UPSC Prelims Exam Analysis 2026: The UPSC Civil Services Exam is one of the toughest examinations in the country. Lakhs of applicants apply and appear for the IAS exam every year.
But only a few of them succeed in the exam. If you are planning to appear in this test, you should first understand the exam requirements and trends over the years. That’s why it is crucial to review the UPSC Prelims exam analysis of past years.
As per the previous UPSC exam analysis, it is observed that 70-80% of questions are asked from subjects like History, Geography, Polity, Economy, Environment, Science, and Current Affairs in the prelims exam.
The UPSC Prelims 2025 exam was moderately difficult in nature. The UPSC Prelims 2025 paper featured new topics, placed greater emphasis on Environment, Polity, and Geography, and included a few questions from past papers.
Read ahead to know about the UPSC Prelims exam analysis over the years, along with difficulty level, weightage, and other details.
UPSC Prelims Exam Analysis 2026
The UPSC Prelims exam is typically divided into two papers: GS Paper 1 and CSAT. It carries a maximum of 400 marks. It comprises objective-type questions. Each paper carries 200 marks.
The test duration for each paper shall be 2 hours. There shall be a negative marking of one-third mark for every wrong answer. The General Studies Paper-II of the prelims exam will be a qualifying paper with a minimum mark fixed at 33%.
GS Paper 1 mainly covers topics like Current events, History, Indian and World Geography, Indian Polity and Governance, Economic and Social Development, General issues on Environmental ecology, and General Science. CSAT covers areas like Comprehension, Interpersonal skills, Logical reasoning, Decision making, General mental ability, Numeracy, and Data interpretation.
The UPSC Prelims exam is usually moderately difficult. Candidates planning to appear in this exam should check the UPSC Prelims Exam Analysis over the years to understand the competition level, high-weightage topics and overall difficulty level.
This can help them refine their strategy and maximise their chances of success. Scroll down to find the detailed UPSC exam analysis of the prelims exam over the years.
UPSC Prelims Exam Analysis Over the Years
Candidates aiming for IAS 2026 should review the UPSC prelims exam analysis to understand question type, weightage, and competition level. This will help them set realistic goals and plan their preparation better.
To help, we have provided the detailed UPSC exam analysis for the prelims exam from 2025 to 2020 for reference purposes.
UPSC Prelims Exam Analysis 2025 for GS Paper 1
The GS Paper 1 in UPSC Prelims 2025 was moderately difficult. As per the feedback of the aspirants, topics like Indian Economy, Science & Technology, History and art were easy to moderate.
Check the complete UPSC Prelims exam analysis for Paper 1 in the table below:
Subject | Number of Questions | Percentage of Paper | Difficulty Level |
Economics | 18-19 | 18.00% | Easy to Moderate |
International Relations | 7-8 | 8% | Moderate |
Environment & Ecology | 14-15 | 15% | Moderate |
Physical Geography | 7-8 | 7% | Moderate |
Indian Polity | 13-14 | 14% | Moderate |
Science & Technology | 13-14 | 13% | Moderate to Difficult |
Ancient History | 5-6 | 6% | Easy to Moderate |
Modern History | 7-8 | 8% | Easy to Moderate |
Art & Culture | 1-2 | 2% | Easy to Moderate |
Indian Geography | 1-2 | 1% | Easy |
World Geography | 4-5 | 5% | Moderate |
Social Issues & Schemes | 2-3 | 3% | Easy to Moderate |
UPSC Prelims Exam Analysis 2025 for CSAT
The CSAT paper in UPSC Prelims 2025 was a bit lengthy. Aspirants reported that the reasoning section was tough and CSAT had an increased focus on comprehension passages.
Below is the topic-wise UPSC Prelims trend analysis for CSAT 2025:
Section | Questions | Difficulty Level |
Reasoning Ability | 16-17 | Moderate |
Numerical Ability | 34-35 | Moderate |
Reading Comprehension | 28-29 | Moderate to Difficult |
UPSC Prelims Trend Analysis Over Years
Understanding UPSC prelims trend analysis over the years can improve your overall preparation.
