UPSC Mains · 250 marks

GS Paper IV
Ethics, Integrity & Aptitude

Theory (ethics, attitude, aptitude, emotional intelligence, thinkers, civil service values) and case studies. Five in-depth guides: syllabus, booklist, paper analysis, strategy, PYQ trends.

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

72 questions over 6 years — about 12 per paper. Every one has its own page with the directive word, marks, word limit and evaluation rubric.

Topics that came up

Not available in transcript · Academic integrity and conflict of interest · AI expansion and environmental sustainability in tech company · AI in administrative decision-making and dimensions of ethics · AI in Ph.D. evaluation; ethics of forest-community displacement · AI-enabled predictive policing bias — case study · Ambedkar on civil disobedience; Gandhian trusteeship; Shakespeare on just war · Attitude and emotional intelligence

Directive words used most

discuss (18) · critically examine (9) · analyse (7) · critically evaluate (6) · evaluate (6) — the directive words guide covers what each demands.

Mark distribution

71 questions at 20 marks · 1 questions at 30 marks

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