UPSC Prelims Question Paper 2023: PDF Download IAS Prelims Question Papers with Answers

UPSC Prelims Question Papers: UPSC prelims question papers are a useful preparation and self-assessment tool for candidates to practice and understand the trend of questions asked in previous years. UPSC prelims question papers consist of two papers: general studies-1 and general studies-2 (CSAT). Candidates must download the UPSC prelims question papers pdf with solutions that is shared in this article to practice the questions asked in the last 10 years. UPSC Prelims Question Papers help to understand the trend of the questions asked, and difficulty level, and determine expected questions in the upcoming exam.

Every year, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) conducts the UPSC exam for the selection of eligible candidates for the prestigious Indian Administrative Services (IAS). The selection process includes prelims, mains, and interview round. More than 11 lakh candidates apply for the UPSC Civil Services exam each year. In the year 2021, only 761 candidates were selected for the services.

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UPSC Prelims Question Papers 2023

UPSC prelims 2023 question papers are available below for the GS and CSAT Papers. The UPSC prelims question papers with solutions pdf for GS 1 and GS 2 (CSAT) are available for download below. Both the papers of the UPSC preliminary exam carry equal weightage for 200 marks each. There is negative marking is also applicable on both papers thus candidates must ensure accuracy when attempting the questions.

UPSC Question Paper 2023 GS 1: SET A, B, C, D

UPSC has successfully completed the UPSC GS 1 exam on May 28, 2023. Candidates can download the UPSC Prelims question paper for GS 1 from the table that is given below here. We have shared the UPSC question paper for SET A, B, C, D here. 

UPSC CSAT Question Paper 2023: SET A, B, C, D

The UPSC General Studies 2 CSAT has bee successfully completed from 2:30 to 4:30 PM. Candidates can download the UPSC CSAT question paper for SET A, B, C, D from the table that has been updated below.

UPSC Prelims Previous Year Question Papers

UPSC prelims previous year's question papers help candidates to prepare thoroughly and efficiently for the upcoming UPSC prelims exam. We have provided the past 10 years of UPSC prelims question papers pdf download for the candidates for practice. UPSC prelims last year's question papers help candidates in understanding the exam pattern, type of questions asked, difficulty level, topics from which most questions are asked, and determining the expected questions in the upcoming exam. Additionally, UPSC prelims question papers with solutions also aid in building the confidence level and time management skills of candidates. Check below the year-wise UPSC prelims previous year papers pdf for download:

UPSC Prelims Previous Year Question Papers Answer Keys

For the ease of candidates, we have compiled the U{SC prelims previous year question papers answer keys pdf. Candidates can download the answer keys for USPC prelims question papers to refer to when practising. 

Benefits of Solving UPSC Prelims Previous Year Question Papers

Solving UPSC prelims previous year question papers can be highly beneficial for candidates. The UPSC prelims exam is the first stage towards securing a future in the IAS, hence clearing the prelims exam is crucial for shortlisting for the UPSC mains exam. Below, candidates can check the reasons and benefits of solving UPSC prelims previous year question papers:

• Previous year question papers aid in understanding the exam pattern, identifying the important subjects, type of question asked, and difficulty level of the papers. It also helps in assessing the strong and weak points and formulating an efficient preparation strategy as needed.
• Candidates get two hours for each paper, therefore time management is equally important as solving the paper accurately. One can practice their time management skills by practising the previous year question papers with a stopwatch or timer of 2 hours.
• Solving previous year question papers can also aid candidates in assessing their reasoning and analytical skills, and understanding the kind of puzzles, riddles, or analytical questions asked in the exam. One can also revise their static GK with the help of question papers.
• Previous year question papers help in revision and practising which are key to success in the UPSC prelims. Incorporate solving at least one previous year question paper in your study plan to improve your speed and accuracy.
• UPSC previous year question papers can also help candidates in identifying certain topics from which the most number of questions are asked. The UPSC prelims syllabus is vast however specific topics carry a high question weightage. If you are preparing without coaching, solving previous year question papers will tell you about the important topics.

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How to Attempt UPSC Prelims Question Papers

UPSC prelims question papers are designed to assess your accuracy and not to test your ability to answer all the questions. One must remember that the sweet deal is to answer accurately as many questions as question possible while minimizing the number of incorrect answers. Below, we have shared a step-by-step process and important points to keep in mind when attempting UPSC prelims question papers.

Step 1: Go through the entire paper to read the questions carefully. Answer all the questions for which you know the answers with 100% accuracy. These are the questions where you do not second-guess your answers.

Step 2: Move on to the questions which require a bit of analysing. These are mostly the statement-based questions that will require you to put on your thinking caps. Avoid marking answers in haste, it will cost you a negative marking.

Step 3: Now, we come on to the questions for which you are unsure of the answers. Try to use the elimination method to reduce the confusion with the number of options. Recall what you have studied to make an educated choice.

Step 4: In this step, we shall answer questions so that we reach a decent number of good attempts. Usually, aspirants are found to have solved 70-80 questions in paper 1 and 30+ questions in paper 2 (CSAT) to be on the safer side in order to pass.

TIP: Always solve the UPSC prelims question papers in the following order – (1) questions for which you are 100% sure of the answer, (2) questions for which you require the elimination method, and (3) questions for which you do not know the answers (leave them). Lastly, count the number of questions you attempted.

UPSC Prelims Previous Year Question Papers Analysis

UPSC prelims previous year question papers analysis is important to understand the difficulty level of the prelims exam. One must refer to the previous year UPSC exam analysis during the UPSC preparation. The UPSC prelims previous year question papers analysis includes the UPSC prelims questions trend, types of questions asked, topics-wise question weightage along with the difficulty level of each paper. As per the USPC prelims 2022 previous year question papers analysis, the General Studies-1 paper whereas the General Studies-2 (CSAT) paper was moderate to difficult. 

UPSC Prelims Question Paper Pattern

The UPSC prelims question paper consists of two compulsory papers: General Studies-1 and General Studies-2 (CSAT). The exam carries a maximum of 400 marks, with each paper of 200 marks. This examination is meant to serve as a screening test only; the marks obtained in the Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination by the candidates who are declared qualified for admission to the Civil Services (Main) Examination will not be counted for determining their final order of merit.

As per the exam pattern, the UPSC prelims is an objective test that includes multiple-choice questions (MCQs). The question papers will be set both in Hindi and English. Each paper is held for two hours duration. The General Studies Paper-II of the Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination will be a qualifying paper with minimum qualifying marks fixed at 33%.

Check below the pattern of UPSC question paper for details like the number of questions asked, marking scheme, exam duration, etc.