UPSC Prelims Mock Test
UPSC Prelims timed mock tests on Mahaabhyas for students and institute batches. Create a free account and review your score.
Last updated 2026-11-01.
Exam type and mode
Civil Services Examination. Preliminary is the screening stage. The same examination continues to the Main written papers and the interview.
Preliminary papers are objective multiple-choice, in Hindi and English. Main papers are conventional essay-type. Calculators are not permitted for the objective papers. The interview is a personality test.
Rounds of the exam
- Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination: two objective papers. This stage only decides who is admitted to the Main examination. Those marks are not counted in the final order of merit.
- Civil Services (Main) Examination: nine conventional papers, of which two are qualifying, plus an interview.
- Interview / Personality Test for candidates who reach the qualifying marks the Commission fixes in the written Main examination.
Pattern
| Stage | Section | Questions | Marks | Time | Negative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Preliminary | Paper-I, General Studies | Not stated as a count in the notification | 200 | 2 hours | One-third of the marks of that question |
| Preliminary | Paper-II, CSAT | Not stated as a count in the notification | 200 | 2 hours | One-third of the marks of that question; qualifying at 33% |
| Main, qualifying | Paper-A, Indian language | Conventional paper | 300 | Set in the year's timetable | Qualifying; 25% minimum |
| Main, qualifying | Paper-B, English | Conventional paper | 300 | Set in the year's timetable | Qualifying; 25% minimum |
| Main, merit | Essay | Conventional paper | 250 | Set in the year's timetable | Counted for merit |
| Main, merit | General Studies I to IV | Four conventional papers | 250 each | Set in the year's timetable | Counted for merit |
| Main, merit | Optional subject, two papers | Two conventional papers | 250 each | Set in the year's timetable | Counted for merit |
| Interview | Personality Test | Not a written paper | 275 | Set by the interview board | No minimum qualifying mark |
Syllabus
- Preliminary Paper-I: current events of national and international importance; history of India and the Indian national movement; Indian and world geography; Indian polity and governance; economic and social development; environmental ecology, biodiversity, and climate change; general science.
- Preliminary Paper-II: comprehension; interpersonal skills; logical reasoning and analytical ability; decision-making and problem solving; general mental ability; basic numeracy and data interpretation at Class X level.
- Main merit papers: Essay; General Studies I (heritage, history, geography, society); General Studies II (governance, constitution, polity, social justice, international relations); General Studies III (technology, economic development, biodiversity, environment, security, disaster management); General Studies IV (ethics, integrity, aptitude); one optional subject in two papers.
Selection
- General Studies Paper-II of the Preliminary examination is qualifying at 33%. The Commission also fixes the qualifying total on General Studies Paper-I. About twelve to thirteen times the vacancies are admitted to the Main examination.
- A wrong objective answer deducts one-third of the marks assigned to that question. A blank answer has no penalty. More than one answer is treated as wrong.
- Main Paper-A (Indian language) and Paper-B (English) are qualifying. The merit papers are counted only if the candidate gets 25% in the Indian language paper and 25% in English. Paper-A is not compulsory for candidates from Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Sikkim, or for a hearing-impairment exemption stated in the notice.
- About twice the number of vacancies are called for the interview. The interview is 275 marks with no minimum qualifying mark.
- Final rank uses the merit written papers (1,750) plus the interview (275), a grand total of 2,025, together with the candidate's service preferences.
Source: UPSC Civil Services Examination, 2026 notification. The notification does not print a question count for the Preliminary papers, so this page does not invent one.
Exam overview
UPSC Prelims is the preliminary stage of the Civil Services Examination conducted by the Union Public Service Commission. This page is timed practice for that stage.
Who this paper is for
Students use a UPSC Prelims mock to sit a full paper against the clock, submit it, and read the score for that attempt. Coaching institutes use the same kind of paper with a batch: they assign the assessment, students take it in the batch window, and the institute reviews the scores after submit.
Union Public Service Commission is the body associated with UPSC Prelims. Mahaabhyas is the practice workspace. The official notification, the application form, and the result are published by that body, not by this page.
How to use mock tests
Create a free student account or sign in. Open the assigned or practice test for UPSC Prelims. Read the instructions on the attempt screen, start the clock, and move through the questions. Submit when you finish or when the timer ends. The score for that attempt is then available to review.
That score is the result of the paper you just took on Mahaabhyas. It is not an official rank, a cutoff, or a selection list. Use it to see what you answered and what to practice next.
Start with one complete paper so you know how long the sitting feels. On later papers, practice one part at a time when the assigned test is split into sections, then return to a full paper. After each submit, review the questions you missed before you open another paper. Repeating that loop — sit, submit, review — is the practice this page is for.
An institute can run the same loop for a whole batch and compare scores inside the batch. No vacancy, application date, or cutoff is listed here. Those are announced by Union Public Service Commission.
A student account is free to create. No price is listed on this page. Institutes register their own account, assign the assessment, and review batch scores from the institute portal.
Section-wise practice
When a UPSC Prelims paper is divided into parts, use a section attempt to train one part, then a full attempt to train the move between parts and the clock. Keep the review on the questions you got wrong and the ones that took the longest.
Do not treat one mock score as a prediction of an official UPSC Prelims result. The category hub lists the other papers grouped with UPSC Prelims.
FAQs
Who conducts UPSC Prelims?
Union Public Service Commission conducts UPSC Prelims. Mahaabhyas hosts timed practice for students and for institute batches.
How do I start a UPSC Prelims mock test?
Create a free student account, open a timed mock, submit it, and review the score for that attempt. An institute can assign the same kind of paper to a batch.
Is a Mahaabhyas score an official UPSC Prelims result?
No. The score belongs to the attempt you submitted on Mahaabhyas. It is not an official rank, cutoff, or selection list.
Can a coaching institute run a UPSC Prelims paper for a batch?
Yes. An institute registers, assigns a timed assessment to a batch, and reviews scores after students submit.
Is there negative marking in UPSC Prelims?
In UPSC Civil Services Examination, 2026 notification, Preliminary (Paper-II, CSAT) uses this negative marking: One-third of the marks of that question; qualifying at 33%. The pattern table lists the other stages. A later notice can change the figure.
How many UPSC Prelims mock tests should I take?
No notice cited on this page sets a required number of UPSC Prelims mock tests. Sit one timed paper, review that attempt, then sit again. Use the review, not a count invented on this site, to decide when to stop.
Can I take a UPSC Prelims mock on a phone?
Yes, in a mobile browser. Mahaabhyas is a website. Sign in, open the timed mock, and submit it there. This page does not list a separate phone app.
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