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Union Public Service commission will release the official UPSC IAS 2025 question paper for prelims on their website after the conclusion of the exams. Candidates will be able to download the IAS prelims 2025 question paper for prelims at upsc.gov.in. The IAS question paper can be downloaded in PDF format. To improve their preparation for the IAS exam, candidates can refer to previous years' IAS question papers with answers. They can download the previous years IAS question papers in this article in the form of PDF.
By solving UPSC CSE question papers and sample papers, aspirants can give an extra boost to their preparation. They can also get direct links to download last 10 years UPSC question papers with answers pdf here. To know more about the UPSC IAS prelims question paper, read the article below.
Subject | Unofficial Quetion Paper with Answer Key | Official Question Paper |
Paper 1 - General Studies | Download link | |
Paper 2 | Download link |
Applicants appearing for the UPSC IAS 2025 exam can download the previous year question papers here for prelims exam. Check the tables below for direct links to previous years' IAS exam question papers.
Year | UPSC IAS Question Paper (GS Paper 1) | CSE Question Paper (GS Paper 2) |
2023 | ||
2022 | ||
2021 | ||
2020 | ||
2019 | ||
2018 | ||
2017 | ||
2016 |
The nine papers in the IAS mains exam are Compulsory Indian language, English, Essay, General Studies 1, 2, 3 & 4, Optional 1 & 2. Each IAS paper is for 250 marks. The total mark for the IAS Mains exam is 1750 marks.
Candidates who are preparing for the UPSC Civil Services exam can make use the previous year's solved IAS question papers PDF from the table below.
Year | Links |
2017 | |
2018 | |
2019 | |
2020 |
There are many other advantages of solving UPSC Prelims Question Papers as these papers are prepared directly by the Commission. Some of the advantages of solving the UPSC IAS question paper are mentioned below
UPSC previous year question paper helps applicants to get an idea of the UPSC exam pattern, types of questions asked, marking criteria and difficulty level of the questions asked in the exam.
Candidates can evaluate their progress and preparation level for the IAS 2025 exam by solving the previous year question papers and sample papers.
The concentration and accuracy level of candidates is increased by solving IAS questions and sample papers.
Previous year's IAS question papers also help aspirants to learn about time management during the UPSC IAS exam.
To predict possible areas where questions can be asked
It helps to know about which topics are frequently asked.
It also helps us in time management while solving UPSC's previous year question papers.
List of Other Government Exams
Follow the below-mentioned steps to download the IAS 2025 question papers.
Step 1: Visit the official website - upsc.gov.in.
Step 2: Click on the “Examinations” tab on the homepage.
Step 3: Select “Previous Year Question Papers” from the dropdown menu.
Step 4: Search UPSC previous year question papers.
Step 5: Click on the UPSC prelims 2025 or mains question paper PDF.
Step 6: Download UPSC previous year's question papers PDF for future reference.
Subject | Download links |
Ecology and Environment | |
Current Affairs | |
Polity | |
History | |
Economics | |
Geography | |
General Science |
The Union Public Service Commission mentioned the UPSC syllabus for both prelims and mains exam in the official notification. The topics for all the subjects like history, geography, economy, current affairs, optional subjects and more, is prescribed in the UPSC IAS 2025 syllabus. For more detailed information on the UPSC IAS 2025 syllabus applicants check the official notification.
Quick links:
Applicants preparing for the exam must refer to the UPSC IAS 2025 best books for exam preparation. Check the table below to learn about the most preferred and the best books for the UPSC prelims 2025 and mains exam preparation.
Sr. No. | Books |
1 | India’s Struggle for Independence – Bipan Chandra Modern India – Spectrum |
2 | NCERT 6th to 12th (Geography/ History/ Economics/ Environment, etc.) |
3 | Indian Polity – M Laxmikanth |
4 | Indian Economy by Ramesh Singh Economic Development & Policies in India – Jain & Ohri |
5 | Current Affairs |
6 | Tata McGraw Hill CSAT Manual CSAT – Arihant |
UPSC IAS 2025 selection process has three stages. They are Prelims, Mains and Interview.
UPSC IAS prelims and mains exam is conducted in offline mode.
Yes, UPSC releases the UPSC IAS question paper after the conclusion of the exam.
