UPSC previous year question papers are excellent resources for UPSC preparation. Candidates can download Last 10 years upsc question papers with answers Pdf format from this article.
Last 10 Years UPSC Question Papers with Answers Pdf: The UPSC (Union Public Service Commission) examination stands as one of India’s most prestigious and challenging competitive exams. It is the gateway to a career in the country’s civil services, including the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS), and Indian Foreign Service (IFS), among others.
This examination serves as a rigorous test of a candidate’s knowledge, aptitude, and decision-making abilities. It is conducted in three stages: the preliminary examination, the main examination, and the interview.
Last 10 Years UPSC Question Papers with Answers Pdf for Prelims
Click on the link below to download the UPSC Previous Year Question Papers for Prelims.
Year | Paper | Download Link |
2023 | General Studies I | Click here |
General Studies II | Click here | |
2022 | General Studies I | Click here |
General Studies II | Click here | |
2021 | General Studies I | Click here |
General Studies II | Click here | |
2020 | General Studies I | Click here |
General Studies II | Click here | |
2019 | General Studies I | Click here |
General Studies II | Click here | |
2018 | General Studies I | Click here |
General Studies II | Click here | |
2017 | General Studies I | Click here |
General Studies II | Click here | |
2016 | General Studies I | Click here |
General Studies II | Click here | |
2015 | General Studies I | Click here |
General Studies II | Click here | |
2014 | General Studies I | Click here |
General Studies II | Click here | |
2013 | General Studies I | Click here |
General Studies II | Click here |
Last 10 Years UPSC Question Papers with Answers Pdf for Mains
Click on the link below to download the UPSC Previous Year Question Papers for Mains.
Year | Paper | Download Link |
2023 | Essay | Click here |
General Studies I | Click here | |
General Studies II | Click here | |
General Studies III | Click here | |
General Studies IV | Click here | |
Compulsory English | Click here | |
Compulsory Hindi | Click here |
Year | Paper | Download Link |
2022 | Essay | Click here |
General Studies I | Click here | |
General Studies II | Click here | |
General Studies III | Click here | |
General Studies IV | Click here | |
Compulsory English | Click here | |
Compulsory Hindi | Click here |
Year | Paper | Download Link |
2021 | Essay | Click here |
General Studies I | Click here | |
General Studies II | Click here | |
General Studies III | Click here | |
General Studies IV | Click here | |
Compulsory English | Click here | |
Compulsory Hindi | Click here |
Year | Paper | Download Link |
2020 | Essay | Click here |
General Studies I | Click here | |
General Studies II | Click here | |
General Studies III | Click here | |
General Studies IV | Click here | |
Compulsory English | Click here | |
Compulsory Hindi | Click here |
Year | Paper | Download Link |
2019 | Essay | Click here |
General Studies I | Click here | |
General Studies II | Click here | |
General Studies III | Click here | |
General Studies IV | Click here | |
Compulsory English | Click here | |
Compulsory Hindi | Click here |
Year | Paper | Download Link |
2018 | Essay | Click here |
General Studies I | Click here | |
General Studies II | Click here | |
General Studies III | Click here | |
General Studies IV | Click here | |
Compulsory English | Click here | |
Compulsory Hindi | Click here |
Year | Paper | Download Link |
2017 | Essay | Click here |
General Studies I | Click here | |
General Studies II | Click here | |
General Studies III | Click here | |
General Studies IV | Click here | |
Compulsory English | Click here | |
Compulsory Hindi | Click here |
Year | Paper | Download Link |
2016 | Essay | Click here |
General Studies I | Click here | |
General Studies II | Click here | |
General Studies III | Click here | |
General Studies IV | Click here | |
Compulsory English | Click here | |
Compulsory Hindi | Click here |
Year | Paper | Download Link |
2015 | Essay | Click here |
General Studies I | Click here | |
General Studies II | Click here | |
General Studies III | Click here | |
General Studies IV | Click here | |
Compulsory English | Click here | |
Compulsory Hindi | Click here |
Year | Paper | Download Link |
2014 | Essay | Click here |
General Studies I | Click here | |
General Studies II | Click here | |
General Studies III | Click here | |
General Studies IV | Click here | |
Compulsory English | Click here | |
Compulsory Hindi | Click here |
Year | Paper | Download Link |
2013 | Essay | Click here |
General Studies I | Click here | |
General Studies II | Click here | |
General Studies III | Click here | |
General Studies IV | Click here | |
Compulsory English | Click here | |
Compulsory Hindi | Click here |
You can also practice the All UPSC Exams Previous Year Question Paper to prepare for the UPSC Civil Service Examination.
All UPSC Exams Previous Year Question Paper | Click here |
UPSC Exam Pattern
There are three phases to the UPSC civil service exam.
