UPSC Optional · 500 marks

Statistics

Probability, stat inference, linear models, sampling, design of experiments.

Five deep-dives: syllabus, booklist, paper analysis, strategy, PYQ trends (2021–2025).

What UPSC actually asked in Statistics, 2021–2025

80 questions across 5 years, taken from the official papers. Every one has its own page with the directive word, marks, word limit and evaluation rubric.

Paper 1
40 questions · 2000 marks total
Paper 2
40 questions · 2000 marks total

Topics that came up

Probability theory and statistical inference · Probability theory and distributions · Statistical Quality Control and Operations Research · Statistical Quality Control and Reliability Theory · Agricultural statistics, fertility rates, and econometric model identification · ANOVA, sampling techniques, multivariate analysis · Bivariate normal distribution, principal components, linear regression estimation · Bivariate normal, joint distributions, conditional expectation, generalized least squares

Directive words used most

solve (29) · derive (15) · explain (14) · prove (6) · calculate (5) — see the directive words guide for how each one changes the answer you should write.

Mark distribution

80 questions at 50 marks

Browse all 80 Statistics previous year questions →

Practice Statistics answers, get AI feedback

Write an answer, upload it, and our evaluator scores it on content, structure, examples and directive-word fidelity — trained on UPSC-style marking.