UPSC Prelims GS Paper I analysis, 2023–2026
All 400 questions of UPSC Prelims General Studies Paper I across 4 papers (2023–2026), counted by subject, by static versus current-affairs content, and by difficulty.
Key takeaways
- Economy is the largest subject: 70 of 400 questions (17.5%), peaking at 21 in 2025.
- Questions with a current-affairs element (tagged Current or Static+Current) ranged from 27% in 2024 to 37% in 2025.
- 2026 had the most questions tagged Hard (30); the other years had 16–17.
- Biggest subject shifts from 2023 to 2026: Ancient History up 5, Polity down 6.
Subject-wise weightage
| Subject | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Economy | 16 | 16 | 21 | 17 | 70 | 17.5% |
| Polity | 16 | 20 | 14 | 10 | 60 | 15.0% |
| Science & Tech | 15 | 12 | 15 | 16 | 58 | 14.5% |
| Geography | 14 | 18 | 12 | 8 | 52 | 13.0% |
| Environment | 14 | 14 | 13 | 9 | 50 | 12.5% |
| IR | 10 | 7 | 5 | 13 | 35 | 8.8% |
| Ancient History | 4 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 22 | 5.5% |
| Modern History | 3 | 4 | 7 | 5 | 19 | 4.8% |
| Art & Culture | 3 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 14 | 3.5% |
| Current Affairs | 2 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 10 | 2.5% |
| Medieval History | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 1.8% |
| Ethics | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0.8% |
| Total | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 400 | 100% |
Static vs current affairs
| Year | Static | Current | Static+Current | With a current-affairs element |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 65 | 22 | 13 | 35% |
| 2024 | 73 | 20 | 7 | 27% |
| 2025 | 63 | 30 | 7 | 37% |
| 2026 | 63 | 26 | 11 | 37% |
Difficulty
| Year | Easy | Medium | Hard |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 27 | 56 | 17 |
| 2024 | 27 | 56 | 17 |
| 2025 | 19 | 65 | 16 |
| 2026 | 14 | 56 | 30 |
About this data
Subject, static/current and difficulty labels are our own tagging of each question, so they show relative patterns, not official UPSC categories. "Current Affairs" as a subject is a different thing from the static/current split: the split asks whether a question draws on recent news, whatever its subject. Difficulty is a judgment call; compare it from year to year rather than as an absolute measure.
To cite: Learn Thru Practice, UPSC Prelims PYQ database, https://www.learnthrupractice.com/upsc-prelims-pyq/analysis.