Civil Services Examination
Civil Services Examination
Prelims On25th May 2025

UPSC Answer Key 2024: Direct Link to Download Prelims Answer Key

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) will release the UPSC Prelims Answer Key 2024 on its official website. The IAS answer key can be downloaded in PDF format from the UPSC official website.
UPSC Answer Key 2024

UPSC Answer Key 2024

UPSC Answer Key 2024: The Union Public Service Commission releases the IAS  answer key after the conclusion of the UPSC exam process. The UPSC IAS answer key assists candidates in understanding the questions they attempted incorrectly and what the right answer is. The answer key also helps the applicant understand how UPSC frames questions and what is required by candidates to answer them correctly.

It is to be noted that UPSC releases the answer key only for preliminary examination and not for the mains examination. The answer key is released for both Prelims Paper I (General Studies) and Paper II (CSAT) and for all paper sets. The final answer key is released after the conclusion of the whole recruitment process, however, many unofficial answer keys are also released by several coaching institutes after the preliminary exam itself.

Also Read

UPSC Result 2024 UPSC Question Papers 2024

UPSC IAS Exam Answer Key 2024

The IAS exam answer key contains the correct answers of the General Studies Paper I and Paper II of the prelims examinations. Since the answer key is released after the conclusion of the exam process, candidates do not get the opportunity to raise objections against the IAS answer key. However, Candidates may object to the questions asked in both the GS Paper I and Paper II of prelims examination provided they do so within the 7 days of the exam’s completion.

UPSC CSE 2020 Question Paper Representation Portal (QPRep): How to Submit Representations

  • Visit the official website of UPSC and find the QPRep official link on the home page.
  • Click on QPRep Link
  • Fill in all of the required information, such as the roll number, date of birth, and captcha, and then click the submit button.

UPSC IAS Prelims Answer Key

UPSC publishes the official IAS prelims answer key on their website. The answer key is made available to candidates who wish to see where they went wrong with their responses and what the correct answer to each question should be. Candidates taking the exam for the first time can prepare by downloading UPSC previous year question questions as well as the official answer key.

UPSC Prelims Answer Key 2024 - How to Download?

Candidates who took the UPSC prelims exam will be able to download the answer key through the official website of the UPSC. The detailed instructions to download the answer key are as follows:

  • Visit the official website of UPSC
  • Go to the examination tab from the home page of UPSC
  • Click on the Answer Keys from the drop down menu
  • Enter the Name of the Examination for which you are looking the answer key. In this case, enter Civil Service Examination (Prelims)
  • Click on the Answer Key Link
  • The answer key will appear on the your screen
  • Download the answer key and match your answers.

UPSC IAS Answer Key PDF

The Union Public Service Commission releases the answer key in the PDF format. The official answer key is open to download for all aspiring candidates. Candidates can download and save the answer key for their UPSC exam preparation. Candidates can check the table below to download the official UPSC previous year answer keys.

Year

UPSC Prelims GS I Answer Key

UPSC Prelims GS II Answer Key (CSAT)

2023

UPSC Prelims GS 1 Answer Key 2023

UPSC Prelims GS II Answer Key 2023

2022

UPSC Prelims GS I Answer Key 2022

UPSC Prelims GS II Answer Key 2022

2021

UPSC Prelims GS I Answer Key 2021

UPSC Prelims GS II Answer Key 2021

2020

UPSC Prelims GS I Answer Key 2020

UPSC Prelims GS II Answer Key 2020

2019

UPSC Prelims GS I Answer Key 2019

UPSC Prelims GS II Answer Key 2019

2018

UPSC Prelims GS I Answer Key 2018

UPSC Prelims GS II Answer Key 2018

UPSC IAS Prelims Marking Scheme

The IAS Exam marking scheme is critical to comprehend in order to compute your scores using the answer key. The following is the prelims marking scheme:

  • The Prelims Paper I is of 200 marks where each question carries 2 marks
  • In Prelims Paper II, there are 80 questions where each question carry 2.5 marks
  • Furthermore, for each incorrect answer, 0.33 marks will be deducted, i.e. 0.66 marks will be deducted in Paper I and 0.83 marks will be deducted in Paper II.
  • If a candidate provides more than one response, all of them will be marked incorrect, even if one of them is correct.
  • To appear for the main exam, candidates must achieve the cut-off marks in Paper I and a minimum of 33% in Paper II.

