UPSC Civil Services Mains

Previous Year Questions — Every PYQ, Evaluated

2,480 questions from the last 6 UPSC Mains papers across General Studies, Essay and 25 Optional subjects — each with a detailed evaluation rubric, directive-word analysis, and model answer points.

2,480Questions
27Subjects
2021–2026Years covered
FreeTo browse

General Studies

All four GS papers — polity, economy, society, world history, ethics and more.

Essay

All essay prompts across philosophical and socio-political themes.

Optional Subjects

All 25 optional subjects — pick yours and browse every paper from 2021–2026.

Why previous year questions decide the paper

Understand the pattern

UPSC repeats themes across years. Reading the papers back to back shows which topics are tested every cycle and which appear once a decade, so your revision time follows the exam rather than the syllabus index.

Learn what examiners expect

Every question here carries a rubric: the approach expected, the key points a good answer contains, and the dimensions it is scored on. That is the difference between knowing a topic and knowing how it is marked.

Practise under exam conditions

Timed practice mode gives you the real per-question budget — seven minutes at 10 marks, fifteen at 15, an hour for a 50-mark optional question — so you train allocation, not just recall.

Track your improvement

Your dashboard trends scores by subject and paper, so you can see whether the weak paper is actually improving or just feels better.

Frequently asked questions

How many UPSC previous year questions are here?

2480 questions from the UPSC Civil Services Mains examination, 2021–2026 — General Studies Papers I–IV, Essay, and all 25 optional subjects across both papers.

Are the questions available in Hindi as well as English?

Yes. Every question is stored in both English and Hindi, and an answer written in Hindi is evaluated in Hindi throughout — the marks, the feedback and the model answer.

Can I filter by year, subject or marks?

Yes. Test mode filters by year (2021–2026), subject, paper number, marks, directive word (Discuss, Analyse, Evaluate, Critically examine and so on) and question type.

Do the questions come with model answers?

Each question page shows the expected approach, key points and scoring rubric before you write. Submit an answer and you get a full model answer alongside your evaluation, so you can compare structure as well as content.

How often is the question bank updated?

Annually, after each Mains examination. New questions are added with Hindi and English text, marks, word limits, directive words and evaluation rubrics.

Are optional subjects covered?

All 25 optional subjects, both papers, including Anthropology, Sociology, Political Science & IR, Geography, History and Public Administration.

Ready to practise?

Pick any question, write your answer, and let our AI evaluate it against UPSC's actual rubric.

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