The UPSC Prelims Exam for 2025 is set to take place on May 25th, 2025 (Sunday).
Given that the official answer key is only published by UPSC after the final results are announced, aspirants are in need of a trustworthy and accurate source to evaluate their performance in the IAS Prelims exam.
UPSC IAS Question Paper Pattern 2025
The UPSC Question Paper is conducted in offline mode. The paper carries a maximum of 400 marks, with each worth 200 marks. It is an objective test containing 180 multiple-choice questions. The medium of the paper is English and Hindi. The CSAT paper will be a qualifying paper with minimum qualifying marks fixed at 33%.
Those who qualify in the prelims exam will be called for the Civil Services (Main) Examination. The marks obtained in the prelim exam will not be counted for final selection. Check the table below for the UPSC question paper pattern.
Subject | Nature Of Paper | No. of Questions | Exam Duration | Marks |
Paper I – General Studies | Merit Ranking (Marks will be counted in Final merit) | 100 | 2 Hours | 200 |
Paper II – General Studies (CSAT) | Qualifying in nature | 80 | 2 Hours | 200 |
UPSC Question Paper 2025: Key Highlights
The UPSC Prelims Exam 2025 is conducted in two shifts, i.e., GS Paper 1 in the morning shift and GS Paper 2 in the afternoon shift. Candidates will be able to download the UPSC Question Papers 2025 for GS and CSAT from here. Check the table below for UPSC Question Paper 2025 key highlights
Exam Conducting Body | Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) |
Exam Name | Civil Service Preliminary Exam 2025 |
Exam Date | May 25, 2025 |
UPSC Prelims Papers | General Studies Paper I – 9:30 to 11:30 General Studies Paper II – 2:30 to 4:30 |
Mode of Exam | Offline |
Total Marks | 400 (200 Each Paper) |
Negative Marking | 1/3rd for Incorrect Answers |
Language | English and Hindi |
Official Website |
UPSC GS Question Paper 2025: PDF Download
The UPSC GS Question Paper 2025 has 100 questions for 200 marks. The duration of the exam is 2 hours. The questions were asked from different subjects such as polity, geography, history, economy, science and technology, current affairs, etc. Candidates can click on the direct link below to download the UPSC GS Question Paper 2025.
UPSC Question Paper 2025 (Set A) | |
UPSC Question Paper 2025 (Set B) | |
UPSC Question Paper 2025 (Set C) | |
UPSC Question Paper 2025 (Set D) |
UPSC 2025 Prelims General Studies (GS) Answer Key: Paper 1 CSE
| Q | SET A | Q | SET B | Q | SET C | Q | SET D | ||||
| 1 | Alternative Investment Funds | B | 1 | Alternative powertrain vehicles | C | 1 | Panchayats intermediate level | D | 1 | Gandhi sedition quote | B |
| 2 | RBI income sources | A | 2 | UAV statements correctness | D | 2 | BIMSTEC membership | D | 2 | Dancing Girl material | C |
| 3 | GOI Enforcement directorates | A | 3 | Battery cathode elements | C | 3 | Gandhi Peace Prize jury | C | 3 | Chauri Chaura legal defense | A |
| 4 | BRSR reporting mandates | B | 4 | Plastic content items | C | 4 | GAGAN augmentation | D | 4 | Harijan upliftment event | A |
| 5 | Agricultural tax exemptions | D | 5 | Coal gasification products | C | 5 | AI Action Summit Paris | A | 5 | Portuguese introduced fruits | B |
| 6 | Minerals Security Partnership | B | 6 | CL-20 HMX LLM-105 characteristic | B | 6 | International Year events | D | 6 | Time zones countries | C |
| 7 | Bondholders vs stockholders | A | 7 | Majorana chip AWS | C | 7 | BRICS Summit details | A | 7 | Anadyr Nome time diff | A |
