UPSC Previous Year Question Papers, Download Last 10 Year PYQs

Candidates can download the last 10 years of UPSC Previous Year Question Papers from both Prelims and Mains. In this article, UPSC Previous Year Question Papers are important and can help aspirants effectively cover the vast UPSC syllabus. Download UPSC IAS Previous year papers from 2014-2025.

Table of Contents

UPSC Previous Year Question Papers are extremely important in the preparation strategy of candidates as they give good insight into the pattern of the exam, question trends, and difficulty level. Practising these papers helps the candidates understand the topic weightage, time management, and ascertain areas of importance for revision. They also aid in dissecting the question-framing of Prelims and Mains so that aspirants can calibrate their preparation with the real needs of the exam. Regular practice of the previous year papers improves confidence and enhances the skills in answer-writing, hence proving to be a sine qua non for cracking the UPSC exam.

In the demanding journey to crack the UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE), the role of UPSC previous year question papers cannot be overstated. These papers offer a wealth of insights into the exam pattern, question types, and priority areas that the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) focuses on. Additionally, solving these papers helps aspirants with time management, self-assessment, and confidence building, making them an indispensable part of every aspirant’s preparation strategy.

UPSC Previous Year Question Paper

Candidates preparing for the Union Public Service Commission should have an idea about the Question Pattern and difficulty level of the exam. Here comes the Previous year’s Question Paper in role. Solving the UPSC Previous Question Paper can help the aspirant to enhance their preparation journey.

Last 10 Years UPSC Prelims Previous Question Papers PDF

The UPSC Civil Service Prelims exam has two objective papers: General Studies Paper I and CSAT. Each paper is of 200 marks and lasts 2 hours. These papers are just for screening. We have put together previous years’ UPSC Prelims question papers from 2014 to 2024. You can click the link below to access these papers and answers in PDF format for practice.

Year	Question Paper PDF Links
2014	General Studies CSAT
2015	General Studies CSAT
2016	General Studies CSAT
2017	General Studies CSAT
2018	General Studies CSAT
2019	General Studies CSAT
2020	General Studies CSAT
2021	General Studies CSAT
2022	General Studies CSAT
2023	GS Paper I (Set A) GS Paper I (Set B) GS Paper I (Set C) GS Paper I (Set D) GS Paper I in Hindi (Set A) CSAT Set A CSAT Set A in Hindi
2024	General Studies CSAT

Last 10 Years UPSC Mains Previous Year Question Papers PDF

UPSC Mains exam is the second stage of the UPSC Civil Service exam. There are four General Studies papers, each covering different subjects. Studying previous years’ question papers for each subject is the best way to prepare. Look at the table below to find question papers for each subject in the UPSC Mains.

Year	Question Papers PDF Link
2014	General Studies – I General Studies – II General Studies – III General Studies – IV Essay paper
2015	General Studies – I General Studies – II General Studies – III General Studies – IV Essay paper
2016	General Studies – I General Studies – II General Studies – III General Studies – IV Essay paper
2017	General Studies – I General Studies – II General Studies – III General Studies – IV Essay paper
2018	General Studies – I General Studies – II General Studies – III General Studies – IV Essay paper
2019	General Studies – I General Studies – II General Studies – III General Studies – IV Essay paper
2020	General Studies – I General Studies – II General Studies – III General Studies – IV Essay paper
2021	General Studies – I General Studies – II General Studies – III General Studies – IV Essay paper
2022	General Studies – I General Studies – II General Studies – III General Studies – IV Essay paper
2023	General Studies – I General Studies – II General Studies – III General Studies – IV Essay paper
2024	General Studies – I General Studies – II General Studies – III General Studies – IV Essay paper

UPSC Geography Optional Previous Year Question Papers

We have provided the UPSC Geography year-wise PYQs from 2018 to 2023 in the table. Practise these as much as you can.

Year	Geography Question Papers
2018	Paper – I Paper – II
2019	Paper – I Paper – II
2020	Paper – I Paper – II
2021	Paper – I Paper – II
2022	Paper – I Paper – II
2023	Paper – I Paper – II
2024	Paper – I Paper – II

UPSC History Optional Previous Year Question Papers

Here we are providing year-wise UPSC History Optional PYQs from 2018 to 2023 in the table. Practice more to achieve a higher score.