It basically comprises the total number of questions asked from each topic/subject over the years. This helps you identify which topics hold more weightage and enables you to prioritise them accordingly in your preparation.
Take a look at the table below to know the UPSC Prelims question-wise weightage over the years:
Subjects | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 |
Ancient History | 6-7 | 3-4 | 1-2 | 1-2 | 3-4 | 3-4 |
Economy | 17-18 | 13-14 | 16-17 | 15-16 | 14-15 | 21-22 |
Art & Culture | 1-2 | 4-5 | 8-9 | 7-8 | 10-11 | 5-6 |
Indian Geography | 1-2 | 4-5 | 8-9 | 4-5 | 4-5 | 6-7 |
Environment & Ecology | 15-16 | 13-14 | 16-17 | 19-18 | 19-18 | 19-18 |
Modern History | 7-8 | 3-4 | 3-4 | 3-4 | 7-8 | 9-10 |
Indian Polity | 14-15 | 18-19 | 14-15 | 12-13 | 18-19 | 14-15 |
International Relations | 7-8 | 5-6 | 10-11 | 11-12 | 2-3 | 3-4 |
Social Issues & Schemes | 2-3 | 7-8 | 3-4 | 2-3 | 2-3 | 2-3 |
Physical Geography | 7-8 | 7-8 | 3-4 | 2-3 | 2-3 | 1-2 |
World Geography | 5-6 | 8-9 | 4-5 | 3-4 | 2-3 | 1-2 |
Science & Technology | 13-14 | 11-12 | 10-11 | 15-16 | 13-14 | 13-14 |
UPSC Prelims Exam Analysis for Ancient History
The Ancient History topic has seen an increase in the number of questions from 2020 to 2025. About 6-7 questions were asked on this topic in UPSC Prelims 2025.
UPSC Prelims Exam Analysis for Art & Culture
The arts and culture portion has seen a fluctuation in the number of questions asked over the years. Nearly 2-3 questions were asked from Art topics in UPSC Prelims 2025.
UPSC Prelims Exam Analysis for Economy
While the Economy portion continues to play an important role in the UPSC Prelims question paper, with a higher number of questions.
UPSC Prelims Exam Analysis for Indian Polity
Many questions in UPSC prelims are also based on Indian Polity topics. Nearly 14-15 questions were asked on this topic in the UPSC prelims 2025. It has remained relevant for the UPSC prelims exam over the years.
UPSC Prelims Exam Analysis for Modern History
Modern History continued to remain a crucial part of the UPSC prelims section. Nearly 8-9 questions were asked on this topic in the prelims 2025.
UPSC Prelims Exam Analysis for Geography
It was observed that UPSC Prelims 2025 placed greater emphasis on the Geography section. Nearly 12-13 questions were asked in Prelims 2025, with Physical Geography having the highest weightage, followed by World Geography.
UPSC Prelims Exam Analysis for Science & Technology
Science & Technology continues to be an important portion of the UPSC CSE exam. Nearly 13-14 questions were asked on this topic in UPSC Prelims 2025.
Legacy IAS Academy UPSC Prelims Test Series
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- Focused exclusively on UPSC Prelims Exam
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Are you planning to appear for the UPSC 2026 exam? You must build a smart approach, use the right resources, and stay consistent to prepare well. You can go through the UPSC Prelims exam analysis to understand the difficulty level over the years.
The more you focus on relevant topics, the better your preparation will be. This is where Legacy IAS Academy helps you. They offer UPSC coaching in online and offline modes. They provide structured courses, foundation batches, personalised mentorship, exam-level test series, and many other features.
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UPSC Prelims Exam Analysis FAQs
Q) Is the UPSC prelims exam tough?
A) Yes. The UPSC Prelims Exam is moderately difficult in nature.
Q) What is the UPSC Prelims Exam Analysis?
A) The UPSC prelims exam analysis comprises topic-wise weightage and difficulty level across all the sections.
Q) Is there any negative marking in the UPSC Prelims Exam?
A) Yes. There shall be a negative marking of one-third (0.33) mark for every wrong answer in the UPSC Prelims exam.
Q) For how many marks is the UPSC Prelims Exam conducted?
A) The UPSC prelims exam carries a maximum of 400 marks.