How to Calculate Marks with UPSC IAS Prelims Answer Key

Candidates can calculate their marks using the marking scheme of the UPSC Prelims examinations. Candidates can check more about this in the table below:

GS Paper I

Details

GS Paper II (CSAT)

Details

No. of Questions

100

No. of Questions

100

Total Marks

200

Total Marks 

200

Marks for Each Correct Answer

2

Marks for Each Correct Answer

0.33

Marks Deducted for Each Incorrect Answer

0.66

Marks Deducted for Each Incorrect Answer

0.83

Marks Calculation

2 x Correct Answers - 0.66 x Incorrect Answers

Marks Calculation

2.5 x Correct Answers - 0.83 x Incorrect Answers

UPSC Previous years Cutoff

Similar to the answer key, UPSC releases the cutoff after the whole exam process concludes. Candidates must be aware of the UPSC previous year cutoff to prepare for the exam accordingly. Candidates can check the table below to learn more about the UPSC cutoff:

Year

UPSC Prelims Cutoff

UPSC Mains Cutoff

UPSC Final Cutoff

2021

87.54

745

953

2020

92.51

736

944

2019

98

751

961

2018

98

774

982

UPSC Previous Year Question Papers

Candidates preparing for the UPSC Prelims and Mains examinations can download previous year question papers through the official website. UPSC previous year papers assist candidates in understanding the sorts of questions that would be asked in the examination. It helps candidates know that the UPSC mostly asks questions about current events and emphasizes the need of thoroughly covering current events.

Below is the table of UPSC Prelims and Mains previous year question papers.

Year 

Prelims

Mains

2022

GS Paper I

GS Paper II (CSAT)

GS Paper I

GS Paper II

GS Paper III

GS Paper IV

Essay Paper

2021

GS Paper I

GS Paper II (CSAT)

GS Paper I

GS Paper II

GS Paper III

GS Paper IV

Essay Paper

2020

GS Paper I

GS Paper II (CSAT)

GS Paper I

GS Paper II

GS Paper III

GS Paper IV

Essay Paper

 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Does UPSC release the answer key for mains examination?

No, UPSC does not release the answer key for the mains examination. The answer key is released only for the UPSC preliminary examination.

Can I raise objections against the UPSC prelims answer key?

The IAS answer key is released after the exam process is concluded, so candidates cannot raise objections. The candidates may, however, object to the questions asked in GS Paper I and Paper II of the prelims examination within seven days of its conduction.

What is the UPSC Prelims cutoff for SC candidates in 2023?

The UPSC Prelims cutoff for SC candidates in 2021 was 59.25. Hence, SC candidates must score at least above 59.25 marks to clear the preliminary examination.

What is the expected release date of the UPSC prelims 2024 cutoff?

The UPSC prelims 2024 cutoff will be released once the whole exam process is completed. The cutoff is released along with the declaration of the UPSC final result.

How to clear the UPSC prelims and mains cutoff?

To clear the UPSC prelims and mains cutoff, candidates must make sure they complete their syllabus thoroughly. Candidates must follow UPSC exam preparation tips to clear the examination.

How can I download unofficial UPSC Answer Key 2024?

Candidates can download the unofficial UPSC answer key from the official website of various coaching institutes that caters to Civil Services exam preparation.

Which unofficial UPSC Answer Key 2024 is more reliable?

The unofficial answer key for the UPSC 2024 exam is given by various coaching centres where Civil Services experts and teachers solve the questions asked in the exam. There is no one reliable answer key. Hence, students are advised to do research of their own to verify their responses.

Is UPSC answer key released after the final result?

Yes, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) releases the CSE answer key for Paper 1 and Paper 2 of the prelims exams after the final result. Candidates must note that there is no answer key for the UPSC Mains examination.

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