- Phase 1: Preliminary Examination or CSAT (MCQ or Objective type question)
- Phase 2: Mains Examination (Subjective)
- Phase 3: Personality Test (Interview)
UPSC Exam : Overview
Exam Name | Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS), and Indian Foreign Service (IFS) |
Conducting Body | Union Public Service Commission (WBPSC) |
Stages of Exam | Prelims, Mains and Interview |
Mode of the examination | Offline (Pen and Paper-Based) |
Number of Papers |
|
Question Type |
|
Duration of exam |
|
Total Questions |
|
Total Marks |
|
Marking Scheme |
|
Exam Languages | English and Hindi |
Official website | upsc.gov.in |
UPSC Preliminary Question Paper Pattern
Candidates may check the table below UPSC Preliminary Examination Question Paper Stracture:
Name of the Paper | No of Questions | Maximum Marks | Duration | Nature of paper | Type of paper |
Paper I: General Studies (Objective-type) | 100 | 200 | 2 hours | The score will be considered for Cut-off | Objective |
Paper-II: General Studies-II (CSAT) (Objective-Type) | 80 | 200 | 2 hours | Qualifying Nature- Candidates will have to score 33% to qualify CSAT. | Objective |
UPSC Main Question Paper Pattern
Candidates may check the table below UPSC Preliminary Examination Question Paper Stracture:
Paper | Subject | Duration | Total marks | Nature of paper | Type of paper |
Paper A | Compulsory Indian language | 3 hours | 300 | Qualifying | Descriptive |
Paper B | English | 3 hours | 300 | Qualifying | Descriptive |
Paper I | Essay | 3 hours | 250 | Merit | Descriptive |
Paper-II | General Studies I | 3 hours | 250 | Merit | Descriptive |
Paper III | General Studies II | 3 hours | 250 | Merit | Descriptive |
Paper IV | General Studies III | 3 hours | 250 | Merit | Descriptive |
Paper V | General Studies IV | 3 hours | 250 | Merit | Descriptive |
Paper VI | Optional I | 3 hours | 250 | Merit | Descriptive |
Paper VII | Optional II | 3 hours | 250 | Merit | Descriptive |
Personality Test
Candidates who clear the mains are eligible for the personality test (PT). The main and interview/PT scores are combined to create the final merit list.
The marks of the personality test for each group are defined below:
Group&Post | Maximum Marks |
Group A&B | 200 |
Group C | 150 |
Group D | 100 |
UPSC Exam Syllabus
Here is a look at the detailed syllabus for UPSC given below:
UPSC Preliminary Exam Syllabus
Paper I: General Studies
- Current events of national and international importance.
- History of India and Indian National Movement.
- Indian and World Geography – Physical, Social, Economic Geography of India and the World.
- Indian Polity and Governance – Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues, etc.
- Economic and Social Development – Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives, etc.
- General issues on Environmental Ecology, Biodiversity, and Climate Change – that do not require subject specialization.
- General Science.
Paper II: CSAT (Civil Services Aptitude Test)
- Comprehension.
- Interpersonal skills including communication skills.
- Logical reasoning and analytical ability.
- Decision-making and problem-solving.
- General mental ability.
- Basic numeracy (numbers and their relations, orders of magnitude, etc.) (Class X level), Data interpretation (charts, graphs, tables, data sufficiency, etc. – Class X level).
UPSC Main Exam Syllabus
Paper-A: Indian Language (Qualifying)
- Comprehension of given passages.
- Precis Writing.
- Usage and vocabulary.
- Short Essay.
Paper-B: English (Qualifying)
- Comprehension of given passages.
- Precis Writing
- Usage and vocabulary.
- Short Essay.
Paper-I: Essay
- Candidates may be required to write essays on multiple topics.
- Candidates are expected to keep closely to the subject of the essay to arrange their ideas in an orderly fashion and to write concisely.
- Credit will be given for effective and exact expression.
Paper-II: General Studies-I
- Indian Heritage and Culture.
- History and Geography of the World and Society.
Paper-III: General Studies-II
- Governance
- Constitution.
- Polity.
- Social Justice and International Relations.
Paper-IV: General Studies-III
- Technology.
- Economic Development.
- Bio-diversity.
- Environment.
- Security and Disaster Management.
Paper-V: General Studies-IV
- Ethics.
- Integrity.
- Aptitude.
Paper-VI & VII: Optional Subject Papers (Any one subject to be selected from the list of optional subjects)
- Agriculture.
- Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science.
- Anthropology.
- Botany.
- Chemistry.
- Civil Engineering.
- Commerce and Accountancy.
- Economics.
- Electrical Engineering.
- Geography.
- Geology.
- History.
- Law.
- Management.
- Mathematics.
- Mechanical Engineering.
- Medical Science.
- Philosophy.
- Physics.
- Political Science and International Relations.
- Psychology.
- Public Administration.
- Sociology.
- Statistics.
- Zoology.
- Literature of any one of the following languages: Assamese, Bengali, Bodo, Dogri, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Maithili, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Oriya, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Santhali, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, and English.
FAQs
Q.1: Where can I find the UPSC question paper from the previous year?
Ans. The UPSC’s previous year’s question paper is available in PDF format above.
Q2. Is it helpful to practise UPSC previous-year question papers?
Ans. Yes, practising Previous Year Question Papers will assist you in understanding the UPSC pattern in terms of difficulty level.
Q3. Does UPSC repeat questions from previous years?
Ans. Yes! Questions from the previous year’s UPSC papers are repeated, but only for specific topics.
For any other UPSC related information ,visit the official site:upsc.gov.in