| 8 | Equity options trading boom | A | 8 | Monoclonal antibodies use | D | 8 | Lokpal provisions | A | 8 | Self-Respect Movement founder | A |
| 9 | Circular economy effects | A | 9 | Virus survival statements | D | 9 | Kho Kho World Cup results | A | 9 | Country resource-rich match | C |
| 10 | Government capital receipts | A | 10 | Activated carbon uses | B | 10 | Chess Olympiad winners | B | 10 | Region country match | D |
| 11 | Raja Ram Mohan Roy views | C | 11 | Cement CO2 emissions | B | 11 | Rare earth elements uses | A | 11 | Fiscal vs primary deficit | D |
| 12 | Non-Cooperation Programme parts | C | 12 | COP28 Climate & Health | A | 12 | Indian Railways ‘Kavach’ | A | 12 | INSTC corridor route | A |
| 13 | Araghatta irrigation device | B | 13 | Earth rotation shift | B | 13 | Space missions research | C | 13 | Ethanol producers & feedstock | B |
| 14 | Pallava ruler titles | A | 14 | Article 6 Paris Agreement | C | 14 | Defence aircraft matching | B | 14 | Wet-bulb temperature impact | C |
| 15 | Faxian travel period | B | 15 | Nature Solutions Finance Hub | A | 15 | Cloud seeding chemicals | A | 15 | Gross primary deficit calc | A |
| 16 | Srivijaya military campaign | C | 16 | Direct Air Capture uses | C | 16 | Presidential pardoning power | A | 16 | 15th Finance Commission | C |
| 17 | Ancient India regions rivers | B | 17 | Peacock tarantula facts | D | 17 | Speaker office provisions | C | 17 | IBRD functions | C |
| 18 | First Gandharva Mahavidyalaya | D | 18 | India CO2 emissions sectors | C | 18 | 10th Schedule disqualification | D | 18 | RTGS vs NEFT features | C |
| 19 | Ashokan administrative officers | B | 19 | Plant description matching | B | 19 | Minor minerals power | D | 19 | UPI international acceptance | B |
| 20 | Non-Cooperation Movement objectives | C | 20 | Oxygen sources Earth | B | 20 | Nature Restoration Law enactor | A | 20 | PM Sury Ghar Muft Bijli | D |
| 21 | NATO member countries | B | 21 | Raja Ram Mohan Roy views | C | 21 | Gandhi sedition quote | B | 21 | Rare earth elements uses | A |
| 22 | Andes mountain countries | C | 22 | Non-Cooperation Programme parts | C | 22 | Dancing Girl material | C | 22 | Indian Railways ‘Kavach’ | A |
| 23 | Equator through water bodies | D | 23 | Araghatta irrigation device | B | 23 | Chauri Chaura legal defense | A | 23 | Space missions research | C |
| 24 | Turmeric production India | D | 24 | Pallava ruler titles | A | 24 | Harijan upliftment event | A | 24 | Defence aircraft matching | B |
| 25 | Continental drift evidence | D | 25 | Faxian travel period | B | 25 | Portuguese introduced fruits | B | 25 | Cloud seeding chemicals | A |
| 26 | Atmospheric dust & winds | C | 26 | Srivijaya military campaign | C | 26 | Time zones countries | C | 26 | Presidential pardoning power | A |
| 27 | January isotherm patterns | B | 27 | Ancient India regions rivers | B | 27 | Anadyr Nome time diff | A | 27 | Speaker office provisions | C |
| 28 | Chalk vs clay permeability | C | 28 | First Gandharva Mahavidyalaya | D | 28 | Self-Respect Movement founder | A | 28 | 10th Schedule disqualification | D |
| 29 | Atmospheric greenhouse role | C | 29 | Ashokan administrative officers | B | 29 | Country resource-rich match | C | 29 | Minor minerals power | D |
| 30 | Rashtriya Gokul Mission | C | 30 | Non-Cooperation Movement objectives | C | 30 | Region country match | D | 30 | Nature Restoration Law enactor | A |
| 31 | Cement CO2 emissions | B | 31 | Alternative Investment Funds | B | 31 | Fiscal vs primary deficit | D | 31 | Ordinance constitutional power | C |
| 32 | COP28 Climate & Health | A | 32 | RBI income sources | A | 32 | INSTC corridor route | A | 32 | State-description matching | C |
