Free · no sign up
Mains PYQs
Every Main Examination question paper from 2017 to 2026: the Essay paper and all four General Studies papers, by year and by topic.
Question papers
2017–2026The papers as set by the Commission, 50 in all. Each opens in a new tab.
- 2017Essay — Essay paper, 2017GS1 — General Studies Paper I, 2017GS2 — General Studies Paper II, 2017GS3 — General Studies Paper III, 2017GS4 — General Studies Paper IV, 2017
- 2018Essay — Essay paper, 2018GS1 — General Studies Paper I, 2018GS2 — General Studies Paper II, 2018GS3 — General Studies Paper III, 2018GS4 — General Studies Paper IV, 2018
- 2019Essay — Essay paper, 2019GS1 — General Studies Paper I, 2019GS2 — General Studies Paper II, 2019GS3 — General Studies Paper III, 2019GS4 — General Studies Paper IV, 2019
- 2020Essay — Essay paper, 2020GS1 — General Studies Paper I, 2020GS2 — General Studies Paper II, 2020GS3 — General Studies Paper III, 2020GS4 — General Studies Paper IV, 2020
- 2021Essay — Essay paper, 2021GS1 — General Studies Paper I, 2021GS2 — General Studies Paper II, 2021GS3 — General Studies Paper III, 2021GS4 — General Studies Paper IV, 2021
- 2022Essay — Essay paper, 2022GS1 — General Studies Paper I, 2022GS2 — General Studies Paper II, 2022GS3 — General Studies Paper III, 2022GS4 — General Studies Paper IV, 2022
- 2023Essay — Essay paper, 2023GS1 — General Studies Paper I, 2023GS2 — General Studies Paper II, 2023GS3 — General Studies Paper III, 2023GS4 — General Studies Paper IV, 2023
- 2024Essay — Essay paper, 2024GS1 — General Studies Paper I, 2024GS2 — General Studies Paper II, 2024GS3 — General Studies Paper III, 2024GS4 — General Studies Paper IV, 2024
- 2025Essay — Essay paper, 2025GS1 — General Studies Paper I, 2025GS2 — General Studies Paper II, 2025GS3 — General Studies Paper III, 2025GS4 — General Studies Paper IV, 2025
- 2026Essay — Essay paper, 2026GS1 — General Studies Paper I, 2026GS2 — General Studies Paper II, 2026GS3 — General Studies Paper III, 2026GS4 — General Studies Paper IV, 2026
Every paper here was read against the Commission's own scan, page by page. The GS1, GS2, GS3 and GS4 papers of 2020 are the exception: those scans are printed so faintly that the letterforms smear under any amount of contrast, so their question text comes from a transcription Abhishek verified rather than from the scan itself.
Essay
80 topicsBy topic
17 topicsGS1
- Geography915 marks · 10 years · 6 subtopics74questions on Geography
- Indian Society815 marks · 10 years · 7 subtopics64questions on Indian Society
- Modern Indian History310 marks · 10 years · 3 subtopics25questions on Modern Indian History
- Art and Culture and Ancient and Medieval History285 marks · 10 years · 4 subtopics24questions on Art and Culture and Ancient and Medieval History
- Post Independence India95 marks · 5 years7questions on Post Independence India
- World History80 marks · 6 years6questions on World History
GS2
- Polity1150 marks · 10 years · 10 subtopics92questions on Polity
- Social Justice505 marks · 10 years · 3 subtopics40questions on Social Justice
- International Relations500 marks · 10 years · 5 subtopics40questions on International Relations
- Governance345 marks · 10 years · 4 subtopics28questions on Governance
GS3
- Indian Economy1030 marks · 10 years · 10 subtopics83questions on Indian Economy
- Internal Security500 marks · 10 years · 5 subtopics40questions on Internal Security
- Science and Technology445 marks · 10 years · 10 subtopics35questions on Science and Technology
- Environment355 marks · 10 years · 6 subtopics29questions on Environment
- Disaster Management170 marks · 9 years13questions on Disaster Management
GS4
Pattern analysis
40 of 40 papersWhat the tagged papers show, and nothing beyond them. These are descriptions of papers already set, not expectations of papers to come.
GS1 · weight by marks
Marks, not question count: a 15 mark question outweighs a 10 mark one and a count hides that. Totals are across 10 papers, 250 marks a year.
