candidates can effectively complete the entire UPSC Commerce and Accountancy Syllabus with proper study plan.

What are the best UPSC Commerce and Accountancy Syllabus books?

Some of the easy to understand UPSC Commerce and Accountancy Syllabus Books are Indian Financial System by M. Y. Khan, Financial Management- Text and Problems by Khan and Jain, Corporate Accounting by Naseem Ahmed and Practical Approach to Income Tax, Service Tax, VAT and Wealth Tax: Problems and solutions by Gupta and Ahuja.

How many papers will be there in the UPSC Mains exam?

There will be a total of 9 papers out of which 2 will be optional papers. The UPSC Mains exam is of 1750 marks total.

Candidates from which background should opt for UPSC Commerce and Accountancy as optional?

The syllabus has a heavy emphasis on management related commerce & accountancy. Chartered Accountants, candidates with a commerce background and people working in finance or finance related profiles would find this optional to be the best choice.
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