| 33 | Earth rotation shift | B | 33 | GOI Enforcement directorates | A | 33 | Ethanol producers & feedstock | B | 33 | Constitutional councils | A |
| 34 | Article 6 Paris Agreement | C | 34 | BRSR reporting mandates | B | 34 | Wet-bulb temperature impact | C | 34 | Governor discretionary powers | A |
| 35 | Nature Solutions Finance Hub | A | 35 | Agricultural tax exemptions | D | 35 | Gross primary deficit calc | A | 35 | Constitution provisions pairing | C |
| 36 | Direct Air Capture uses | C | 36 | Minerals Security Partnership | B | 36 | 15th Finance Commission | C | 36 | Fifth Schedule effects | D |
| 37 | Peacock tarantula facts | D | 37 | Bondholders vs stockholders | A | 37 | IBRD functions | C | 37 | Industry board ministries | D |
| 38 | India CO2 emissions sectors | C | 38 | Equity options trading boom | A | 38 | RTGS vs NEFT features | C | 38 | Amendment ratification | A |
| 39 | Plant description matching | B | 39 | Circular economy effects | A | 39 | UPI international acceptance | B | 39 | Governor immunity rules | D |
| 40 | Oxygen sources Earth | B | 40 | Government capital receipts | A | 40 | PM Sury Ghar Muft Bijli | D | 40 | PNG regulation activities | B |
| 41 | Alternative powertrain vehicles | C | 41 | NATO member countries | B | 41 | Ordinance constitutional power | C | 41 | Panchayats intermediate level | D |
| 42 | UAV statements correctness | D | 42 | Andes mountain countries | C | 42 | State-description matching | C | 42 | BIMSTEC membership | D |
| 43 | Battery cathode elements | C | 43 | Equator through water bodies | D | 43 | Constitutional councils | A | 43 | Gandhi Peace Prize jury | C |
| 44 | Plastic content items | C | 44 | Turmeric production India | D | 44 | Governor discretionary powers | A | 44 | GAGAN augmentation | D |
| 45 | Coal gasification products | C | 45 | Continental drift evidence | D | 45 | Constitution provisions pairing | C | 45 | AI Action Summit Paris | A |
| 46 | CL-20 HMX LLM-105 characteristic | B | 46 | Atmospheric dust & winds | C | 46 | Fifth Schedule effects | D | 46 | International Year events | D |
| 47 | Majorana chip AWS | C | 47 | January isotherm patterns | B | 47 | Industry board ministries | D | 47 | BRICS Summit details | A |
| 48 | Monoclonal antibodies use | D | 48 | Chalk vs clay permeability | C | 48 | Amendment ratification | A | 48 | Lokpal provisions | A |
| 49 | Virus survival statements | D | 49 | Atmospheric greenhouse role | C | 49 | Governor immunity rules | D | 49 | Kho Kho World Cup results | A |
| 50 | Activated carbon uses | B | 50 | Rashtriya Gokul Mission | C | 50 | PNG regulation activities | B | 50 | Chess Olympiad winners | B |
| 51 | Ordinance constitutional power | C | 51 | Panchayats intermediate level | D | 51 | Alternative powertrain vehicles | C | 51 | Alternative Investment Funds | B |
| 52 | State-description matching | C | 52 | BIMSTEC membership | C | 52 | UAV statements correctness | D | 52 | RBI income sources | A |
| 53 | Constitutional councils | A | 53 | Gandhi Peace Prize jury | C | 53 | Battery cathode elements | C | 53 | GOI Enforcement directorates | A |
| 54 | Governor discretionary powers | A | 54 | GAGAN augmentation | D | 54 | Plastic content items | C | 54 | BRSR reporting mandates | B |
| 55 | Constitution provisions pairing | C | 55 | AI Action Summit Paris | A | 55 | Coal gasification products | C | 55 | Agricultural tax exemptions | D |
| 56 | Fifth Schedule effects | D | 56 | International Year events | D | 56 | CL-20 HMX LLM-105 characteristic | B | 56 | Minerals Security Partnership | B |
