PYQs · Analysis
Weightage & trends
Nineteen years of prelims papers and fourteen years of mains papers, counted and sorted — so you can see which subjects carry the paper, which themes UPSC keeps coming back to, and where the marks actually concentrate.
Dataset: 1,984 prelims MCQs (2008–2026) · 1,179 mains questions (2013–2026). Every figure below is computed from the question bank — no estimates.
Prelims: subject weightage
Total questions per subject across 2008–2026, with the yearly average and the five-year trend (2022–2026 vs 2017–2021). Environment is the heaviest subject overall — but the risers are Science & Tech and Geography.
Environment
313 Qs· 16.5/yr
FallingEconomics
272 Qs· 14.3/yr
SteadyScience & Tech
231 Qs· 12.2/yr
RisingPolity
226 Qs· 11.9/yr
FallingGeography
204 Qs· 10.7/yr
RisingArts & Culture
179 Qs· 9.4/yr
SteadyModern History
151 Qs· 7.9/yr
FallingInt. Relations
151 Qs· 7.9/yr
RisingGovernance
113 Qs· 5.9/yr
FallingAgriculture
83 Qs· 4.4/yr
FallingMiscellaneous
61 Qs· 3.2/yr
Rising
Trend compares the 2022–2026 yearly average with 2017–2021; a subject is marked rising or falling only if the change exceeds 15%.
Prelims: how the paper changed, year by year
Each bar is one year's GS Paper I. The six heaviest subjects are shown separately; everything else is grouped. Watch Science & Tech and Geography widen in recent years while Modern History thins.
Prelims: most-asked micro-themes
UPSC does not ask subjects — it asks themes. These are the fifteen micro-themes with the most questions in the bank. Filter by subject to find where your effort pays best.
Top 15 of 221 micro-themes across the bank
Pollution: SourcesEnvironment
35 Qs
Budget, Fiscal PolicyEconomics
33 Qs
World Geography: Map based QuestionsGeography
32 Qs
Freedom Movement PersonalitiesModern History
32 Qs
Indian Geography: Rivers, LakesGeography
30 Qs
International Org, Treaties: EnvironmentEnvironment
28 Qs
United Nations, Agencies, Adjacent BodiesInt. Relations
28 Qs
Rio Family/UNFCCC/IPCCEnvironment
26 Qs
Genetics, BiotechnologyScience & Tech
26 Qs
Crop-specific detailsAgriculture
25 Qs
Groupings: RegionalInt. Relations
25 Qs
Farming TechniquesAgriculture
24 Qs
Physics: GeneralScience & Tech
24 Qs
Species: Peculiar featuresEnvironment
23 Qs
Council Acts, CommissionsModern History
22 Qs
Mains: where the marks sit
Question counts per paper, split by marks. The 10-marker is the workhorse of the mains — and GS Paper IV is almost entirely 10-markers plus 20-mark case studies.
GS Paper I
295 questions
GS Paper II
285 questions
GS Paper III
288 questions
GS Paper IV (Ethics)
263 questions
Essay
48 questions
48 essay topics from 2013–2026. The Essay paper itself is two 125-mark essays — the recurring themes below are the closest thing to a syllabus it has.
Mains: heaviest themes by paper
The eight most-asked micro-themes in each paper. If a theme appears here, it has survived more than a decade of paper-setters — it will survive the next one too.
GS Paper I · 295 questions
Geomorphology
12 Qs
Oil, Natural Resources
12 Qs
Women
10 Qs
Globalisation
10 Qs
Water Management
10 Qs
Freedom Struggle Stages
8 Qs
Diversity and pluralism
7 Qs
Secondary Sector
7 Qs
GS Paper II · 285 questions
Federalism
12 Qs
Constitutional Comparison
12 Qs
Non-Constitutional/ Statutory Bodies
10 Qs
Bilateral Relations
10 Qs
Geo-politics affecting India's Interest
10 Qs
Fundamental Rights and Duties
9 Qs
Local Self-Government
9 Qs
United Nations, Agencies, Adjacent Bodies
9 Qs
GS Paper III · 288 questions
Organized Crime and Terrorism
12 Qs
Renewable Energy Sector
9 Qs
Border Area Management
9 Qs
Budget, Fiscal Policy
8 Qs
Food Processing Sector
7 Qs
Crop Diversification
7 Qs
Water Pollution and Related Issues
7 Qs
Threats from external state and non-state actors
7 Qs
GS Paper IV (Ethics) · 263 questions
Ethical Issues in International Relations and funding
17 Qs
Laws, Rules, Regulations, Conscience
10 Qs
Accountability and Ethical Governance
8 Qs
Teachings of Great Leaders
7 Qs
Quote-Based x Mahatma Gandhi
6 Qs
Foundational values
6 Qs
General
6 Qs
Applied Ethics x Tech
5 Qs
Essay · 48 questions
Force vs Influence
5 Qs
Discovery vs Creation
4 Qs
Action vs Inaction
4 Qs
Having vs Wanting
3 Qs
Intuition vs Logic
3 Qs
Permanence vs Change
3 Qs
Process vs Goal
3 Qs
Adversity vs Power
3 Qs
The safest bets in the syllabus
These micro-themes have been asked in 9 or more of the last 14 mains papers. Nothing in UPSC is certain — but a theme that survives fourteen years of paper-setters is as close as it gets.
Ethical Issues in International Relations and fundingGS Paper IV (Ethics)
9 of 14 years
GeomorphologyGS Paper I
9 of 14 years
FederalismGS Paper II
9 of 14 years
Constitutional ComparisonGS Paper II
9 of 14 years
Organized Crime and TerrorismGS Paper III
9 of 14 years
GlobalisationGS Paper I
9 of 14 years
Non-Constitutional/ Statutory BodiesGS Paper II
9 of 14 years
Local Self-GovernmentGS Paper II
9 of 14 years
United Nations, Agencies, Adjacent BodiesGS Paper II
9 of 14 years
How to read this
- Weightage tells you where to start; trend tells you where to lean. Environment is the heaviest prelims subject overall, but its recent five-year average has cooled while Science & Tech and Geography have risen. Give rising subjects their full due.
- In mains, master the 10-marker. Nearly half of all mains questions carry 10 marks, and GS Paper IV is almost entirely 10-markers plus 20-mark case studies — practise writing complete answers in that length first.
- Drill micro-themes, not subjects. Fifteen micro-themes out of 225 absorb more than a fifth of all prelims questions. The explorer above shows exactly which ones.
- Recurring themes are revision anchors. A theme asked in 9 of 14 years will almost certainly appear in some form again — keep one crisp page of notes ready for each.