Answer Key & Question-by-Question Solutions
Verified answer for every question with subject and topic tags. Click any row for the full explanation.
Your set:
All sets contain identical questions in different order.
100 / 100 questions shown
| Q | Question | Subject | Answer | βΆ |
|---|
Score Calculator
Estimate your GS Paper 1 marks under UPSC's negative marking and see whether you clear the predicted cutoff.
Attempted
0
Skipped
100
Penalty
0
Accuracy
β
Select your category:
0
out of 200
Enter your answers above to calculate your score
2025 GENERAL cutoff: 92.66
| Year | General | EWS | OBC | SC | ST |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 92.66 | 89.34 | 92.00 | 84.00 | 82.66 |
| 2024 | 87.98 | 85.92 | 87.28 | 79.03 | 74.23 |
| 2023 | 75.41 | 68.02 | 74.75 | 59.25 | 47.82 |
| 2022 | 88.22 | 82.83 | 87.54 | 74.08 | 69.35 |
| 2021 | 87.54 | 80.14 | 84.85 | 75.41 | 70.71 |
| 2020 | 92.51 | 77.55 | 89.12 | 74.84 | 68.71 |
| 2019 | 98.00 | 90.00 | 95.34 | 82.00 | 77.34 |
| 2018 | 98.00 | β | 96.66 | 84.00 | 83.34 |
| 2017 | 105.34 | β | β | β | β |
| 2016 | 116.00 | β | β | β | β |
| 2015 | 107.34 | β | β | β | β |
GS Paper 1 cutoff out of 200. CSAT (Paper 2) qualifying threshold is 66 / 200.
Subject-wise Weightage
How GS Paper 1 distributed marks across all subjects.
GS Paper 1 β exam ends Live
Released 24 May 2026, 11:30 am IST
GS Paper 1 answer key published Live
Released 24 May 2026, 11:53 am IST Β· Set D processed first as canonical paper
GS Paper 1 β detailed explanations Live
Released 24 May 2026, 11:53 am IST
CSAT β exam ends Scheduled
Expected 24 May 2026, 4:30 pm IST
CSAT answer key (all 4 sets) Scheduled
Expected 24 May 2026, 5:30 pm IST
UPSC official provisional answer key Scheduled
Expected 14 Jun 2026, 6:00 pm IST Β· UPSC typically releases 2β3 weeks after exam
UPSC Prelims 2026 result Scheduled
Expected 5 Jul 2026, 6:00 pm IST Β· UPSC announces 4β6 weeks after exam
How to Check Your UPSC Prelims 2026 Score
1
Pick your set
Note whether you wrote Set A, B, C or D from the front page of your question paper, then select the matching set above.
2
Mark correct, wrong, skipped
Tally your answers against the answer key. Each correct answer is +2; each wrong answer is β0.66; skipped questions carry no penalty.
3
Calculate your score
Plug your tallies into the score calculator to get your estimated GS Paper 1 total out of 200.
4
Check the cutoff
Compare your total against the predicted and historical cutoff for your category.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the UPSC Prelims 2026 exam being held?
The UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2026 is scheduled for 24 May 2026 (Sunday). Paper 1 (General Studies) runs 09:30 to 11:30 IST and Paper 2 (CSAT) runs 14:30 to 16:30 IST.
Are Set A, B, C and D answer keys different?
No. The question paper content is identical across the four sets β UPSC only shuffles the order of questions. Pick your set in the answer-key controls above and the table reorders to match the paper you wrote.
How is the UPSC Prelims 2026 score calculated?
Each correct GS Paper 1 answer is worth 2 marks. Each wrong answer deducts 0.66 marks (one-third of 2). Unattempted questions carry no penalty. Use the score calculator above to estimate your total.
What is the expected cutoff for UPSC Prelims 2026?
Based on the trailing 5-year average and difficulty signals, the General category cutoff for 2026 is expected to land in the 80β90 band out of 200. The expected-cutoff table above breaks this down by category.
Is CSAT counted towards the Prelims cutoff?
No. CSAT (Paper 2) is qualifying only β you must score 33% (66 of 200 marks) to qualify, but the cutoff for moving to Mains is decided entirely by GS Paper 1 marks.
How can I challenge an answer in the official UPSC answer key?
After the official provisional key drops on the UPSC website, you can submit objections through their grievance portal within the stipulated window β typically 7 days. Include the question paper set, question number and supporting references.
What is the CSAT qualifying score?
The CSAT qualifying threshold is 66 out of 200 marks (33%). Candidates who score below this threshold are disqualified regardless of their GS Paper 1 score.