UPSC Question Paper 2024: Download Previous Year Questions for Prelims and Mains Examination

UPSC Question Paper: The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) conducts the Civil Services Examination (CSE) in three phases - Preliminary, Main and Personal Interview once in a year. UPSC aspirants must go through the previous year question papers to get an idea of the scheme of the examination. The prelims for IAS Exam for the year 2024 is scheduled to be held on June 16, 2024. The mains exams will be conducted from September 20, 2024 onwards.

Candidates appearing for the UPSC CSE examination should have an idea about the type of questions asked, their difficulty level and the time required to efficiently attempt the questions. While questions asked in the prelims are multiple choice question type, the mains examination questions are to be answered in detail. Practice of the previous year UPSC question papers plays an important role in the preparation strategy of  an IAS aspirant.

UPSC Question Paper - Preliminary Exam

The UPSC prelims exam consists of two papers - General Studies (GS) and Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT). Candidates have to attempt 100 questions in the GS paper while 80 questions in the CSAT paper. Both the papers are of 2 hour duration each. The CSAT paper is of qualifying nature only. Candidates can check the UPSC exam syllabus from the official notification of the exam. 

The preliminary exam GS paper tests the depth of knowledge of the candidates in a limited time period. Practice of UPSC previous year prelims question papers helps the candidates in time management. The table below contains previous year prelims question papers for the last 5 years:

UPSC Mains Question Paper

Candidates who clear the UPSC prelims 2024 can appear for the Mains Examination. They have to appear for a total of nine papers in the UPSC Mains Examination. The CSE Mains exam pattern requires answers to be lengthy and of explanatory nature. Candidates must check the previous year mains question papers to get an idea about the questions asked. Some of the previous year papers are listed below. Click on the link given to download the question papers.

UPSC Mains Question Paper 2023

UPSC Mains Question Paper 2022

UPSC Mains Question Paper 2021

UPSC Mains Question Paper 2020

UPSC Mains Question Paper 2019

UPSC Question Paper 2024: Conclusion

UPSC IAS Exam is considered one of the most difficult exams in the country today. The preparation for this exam is a long and tedious process. Candidates aspiring for civil service exams should have a detailed strategy for its preparation. The previous year question papers of the exam play an important role in the IAS exam preparation journey of the candidates. UPSC only names the topics/subjects in its syllabus but an idea about the depth of the topic can only be known from the previous papers. The continuous practice of both prelims and mains examination helps the candidates in betterment of their preparatory process.