How UPSC sets the paper
What 11 papers, 2016 to 2026, show about subjects and question formats.
Subjects
Share of the paper in the first three papers vs the last three.
Polity22% → 17%, falling
Swings a lot from year to year. Laws and schemes come up nearly every year, the Constitution's schedules most years; the judiciary and local government rarely do.
Economy22% → 16%, falling
Smaller than it used to be, but money, banking and financial markets are the steadiest part of the whole paper, and financial markets keep growing.
Environment15% → 11%, falling
Species come every year and plants most years; environment conventions and protected areas have faded.
Geography7% → 15%, rising
The biggest riser. Physical geography (atmosphere, landforms) and places on the map are driving it.
History14% → 12%, steady
Steady. The freedom struggle and ancient India carry it; the Vedic age has picked up recently.
Art & Culture4% → 4%, steady
Small and unpredictable. Cover it after everything else.
Science & Tech10% → 15%, rising
Rising. Defence technology and energy technology have grown the most.
International relations7% → 10%, rising
Groupings (G20, BRICS and the like) come up nearly every year; India's ties with other countries are rising.
Question formats
How many questions of each kind, paper by paper. Practise every format: UPSC switches without warning.
| Format | '16 | '17 | '18 | '19 | '20 | '21 | '22 | '23 | '24 | '25 | '26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| One direct question | 44 | 42 | 41 | 48 | 36 | 42 | 28 | 27 | 25 | 17 | 20 |
| Statements, pick the code | 52 | 55 | 53 | 46 | 57 | 56 | 62 | 7 | 41 | 42 | 68 |
| "How many are correct" | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 47 | 18 | 27 | 2 |
| Statement I / II | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 11 | 14 | 0 |
| Match the pairs | 4 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 9 |
In "how many are correct" questions you can't rule out options, so you need to know every statement.
Ideas UPSC keeps coming back to
The same idea, asked again in a later year with different wording.