CDS Previous Year Papers

Download UPSC CDS previous year question papers as free PDFs below — 70 papers from past sittings, grouped by year.

Why UPSC papers repay close reading

UPSC sets one paper per sitting and publishes it in full afterwards, so a previous year paper is the exact article rather than a reconstruction. Working through several years shows you the Commission's standing preferences — which themes recur, how questions are framed, and how much depth an answer needs.

How to use these papers

1. Attempt a full paper in one timed sitting, to the real duration.
2. Score it with the real marking scheme applied — Yes — one third of the marks assigned to a question is deducted for each wrong answer.
3. Compare your score against the published cut off for that year, not against a percentage.
4. Identify the weakest section and revise that before attempting the next paper.