UPSC IAS Previous Year Question Papers PDF: You’ve come to the right place! We have a comprehensive collection of UPSC IAS previous year question papers, sourced directly from the official Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) website. These papers are available in PDF format, so you can download them easily and start practicing right away.
Practicing UPSC IAS previous year question papers is a great way to prepare for the exam. It will help you familiarize yourself with the format of the exam, the types of questions that are asked, and the level of difficulty. It will also help you identify your strengths and weaknesses, so you can focus your studies on the areas where you need the most improvement
To help you prepare for the UPSC Civil Services Exam (CSE), we have compiled a list of previous year question papers. You can download these papers in PDF format and try solving them as if you were taking the actual exam. This will help you assess your preparation and identify the areas where you need to improve.
This article offers UPSC IAS Previous Year Question Papers with Solutions, ideal for candidates starting their preparation or entering the revision phase.
Overview of UPSC IAS PYQs
For a comprehensive understanding of the UPSC IAS Exam, we have compiled important information in the table below. Candidates are urged to refer to the following table for crucial details about the UPSC IAS Exam:
| Conducting Authority | Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) |
| Name of Exam | UPSC Civil Services Exam (CSE) |
| Posts | Indian Administrative Services (IAS) Indian Police Services (IPS) Indian Revenue Services (IRS) Indian Foreign Services (IFS) etc… |
| Job Category | Govt Job |
| Exam Mode | Offline |
| Indian Administrative Services (IAS) Indian Police Services (IPS) Indian Revenue Services (IRS) Indian Foreign Services (IFS) etc… | Available Now |
| Selection Process | Prelims Mains Interview |
| UPSC Official Website | upsc.gov.in |
UPSC IAS Previous Year Question Papers PDF
If you are preparing for the UPSC IAS Exam, it is strongly recommended to solve the UPSC IAS Previous Year Question Papers. Doing so will give you a better grasp of the exam pattern and the types of questions asked. To facilitate your preparation, we have provided a direct link below, allowing you to download a PDF file of Previous Year Papers.
Prelims Previous Year Papers
| UPSC IAS Prelims Question Papers | Download Link |
|---|---|
| Prelims Paper I | Prelims Paper I |
| UPSC IAS Prelims Paper-I (1) | Download PDF |
| UPSC IAS Prelims Paper-I (2) | Download PDF |
| UPSC IAS Prelims Paper-I (3) | Download PDF |
| UPSC IAS Prelims Paper-I (4) | Download PDF |
| UPSC IAS Prelims Paper-I (5) | Download PDF |
| UPSC IAS Prelims Paper-I (6) | Download PDF |
| UPSC IAS Prelims Paper-I (7) | Download PDF |
| UPSC IAS Prelims Paper-I (8) | Download PDF |
| UPSC IAS Prelims Paper-I (9) | Download PDF |
| UPSC IAS Prelims Paper-I (10) | Download PDF |
| UPSC IAS Prelims Paper-I (11) | Download PDF |
| UPSC IAS Prelims Paper-I (12) | Download PDF |
| Prelims CSAT | Prelims CSAT |
| UPSC IAS Prelims Paper-II (1) | Download PDF |
| UPSC IAS Prelims Paper-II (2) | Download PDF |
| UPSC IAS Prelims Paper-II (3) | Download PDF |
| UPSC IAS Prelims Paper-II (4) | Download PDF |
| UPSC IAS Prelims Paper-II (5) | Download PDF |
| UPSC IAS Prelims Paper-II (6) | Download PDF |
| UPSC IAS Prelims Paper-II (7) | Download PDF |
| UPSC IAS Prelims Paper-II (8) | Download PDF |
| UPSC IAS Prelims Paper-II (9) | Download PDF |
| UPSC IAS Prelims Paper-II (10) | Download PDF |
| UPSC IAS Prelims Paper-II (11) | Download PDF |
| UPSC IAS Prelims Paper-II (12) | Download PDF |
Mains Previous Year Papers
| UPSC IAS Mains Question Papers | Download Link |
|---|---|
| General Studies I | General Studies I |
| UPSC IAS Main GS Paper-I (1) | Download PDF |
| UPSC IAS Main GS Paper-I (2) | Download PDF |
| UPSC IAS Main GS Paper-I (3) | Download PDF |
| UPSC IAS Main GS Paper-I (4) | Download PDF |
| UPSC IAS Main GS Paper-I (5) | Download PDF |
| UPSC IAS Main GS Paper-I (6) | Download PDF |
| UPSC IAS Main GS Paper-I (7) | Download PDF |
| UPSC IAS Main GS Paper-I (8) | Download PDF |
| UPSC IAS Main GS Paper-I (9) | Download PDF |
| UPSC IAS Main GS Paper-I (10) | Download PDF |
| General Studies II | General Studies II |
| UPSC IAS Main GS Paper-II (1) | Download PDF |