| 57 | Industry board ministries | D | 57 | BRICS Summit details | A | 57 | Majorana chip AWS | C | 57 | Bondholders vs stockholders | A |
| 58 | Amendment ratification | A | 58 | Lokpal provisions | A | 58 | Monoclonal antibodies use | D | 58 | Equity options trading boom | A |
| 59 | Governor immunity rules | D | 59 | Kho Kho World Cup results | A | 59 | Virus survival statements | D | 59 | Circular economy effects | A |
| 60 | PNG regulation activities | B | 60 | Chess Olympiad winners | B | 60 | Activated carbon uses | B | 60 | Government capital receipts | A |
| 61 | Fiscal vs primary deficit | D | 61 | Rare earth elements uses | A | 61 | Cement CO2 emissions | B | 61 | NATO member countries | B |
| 62 | INSTC corridor route | A | 62 | Indian Railways ‘Kavach’ | A | 62 | COP28 Climate & Health | A | 62 | Andes mountain countries | C |
| 63 | Ethanol producers & feedstock | B | 63 | Space missions research | C | 63 | Earth rotation shift | B | 63 | Equator through water bodies | D |
| 64 | Wet-bulb temperature impact | C | 64 | Defence aircraft matching | B | 64 | Article 6 Paris Agreement | C | 64 | Turmeric production India | D |
| 65 | Gross primary deficit calc | A | 65 | Cloud seeding chemicals | A | 65 | Nature Solutions Finance Hub | A | 65 | Continental drift evidence | D |
| 66 | 15th Finance Commission | C | 66 | Presidential pardoning power | A | 66 | Direct Air Capture uses | C | 66 | Atmospheric dust & winds | C |
| 67 | IBRD functions | C | 67 | Speaker office provisions | C | 67 | Peacock tarantula facts | D | 67 | January isotherm patterns | B |
| 68 | RTGS vs NEFT features | C | 68 | 10th Schedule disqualification | D | 68 | India CO2 emissions sectors | C | 68 | Chalk vs clay permeability | C |
| 69 | UPI international acceptance | B | 69 | Minor minerals power | D | 69 | Plant description matching | B | 69 | Atmospheric greenhouse role | C |
| 70 | PM Sury Ghar Muft Bijli | D | 70 | Nature Restoration Law enactor | A | 70 | Oxygen sources Earth | B | 70 | Rashtriya Gokul Mission | C |
| 71 | Gandhi sedition quote | B | 71 | Fiscal vs primary deficit | D | 71 | NATO member countries | B | 71 | Raja Ram Mohan Roy views | C |
| 72 | Dancing Girl material | C | 72 | INSTC corridor route | A | 72 | Andes mountain countries | C | 72 | Non-Cooperation Programme parts | C |
| 73 | Chauri Chaura legal defense | A | 73 | Ethanol producers & feedstock | B | 73 | Equator through water bodies | D | 73 | Araghatta irrigation device | B |
| 74 | Harijan upliftment event | A | 74 | Wet-bulb temperature impact | C | 74 | Turmeric production India | D | 74 | Pallava ruler titles | A |
| 75 | Portuguese introduced fruits | B | 75 | Gross primary deficit calc | A | 75 | Continental drift evidence | D | 75 | Faxian travel period | B |
| 76 | Time zones countries | C | 76 | 15th Finance Commission | C | 76 | Atmospheric dust & winds | C | 76 | Srivijaya military campaign | C |
| 77 | Anadyr Nome time diff | A | 77 | IBRD functions | C | 77 | January isotherm patterns | B | 77 | Ancient India regions rivers | B |
| 78 | Self-Respect Movement founder | A | 78 | RTGS vs NEFT features | C | 78 | Chalk vs clay permeability | C | 78 | First Gandharva Mahavidyalaya | D |
| 79 | Country resource-rich match | C | 79 | UPI international acceptance | B | 79 | Atmospheric greenhouse role | C | 79 | Ashokan administrative officers | B |
| 80 | Region country match | D | 80 | PM Sury Ghar Muft Bijli | D | 80 | Rashtriya Gokul Mission | C | 80 | Non-Cooperation Movement objectives | C |
