UPSC » UPSC Question Papers For Previous Year – Download PDFs

UPSC Question Papers For Previous Year – Download PDFs

According to IAS toppers and experts, answering the UPSC Previous Year’s Question Papers should be a focus for all aspirants seeking to be civil servants. The more UPSC exam paper you solve, the easier it will be to stay on track during the exam and increase your accuracy. It will also hint at the essential aspects of the UPSC Curriculum and notify you about the difficulty level.   

Previous Papers-Prelims Topicwise

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Download UPSC Prelims 2023 Question Paper

UPSC Prelims 2023 GS Paper-1Download PDF
UPSC Prelims 2023 GS Paper-II (CSAT)Download PDF

UPSC Previous Year Question Paper

Once the recruitment process is completed, the organising body provides the actual UPSC previous year’s question paper PDF and solution keys. To understand the complexity of the examination, IAS Exam students must concentrate on solving and replying to these questions.

According to the UPSC pattern, candidates take the prelims exam first, followed by the mains exam. UPSC Last Year Papers are in the mains test, both GS and Optional topics.

UPSC Prelims Previous Year Question Papers

The UPSC IAS Preliminary Exam is the first stage. There are two objective-type publications in total. The Aptitude Test, often known as the CSAT, is the first. There will be a maximum of 80 questions. This paper is worth 200 points and is only for qualifying purposes. The second piece of writing is only for General Studies. This is a performance examination with 100 questions. The maximum possible score is 200. Both of these papers are required for all candidates. Each of these presentations will be two hours long. Candidates who pass this stage will advance to the following step, the UPSC IAS Mains Examination. 

UPSC Question Paper Prelims 2022UPSC Question Paper prelims 2021
UPSC Question Paper prelims 2020UPSC Question Paper prelims 2019
UPSC Question Paper prelims 2018UPSC Question Paper prelims 2017
UPSC Question Paper prelims 2016UPSC Question Paper prelims 2015
UPSC Question Paper prelims 2014UPSC Question Paper prelims 2013
UPSC Question Paper prelims 2012UPSC Question Paper prelims 2011

UPSC Mains Previous Year Question Papers

This UPSC IAS Mains Examination is the second stage. There are nine descriptive papers at this stage. Two of the nine papers are qualified in nature. The language papers are as follows: English and a mandatory Indian language. The remaining seven papers consist of four General Studies papers, two option papers, and one Essay. Each of these seven papers is worth 250 points. Candidates who pass the Mains examination will be invited to an interview.

UPSC Prelims Subject-wise Previous Year Papers

To qualify for India’s most competitive UPSC Exam, candidates must pass a series of stages. Prelims, Mains, & Personal Interviews, are the stages. 

Candidates seeking specific topic questions for the UPSC Prelims 2021 and the prior year’s prelims tests can check the topic-wise UPSC preliminary previous year study material with the solutions page to obtain a separate set of papers for each IAS topic.

Download UPSC Question Paper Prelims 2022

On June 5, 2022, the Civil Services (Prelim) exam was held. The UPSC Preliminary 2022 Exam Pattern for GS 1 and GS 2 (CSAT) are available on the official page. Candidates who took the exam can use the UPSC Preliminary 2022 Answer Keys to compute their scores. As soon as the UPSC publishes the UPSC Result, it will be posted on the official linked page.

Aspirants planning to take the UPSC 2023 examination should review previous years’ question papers & answer keys to comprehend the nature of the CSE questions and prepare a strategy appropriately. 

UPSC Prelims Question Paper 2022UPSC Prelims Question Paper 2021
UPSC Prelims Question Paper 2020UPSC Prelims Question Paper 2019
UPSC Prelims Question Paper 2018UPSC Prelims Question Paper 2017
UPSC Prelims Question Paper 2016UPSC Prelims Question Paper 2015
UPSC Prelims Question Paper 2014UPSC Prelims Question Paper 2013
UPSC Prelims Question Paper 2012UPSC Prelims Question Paper 2011

Download UPSC Question Paper 2021

On Oct 10, 2021, the UPSC Prelims were held. Nearly 10 lakh applicants submitted applications to sit for the preliminary stage of the test. On January 7th, 2022, UPSC Mains 2021 began. The official link has the UPSC paper 2021 Model Question that candidates can download. With the help of the analysis of UPSC’s previous question papers, one may quickly comprehend the difficulty of the Govt Jobs Examination. 

