UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Why India’s youth compete fiercely for government jobs

Q1. According to the Periodic Labour Force Survey Annual Report for January–December 2025, what was the estimated average number of employed persons aged 15 years and above in India during that period?

  • A. About 57.4 crore persons in usual status (principal plus subsidiary)
  • B. About 59.3 crore persons in usual status (principal plus subsidiary)
  • C. About 61.6 crore persons in usual status (principal plus subsidiary)
  • D. About 64.33 crore persons in usual status (principal plus subsidiary)

Q2. With reference to the findings of the Periodic Labour Force Survey Annual Report, 2025 (January–December 2025), consider the following: 1. The unemployment rate for youth aged 15-29 years in usual status declined to 9.9 per cent in 2025 from 10.3 per cent in 2024. 2. The unemployment rate among urban youth declined to 13.6 per cent in 2025 from 14.3 per cent in 2024. 3. The Labour Force Participation Rate for persons aged 15 years and above rose to 59.3 per cent in 2025 from 57.4 per cent in 2024. 4. The share of regular wage/salaried employees among workers rose to 23.6 per cent in 2025 from 22.4 per cent in 2024. Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

  1. The unemployment rate for youth aged 15-29 years in usual status declined to 9.9 per cent in 2025 from 10.3 per cent in 2024.
  2. The unemployment rate among urban youth declined to 13.6 per cent in 2025 from 14.3 per cent in 2024.
  3. The Labour Force Participation Rate for persons aged 15 years and above rose to 59.3 per cent in 2025 from 57.4 per cent in 2024.
  4. The share of regular wage/salaried employees among workers rose to 23.6 per cent in 2025 from 22.4 per cent in 2024.
  • A. 1 and 3
  • B. 2 and 4 only
  • C. 1, 2 and 4
  • D. 1, 3 and 4

Q3. In the distribution of workers by broad status in employment reported for the calendar year 2025, what proportion of workers were self-employed?

  • A. About 58.2 per cent of all workers in usual status
  • B. About 56.2 per cent of all workers in usual status
  • C. About 57.5 per cent of all workers in usual status
  • D. About 23.6 per cent of all workers in usual status

Q4. Under the Pradhan Mantri Viksit Bharat Rozgar Yojana, the eligibility of both first-time employees and of hiring establishments is determined by registration with which one of the following?

  • A. The National Council for Vocational Education and Training, the regulator for vocational training bodies
  • B. The National Skill Development Corporation, the public-private body for skill training partnerships
  • C. The Employees' State Insurance Corporation, the body administering medical and cash benefits to insured workers
  • D. The Employees' Provident Fund Organisation, the body administering provident fund and pension for organised-sector workers

Q5. With reference to the Prime Minister's package of five schemes with a central outlay of about Rs. 2 lakh crore for employment, skilling and other opportunities for 4.1 crore youth, consider the following: 1. Scheme A (First Timers) provides one month's wage up to Rs. 15,000 in three instalments to first-time employees registered with the EPFO drawing a salary of up to Rs. 1 lakh per month. 2. Scheme C (Support to Employers) reimburses an employer up to Rs. 3,000 per month for two years for each additional employee, but only where that additional employee is a first-time entrant into the EPFO. 3. The skilling component has an outlay of Rs. 60,000 crore and provides for upgradation of 1,000 Industrial Training Institutes. 4. The internship component offers a 12-month internship in 500 top companies with a monthly stipend of Rs. 5,000, open to persons aged 21-24 years who are neither employed nor engaged in full-time education. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Scheme A (First Timers) provides one month's wage up to Rs. 15,000 in three instalments to first-time employees registered with the EPFO drawing a salary of up to Rs. 1 lakh per month.
  2. Scheme C (Support to Employers) reimburses an employer up to Rs. 3,000 per month for two years for each additional employee, but only where that additional employee is a first-time entrant into the EPFO.
  3. The skilling component has an outlay of Rs. 60,000 crore and provides for upgradation of 1,000 Industrial Training Institutes.
  4. The internship component offers a 12-month internship in 500 top companies with a monthly stipend of Rs. 5,000, open to persons aged 21-24 years who are neither employed nor engaged in full-time education.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3
  • B. 1, 3 and 4
  • C. 2 and 4 only
  • D. 1 and 2 only

Q6. Which one of the following integrity measures was deployed by the Union Public Service Commission for the first time in the Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination, 2026?

  • A. Aadhaar-linked fingerprint verification of every candidate at the point of entry into the hall
  • B. Real-time face authentication of candidates at the examination venues using an indigenous system
  • C. Live streaming of every examination hall to a centralised national control room during both sessions
  • D. Issue of QR-coded admit cards mapped to individual seat numbers at each examination venue

Q7. In the data released on the Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination, 2026, the figure of 67 per cent denotes which one of the following?

  • A. The share of registered applicants who actually turned up and took the examination
  • B. The share of registered applicants who were successfully identity-verified at the venue
  • C. The share of candidates present who attempted both sessions held on the examination day
  • D. The share of candidates who were allotted a venue in their first-preference examination city

Q8. Approximately how many candidates had registered for the NEET-UG 2026 examination that was subsequently cancelled by the National Testing Agency?

  • A. About 8 lakh candidates registered across the country
  • B. About 14 lakh candidates registered across the country
  • C. More than 22 lakh candidates registered across the country
  • D. More than 40 lakh candidates registered across the country

Q9. Which one of the following agencies was entrusted by the Union Government with the lead investigation into the alleged leak that led to the cancellation of NEET-UG 2026?

  • A. The Special Operations Group of the Rajasthan Police
  • B. The Central Bureau of Investigation
  • C. The National Investigation Agency
  • D. The Enforcement Directorate

Q10. The Craftsman Training Scheme run through Industrial Training Institutes, the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme, Jan Shikshan Sansthan and the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana are all administered by which one of the following?

  • A. The Ministry of Labour and Employment, which also administers employment-linked incentive payments
  • B. The Department of Higher Education under the Ministry of Education, which oversees technical institutions
  • C. The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, under the Skill India Mission framework
  • D. The Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, which runs enterprise and livelihood programmes

Q11. The All India Survey on Higher Education, which recorded a rise in higher education enrolment from 4.33 crore to 4.46 crore, is conducted by which one of the following?

  • A. The Department of Higher Education under the Ministry of Education
  • B. The National Sample Survey Office under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation
  • C. The University Grants Commission, the statutory body for coordination of university standards
  • D. The National Council of Educational Research and Training, the apex body for school curricula