| UPSC IAS Main GS Paper-II (2) | Download PDF |
| UPSC IAS Main GS Paper-II (3) | Download PDF |
| UPSC IAS Main GS Paper-II (4) | Download PDF |
| UPSC IAS Main GS Paper-II (5) | Download PDF |
| UPSC IAS Main GS Paper-II (6) | Download PDF |
| UPSC IAS Main GS Paper-II (7) | Download PDF |
| UPSC IAS Main GS Paper-II (8) | Download PDF |
| UPSC IAS Main GS Paper-II (9) | Download PDF |
| General Studies III | General Studies III |
| UPSC IAS Main GS Paper-III (1) | Download PDF |
| UPSC IAS Main GS Paper-III (2) | Download PDF |
| UPSC IAS Main GS Paper-III (3) | Download PDF |
| UPSC IAS Main GS Paper-III (4) | Download PDF |
| UPSC IAS Main GS Paper-III (5) | Download PDF |
| UPSC IAS Main GS Paper-III (6) | Download PDF |
| UPSC IAS Main GS Paper-III (7) | Download PDF |
| UPSC IAS Main GS Paper-III (8) | Download PDF |
| UPSC IAS Main GS Paper-III (9) | Download PDF |
| UPSC IAS Main GS Paper-III (10) | Download PDF |
| General Studies IV | General Studies IV |
| UPSC IAS Main GS Paper-IV (1) | Download PDF |
| UPSC IAS Main GS Paper-IV (2) | Download PDF |
| UPSC IAS Main GS Paper-IV (3) | Download PDF |
| UPSC IAS Main GS Paper-IV (4) | Download PDF |
| UPSC IAS Main GS Paper-IV (5) | Download PDF |
| UPSC IAS Main GS Paper-IV (6) | Download PDF |
| UPSC IAS Main GS Paper-IV (7) | Download PDF |
| UPSC IAS Main GS Paper-IV (8) | Download PDF |
| UPSC IAS Main GS Paper-IV (9) | Download PDF |
| UPSC IAS Main GS Paper-IV (10) | Download PDF |
UPSC Exam Pattern
UPSC Prelims Exam Pattern
Before going to check the UPSC Syllabus, candidates should understand the pattern of the UPSC CSE (Civil Service Examination).
| Paper | Subjects | Marks | No. of Question | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | General Studies (GS) | 200 | 100 | 2 hours (9:30 AM to 11:30 AM) |
| II | CSAT | 200 | 80 | 2 hours (2:30 PM to 4:30 PM) |
Important Points:
- For every incorrect answer, 1/3rd mark of the total mark will be deducted.
- For the blank answers, no marks will be deducted.
- In General Studies (Paper I), each question is of 2 marks and there is a negative marking of 0.66 marks
- In CSAT (Paper-II), each question is of 2.5 marks and a negative marking of 0.833 marks for each wrong answer.
- The prelims marks will not be included in the final result (merit list).
- Paper II of the Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination will be a qualifying paper with minimum qualifying marks fixed at 33%.
UPSC IAS Mains Exam Pattern
The Mains exam comprises 09 papers and candidates have to score minimum qualifying marks in each subject. Language papers are of qualifying marks and the rest of the papers will be scored.
| Qualifying Papers | Marks | |
| Paper-A | One of the Indian Language to be selected by the candidate from the Languages included in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution | 300 |
| Paper-B | English | 300 |
| Papers Counted for Merit | ||
| Paper-I | Essay | 250 |
| Paper-II | General Studies-I (Indian Heritage and Culture, History and Geography of the World and Society) | 250 |
| Paper-III | General Studies-II (Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice and International relations) | 250 |
| Paper-IV | Genera Studies-III (Technology, Economic Development, Bio-diversity, Environment, Security and Disaster Management) | 250 |
| Paper-V | General Studies-IV (Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude) | 250 |
| Paper-VI | Optional Subject – Paper 1 | 250 |
| Paper-VII | Optional Subject – Paper 2 | 250 |
| Sub Total (Written Test) | 1750 | |
| Personality Test | 275 | |
| Grand Total | 2025 | |
Important Points:
- There are two qualifying papers in the mains exam, Namely “Paper A” and “Paper B” of 300 marks each.
- Two Qualifying Papers are “Any Indian Language from Eight Schedule ” and “English Language Paper”.
- Candidates need to score 25% in both qualifying papers i.e., 75 marks each.
- All other seven papers are scoring in nature their marks will be included in the final merit list.
- Candidates can answer all the scoring subjects in English or any of the eight schedule languages.
- Candidates have to select any one subject from the table as their Optional subject for Paper VI and Paper VII.
Important UPSC IAS Links
| Important Links |
|---|
| Download UPSC IAS Syllabus PDF | CLICK HERE |
| UPSC IAS Study Material/Books/Notes for Exam Preparation | CLICK HERE |