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UPSC Question Paper 2021, PDF Download Prelims and Mains PYQs

UPSC Question Paper 2021 is available here for prelims and mains exam. Solve UPSC Question Paper 2021 PDF and analyze trends of questions.
authorImageAnil Solonki17 Apr, 2024
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UPSC Question Paper 2021

UPSC Question Paper 2021: The UPSC 2021 prelims exam was held on 10 October 2021. Selected candidates appeared for UPSC Mains 2021 from 7 to 16 January 2022. This year many interesting trends were observed in UPSC Question Paper 2021 such as the revival of sports section questions in the prelims exam.

The UPSC Question Paper 2021 for prelims and mains exam is available here in PDF form. Candidates should do a careful analysis of the UPSC 2021 question papers by solving them in the exam-stimulated situation. Find the direct download link and analysis of UPSC Question Paper 2021 PDFs here.

UPSC Question Paper 2021 PDF Download

The UPSC Question Paper 2021 PDF in Hindi is uploaded by the Union Public Service Commission along with the English PDF due to the bilingual nature of the exam. The UPSC Question Paper 2021 PDF is available only for the first two stages namely prelims and mains. Since the third stage is the personality test (interview), its oral questions are not provided officially.
UPSC Exam Pattern - Overview
Particulars Details
Exam UPSC CSE Exam 2021
Authority Union Public Service Commission (UPSC)
Stages
  1. Prelims
  2. Mains
  3. Interview
UPSC Prelims 2021 10 October 2021
Papers
  1. General Studies I - 100 Questions
  2. General Studies II (CSAT) - 80 Questions
Marks 200 Marks Each
Nature of Exam Qualifying
UPSC Mains 2021 7, 8, 9, 15 & 16 January 2022
Papers
  1. Compulsory Language - 300 Marks
  2. English - 300 Marks
  3. Essay - 250 Marks
  4. General Studies I - 250 Marks
  5. General Studies II - 250 Marks
  6. General Studies III - 250 Marks
  7. General Studies IV - 250 Marks
  8. Optional Paper I - 250 Marks
  9. Optional Paper II - 250 Marks
Nature of Exam Merit out of 1750 Marks
Official Website upsc.gov.in

UPSC Prelims Question Paper 2021

The UPSC Prelims 2021 was held in two shifts following the traditional pattern with General Studies Paper 1 in the morning and Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT) in the afternoon. This year's prelims exam was postponed giving extra time to prepare for the exam. The GS 1 paper had 100 questions and CSAT had 80 questions with 200 marks weightage each. Get the UPSC 2021 question papers from the below table:
UPSC Question Paper 2021 Prelims
Paper Download Link
UPSC GS 1 Paper General Studies
UPSC GS 2 Paper CSAT

UPSC Mains Question Paper 2021

The UPSC Mains 2021 exam was also delayed, but candidates had comparably less time for answer-writing practice between prelims and mains. While candidates have a choice of subject in the compulsory Indian language paper and optional papers, the GS, English, and essay papers are common to all. Download the previous year’s UPSC Mains question paper to practice answer writing starting now:
UPSC Question Papers 2021 Mains
Question Paper Download Link
English Click Here
Essay Click Here
General Studies I Click Here
General Studies II Click Here
General Studies III Click Here
General Studies IV Click Here

UPSC Question Paper 2021 Analysis

The UPSC Question Paper 2021 for prelims was moderately tough compared to last year. There were a few unconventional questions in both the GS and CSAT papers. Further, the UPSC Mains question papers also required good writing practice. History questions were comparably tough, but candidates could still attempt many questions by solving UPSC PYQs. Here is the analysis of the UPSC 2021 GS question paper:
UPSC Prelims Question Paper 2021 Analysis - GS Paper
Subjects Number of Questions
Polity 17
Economy 14
History 18
Art & Culture 3
Science & Technology 12
Geography+Agriculture 9
Environment 21
Sports/Awards/Misc. Current Affairs 6
Total 100
The UPSC CSAT Question Paper 2021 was different from the previous year, with a slightly challenging numerical ability section. The reading comprehension section had significant weight and tested time management skills. The section-wise analysis of the UPSC Question Paper 2021 of the CSAT is as follows:
UPSC Prelims Question Paper 2021 Analysis - CSAT
Section Total Questions
Reasoning Ability 21
Reading Comprehension 27
Numerical Ability 24
Misc. 8
Total 80

UPSC Question Paper 2021 With Answers

In UPSC Mains, the articulation and presentation abilities of candidates are tested in nine papers, out of which seven marks are calculated in the final result. This is why learning the art of answer writing is highly important. Candidates should go through the solved UPSC Question Paper 2021 for Mains to find out how to answer the question in each paper. The UPSC Question Paper 2021 with answers is provided by our experts at the below-mentioned link:
UPSC Question Paper 2021 With Answers
Exam Download Link
UPSC Mains Solved Question Paper Click Here

How to Solve UPSC Question Paper 2021?

Candidates often think that merely solving UPSC previous year question papers is sufficient without analysing questions or observing patterns. This approach is not useful given the changing nature of the UPSC exam. The correct way to practice UPSC Question Paper 2021 is as follows:
  • Download the last 10 years' UPSC question papers PDFs including 2021 papers.
  • Set a timer of 2 hours for prelims papers and 3 hours for mains papers.
  • After completing the question paper check the official UPSC answer key.
  • Calculate the scores for prelims and check PW’s model answers for mains.
  • Analyse questions that you got wrong in prelims papers.
  • Evaluate overall performance and take feedback from experts for areas to focus on.
  • Observe repeating themes in core subjects like history, polity, and economy.
  • Make a list of topics that are frequently recurring in prelims and mains.
  • Keep them in mind while covering those topics from the UPSC syllabus.
The UPSC prelims are just a few months away. Get ready for them with the solved UPSC questions papers book. Hurry up!

UPSC Question Paper 2021 FAQs

How to download the UPSC Question Paper 2021?

Candidates can download the UPSC Question Paper 2021 from the direct link provided above.

Who sets the UPSC question paper?

A panel of experts of the Union Public Service Commission sets the UPSC question paper.

Where do the UPSC questions come from?

The UPSC questions are usually prepared from government books like NCERTs, reports, current affairs, and previous years.

Will questions get repeated from UPSC Question Paper 2021?

Yes, there are good chances that the themes of questions will be repeated from UPSC Question Paper 2021.

Is solving UPSC Question Paper 2021 sufficient?

No, candidates should solve at least the last 10 years' question papers of UPSC.
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