Get a detailed Last five years UPSC Prelims Exam Analysis from 2020 to 2024, covering subject-wise question distribution, difficulty levels, and key trends.
theIAShub | 25 Mar, 2025 | 92 | 0
The UPSC (Union Public Service Commission) Prelims exam is the first stage of the Civil Services Examination. It is a screening test for candidates who want to become IAS, IPS, and other civil service officers. The exam consists of two papers: General Studies Paper 1 and General Studies Paper 2 (CSAT). Paper 1 tests knowledge of history, geography, economy, polity, science, and current affairs. Paper 2 tests reasoning, comprehension, and mathematical ability. The exam is known for its unpredictability, so analyzing past years’ question papers helps aspirants understand the trends and prepare accordingly. Below is a detailed analysis of the last five years of UPSC Prelims exams.
Analyzing the past five years of the UPSC Prelims exam helps candidates understand important subjects, difficulty levels, and changing patterns. The analysis covers the distribution of questions across different subjects, trends in question difficulty, and shifts in focus areas. This will guide aspirants in preparing effectively for future exams.
Aspirants preparing for the UPSC exam should be aware of the pattern followed in recent years. The last five years show trends in subjects like history, polity, economy, geography, science, and current affairs. The analysis will help candidates focus on the most important areas and adjust their preparation strategies accordingly.
In Prelims 2024, there were 18 questions from the Indian Economy. Out of these, 7 questions were from Banking and Finance, 3 questions were related to Government schemes, and the rest covered themes like taxation and infrastructure. About 12 out of the 18 economy-related questions were easy to moderate. Most of the questions were from static or core topics, with only a few from current affairs.
| Subjects | Total Questions | Difficulty Level |
| Polity | 18 | Easy to Moderate |
| Economy | 15 | Moderate |
| History | 9 | Moderate to Difficult |
| Science & Technology | 9 | Easy |
| Geography | 19 | Easy to Moderate |
| Environment | 10 | Moderate |
| Current Affairs / Misc. | 20 | Easy to Moderate |
| Total | 100 | Moderate |
The UPSC Prelims exam consists of two papers: General Studies Paper 1 and CSAT (Paper 2). Below is an analysis of the 2023 exam. The UPSC Prelims question paper analysis shows that the difficulty level was on the higher side compared to the previous year, and many candidates found the paper challenging. Science & Technology, Environment & Ecology were moderate to difficult, while the rest of the subjects were moderate in nature.
| Topics | Number of Questions | Level of Difficulty |
| Current Affairs | 9 | Moderate |
| Geography and Environment | 36 | Moderate |
| Ancient History | 2 | Difficult |
| Medieval History | 2 | Difficult |
| International Affairs and Others | 3 | Moderate |
| Economics and Social Development | 16 | Moderate to Difficult |
| Polity | 15 | Easy to Moderate |
| Science & Technology | 8 | Moderate |
In 2022, the majority of questions focused on Environment and Science & Technology (31 questions). The exam had a different pattern in options, making elimination strategies difficult.
| Subject | Number of Questions | Difficulty Level |
| History | 16 | Moderate to Difficult |
| Polity | 11 | Moderate |
| Geography | 10 | Moderate |
| Economics | 16 | Moderate |
| Environment & Science | 31 | Moderate to Difficult |
| International Relations | 14 | Moderate |
| Total | 98 | Moderate |
Also Check the Last 10 years of UPSC Prelims Question Papers with Answers
In the UPSC Prelims 2021, each subject had almost equal weightage. The most important areas were Environment, Polity, and History.
| Subject | Number of Questions | Difficulty Level |
| Polity | 21 | Easy to Moderate |
| History | 18 | Easy to Moderate |
| Current Affairs | 11 | Easy to Moderate |
| Science & Technology | 8 | Moderate |
| Environment & Ecology | 18 | Moderate |
| Geography | 10 | Easy to Moderate |
| Economy | 14 | Easy to Moderate |
In 2020, the exam followed its usual pattern, focusing on fundamental concepts.
| Subject | Number of Questions | Difficulty Level |
| Economy | 14 | Moderate to Tough |
| Geography | 13 | Moderate to Tough |
| Environment & Ecology | 11 | Moderate to Tough |
| Indian Polity | 14 | Easy to Moderate |
| History & Art and Culture | 19 | Easy to Moderate |
| Science & Technology | 10 | Moderate to Tough |
| Current Affairs | 19 | Easy to Moderate |
| Total Questions | 100 | Overall Moderate |
Subjects like History, Polity, Geography, Environment, and Economics have consistently had a high number of questions in recent years.
The difficulty level varies each year, but the trend shows that conceptual and application-based questions are increasing.
Current affairs play a crucial role, and questions are often linked with core subjects like Polity, Economy, and Science & Technology.
It helps in understanding which topics are frequently asked, what weightage different subjects hold, and how question patterns are changing.
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