Download UPSC Prelims 2021 Question Paper

UPSC Prelims 2021 GS Paper-1 Download PDF
UPSC Prelims 2021 GS Paper-II (CSAT) Download PDF

Download UPSC Question Paper 2020

On October 4, 2020, the UPSC held the Govt Jobs Preliminary Exam and conducted from 8th January to 17th January 2021. One hundred questions from UPSC Prelims Curriculum for GS 1 are included in the UPSC Preliminary GS Exam 1. It covers various subjects, including history, politics, geography, science, technology, the environment, and ecology. Essentially an aptitude test, the CSAT paper allows the UPSC to assess applicants’ understanding, logical thinking, analytic and communication skills, and ability to make decisions and solve problems. This paper consists of 80 questions.  The links on the official page allow candidates to access the online UPSC 2020 Model Question. 

Download UPSC Prelims 2020 Question Paper

UPSC Prelims 2020 GS Paper-1Download PDF
UPSC Prelims 2020 GS Paper-II (CSAT)Download PDF

Download UPSC Question Paper 2019

The 2019 UPSC Mains examination began on September 20. There are nine descriptive-style papers in the IAS Mains exam. The links on the official page allow candidates to access the online UPSC 2019 Model Question. On June 2, 2019, the UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination was held.

A crucial component of IAS Test prep is answering the UPSC exam questions. IAS Toppers advice solving at least five UPSC past year’s question papers to have a sense of the exam format and difficulty level. 

Download UPSC Prelims 2019 Question Paper

UPSC Prelims 2019 GS Paper-1 Download PDF
UPSC Prelims 2019 GS Paper-II (CSAT) Download PDF

Why Is Solving UPSC Question Papers Important?

UPSC past year question papers are quite helpful in UPSC preparation. Below are a few reasons why you should look at UPSC’s previous year’s question papers:

  • Recognise the significance of a specific topic

UPSC’s past year questions provide insight into various areas’ significance. The syllabus covers a wide range of topics. Some themes, however, are more significant than others.   As a result, if you are preparing without expert supervision or coaching, it is critical that you properly read the prior year’s exams to obtain that notion. It will assist you in sorting through the syllabus.

  • Understand the types of questions asked

Examining UPSC’s previous year’s examination papers at the start of UPSC preparation would assist candidates in gauging the questions that will be asked. This will help you determine the importance of any news item or piece of information only from the standpoint of the test. You will be able to separate the data pool based on its relevance. It will also assist you in scanning enormous amounts of material and filtering out the pertinent ones from which the query may be posed.

  • Determine the priority of subjects

Now, everything we said about the themes also applies to the subjects. For example, the curriculum for the UPSC prelims General Studies-I paper contains all of the fundamental courses. But does it imply they will all be equally weighted? NO! All of the subjects are not equally weighted. You’ll find that some topics are more significant than others regarding the Prelims. It may differ for the Mains examinations; hence, an examination of UPSC’s previous year’s question papers will provide these crucial insights that can increase your preparation.

Related Pages

UPSC NotificationsUPSC Syllabus
UPSC Eligibility UPSC Cut-off
UPSC Marking SchemeUPSC Results
UPSC CalendarUPSC Prelims PYQs
Mains success test seriesPrelims Success Test Series
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Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions on UPSC Previous Year Question Paper.

What are the three stages of the UPSC exam?

Answer: The UPSC Civil Services Exam has three stages:  ...Read full

Is a certain percentage necessary for UPSC?

Answer: The UPSC doesn’t discriminate against students based on their degree grades. As a res...Read full

Do previous year's questions repeat in UPSC?

Answer: Yes! UPSC papers contain questions from prior examinations, but only for specific themes. A...Read full

How many papers are there in the UPSC question paper?

Answer: The UPSC question paper consists of two papers – Paper 1 (General Studies) and Paper 2 (Civil Services Aptitude Test...Read full

What is the format of the UPSC question paper?

Answer: The UPSC question paper follows a multiple-choice question (MCQ) format, where candidates are provided with four options f...Read full

Is there negative marking in the UPSC question paper?

Answer: Yes, there is a provision of negative marking in the UPSC question paper. For each incorrect answer, one-third of the mark...Read full

What is the format of the UPSC exam paper?

Answer: The UPSC exam paper follows a pen and paper format where candidates are provided with question papers and they are require...Read full

Is the UPSC exam paper available in multiple languages?

Answer: Yes, the UPSC exam paper is available in both English and Hindi languages. Candidates can choose the language in which the...Read full