The UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE) is one of the most prestigious exams in India, offering candidates the opportunity to serve in the All India Services and other Group A posts. The UPSC Mains exam for the 2024 cycle began on 20 September 2024 and will be conducted over five days, ending on 29 September, 2024. During this phase, candidates write descriptive answers for a total of nine papers. This article provides an overview of the exam and offers access to the UPSC Mains 2024 question papers, which will be useful for those preparing for future attempts.
UPSC Mains 2024 Question Papers
Candidates who sat for the exam can use these papers to evaluate the trends in question types, while aspirants planning to appear in upcoming attempts can benefit from studying them to understand the evolving pattern. Here, you can download the question papers for all nine UPSC Mains 2024 papers once available, including the Essay Paper, General Studies (GS) Papers 1 to 4 and Optional Papers.
UPSC Mains Essay Question Paper 2024
The Essay Paper is crucial as it carries 250 marks and candidates can leverage it to boost their overall score. The essay paper consists of two sections, each with four essay topics. Candidates must choose one from each section and write a well-structured essay on the selected topics. The Essay Paper is one of the first exams conducted during the Mains.
UPSC Essay Question Paper 2024-Section A
UPSC Essay Question Paper 2024-Section B
You can download the UPSC Mains Essay Paper 2024 and its solutions once the official links are activated.
Download UPSC Mains Essay Paper 2024 PDF
UPSC Mains 2024 General Studies (GS) Papers
General Studies Paper 1
General Studies Paper 1 covers subjects like Indian History (Ancient, Medieval, and Modern), Indian Art and Culture, Geography and Indian Society. The paper often focuses on India’s freedom struggle, physical geography, and societal issues.
Download UPSC Mains GS Paper 1
General Studies Paper 2
General Studies Paper 2 examines candidate’s understanding of Indian Polity, Governance, International Relations, and Social Justice. This paper is dynamic in nature and covers a mix of current affairs and static topics.
Download UPSC Mains GS Paper 2 PDF
General Studies Paper 3
General Studies Paper 3 focuses on subjects like Economy, Internal Security, Environment and Science & Technology. This paper typically requires candidates to have a good grasp of dynamic and analytical topics, making it easier to score if one has covered current affairs comprehensively.
Download UPSC Mains GS Paper 3 PDF
Download UPSC Mains GS Paper 4 PDF
General Studies Paper 4 focuses on subjects Ethics, Values, Indian Thinkers and case studies. These questions are framed for examining take of the candidate over attitude, integrity, ethics, emotional intelligence, probity in governance and ethics in public administration This paper typically requires candidates to have a good grasp of dynamic and analytical topics, making it easier to score if one has covered current affairs comprehensively.
Download UPSC Mains GS Paper 4 PDF
UPSC Optional Paper 2024
In addition to the compulsory papers, candidates choose one optional subject from a wide range of topics. Each optional subject consists of two papers (Optional Paper 1 and Paper 2). These papers test candidates’ in-depth knowledge in their chosen field.
Download UPSC Mains Optional Papers 2024 PDF (Coming Soon)
How to Download the UPSC Mains 2024 Question Papers
To download the UPSC Mains 2024 question papers, follow these steps:
- Visit the official UPSC website: [upsc.gov.in](https://upsc.gov.in).
- Navigate to the “Examinations” tab on the homepage.
- From the dropdown menu, select “Previous Year Question Papers.”
- Locate the “Civil Services Mains 2024” section.
- Click on the desired paper link and download the PDF for future use.
Previous Year UPSC Mains Essay Papers
The UPSC Essay Paper has increasingly focused on philosophical and abstract topics in recent years. Below are the download links for the past five years of UPSC Mains Essay Papers:
