UPSC Combined Geo-Scientist Examination 2023 Overview
The UPSC has disclosed the dates of the CGSE (Combined Geo-Scientist Examination)2023 in their official website upsc.gov.in. As per the UPSC Calendar 2023, the CGSE stage I will take place on 19th February 2023 and the stage II will be held from 24th & 25th of June 2023. In this article, aspirants can learn all the details about Combined Geo-Scientist and Geologist examination 2023 including the exam patterns, syllabus, and more.
What is CGSE?
The UPSC Geo-scientist exam is a national level competitive examination. UPSC holds the combined Geo-scientist examination (CGSE) to recruit and select candidates for the positions of geologist, geophysicist and chemist group 'A' in GSI and junior hydro-geologist (Scientist 'B'), group 'A' for Central Ground Water Board. Every year in September, the Commission issues a notification for the combined geo-scientist examination in order to shortlist candidates for the positions and the examination will be held in three stages - preliminary, main and personality test.
The Geo-scientist examination comes under the Ministry of Mines. The name of the exam has been modified from "Combined Geo-Scientist and Geologist Examination (CGGE)" to "Combined Geo-Scientist Examination (CGSE)" by the Commission.
Geoscientist 2023 Vacancy
A total of 285 openings have been announced for the posts of UPSC geoscientist 2023. The table below includes the post-specific vacancy information for the UPSC Geoscientist recruitment 2023.
The above vacancies also contain accommodations for persons with benchmark disabilities and the number of openings listed above is subject to change. Candidates from the SC, ST, OBC, EBC, and PWD categories will be given preference based on the number of vacancies determined by the government.
Geo-Scientist Preliminary Exam 2023 Time Table
Geo-Scientist Exam Centres
The CGSE will be held at 19 test centers across the country.
CGSE Preliminary Examination Syllabus
Paper I: General Studies (Common for all streams)
Current events of national & international importance
History of India & Indian national movement
Indian & World Geography (Physical, Social, Economic Geography of India & the World)
Indian Polity & Governance (Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights, issues, etc.)
Economic & social development (Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector initiatives, etc.)
General issues on environmental ecology, biodiversity & climate change - that do not require subject specialization
General science
Paper II: Geology/Hydrogeology
Physical Geology
Principle of uniformitarianism; origin, differentiation and internal structure of the earth; origin of atmosphere; earthquakes and volcanoes; continental drift, sea-floor spreading, isostasy, orogeny & plate tectonics; geological action of rivers, wind, glaciers, waves; erosional & depositional landforms; weathering processes & products
Structural Geology
Stress, strain & rheological properties of rocks; planar & linear structures; classification of folds & faults; Mohr's circle & criteria for failure of rocks; ductile & brittle shear in rocks; study of toposheets, V-rules & outcrop patterns; stereographic projections of structural elements
Mineralogy
Elements of symmetry, notations & indices; Bravais lattices; chemical classification of minerals; isomorphism, polymorphism, solid solution & exsolution; silicate structures; physical and optical properties of common rock forming minerals- olivine, garnet, pyroxene, amphibole, mica, feldspar & quartz
Igneous Petrology
Magma types & their evolution; IUGS classification of igneous rocks; forms, structures & textures of igneous rocks; applications of binary & ternary phase diagrams in petrogenesis; magmatic differentiation & assimilation; petrogenesis of granites, basalts, komatiites & alkaline rocks (carbonatite, kimberlite, lamprophyre & nepheline syenite)
Metamorphic Petrology
Limits, types & controls of metamorphism; metamorphic structures- slate, schist & gneiss; metamorphic textures- pre, syn & post tectonic porphyroblasts; concept of metamorphic zone, isograd & facies; geothermal gradients, facies series & plate tectonics
Sedimentology
Origin of sediments; sedimentary textures, grain-size scale; primary sedimentary structures; classification of sandstone & carbonate rocks; siliciclastic depositional environments & sedimentary facies; diagenesis of carbonate sediments
Paleontology
Fossils & processes of fossilization; concept of species & binomial nomenclature; morphology & classification of invertebrates (Trilobites, Brachiopods, Lamellibranchs, Gastropods & Cephalopods); evolution in Equidae & Hominidae; microfossils-Foraminifera, Ostracoda; Gondwana flora
Stratigraphy
Law of superposition; stratigraphic nomenclature- lithostratigraphy, biostratigraphy & chronostratigraphy; Archaean cratonic nuclei of Peninsular India (Dharwar, Singhbhum, & Aravalli cratons); Proterozoic mobile belts (Central Indian Tectonic Zone, Aravalli-Delhi & Eastern Ghats); Purana sedimentary basins (Cuddapah & Vindhyan); Phanerozoic stratigraphy of IndiaSpiti, Kashmir, Damodar valley, Kutch, Trichinopoly, Siwaliks & Indo-Gangetic alluvium
Economic Geology