Year	History Question Papers
2018	Paper – I Paper – II
2019	Paper – I Paper – II
2020	Paper – I Paper – II
2021	Paper – I Paper – II
2022	Paper – I Paper – II
2023	Paper – I Paper – II
2024	Paper – I Paper – II

UPSC Sociology Optional Previous Year Question Papers

Here we are providing year-wise UPSC Sociology Question Papers from 2018 to 2024 in the table:

Year	Sociology Question Papers
2018	Paper – I Paper – II
2019	Paper – I Paper – II
2020	Paper – I Paper – II
2021	Paper – I Paper – II
2022	Paper – I Paper – II
2023	Paper – I Paper – II
2024	Paper – I Paper – II

UPSC Public Administration Optional Previous Year Question Papers

Here we are providing year-wise UPSC Public Administration Question Papers from 2018 to 2024 in the table:

Year	Public Administration Question Papers
2018	Paper – I Paper – II
2019	Paper – I Paper – II
2020	Paper – I Paper – II
2021	Paper – I Paper – II
2022	Paper – I Paper – II
2023	Paper – I Paper – II
2024	Paper – I Paper – II

UPSC PSIR Optional Previous Year Question Papers

Here we are providing year-wise UPSC Political Science & International Relations Question Papers from 2018 to 2024 in the table:

Year	PSIR Question Papers
2018	Paper – I Paper – II
2019	Paper – I Paper – II
2020	Paper – I Paper – II
2021	Paper – I Paper – II
2022	Paper – I Paper – II
2023	Paper – I Paper – II
2024	Paper – I Paper – II

UPSC Anthropology Optional Previous Year Question Papers

Here we are providing year-wise UPSC Anthropology Question Papers from 2018 to 2024 in the table:

Year	Anthropology Question Papers
2018	Paper – I Paper – II
2019	Paper – I Paper – II
2020	Paper – I Paper – II
2021	Paper – I Paper – II
2022	Paper – I Paper – II
2023	Paper – I Paper – II
2024	Paper – I Paper – II

UPSC Philosophy Optional Previous Year Question Papers

Here we are providing year-wise UPSC Philosophy Question Papers from 2018 to 2024 in the table:

Year	Philosophy Question Papers
2018	Paper – I Paper – II
2019	Paper – I Paper – II
2020	Paper – I Paper – II
2021	Paper – I Paper – II
2022	Paper – I Paper – II
2023	Paper – I Paper – II
2024	Paper – I Paper – II

UPSC Mathematics Optional Previous Year Question Papers

Here we are providing year-wise UPSC Previous Year Mathematics Optional Papers from 2018 to 2024 in the table:

Year	Mathematics Question Papers
2018	Paper – I Paper – II
2019	Paper – I Paper – II
2020	Paper – I Paper – II
2021	Paper – I Paper – II
2022	Paper – I Paper – II
2023	Paper – I Paper – II
2024	Paper – I Paper – II

Benefits of Solving the UPSC Previous Year Papers

The following are the major advantages of cracking the last 10 years of UPSC Previous Year Question Papers:

Understand Exam Pattern: Facilitates analysis of the UPSC Exam Pattern, types, and difficulty level of Prelims and Mains questions.
Identify Important Topics: Frequently occurring themes indicate the UPSC Syllabus priority areas.
Improve Time Management: Timely practice improves speed and accuracy during the actual exam.
Boost Confidence: Knowing previous papers eliminates exam phobia and instils confidence.
Improve Answer Writing: For Mains, it enhances articulation, structuring, and presentation of answers.
Assess Preparation Level: Serves as a self-assessment tool to determine strengths and weaknesses.
Develop Analytical Skills: Facilitates understanding of UPSC’s changing trend of conceptual and analytical questions.

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UPSC Previous Year Question Papers FAQs

Do UPSC repeat questions?

This happens very rarely. Thus, it is advisable to scan the previous year's questions.

Is UPSC a hard exam?

If one looks at the selection ratio, it is certainly a tough exam. However, with the right approach and hard work, it can be easily cracked.

Is UPSC full of MCQ?

MCQs are asked in the prelims stage of this exam. Mains stage is subjective in nature where one is expected to write with a pen as in a conventional copy pen exam.

Why I failed in UPSC?

There can be many reasons depending on the individual’s circumstances. A common reason for failure despite hard work is lack of proper guidance, not understanding the requirement of the exam etc.

Who cleared UPSC without coaching?

Many aspirants do so every year. One needs the right strategy and guidance which can be sought through coaching institutes, seniors, mentors or any other source.

Is previous year question paper enough for UPSC?

UPSC Previous year question papers (PYQs) are an essential resource for UPSC Exam preparation, but they are not enough on their own also supplement your preparation with current affairs.