UPSC IAS Prelims Paper Analysis 2023

UPSC IAS Prelims Paper 2023 was remarked between moderate to difficult. Most of the questions of paper 1 were from Polity, History, Geography, and Economics. However, paper 1 was easier than CSAT.

Table of Contents

Overview of the UPSC IAS Prelims Exam

UPSC prelims paper analysis will offer the candidates with the areas of high weightage and marks distribution. Candidates who wish to appear for the UPSC IAS Mains Exams need to qualify for the CSE Prelims. One of the best ways to prepare for the exam, especially the CSAT, is to use mock tests or previous year question papers through the years. Not only does this help save time, but it gives candidates an insight into the various types of questions that will appear in the exam.

UPSC IAS Prelims 2023 Paper Analysis

The UPSC IAS Prelims 2023, paper 1 saw most questions from four sections. They are History, Indian Polity, Geography, and Economics. Candidates required to prioritize these sections before anything. The questions from Current Affairs were dynamic. Securing full marks in current affairs can make the exam favorable to you than the rest.

UPSC IAS Prelims 2023 Analysis: Subject-Wise Weightage and Marks Distribution

Firstly, the UPSC IAS Prelims exams 2023 consisted of 2 papers, namely General Studies 1 and 2, 2 being the CSAT. There were 200 marks allotted for each paper, and to qualify for the CSAT, candidates needed to secure 33%. The score a candidate secured in General Studies Paper 1 decided the candidate's ranking.

UPSC IAS Prelims Analysis
Subject	Number of questions	Difficulty level
Polity	15	Moderate to Difficult
Economy	14	Difficult
Geography	16	Moderate
History	14	Easy to moderate
Science & Technology	12	Moderate to difficult
Environment & Ecology	14	Moderate
International Relations	11	Moderate

History Analysis

Questions in history appeared majorly from

Modern history
An amalgamation of history with art and culture
Ancient history
Post-independence period

Polity Analysis

Some of the questions that appeared in the 2019 UPSC IAS prelims Polity exam included:

Fundamental rights
Judicial review
Executive
Legislature
Historical background of the Constitution
Issues related to rights

There were 100 questions asked with 15 appearing from Indian Polity and governance. This section was relatively easy, but a few questions were difficult.

Economics Analysis

Economics in the 2019 Prelims exam for UPSC IAS was relatively easy. The topics that appeared on the questions paper included:

Banking and Finance
Sectors of the economy
Balance of payments
International trade
Fiscal policy

UPSC IAS Prelims Exam: CSAT Analysis

General Studies Paper 1 was easier than the CSAT. The detailed analysis of the question paper as as follows:

UPSC IAS Prelims Exam: CSAT Analysis
Subject	Number of Questions	Difficulty level
Reasoning Ability	13-14	Moderate
Reading Comprehension	27	Moderate to Difficult
Basic Numeracy and Maths (Including Data Sufficiency)	39-40	Moderate to difficult

Overview of the UPSC IAS Prelims Exam

When analyzing the previous year UPSC IAS prelim trends, we found that current events were more relative to the year in question and took up almost 26.6% of the question paper. The question paper often contained topics like government schemes, economic statutes, and politics.

Science and Technology were more conceptual and based on the application of Technology in a remote setting. We also found that it is vital to cover all subjects and have adequate knowledge of all questions.