The Preliminary Examination is the first screening stage of the UPSC CSE. It is objective (MCQ) in nature and only qualifying — marks do not count towards the final merit.
100 questions, 200 marks, 2 hours. This paper decides the Prelims cut-off. It covers current affairs, history, geography, polity, economy, environment and science.
80 questions, 200 marks, 2 hours. Qualifying paper — candidates must score at least 33% (66 marks). Covers comprehension, reasoning and basic numeracy.
Master NCERTs and standard sources, revise with spaced repetition, and solve at least 10 years of Previous Year Questions. Regular mock tests build accuracy and time management.
No. Prelims is only a screening test; the marks are not added to the final merit.
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