| 81 | Rare earth elements uses | A | 81 | Ordinance constitutional power | C | 81 | Raja Ram Mohan Roy views | C | 81 | Alternative powertrain vehicles | C |
| 82 | Indian Railways ‘Kavach’ | A | 82 | State-description matching | C | 82 | Non-Cooperation Programme parts | C | 82 | UAV statements correctness | D |
| 83 | Space missions research | C | 83 | Constitutional councils | A | 83 | Araghatta irrigation device | B | 83 | Battery cathode elements | C |
| 84 | Defence aircraft matching | B | 84 | Governor discretionary powers | A | 84 | Pallava ruler titles | A | 84 | Plastic content items | C |
| 85 | Cloud seeding chemicals | A | 85 | Constitution provisions pairing | C | 85 | Faxian travel period | B | 85 | Coal gasification products | C |
| 86 | Presidential pardoning power | A | 86 | Fifth Schedule effects | D | 86 | Srivijaya military campaign | C | 86 | CL-20 HMX LLM-105 characteristic | B |
| 87 | Speaker office provisions | C | 87 | Industry board ministries | D | 87 | Ancient India regions rivers | B | 87 | Majorana chip AWS | C |
| 88 | 10th Schedule disqualification | D | 88 | Amendment ratification | A | 88 | First Gandharva Mahavidyalaya | D | 88 | Monoclonal antibodies use | D |
| 89 | Minor minerals power | D | 89 | Governor immunity rules | D | 89 | Ashokan administrative officers | B | 89 | Virus survival statements | D |
| 90 | Nature Restoration Law enactor | A | 90 | PNG regulation activities | B | 90 | Non-Cooperation Movement objectives | C | 90 | Activated carbon uses | B |
| 91 | Panchayats intermediate level | D | 91 | Gandhi sedition quote | B | 91 | Alternative Investment Funds | B | 91 | Cement CO2 emissions | B |
| 92 | BIMSTEC membership | D | 92 | Dancing Girl material | C | 92 | RBI income sources | A | 92 | COP28 Climate & Health | A |
| 93 | Gandhi Peace Prize jury | C | 93 | Chauri Chaura legal defense | A | 93 | GOI Enforcement directorates | A | 93 | Earth rotation shift | B |
| 94 | GAGAN augmentation | D | 94 | Harijan upliftment event | A | 94 | BRSR reporting mandates | B | 94 | Article 6 Paris Agreement | C |
| 95 | AI Action Summit Paris | A | 95 | Portuguese introduced fruits | B | 95 | Agricultural tax exemptions | D | 95 | Nature Solutions Finance Hub | A |
| 96 | International Year events | D | 96 | Time zones countries | C | 96 | Minerals Security Partnership | B | 96 | Direct Air Capture uses | C |
| 97 | BRICS Summit details | A | 97 | Anadyr Nome time diff | A | 97 | Bondholders vs stockholders | A | 97 | Peacock tarantula facts | D |
| 98 | Lokpal provisions | A | 98 | Self-Respect Movement founder | A | 98 | Equity options trading boom | A | 98 | India CO2 emissions sectors | C |
| 99 | Kho Kho World Cup results | A | 99 | Country resource-rich match | C | 99 | Circular economy effects | A | 99 | Plant description matching | B |
| 100 | Chess Olympiad winners | B | 100 | Region country match | D | 100 | Government capital receipts | A | 100 | Oxygen sources Earth | B |
UPSC 2025 Expected Cutoff
The UPSC Prelims 2025 cutoff will depend on the following factors:
- Difficulty level of the question paper
- Number of vacancies
Since the number of vacancies is similar to previous years (around 1000), the cutoff will primarily depend on the difficulty level of the question paper. The UPSC expected cutoff will be released in the following format:
Category | Expected UPSC Prelims Cut off 2025 |
|---|---|
General | 85 +/- 2 |
EWS | 83 +/-2 |
OBC | 84 +/-2 |
SC | 76 +/-2 |
ST | 71+/-2 |
Given tougher GS + tougher CSAT, the 2025 General cutoff is most likely 85 marks — a drop of 3 points from 2024.
