Official Syllabus
UPSC Drug Inspector Syllabus & Topic Weightage
The complete syllabus for the UPSC Drug Inspector (CDSCO) recruitment exam, with each of the 13 topics ranked by weightage measured from 534 actual previous-year questions — not guessed. Focus your revision where the marks actually come from.
Exam Pattern at a Glance
The −1/3 negative marking has a counter-intuitive consequence worth mastering — see our negative marking & guessing strategy guide.
Topic-Wise Weightage
Ranked by share of marks in previous-year papers.
Pharmaceutical Chemistry & Drug Action
Functional groups, synthesis, SAR, drug classes, ADRs & interactions
Dosage Forms — Manufacture & Evaluation
Tablets, parenterals, novel drug delivery, unit operations, excipients, IPQC
Analysis of Formulations & APIs
HPLC, UV-Vis, IR, NMR, IP/BP/USP standards, method validation
Biopharmaceutics & Pharmacokinetics
ADME, bioavailability, compartment models, BCS, IVIVC, dosage design
D&C Act & Rules + Allied Law
Definitions, schedules, MDR 2017, Cosmetics Rules, DPCO, Pharmacy Act, NDPS
English Language Proficiency
Error spotting, sentence improvement, synonyms, comprehension
Computer Applications
Hardware, networking, 21 CFR Part 11, ALCOA+, SUGAM, e-governance
Vaccines, Sera & Biotech Products
Vaccine platforms, cold chain, CDL Kasauli, biosimilars, rDNA guidelines
Good Clinical Practices
NDCT Rules 2019, ICH E6 GCP, ethics committee, SAE reporting, BA/BE
Good Manufacturing Practices
Schedule M (revised 2024), validation, cleanrooms, water systems, WHO GMP
Good Laboratory Practices
Schedule L-1, QC lab, reference standards, OOS/OOT, OECD GLP
Blood Collection & Components
Donor screening, component separation, storage, Schedule F Part XII-B
Investigational Skills
DI powers & duties, Rules 51-52, sampling Form 17, seizure Form 16
Where to focus
The top four topics — Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Dosage Forms, Analysis, and Biopharmaceutics & Pharmacokinetics — together account for roughly two-thirds of the paper. Legal topics (Drugs & Cosmetics Act, GMP/GLP/GCP) are lower in raw weightage but reward precision, because every legal question has one exactly-correct answer citing a specific section, rule, or schedule.
Start Free Practice →Not affiliated with UPSC or CDSCO. Preparation resource only. Weightage derived from Government of India previous-year papers.