Introduction

The Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPCS) examination is one of the most competitive state civil services exams in India. Among its stages, the Prelims exam holds significant importance because it acts as the first filtering stage. Every year, lakhs of candidates appear for the Prelims, but only a small percentage qualify for the Mains.
To crack UPPCS Prelims, one must understand the difficulty level of previous year question papers, the changing trends in question patterns, and how the cutoff has been influenced over the years.

This detailed guide provides a comprehensive difficulty level analysis of UPPCS Prelims (2015–2023), breaking down subject-wise weightage, changes in question framing, evolving strategies, and preparation tips for UPPCS 2025 aspirants.

1. Overview of UPPCS Prelims Exam Pattern

The UPPCS Prelims exam consists of two papers:

Since CSAT is qualifying only, the focus remains on GS Paper I, where difficulty level directly impacts cutoff.

2. UPPCS Prelims Difficulty Level (Year-Wise Analysis: 2015–2023)

UPPCS Prelims 2015

UPPCS Prelims 2016

UPPCS Prelims 2017

UPPCS Prelims 2018

UPPCS Prelims 2019

UPPCS Prelims 2020

UPPCS Prelims 2021

UPPCS Prelims 2022

UPPCS Prelims 2023

3. Subject-Wise Difficulty & Weightage Trends (2015–2023)

SubjectDifficulty TrendKey Observations

History

Moderate → High

Increased focus on UP’s regional history & culture.

Polity

Moderate

Shift from factual to analytical questions post-2017.

Geography

Moderate

Conceptual, map-based, applied.

Economy

Moderate → Tough

Linked with current affairs, budget, schemes.

Science & Tech

Moderate

NCERT base + applied questions on environment.

Environment

Increasing

UPSC-style, especially post-2017.

Current Affairs

High

30–40% weightage, highly unpredictable.

4. Key Shifts Observed in Prelims (2015–2023)

More Weight on Current Affairs – Now accounts for 30–40% of the paper.

UP-Specific Questions – State history, geography, and culture questions are rising.

Analytical Polity & Economy – Earlier factual, now more conceptual.

Science Linked with Environment – Instead of pure physics/chemistry, focus on applied concepts.

Difficulty Level Fluctuations – Some years like 2017 & 2022 were tough, while 2015, 2018, 2020 were moderate.

5. Impact of Difficulty Level on Cutoff

Tough Papers (2017, 2019, 2022): Cutoff dropped significantly.

Moderate Papers (2015, 2018, 2020, 2023): Cutoff stayed around average.

Key Insight: Candidates must prepare for uncertainty – some years papers are unexpectedly tough.

6. Strategy for UPPCS Prelims 2025 Based on Analysis

NCERT + Standard Books – For History, Geography, Science, Polity.

Daily Newspaper Reading – The Hindu + Dainik Jagran (UP specific).

Current Affairs Notes – Focus on schemes, environment, international events.

Practice Previous Year Papers (2015–2023) – Helps in trend identification.

Mock Tests – Regular practice to handle unpredictable patterns.

Revision – Multiple revisions of static + dynamic content.

Cutoff Impact: Cutoff slightly higher compared to 2022.

History: Balanced between ancient, medieval, modern.

Environment & Ecology: UPSC-style questions.

Current Affairs: Very high weightage (last 1 year’s events).

Overall Difficulty: Moderate

Cutoff Impact: Cutoff reduced significantly.

Economy: Budget, schemes heavy focus.

Science: Advanced-level, beyond NCERT.

Current Affairs: National + International (Ukraine war, G20).

Overall Difficulty: Tough

Cutoff Impact: Moderate cutoff.

History: More questions from regional UP history.

Geography: More conceptual, less factual.

Polity: Analytical (doctrines, articles).

Overall Difficulty: Moderate to Tough

Cutoff Impact: Cutoff balanced.

Polity & Governance: Factual plus applied.

Science & Environment: High number of questions.

COVID-related Current Affairs: New trend emerged.

Overall Difficulty: Moderate

Cutoff Impact: Lower cutoff due to difficulty.

Economy: Analytical, linked with current policies.

Geography: Map-based questions.

History: Heavy focus on ancient & art culture.

Overall Difficulty: Moderate to Tough

Cutoff Impact: Slightly higher cutoff compared to 2017.

Polity: Mostly factual.

Science & Tech: Application-based questions.

Current Affairs: More state-related (UP focus).

Overall Difficulty: Moderate

Cutoff Impact: Significant drop due to tough GS paper.

Geography: Mix of static and current-based.

Polity: Conceptual questions, not direct.

Environment & Ecology: High weightage (new trend).

Overall Difficulty: Tough

Cutoff Impact: Cutoff slightly dropped.

Economy: UPSC-type analytical questions.

History: More emphasis on medieval and modern history.

Current Affairs: Wider coverage including international events.

Overall Difficulty: Moderate to Tough

Cutoff Impact: Average cutoff due to balanced paper.

Science: Mostly static concepts from NCERT.

Polity & Constitution: Straightforward questions.

Current Affairs: National focus, less international.

Overall Difficulty: Moderate

Includes Reading Comprehension, Reasoning, Maths, and Decision-making.

Qualifying in nature (33% marks required)

Duration: 2 hours

100 questions, 200 marks

Paper II – CSAT (GS-II)

Includes subjects like History, Geography, Polity, Economy, Current Affairs, Science, Environment, etc.

Duration: 2 hours

150 questions, 200 marks

Paper I – General Studies (GS-I)