UPSC Previous Year Question Paper: Last 10 Years UPSC Question Papers with Answers PDF

UPSC Previous Year Question Paper

By downloading the UPSC previous year question paper for Prelims and Mains exams preparation, candidates can check the subject-wise difficulty level of questions for General Studies papers, optional subjects, and CSAT in the UPSC exam. Most toppers and experts suggest that the best way to crack UPSC Prelims and Mains exam is by analyzing what kind of questions are asked and then start preparing. As the syllabus is vast, it is important to go through the UPSC question papers to get a hold of the type of questions asked in each stage of the exam.

Last 10 Years UPSC Question Papers with Answers PDF

Download the UPSC previous year question papers of last 10 years with answers PDF with the following links:

UPSC Question Paper 2022

The UPSC Prelims 2022 was conducted by the Commission on 5th June 2022. We are providing you with the UPSC question paper 2022 here, which will be helpful in preparing for the 2023 exam, which is all set to be conducted on 28 May 2023. Candidates can check the UPSC paper for Prelims to understand the question pattern and types of questions asked from the syllabus. There are two papers involved in this stage: General Studies Paper 1 and Paper 2 (also known as CSAT, or Civil Services Aptitude Test). The shortlisted candidates from Prelims will be eligible for the Mains exam. Candidates who clear all stages of the exam will be recruited as Civil Servants at various posts such as IAS, IPS, IRS, IFS, etc.

Aspirants preparing for UPSC 2023 can also download the latest Mains Question Paper 2022 to practice UPSC answer writing.

Subject-Wise UPSC Previous Year Question Paper

Here, candidates can check and download the subject-wise UPSC previous year question paper for History, Anthropology, Geography, Indian Polity, etc. These papers will help in preparing for each subject holistically before the exam.

• UPSC Anthropology Previous Year Question Paper
• UPSC History Optional Question Paper
• UPSC Maths Optional Question Paper
• UPSC Sociology Previous Year Question Paper
• Compulsory Language Paper in UPSC
• UPSC Mains Geography Previous Year Questions
• Polity Previous Year Questions for UPSC Prelims
• Polity Previous Year Questions UPSC Mains

UPSC Question Paper PDF

Previous year question paper of UPSC exam for prelims and mains is a necessary preparation resource. We have curated UPSC paper for the last few years in English and Hindi for practice and revision.

The UPSC question paper must be solved multiple times before the exam to reduce negative marking and improve time management. Below we have provided the direct link to download the year-wise UPSC Question Papers PDF for Prelims and Mains.

Candidates must utilize the time and practice the last 10 years UPSC question papers with answers PDF to level up their scores and clear the UPSC Cutoff.

UPSC Previous Year Paper (2021)

The IAS Prelims Exam 2021 was conducted on 10 October 2021 in two shifts, whereas the Mains 2021 was conducted from 07 January 2022 onwards. The Commission has published the official IAS Question Paper for Prelims & Mains on the official website, which is also provided below.

UPSC Last Year Question Paper for Prelims

The questions asked from the general studies section of the UPSC Prelims syllabus are based on current events of national and international importance, Indian history, Indian polity, governance, etc. Download the UPSC Previous Year Question Papers for Prelims GS & CSAT for all sets.

Prelims GS Paper 1:

• Set A - UPSC Prelims 2021 GS Question Paper 1 PDF
• Set B - UPSC Question Paper PDF Prelims 2021 
• Set C - Previous Year Question Paper UPSC 2021 Prelims GS 1
• Set D - UPSC Prelims 2021 GS Question Paper 1

Prelims GS Paper 2 - CSAT:

CSAT paper deals with comprehension, logical reasoning, decision-making and problem-solving, basic numeracy, etc. Check out the UPSC Prelims Question Paper 2021 for CSAT. CSAT can be prepared in the most efficient manner by practising UPSC Previous Year Question Papers. 

• Download UPSC Question Paper 2021 for CSAT - SET A
• Download UPSC Question Paper 2021 for CSAT - SET D

UPSC Previous Year Question Papers for Mains 2021

UPSC Mains 2021 was conducted from 7th January 2022 to 16th January 2022. The Mains 2021 was easy to moderate in terms of difficulty level. The essay paper was philosophically inclined, while GS paper 1 had a good majority of geography questions. GS paper 2 had questions on current affairs, and the number of questions from Governance reduced as compared to last year's UPSC question paper. GS 3 comprised of few difficult economic questions while the environment was easy to moderate.

Download the UPSC Mains Question Paper 2021 for all the subjects to analyze and revise for the upcoming exam.

• UPSC Mains Essay Paper 2021
• UPSC Mains 2021 GS Paper 1
• Previous Year Paper of UPSC Mains GS Paper 2
• UPSC Question Paper for Mains GS Paper-3
• IAS Question Paper PDF for UPSC Mains GS 4

UPSC Question Paper 2020

The Commission released the UPSC Previous Year Question Paper for 2020 on 05 October 2020 on the official website. Candidates can download the UPSC Paper in Hindi and English from the link below.

UPSC Prelims Previous Year Paper

UPSC Prelims 2020 was conducted on 31st May 2020 in two shifts, and the difficulty level of the exam was moderate to difficult.

• UPSC Question Paper for Prelims 2020 GS Paper 1 PDF SET-A
• UPSC Previous Year Paper for Prelims 2020 GS Paper 1 SET-B
• UPSC Question Paper Prelims 2020 GS Paper:1 PDF SET-C
• UPSC Question Paper Prelims 2020 GS Paper:1 PDF SET-D

UPSC CSAT Question Paper for Prelims 2020 was moderate to difficult. As per the experts, aspirants must solve the UPSC PYQ of CSAT 2020 as it provides good practice questions.