The UPSC prelims 2025 will be held on May 25, 2025.
The upper age limit to apply for the UPSC IAS exam is 32 years for General category applicants.
M Laxmikanth - Indian Polity is the best book to prepare Indian polity for prelims and mains.
The Hindu and Indian Express are both good newspapers, candidates can refer to either one of them.
The UPSC IAS 2025 mains exam will be conducted from August 22, 2025.
The last date to apply for UPSC IAS 2025 exam was on February 11, 2025.
Others:28 January,2025 - 30 April,2025
Others:31 January,2025 - 30 April,2025
Application Date:28 March,2025 - 29 April,2025
Others:31 March,2025 - 30 April,2025
Application Date:07 April,2025 - 03 May,2025
To become an IAS officer, you must clear the Civil Services Examination (CSE) conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), and then undergo training at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA). While any bachelor's degree is acceptable, choosing a degree that aligns with the UPSC syllabus, particularly in humanities and social sciences, can be advantageous.
UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE):
This is the primary exam for becoming an IAS officer, involving three stages: Preliminary, Main, and Personality Test (Interview).
Any Bachelor's Degree:
A graduate degree from a recognized university is the basic requirement to be eligible for the CSE.
Beneficial Degrees:
Degrees in humanities and social sciences, such as Bachelor of Arts (BA), can be helpful due to the syllabus overlap with subjects like History, Political Science, Sociology, and Economics.
Optional Subject:
You can choose an optional subject in the Mains exam, and a BA degree can provide a wide range of options.
Hope it helps!!
Hello!!
That's a great goal—and your background as a research scholar can actually be a big asset in preparing for the UPSC Civil Services Exam (CSE), which is the path to becoming an IAS officer.
Step-by-Step Guide to Become an IAS Officer:
1. Understand the Exam Structure
The UPSC CSE has three stages:
Prelims: Objective (GS Paper + CSAT)
Mains: Descriptive (9 papers)
Interview: Personality Test
2. Check Eligibility
Age: 21 to 32 (for General category)
Degree: Any graduate degree (you already qualify)
3. Choose Your Optional Subject
Choose something you’re comfortable with (can be from your research field if it's available).
Popular optionals: Sociology, Geography, PSIR, Anthropology, etc.
4. Build a Study Plan
Since you're a research scholar, time management is key.
Daily 4–6 hours of focused study can work if you're consistent.
Focus on:
NCERTs (6th–12th)
Standard books (like Laxmikanth for Polity, Spectrum for History)
Current Affairs (The Hindu, Indian Express, or PIB + Monthly compilations)
5. Join a Test Series (Optional but Helpful)
For Prelims and Mains: to build speed, writing skills, and clarity.
6. Practice Answer Writing
Mains is all about articulation. Practice with previous year questions and mock tests.
7. Appear for the Exam
Notification comes out around February.
Prelims is in May/June, Mains in September, and Interview early next year.
How to Align This With Your Research Schedule:
Create a realistic time-table that includes 2–3 hours on weekdays, and more on weekends.
Use your research experience for deeper understanding and essay writing.
If your goal is to become an IAS officer, choose a degree that supports UPSC preparation and also provides a good backup:
BA in Political Science, History, Geography, or Economics is ideal for IAS.
BSc or BCom is fine too, but you'll need to study humanities separately for UPSC.
For backup, pick a subject with good job prospects like BBA or Computer Science.
KCET is required only if you're planning professional courses like Engineering or Agriculture. It's not needed for BA or general degrees.
Hello aspirant,
For becoming IAS , you have to first complete your graduation from any background from any recognised university or college. If you are in your final year, then also you are eligible. After that you have to give an entrance exam name UPSC . If you will clear this exam then according to your marks you may get the IAS position.
To know about UPSC entrance exam, kindly go through the given link:
https://competition.careers360.com/exams/upsc-cse
All the best!!
Hello Rishika,
You can take any stream for becoming IAS. As per the eligibility criteria of UPSC IAS , student have to graduate from any stream from any recognised university or college. So it's doesn't matter from which stream you choose. But if you really want to become IAS, then humanities , arts related subject helps you alot.
To know more, kindly go through the given link:
https://competition.careers360.com/exams/upsc-cse
Good luck!
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