Properties of mineral deposits- form, mineral assemblage, texture, rock-ore association & relationship; magmatic, sedimentary, metamorphic, hydrothermal, supergene & weathering related processes of ore formation; processes of formation of coal & petroleum; distribution & geological characteristics of major mineral & hydrocarbon deposits of India
Hydrogeology
Groundwater occurrence & aquifer characteristics, porosity, permeability, hydraulic conductivity, transmissivity; Darcy's Law in homogeneous & heterogeneous media; Bernoulli equation, Reynold's number; composition of groundwater; application of H & O isotopes in groundwater studies; artificial recharge of groundwater
Paper-II: Geophysics
Solid Earth Geophysics
Introduction to Geophysics & its branches, Solar system: origin, formation & characteristics of planets, Earth: shape & rotation, Gravity & magnetic fields of earth, Geomagnetism, elements of earth's magnetism, rock & mineral magnetism, elastic waves, types & their propagation characteristics, internal structure of earth, variation of physical properties in the interior of earth, Plate tectonics, Earthquakes and their causes, focal depth, epicenter, Intensity & Magnitude scales, Energy of earthquakes, Seismicity
Mathematical Methods in Geophysics
Elements of vector analysis, Vector algebra, Properties of scalars, vectors & tensors, Gradient, Divergence & Curl, Gauss's divergence theorem, Stoke’s theorem, Matrices, Eigenvalues & Eigenvectors and their applications in geophysics, Newton's Law of gravitation, Gravity potential & gravity fields due to bodies of different geometric shapes, Basic forces of nature & their strength, gravitational, electromagnetic, strong & weak forces, Conservation Laws in Physics: Energy, Linear & angular momentum, rigid body motion & moment of inertia, basics of special theory of relativity & Lorentz transformation, Fundamental concepts of inverse theory, Definition of inversion and application to geophysics, Forward & inverse problems, Probability theory, Random variables, binomial, Poisson & normal distributions, Linear algebra, Linear ordinary differential equations of first & second order, Partial differential equations (Laplace, wave & heat equations in two & three dimensions), Elements of numerical techniques: root of functions, interpolation & extrapolation, integration by trapezoidal & Simpson's rule, solution of first order differential equation using Runge-Kutta method, Introduction to finite difference & finite elements methods
Electromagnetism
Electrostatic & magneto-static fields, Coulomb's law, electrical permittivity & dielectric constant, Lorentz force & their applications, Ampere's law, Biot & Savart's law, Gauss’s Theorem, Poisson's equation, Laplace's equation: solution of Laplace's equation in Cartesian coordinates, use of Laplace's equation in the solutions of geophysical & electrostatic problems, Displacement current, Faraday's law of electromagnetic induction, Maxwell's equations, Boundary conditions, Wave equation, plane electromagnetic waves in free space, dielectric & conducting media, electromagnetic vector & scalar potentials
Geophysical Prospecting
Elements of geophysical methods: principles, data reduction & applications of gravity,magnetic, electrical, electromagnetic & well logging methods, fundamentals of seismic methods: Fermat’s Principle, Snell’s Law, Energy portioning, Reflection and transmission coefficients, reflection & refraction from layered media, signals & systems, sampling theorem, aliasing effect, fourier series & periodic waveforms, fourier transform & its application, Laplace transforms, convolution, auto & cross correlations, power spectrum, delta function, unit step function
Remote Sensing & Thermodynamics
Fundamentals of remote sensing, electromagnetic spectrum, energy- frequency-wavelength relationship, Stefan-Boltzmann law, Wien’s law, electromagnetic energy & its interactions in the atmosphere & with terrain features, Planck’s radiation law, laws of thermodynamics & thermodynamic potential
Nuclear Physics and Radiometry
Basic nuclear properties: size, shape, charge distribution, spin & parity; binding energy, semi-empirical mass formula; fission & fusion, principles of radioactivity, alpha, beta & gamma decays, photoelectric & compton effect, pair production, radioactive decay law, radioactivity of rocks & minerals, radiation detectors: Ionization chamber, G-M counter, scintillation counter & gamma ray spectrometer, Matter waves & wave particle duality, electron spin, spectrum of hydrogen, helium & alkali atoms
Paper II: Chemistry
Chemical periodicity
Schrödinger equation for the H-atom, Radial distribution curves for 1s, 2s, 2p, 3s, 3p, 3d orbitals, Electronic configurations of multi-electron atoms, Periodic table, group trends & periodic trends in physical properties, Classification of elements on the basis of electronic configuration, Modern IUPAC periodic table, General characteristics of s, p, d & f block elements, Effective nuclear charges, screening effects, atomic radii, ionic radii, covalent radii, Ionization enthalpy, electron gain enthalpy & electronegativity, Group trends & periodic trends in these properties in respect of s-, p- & d-block elements, General trends of variation of electronic configuration, elemental forms, metallic nature, magnetic properties, catenation & catalytic properties, oxidation states, aqueous & redox chemistry in common oxidation states, properties & reactions of important compounds such as hydrides, halides, oxides, oxy-acids, complex chemistry in respect of s-block & p-block elements
