UPSC Prelims PYQ analysis, subject by subject
Subject-wise counts help you organise practice, but they should not be treated as a prediction of the next paper. Use them to discover recurring concepts, option traps and weak revision areas.
The validated bank contains 1,596 official GS Paper I questions from 2011–2026. Its primary mapping includes 282 Environment, 277 History, 267 Economy, 226 Polity, 207 Science and Technology, 172 Geography and 165 current-affairs-linked questions.
Subject-wise coverage in the current bank
| Primary subject | Official PYQs | Best analysis question |
|---|---|---|
| Environment & Ecology | 282 | Which ecological relationships and statement traps repeat? |
| History | 277 | Am I missing chronology, culture, sources or movements? |
| Economy | 267 | Can I explain the mechanism behind each option? |
| Polity & Governance | 226 | Which constitutional distinction makes an option right or wrong? |
| Science & Technology | 207 | Can I connect the application to a basic scientific principle? |
| Geography | 172 | Can I locate, visualise or causally explain the phenomenon? |
| Current-affairs linked | 165 | Which static concept made the current context testable? |
A cross-disciplinary question is assigned one primary subject for practice. Counts therefore reflect UPSC Genie’s editorial map, not a classification published by UPSC.
Source and editorial boundary
Question wording and year labels should be checked against the official UPSC papers. Subject and topic mapping, explanations and the study workflow are UPSC Genie editorial aids.
How to analyse a subject in four passes
Baseline set
Attempt 20–30 mixed-year questions without notes. Record confidence before checking.
Error taxonomy
Label each miss as concept gap, factual gap, misread qualifier, elimination failure or risky guess.
Targeted repair
Return to one narrow lesson or primary source, then write the corrected distinction in your own words.
Delayed reattempt
Reattempt after seven days and again in a mixed set. The goal is transfer, not recognition.
Build a subject dashboard
Track attempted questions, net accuracy, high-confidence errors, frequent trap types and the three topics that require revision. High-confidence errors deserve priority because they reveal a false rule you may reuse. Low-confidence correct guesses deserve review because the result hides weak reasoning.
After the subject pass, switch to the year-wise PYQ mode. A subject score measures content control; a full paper also measures switching, fatigue and negative-marking decisions.
Do not convert counts into forecasts
A large historical share does not guarantee similar weight next year. Use the analysis to ensure minimum competence across the syllabus and deeper repair where your own error rate is high. The most useful trend is the type of thinking UPSC repeatedly tests: comparison, conceptual boundaries, cause–effect, maps and careful reading of statements.
Run your first subject-wise baseline
Choose a subject, attempt a small mixed-year set and save the errors that should shape your next revision.
Open subject-wise PYQsFrequently asked questions
How many Prelims PYQs are included in this analysis?
Which subject has the most PYQs?
Can subject-wise trends predict the next UPSC paper?
Should I solve PYQs subject-wise or year-wise?
Continue this learning cluster
Reviewed by the UPSC Genie editorial team on 30 July 2026. Educational guidance only; UPSC Genie is independent of UPSC and the Government of India. Report a doubtful statement through the corrections process.