The Union Public Services Commission releases the UPSC Prelims question paper on the official website. Candidates can access the UPSC Prelims 2026 question paper PDF at upsc.gov.in. The commission also provides access to the previous years' UPSC Prelims question paper in a separate section on the official portal.
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The exam authority releases the UPSC question paper for each stage of the exam separately. By referring to the UPSC Prelims 2026 question paper PDF, candidates can understand the difficulty level, time management, and highlight the high-weightage topics. The UPSC Prelims exam is a mandatory test for all candidates who are aspiring to join the civil services. Candidates preparing for the exam must mandatorily know the UPSC Prelims Exam day guidelines.
The first paper in the civil services exam is the UPSC Prelims GS paper 1. Candidates can refer to the table below to get an overview of the UPSC Prelims 2026 question paper.
Particulars | Details |
Exam Name | UPSC Civil Services Examination |
Conducting Body | Union Public Services Commission |
Total number of questions | 100 MCQs |
Total Marks | 200 |
Duration | 2 Hours |
Negative Marking | ⅓ rd to the question for every incorrect answer. |
Languages | Hindi and English |
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The Union Public Services Commission releases the UPSC Prelims question papers for GS Paper 1, a few days after the commencement of the exam. Candidates can refer to the table below to know about the important dates for the UPSC Prelims exam.
Events | Dates |
UPSC Preims Exam 2026 | May 24, 2026 |
UPSC Prelims 2026 Question Paper | To be notified |
Visit upsc.gov.in, the UPSC's official website.
On the homepage, select "Examination."
Click "Previous Question Papers" underneath that. 'Active exams' is another option.
Look up the "UPSC CS Prelims exam."
There will be the 2026 UPSC Prelims exam. Additionally, all of the previous years' UPSC test questions will be shown.
For future reference, download the UPSC IAS prelims 2026 question paper as well as the papers from prior years.
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No hard copy of the UPSC Prelims question paper of GS paper 1 will be sent through mail or post to any aspirant. All the candidates can refer to the table below to access the UPSC Prelims question papers in a PDF format.
Year | UPSC Prelims Question Paper (GS 1) | UPSC Prelims Question Paper (GS 2) |
2025 | ||
2024 | ||
2023 | ||
2022 | ||
2021 |
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Typically, the exam features around 8 to 12 direct Science and Technology questions
The UPSC Prelims Question paper is available on the official website at upsc.gov.in.
Yes, the UPSC Prelims question paper is available for free on the official website
On Question asked by student community
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Becoming an IAS officer through the UPSC Civil Services examination is a great goal. One of the most required qualifications for IAS can be Bachelor's degree (BA, B.Com, B.Sc, BBA, BCA, B.Tech etc.) with at least one of the subjects namely Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Science, Botany, Chemistry, Geology,
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IAS ki taiyari ke liye union public service commission (UPSC) dwara nirdharit eligibility criteria pura karna jaruri hai. aap kisi bhi maanyataprapt college se study karte hue IAS ki tayari kar sakte hai.
Apko upsc civil services exam syllabus ki jankari honi chahiye. taiyari ke liye aap self study
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