UPSC Mains · 250 marks

GS Paper II
Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice & International Relations

Indian Constitution, Parliament, judiciary, welfare schemes, vulnerable sections, international relations, bilateral/regional/global groupings. Five in-depth guides: syllabus, booklist, paper analysis, strategy, PYQ trends.

What UPSC actually asked in GS Paper II, 2021–2026

120 questions over 6 years — about 20 per paper. Every one has its own page with the directive word, marks, word limit and evaluation rubric.

Topics that came up

101st Amendment Act and federalism · 14th Finance Commission · 2026 amendment to Transgender Persons Act and Article 21 privacy · Administrative tribunals and reforms · Article 356 reduced usage factors · Asymmetric federalism and dispute resolution · Attorney General of India role · AUKUS and Indo-Pacific

Directive words used most

discuss (29) · explain (18) · examine (12) · analyse (11) · comment (11) — the directive words guide covers what each demands.

Mark distribution

60 questions at 10 marks · 60 questions at 15 marks

Browse all General Studies previous year questions →

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