UPSC Prelims · Previous Year Questions

Master Science & Technology, one PYQ at a time 624 questions across 11 topics — 1995 to 2025, with answers & explanations

Science & Technology is the most current-affairs-driven static subject in Prelims — every year brings a new ISRO mission, a new drug, a new chip. Instead of grinding through 31 years of papers in date order, revise it the way you study it — topic by topic. Every topic below lists what it covers and a sample question; tap through to attempt the full set with instant answer-checking.

624Questions
11Topics
31 yrsCoverage, 1995–2025
FreeNo signup required
Start practising →

Showing all 11 topics

Sort:

Unlike Environment or Polity, Science & Technology rewards conceptual understanding over memorisation — UPSC rarely repeats a fact verbatim, but it repeats the underlying idea in a new current-affairs wrapper almost every year. That's why these PYQs are grouped by concept, not by year: work through Physics and Biology first to build the core intuition UPSC leans on, then move into the applied, news-driven topics like Biotechnology, Space Technology, and Computer & AI where static concepts meet the day's headlines.

Every question below is tagged with its year and carries four options with the correct answer marked — attempt it cold first, then check your reasoning against the explanation.

  1. Physics UPSC PYQ — Mechanics, Heat, Light & Everyday Phenomena

    98 Questions · High-yield ~65 min

    Mechanics, heat, sound, light, electricity and everyday-phenomena physics — UPSC's classic "why does this happen" style questions.

    2021In a pressure cooker, the temperature at which the food is cooked depends mainly upon which of the following? 1. Area of the hole in the lid...
    Solve PYQs → Timed Test

  2. Biology UPSC PYQ — Human Physiology, Plants & Taxonomy

    96 Questions · High-yield ~60 min

    Human physiology, plant biology, taxonomy, and core life-science concepts that recur across decades of papers.

    2024Which one of the following is synthesised in human body that dilates blood vessels and increases blood flow?
    Solve PYQs → Timed Test

  3. Health & Diseases UPSC PYQ — Vaccines, Viruses & Public Health

    85 Questions · High-yield ~55 min

    Vaccines, viruses, disease vectors, drug technologies, and India's public-health and epidemic-response landscape.

    2025Consider the following statements: I. No virus can survive in ocean waters. II. No virus can infect bacteria...
    Solve PYQs → Timed Test

  4. Space Technology & Astronomy UPSC PYQ — ISRO, Missions & Satellites

    66 Questions · Moderate-yield ~45 min

    ISRO missions, satellites, launch vehicles, and astronomy concepts — one of the fastest-growing topics as India's space programme expands.

    2024Consider the following statements: Statement-I: Giant stars live much longer than dwarf stars. Statement-II: Compared to dwarf stars...
    Solve PYQs → Timed Test

  5. Chemistry UPSC PYQ — Elements, Compounds & Reactions

    55 Questions · Moderate-yield ~35 min

    Elements, compounds, chemical reactions, and applied chemistry concepts that show up as everyday-science questions.

    2021Water can dissolve more substances than any other liquid because...
    Solve PYQs → Timed Test

  6. Biotechnology & Genetics UPSC PYQ — GM Crops, Gene Editing & Cloning

    52 Questions · Moderate-yield ~35 min

    GM crops, gene editing (CRISPR), cloning, monoclonal antibodies, and biotech applications frequently linked to current affairs.

    2025With reference to monoclonal antibodies, often mentioned in news, consider the following statements: I. They are man-made proteins...
    Solve PYQs → Timed Test

  7. Computer, IT & Artificial Intelligence UPSC PYQ — Computing, Internet & AI

    50 Questions · Moderate-yield ~35 min

    Computing fundamentals, the internet, and the fast-growing cluster of AI, machine learning, and quantum computing questions.

    2025Consider the following statements: I. It is expected that Majorana 1 chip will enable quantum computing. II. Majorana 1 chip has been introduced by AWS...
    Solve PYQs → Timed Test

  8. Energy & Nuclear Technologies UPSC PYQ — Renewables, Reactors & Fuel Cells

    47 Questions · Moderate-yield ~30 min

    Solar and renewable energy, nuclear reactors and safeguards, fuel cells, and alternative-powertrain vehicles.