• UPSC IAS Prelims 2020 CSAT Question Paper:2 PDF SET-A Here
• UPSC IAS Prelims 2020 CSAT Question Paper:2 PDF SET-B Here
• UPSC IAS Prelims 2020 CSAT Question Paper:2 PDF SET-C Here

IAS Question Paper PDF for Mains

There are a total of nine papers in the UPSC Mains exam of which two are qualifying in nature, and two are optional subjects. Below we have mentioned the UPSC question paper for Essay, GS Paper-, GS Paper-2, GS Paper-3, and GS Paper-4 of Mains 2020.

• UPSC Question Paper for Mains 2020-Essay
• UPSC Question Paper for Mains 2020 GS Paper-1
• UPSC Question Paper for Mains 2020 GS Paper-2
• UPSC Question Paper for Mains 2020 GS Paper-3
• UPSC Question Paper for Mains 2020 GS Paper-4

UPSC Previous Year Question Paper (2019)

The UPSC Prelims question paper covered all the subjects more or less equally. There was an increase in the number of questions from ancient and medieval history. Approximately 30-35 questions were asked from current affairs and 15 to 20 from polity and economics. Practice the UPSC prelims question paper 2019 and analyze your exam preparation.

• UPSC Question Paper for Prelims 2019 GS Paper 1 PDF
• UPSC Prelims 2019 CSAT Question Paper PDF

Also, download the UPSC Mains Question Paper 2019 for Essay, GS Paper-1, GS Paper-2, GS Paper-3, and GS Paper-4 using the given link.

UPSC Previous Year Paper for Prelims

Download the UPSC previous year question paper for Prelims in English and Hindi for the years 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, and 2011 from the following links:

Previous Year Question Paper of UPSC CSAT (2018-2014)

Practising UPSC Previous Year Question Papers for CSAT is equally important as it is a qualifying paper. Download the UPSC Prelims CSAT question papers 2018- 2014 from the links mentioned below.

• UPSC Previous Year Paper CSAT 2018
• UPSC Previous Year Paper 2017 CSAT
• Download Prelims CSAT 2016 Paper Here
• UPSC Previous Year Question Papers 2015 CSAT
• Download Prelims CSAT 2014 Paper Here

UPSC Previous Year Question Papers for Mains

UPSC Main Exam covers five papers, including General Essay, four General Studies papers, and one Optional. Applicants must refer to the previous year UPSC Mains question paper for answer writing practice. After UPSC Prelims Exam is taken, you should start your Mains preparation by practising answer writing and solving previous year's question papers to know all the important IAS questions.

UPSC Question Paper - Essay:

• UPSC Essay Question Paper Mains 2018 
• UPSC Essay Question Paper Mains 2017
• UPSC Essay Question Paper Mains 2016 

Previous Year Question Paper UPSC GS Paper 1:

• UPSC GS 1 Question Paper 2018
• UPSC GS 1 Question Paper 2017
• UPSC GS 1 Question Paper 2016

UPSC Previous Year Question Papers for GS Paper 2:

• UPSC GS 2 Question Paper 2018 
• UPSC GS 2 Question Paper 2017
• UPSC GS 2 Question Paper 2016

UPSC GS Paper 3

• UPSC GS 3 Question Paper 2018
• UPSC GS 3 Question Paper 2017
• UPSC GS 3 Question Paper 2016

UPSC GS Paper 4

• UPSC GS 4 Question Paper 2018 
• UPSC GS 4 Question Paper 2017
• UPSC GS 4 Question Paper 2016

Benefits of Solving UPSC Previous Year Question Paper

Experts and toppers recommend regularly solving the last 10 years UPSC question papers with answers PDF for better exam preparation. Check all the benefits of solving the UPSC previous year question papers below:

• It helps you understand the exam pattern and the types of questions asked.
• It helps you to feel the actual exam experience and the mistakes you commit during the test.
• Help you assess your performance and learn your strong and weak areas. Let you focus and revise the weak areas.
• You have to learn and analyze your mistakes, why you couldn't solve a bit, how comfortable you are going with it, and how much practice you need.

UPSC conducts Civil Services Examination every year for the recruitment of IAS (Indian Administrative Service), IPS (Indian Police Service), IRS (Indian Revenue Service), and other central government services. It is considered India's toughest examination. More than a million apply yearly, and about 5 lakh students appear for the examination.

IAS Previous Year Paper Analysis

According to last year's UPSC exam analysis article, we have provided valuable information to users about the difficulty level, important sections, and types of questions asked. In recent years the UPSC question papers have had an overall difficulty level of moderate to difficult. Each section of the UPSC syllabus has to be given equal importance so that it will be easier to fetch good marks in the prelims exam. The overall difficulty level of the Mains exam is also moderate to difficult. Choosing the optional paper carefully is important as it can make a huge difference in the UPSC Mains exam score. Solving the last 10 years of UPSC question papers with answers PDF would give the candidates an extra advantage to score big in the exam.

How to Analyse UPSC Question Paper?

After attempting the UPSC previous year question papers, you must analyze them. In this way, you can enhance your performance in the final exam and reduce your exam anxiety as well. Here are some key things you should remember while analyzing the UPSC question paper.

• Create an actual exam-like environment, and set a timer to solve the UPSC question paper on time.
• After attempting all the questions, calculate the marks scored.
• Calculate the marks, and If you have not performed well, review your mistakes.
• Find out the reason for your mistake, if they were due to a lack of syllabus completion, silly mistakes, or you were not ready to attempt.
• Analyze all these factors, and reattempt the paper after working on your mistakes.