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UPSC Mains PYQs (Topic Wise)

Choose a GS paper, then a topic and, if you like, a microtheme. You get every UPSC Mains question on it, year by year, with its marks.

By Team MaargX UPSC · UPSC Mains 2013-2025

Short answer: UPSC Mains PYQs (previous year questions) are the General Studies questions asked in the Civil Services Mains. This bank has 969 questions from 2013 to 2025 across GS Paper 1 to 4, worth 11,365 marks in all. Pick a paper, then a topic and a microtheme, and every question appears year-wise with its marks.

Find Questions by GS Paper, Syllabus Topic and Microtheme

Step 1 paper → Step 2 syllabus topic → Step 3 subject → Step 4 microtheme. Each step opens after the one before it.

GS Paper 1

Indian Heritage and Culture, History and Geography of the World and Society

270 questions · 3,205 marks in total

GS Paper 2

Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice and International Relations

265 questions · 3,245 marks in total

GS Paper 3

Technology, Economic Development, Bio-diversity, Environment, Security and Disaster Management

268 questions · 3,250 marks in total

GS Paper 4

Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude

166 questions · 1,665 marks in total

GS Papers at a Glance

UPSC Mains GS papers with syllabus topics, questions and marks
PaperCoversTopicsQuestionsMarks
GS Paper 1Indian Heritage and Culture, History and Geography of the World and Society152703,205 marks
GS Paper 2Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice and International Relations202653,245 marks
GS Paper 3Technology, Economic Development, Bio-diversity, Environment, Security and Disaster Management232683,250 marks
GS Paper 4Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude81661,665 marks

Most-Asked Syllabus Topics

These ten syllabus topics have had the most questions in UPSC Mains GS papers.

Most-Asked Microthemes

A microtheme is a narrow idea inside a syllabus topic. These are the ones UPSC has returned to most often.

Year-Wise Summary

Number of UPSC Mains questions and total marks for each year
YearQuestionsMarks
202573880 marks
202473875 marks
202373880 marks
202272865 marks
202172865 marks
202072870 marks
201973885 marks
201873880 marks
201773880 marks
201672870 marks
201572870 marks
201477870 marks
201394875 marks
Total96911,365 marks

How to Use Mains PYQs Topic Wise

  1. Start with the microthemes. Open a topic and read its microtheme list. The ones with the most questions are the ideas UPSC returns to.
  2. Read the demand words. Note how questions begin: discuss, examine, critically analyse, comment. Each asks for a different answer structure.
  3. Write by marks. A 10-mark question needs a tight answer of about 150 words, and a 15-mark question about 250 words.
  4. Cover all years of a microtheme. Write the oldest and the latest question on the same microtheme, and see how the angle changed.
  5. Revise and rewrite. Revise the topic from the notes, and write the same question again after a week.

For the method in full, read the Mains answer writing strategy. The official papers are on our UPSC PYQs page.

Questions are shown as printed in the UPSC Civil Services (Main) General Studies papers of 2013-2025. The grouping into topics and microthemes is by Team MaargX UPSC. Check any wording against the official paper on upsc.gov.in.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are UPSC Mains PYQs?

UPSC Mains PYQs are the questions asked in earlier Civil Services Mains General Studies papers. This page holds 969 questions from 2013-2025 for GS Paper 1 to 4, grouped by topic and microtheme and listed year-wise with their marks.

How do I find questions on one topic?

Choose a GS paper, then a topic such as Polity or Geography, and then, if you want, a microtheme such as Federalism or Monsoon. The questions appear newest year first, each with its year and marks.

What is a microtheme?

A microtheme is a narrow idea inside a topic, for example Amendments or Federalism inside Polity. Seeing every question on one microtheme across the years shows how UPSC keeps returning to the same idea in new words.

Which years are covered?

The bank covers the Mains papers from 2013 to 2025. The year-wise table shows the number of questions and the total marks for each year.

Are model answers included?

No. This page lists the questions with their year and marks so that you can practise them. For answer writing, read the Mains answer writing strategy and join a test series for evaluation.

Where can I get the official papers?

UPSC publishes every Mains paper on upsc.gov.in. Our UPSC PYQs page links to the official PDFs, and this page sorts the same questions by topic.

Official Sources

These are the primary sources behind this page. Rules, dates and papers can change, so confirm them on the official pages.

Explore on MaargX UPSC

UPSC PYQs: Prelims & Mains Papers Official question paper PDFs from upsc.gov.in Open → Mains Answer Writing Strategy Structure, word limit and time Open → GS Mains Test Series Answer writing practice with evaluation Open → Study Material: Maarg Manthan Topic-wise notes to revise before you write Open →