Anyone scoring 80 or above should start preparing seriously for Mains 2025 without waiting for the official result.
How to Download UPSC Prelims Question Paper?
Candidates preparing for the UPSC CSE Exam 2025 can easily download previous years’ UPSC Prelims Question Papers 2025 (GS 1 and CSAT) from the official UPSC website or follow the Steps to Download UPSC Prelims Question Paper below:
- Step 1: Go to upsc.gov.in, the official website of the Union Public Service Commission.
- Step 2: On the homepage, locate and click on the “Examinations” tab in the main menu.
- Step 3: Under the “Examinations” section, find and click on the “Previous Question Papers” link.
- Step 4: From the list of examinations, select “Civil Services (Preliminary)” to access the relevant papers.
- Step 5: Choose the examination year (e.g., 2025) for which you want to download the question paper.
- Step 6: Click on the links for General Studies Paper 1 (GS 1) and CSAT (Paper 2). The question papers will open in PDF format.
- Step 7: Save the PDFs for digital use or print them out for offline practice.
UPSC Prelims Answer keys will also be available on the following Instagram, Twitter and Telegram channels. For a detailed explanation of Prelims GS Paper 1, follow our YouTube channel.
The “UPSC IAS Answer Key” can be used by candidates to calculate their estimated score. The marking criteria for the UPSC CSE 2023 Prelims are as follows: 2 Marks are awarded for each correct answer in Paper I, and 2.5 Marks are allotted in Paper II for each correct answer. However, for each incorrect answer, 1/3rd of the mark assigned to a question is deducted.
The “UPSC IAS Prelims Answer Key 2025” with explanations will assist students in identifying their correct and incorrect responses, and they can calculate the marks they are likely to score in the Prelims exam.
The final selection of candidates for the IAS post is based on the marks obtained in the UPSC Mains exam and Interview. While the UPSC Prelims Exam is the first step of the selection process, the marks are not considered when preparing the Final Merit List.
Explore Legacy IAS Academy’s Courses and Mentorship Programs here.
Daily Current Affairs 2025
https://www.legacyias.com/current-affairs-datewise/daily-current-affairs/Monthly Current Affairs Compilation https://www.legacyias.com/monthly-current-affairs-compilations/ PIB Monthly Compilation https://www.legacyias.com/pib-monthly-compilations/ UPSC Foundation Course 2025 Classes (Online & Offline) Starting From 12th May https://www.legacyias.com/upsc-foundation-course/ UPSC Weekend Foundation Course 2025 Classes (Online & Offline) Starting From 2nd May https://www.legacyias.com/weekend-ias-coaching/ UPSC Prelims Test Series 2025 https://www.legacyias.com/prelims-test-series/ LEEP UPSC MAINS TEST SERIES 2024-25 https://www.legacyias.com/mains-test-series/