    2025Consider the following types of vehicles: I. Full battery electric vehicles II. Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles III. Fuel cell-electric hybrid vehicles...
    Solve PYQs → Timed Test

  9. Science & Tech in the News UPSC PYQ — Institutions, Awards & Personalities

    32 Questions ~20 min

    Nobel laureates, Indian S&T institutions (CSIR, DRDO labs), science awards, and intellectual property in science.

    2019Consider the following statements: 1. According to the Indian Patents Act, a biological process to create a seed can be patented in India...
    Solve PYQs → Timed Test

  10. Materials Science & Nanotechnology UPSC PYQ — New Materials & Applications

    23 Questions ~15 min

    New and advanced materials — carbon fibres, nanomaterials, and their applications in industry and everyday life.

    2023Consider the following statements: 1. Carbon fibres are used in the manufacture of components used in automobiles and aircrafts...
    Solve PYQs → Timed Test

  11. Defence Technology UPSC PYQ — Missiles, UAVs & Defence Systems

    20 Questions ~15 min

    Missile systems, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, and India's indigenous defence-technology programmes.

    2025With reference to Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), consider the following statements: I. All types of UAVs can do vertical landing...
    Solve PYQs → Timed Test

No topics match that search. Try a broader keyword like "space" or "biotech", or clear the search.

Science & Technology in numbers

Based on all 624 categorised PYQs from 1995 to 2025

624 Total PYQs across 11 topics
31 yrs Years covered, 1995–2025
Physics Most-asked topic (98 questions)
~20.1 Average questions per year
Fewer, harder questions Recent trend, 2021–2025: S&T now contributes roughly 10–15 questions a year, down from 30+ in the late 1990s — but each one leans harder on current affairs and conceptual application rather than direct recall.

How to prepare Science & Technology for Prelims

How UPSC frames these questions

UPSC rarely tests a bare fact in isolation. A typical question takes a static concept — how a fuel cell works, what a monoclonal antibody does — and wraps it around whatever was in the news that year, whether that's a new ISRO mission, a newly approved drug, or a chip announcement. The multi-statement, "how many of the above are correct" format has become the dominant style since around 2020, which rewards genuine conceptual clarity over rote memorisation of isolated facts.

Recommended order to study

  1. 1Physics and Biology first — they build the conceptual base that other topics lean on, and together account for over 30% of all questions.
  2. 2Health & Diseases and Biotechnology & Genetics next — these are the most current-affairs-linked static topics and reward staying updated.
  3. 3Space Technology & Astronomy — high-frequency current-affairs topic given India's expanding space programme.
  4. 4Chemistry and Computer, IT & AI — Chemistry for static recall, Computer/AI for the fastest-growing niche in recent papers.
  5. 5Energy & Nuclear Technologies, Materials Science, Defence Technology, and Science & Tech in the News — smaller but easy wins once the core is solid.

Common mistakes to avoid

Frequently asked

How many questions come from Science and Technology in UPSC Prelims?

Science and Technology typically accounts for 10-20 questions in UPSC Prelims GS Paper 1 each year. The subject asked more questions in the 1990s and 2000s and has settled into a smaller, more application-focused share in recent years, with heavier weight on current-affairs-linked technology than on rote factual recall.

Which Science and Technology topics are most important for UPSC Prelims?

Physics, Biology, and Health and Diseases have produced the most questions historically, followed by Space Technology and Astronomy and Biotechnology and Genetics. In recent years, Biotechnology, Computer and IT, and Energy and Nuclear Technologies have grown fastest as current-affairs-linked topics.

Is standard Science and Technology coaching material enough to solve these PYQs?

Standard Science and Technology notes cover the concepts behind most of these questions, but this subject is unusually current-affairs-driven — new missions, drugs, and technologies enter every year. Practising the actual PYQs topic-wise shows you exactly how UPSC frames static science concepts around whatever was in the news that year.