Chemical bonding & structure
Ionic bonding: Size effects, radius ratio rules & their limitations, Packing of ions in crystals, lattice energy, Born-Landé equation & its applications, Born-Haber cycle & its applications, Solvation energy, polarizing power & polarizability, ionic potential, Fajan's rules, Defects in solids, Covalent bonding: Valence Bond Theory, Molecular Orbital Theory, hybridization, Concept of resonance, resonance energy, resonance structures, Coordinate bonding: Werner theory of coordination compounds, double salts & complex salts, Ambidentate & polydentate ligands, chelate complexes, IUPAC nomenclature of coordination compounds, Coordination numbers, Geometrical isomerism, Stereoisomerism in square planar & octahedral complexes
Acids & bases
Chemical & ionic equilibrium, Strengths of acids and bases, Ionization of weak acids & bases in aqueous solutions, application of Ostwald's dilution law, ionization constants, ionic product of water, pH-scale, effect of temperature on pH, buffer solutions and their pH values, buffer action & buffer capacity; different types of buffers & Henderson's equation
Theoretical basis of quantitative inorganic analysis
Volumetric Analysis: Equivalent weights, different types of solutions, normal & molar solutions, Primary & secondary standard substances, General principles of different types of titrations: acid-base, redox, complexometric, precipitation, Types of indicators - acid-base, redox, metal-ion indicators
Kinetic theory & the gaseous state
Kinetic theory of gasses, average kinetic energy of translation, Boltzmann constant & absolute scale of temperature, Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution of speeds, Calculations of average, root mean square & most probable velocities, Collision diameter; collision number & mean free path; frequency of binary collisions; wall collision & rate of effusion
Chemical thermodynamics & chemical equilibrium
First law & its applications to chemical problems, Thermodynamic functions, Total differentials & state functions, Free expansion, Joule-Thomson coefficient & inversion temperature, Hess’ law, Applications of Second law of thermodynamics, Gibbs function (G) & Helmholtz function (A), Gibbs-Helmholtz equation, criteria for thermodynamic equilibrium & spontaneity of chemical processes
Solutions of non-electrolytes
Colligative properties of solutions, Raoult's Law, relative lowering of vapor pressure, osmosis and osmotic pressure; elevation of boiling point and depression of freezing point of solvents, Solubility of gasses in liquids & solid solutions
Electrochemistry
Cell constant, specific conductance & molar conductance, Kohlrausch's law of independent migration of ions, ion conductance & ionic mobility, Equivalent & molar conductance at infinite dilution, Debye-Hückel theory, Application of conductance measurements, Conductometricti trations, Determination of transport number by moving boundary method
Basic organic chemistry
Delocalized chemical bond, resonance, conjugation, hyperconjugation, hybridisation, orbital pictures of bonding sp3, sp2, sp: C-C, C-N and C-O system), bond polarization & bond polarizability, Reactive intermediates: General methods of formation, relative stability & reactivity of carbocations, carbanions & free radicals
Stereochemistry
Configuration & chirality (simple treatment of elements of symmetry), optical isomerism of compounds containing two to three stereogenic centers, R,S nomenclature, geometrical isomerism in compounds containing two C=C double bonds (E,Z naming) & simple cyclic systems, Newman projection (ethane & substituted ethane)
Types of organic reactions
Aliphatic substitution reactions: SN1, SN2 mechanisms, stereochemistry, relative reactivity in aliphatic substitutions, Effect of substrate structure, attacking nucleophile, leaving group & reaction medium and competitive reactions, Elimination reactions: E1, E2, mechanisms, stereochemistry, relative reactivity in aliphatic eliminations, Effect of substrate structure, attacking base, leaving group, reaction medium & competitive reactions, the orientation of the double bond, Saytzeff & Hoffman rules, Addition reactions: Electrophilic, nucleophilic & radical addition reactions at carbon-carbon double bonds, Electrophilic & nucleophilic aromatic substitution: Electrophilic (halogenation, sulphonation, nitration, Friedel-Crafts alkylation & acylation), nucleophilic (simple SNAr, SN1 & aryne reactions)
Molecular Rearrangements
Acid-induced rearrangement & Wagner-Meerwein rearrangements, Neighboring group participation
Mains Exam
The mains exam consists of three papers and the exam will be descriptive in nature. Candidates can check the detailed syllabus for the mains exam in the official website of UPSC, upsc.gov.in.
Preparation Strategy
Thoroughly go through the syllabus
Know all the important topics well
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