- Geography91537%
- Indian Society81533%
- Modern Indian History31012%
- Art and Culture and Ancient and Medieval History28511%
- Post Independence India954%
- World History803%
GS1 · shift between years
Marks carried by each topic in each paper held. With 10 papers this is a comparison, not a trend.
| Topic | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Geography | 100 | 85 | 85 | 100 | 95 | 100 | 85 | 65 | 100 | 100 |
| Indian Society | 65 | 90 | 90 | 75 | 80 | 75 | 90 | 110 | 65 | 75 |
| Modern Indian History | 65 | 25 | 50 | 25 | 40 | 20 | 25 | 25 | 15 | 20 |
| Art and Culture and Ancient and Medieval History | 10 | 35 | 10 | 50 | 10 | 40 | 40 | 35 | 30 | 25 |
| Post Independence India | — | 15 | — | — | 10 | 15 | — | — | 25 | 30 |
| World History | 10 | — | 15 | — | 15 | — | 10 | 15 | 15 | — |
GS1 · asked every year, and not
Whether a topic appeared in every paper held, or only in some of them.
In all 10
- Geography · 10/10
- Indian Society · 10/10
- Modern Indian History · 10/10
- Art and Culture and Ancient and Medieval History · 10/10
Not in all
- Post Independence India · 5/10
- World History · 6/10
GS2 · weight by marks
Marks, not question count: a 15 mark question outweighs a 10 mark one and a count hides that. Totals are across 10 papers, 250 marks a year.
- Polity115046%
- Social Justice50520%
- International Relations50020%
- Governance34514%
GS2 · shift between years
Marks carried by each topic in each paper held. With 10 papers this is a comparison, not a trend.
| Topic | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polity | 110 | 115 | 125 | 100 | 110 | 115 | 125 | 110 | 125 | 115 |
| Social Justice | 50 | 50 | 35 | 70 | 60 | 50 | 65 | 40 | 40 | 45 |
| International Relations | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 |
| Governance | 40 | 35 | 40 | 30 | 30 | 35 | 10 | 50 | 35 | 40 |
GS2 · asked every year, and not
Whether a topic appeared in every paper held, or only in some of them.
In all 10
- Polity · 10/10
- Social Justice · 10/10
- International Relations · 10/10
- Governance · 10/10
Not in all
- None
GS3 · weight by marks
Marks, not question count: a 15 mark question outweighs a 10 mark one and a count hides that. Totals are across 10 papers, 250 marks a year.
- Indian Economy103041%
- Internal Security50020%
- Science and Technology44518%
- Environment35514%
- Disaster Management1707%
GS3 · shift between years
Marks carried by each topic in each paper held. With 10 papers this is a comparison, not a trend.
| Topic | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indian Economy | 125 | 110 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 110 | 100 | 100 | 85 | 100 |
| Internal Security | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 |
| Science and Technology | 35 | 40 | 50 | 50 | 40 | 30 | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 |
| Environment | 25 | 35 | 25 | 35 | 35 | 50 | 40 | 20 | 65 | 25 |
| Disaster Management | 15 | 15 | 25 | 15 | 25 | 10 | 10 | 30 | — | 25 |
GS3 · asked every year, and not
Whether a topic appeared in every paper held, or only in some of them.
In all 10
- Indian Economy · 10/10
- Internal Security · 10/10
- Science and Technology · 10/10
- Environment · 10/10
Not in all
- Disaster Management · 9/10
GS4 · weight by marks
Marks, not question count: a 15 mark question outweighs a 10 mark one and a count hides that. Totals are across 10 papers, 250 marks a year.
- Theoretical130052%
- Case Studies120048%
GS4 · shift between years
Marks carried by each topic in each paper held. With 10 papers this is a comparison, not a trend.
| Topic | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Theoretical | 130 | 130 | 130 | 130 | 130 | 130 | 130 | 130 | 130 | 130 |
| Case Studies | 120 | 120 | 120 | 120 | 120 | 120 | 120 | 120 | 120 | 120 |
GS4 · asked every year, and not
Whether a topic appeared in every paper held, or only in some of them.
In all 10
- Theoretical · 10/10
- Case Studies · 10/10
Not in all
- None