In this blog, we will look into the UPSC CSE prelims exam analysis.
The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) CSE-2021 prelims exam is all set to take place on 10th October 2021. In the year 2019, approximately 8 lakh aspirants had applied, a similar number is expected for this year. The UPSC CSE process begins with the prelim exam, which consists of two parts: General Studies and Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT). There are 100 questions for 200 marks on the General Studies paper and 80 questions for 200 marks on the CSAT paper. The duration of each paper is 2 hours. Check out the exam analysis for the UPSC civil services prelims exam 2020. Additionally, candidates may find it helpful to look at the UPSC Prelims Analysis from previous years to get a better sense of what to expect.
UPSC CSE Notification 2021 – Exam Pattern
The Civil Services Examination will consist of two successive stages:
(i) Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination (Objective type) for the selection of candidates for the Main Examination
(ii) Civil Services (Main) Examination (Written and Interview) for the selection of candidates for the various Services and posts
Toppers are taking the GS topic test to prepare, Check yours! Take Free GS Tests in Latest Pattern Now
UPSC CSE Exam Pattern 2021 for Prelims
| Paper | Evaluation | Question Type | Marks / Duration |
| General Studies Paper-I | Merit Ranking (in prelims) | General Studies | Marks: 200 Duration: 2 Hours |
| General Studies Paper-II | Qualifying Paper (33% min) | Aptitude Test (CSAT) | Marks: 200 Duration: 2 Hours |
*The papers are objective type.
UPSC CSE Prelims Exam Analysis 2020
Here is the UPSC CSE prelims exam analysis for the year 2020. The General Studies paper contains 100 questions with a total of 2 marks each. For every incorrect response, 1/3 of the mark will be deducted. UPSC CSE Exam Analysis for Preliminary Exam 2020 is shown below.
UPSC General Studies Paper 1 Analysis
The General Studies paper contains questions on topics like Current Affairs, Politics, and History. According to the questions asked, the following topics/subjects accounted for the most weight.
| Sr. No. | Subjects | Number of Questions |
| 1 | Current Affairs | 13 |
| 2 | Geography | 19 |
| 3 | Indian Economy | 13 |
| 4 | Environment | 6 |
| 5 | Polity | 16 |
| 6 | General Science and Tech | 6 |
| 7 | History | 16 |
| 8 | Art and Culture | 5 |
| 9 | International Relations | 2 |
| 10 | Miscellaneous | 5 |
- Most questions were asked from Geography & History.
- The number of current affairs questions was lower than in previous years.
- More mixed/overlapping questions were asked.
- Good Attempts: 65-70
- Difficulty level: Moderate to Difficult
CSAT Exam Analysis
As the CSAT is a qualifying paper, it is mandatory to score 33% marks to pass. The CSAT score is not factored into your merit ranking. The topic-wise distribution of questions for this paper is shown below.
| Sr. No. | Subjects | Questions |
| 1 | Basic Numeracy & Maths | 35 |
| 2 | Reading Comprehension | 28 |
| 3 | Data Interpretation | 1 |
| 4 | Decision Making | 0-3 |
| 5 | Logical & Analytical Reasoning | 15 |
| 6 | Visual Reasoning | 0 |
Previous Years’ UPSC Civil Services Exam Analysis – Prelims
To figure out the trends regarding the exam questions, UPSC Civil Services aspirants must study the previous exam analysis. The analysis will provide detailed topic-weighting for the past five years for candidates.
General Studies
The following is the last 5 years’ analysis for the prelims GS Paper.
| Subjects | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
| Current Affairs | 14 | 17 | 34 | 21 | 22 |
| Geography | 12 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
| General Science and Tech | 9 | 8 | 4 | 12 | 7 |
| Environment | 13 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 11 |
| Indian Polity | 12 | 7 | 22 | 13 | 15 |
| Art and Culture | 5 | 8 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| History | 13 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 17 |
| Economy | 13 | 18 | 8 | 16 | 14 |
CSAT
The pattern of questions asked in the CSAT paper over the past 5 years has been as follows:
| Subjects | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
| Basic Numeracy & Maths | 28 | 28 | 18 | 32 |
| Reading Comprehension | 27 | 30 | 26 | 30 |
| Data Interpretation | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 |
| Decision Making | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Logical & Analytical Reasoning | 25 | 22 | 16 | 18 |
| Visual Reasoning | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
This is all from our side in this blog. Stay tuned to Oliveboard for recent updates about exams and new exam notifications. ALL THE BEST.
I have been writing blog content for different exams for more than 3 years now. Being an aspirant myself and having closely worked with students and mentors, I know what kind of content an aspirant is looking for. Apart from writing content, I like watching movies.
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