ESE Previous Year Papers

Download UPSC ESE previous year question papers as free PDFs below — 134 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 in the Preliminary Examination. The Main Examination is conventional and carries no negative marking.
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.