Indian Space Research Organisation
Headquartered in Bengaluru; missions like Chandrayaan, Gaganyaan, and Aditya-L1 are recurring exam favourites.
Track your progress across all 11 topics
Mark topics as done, add revision flags, and quiz yourself with PYQs — all saved in your browser.
UPSC Trend Dashboard
Based on actual UPSC Prelims papers, 2013–2026. Platform practice stats are shown separately below.
Total Qs (14 yrs)
1632013–2026 papers
Avg. Qs / Year
~122013–2026 average
Appeared In
14/14papers, every year
Last Appearance
202614 questions
Peak Year
201416 questions
Recent Trend
Rising12→13→14 (2024–26)
Questions Asked, Year by Year
Questions asked per year in UPSC Prelims GS Paper 1 — Science & Technology. Compiled from official UPSC previous-year papers and coaching-institute paper analyses.
Platform Practice Snapshot
Topics Covered
11on this platform
Practice PYQs
624+in our topic banks
Timed Tests
11one per topic
Why Science & Technology Scores Well
Applied, not theoretical
UPSC tests everyday application of science — how a vaccine works, why a satellite stays in orbit — not exam-style physics or chemistry problems.
Highly current-affairs linked
A large share of questions are pegged to a recent ISRO launch, a new drug, or a tech policy — reading the news carries most of the weight.
Concept once, useful forever
Core scientific principles (immunity, orbits, genetics) don't change year to year, so early preparation keeps paying off.
Scoring section if maintained
Aspirants who read a monthly science current-affairs digest consistently find this one of the highest-accuracy sections in the paper.
How UPSC Actually Asks Science & Technology
Knowing the answer isn't enough — you need to recognize the question format. Here's how UPSC typically frames Science & Technology questions in Prelims.
Statement-based
Two or three statements on a technology, discovery, or organism, asked "which is/are correct" — the most frequent Science format.
Working-principle questions
Tests whether you understand how something works (mRNA vaccine, CRISPR, quantum computing) rather than just its name.
Match the following
Pairs a mission, disease, or material with its correct feature or agency — precision over general familiarity.
Current mission/discovery linked
A recent ISRO mission, Nobel Prize, or health breakthrough is the hook; the answer usually needs a static science fact.
Elimination via extreme claims
One statement often makes an absolute or exaggerated claim about a technology's capability — a common trap to spot.
Application-based scenario
Describes a real-world use case and asks which technology or principle explains it best.
💡 How to think
Treat every ISRO mission, vaccine platform, or new material in the news as a mini static topic — learn its full name, purpose, and one key fact, not just its headline name.
High-Yield Topic Ranking
Sorted by revision priority, then platform PYQ count. "Platform PYQs" is our practice bank size for that topic, not an official UPSC count.
| Topic | Importance | Difficulty | Platform PYQs | Revision Priority |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Physics — Applied Concepts | High-yield | Hard | ~98 | Top |
| Biology — Human & Plant Systems | High-yield | Moderate | ~96 | Top |
| Health & Diseases | High-yield | Moderate | ~85 | Top |
| Space Technology — ISRO & Missions | High-yield | Easy | ~66 | Top |
| Biotechnology & Genetics | High-yield | Moderate | ~52 | Top |
| Chemistry — Applied Concepts | Moderate | Hard | ~55 | High |
| Computer Technology & IT | Moderate | Moderate | ~50 | High |
| Energy Technologies | Moderate | Moderate | ~47 | High |
| Science in News — Awards, Missions, Discoveries | Moderate | Easy | ~32 | High |
| Materials Science & Nanotechnology | Moderate | Hard | ~23 | Medium |
| Defence Technology | Moderate | Easy | ~20 | Medium |
Interactive Study Path
Follow this sequence rather than jumping between topics. Each step builds on the last, so foundational topics come first and current-affairs-heavy ones come later in Science & Technology.
Start Here — Biology (Human & Plant Systems)
Health & Diseases
Biotechnology & Genetics
Physics — Applied Concepts
Space Technology — ISRO & Missions
Chemistry, Energy & Materials Science
Computer Tech, Defence Tech & Science in News
Practice Hub — All 11 Topics
Master one topic, then move on. Question counts below are our platform's practice bank size, not official UPSC exam counts.
01
Physics — Applied Concepts
Mechanics, optics, electromagnetism and nuclear physics as applied to everyday technology and current events.
02
Biology — Human & Plant Systems
Human physiology, plant biology, genetics fundamentals and ecology — the NCERT core tested most often.
03
Health & Diseases
Vaccines, communicable and non-communicable diseases, immunity, and India's public health programmes.
04
Space Technology — ISRO & Missions
ISRO missions — launch vehicles, satellites, Chandrayaan, Gaganyaan — and global space developments.
05
Chemistry — Applied Concepts
Organic and inorganic chemistry concepts applied to materials, drugs, and industrial processes.
06
Biotechnology & Genetics
Genetic engineering, CRISPR, GM crops, stem cells, and biotech applications in medicine and agriculture.
07
Computer Technology & IT
AI, blockchain, cybersecurity, cloud computing and digital infrastructure shaping current policy debates.
08
Energy Technologies
Nuclear, renewable, and hydrogen energy technologies — mechanisms, missions, and India's energy transition.
09
Science in News — Awards, Missions, Discoveries
Nobel Prizes, recent discoveries, missions, and awards that made headlines in the preceding year.
10
Materials Science & Nanotechnology
Nanotechnology, superconductors, and advanced materials — properties and real-world applications.
11
Defence Technology
Missile systems, DRDO projects, stealth technology, and India's indigenous defence manufacturing.
Most Repeated Concepts
Beyond broad topics, a handful of specific concepts reappear across years in different disguises. These generally deserve dedicated attention.
CRISPR Gene Editing
mRNA Vaccines
ISRO Launch Vehicles
Quantum Computing
Stem Cells
Nuclear Reactors
5G/6G Technology
Nanotechnology
Renewable Energy Storage
AI & Machine Learning
Each one cuts across multiple topics — master one, improve several answers.
UPSC Favourite Traps
These are the confusions UPSC leans on most often to convert an easy question into a tricky one. Knowing them in advance removes a large chunk of avoidable mistakes.
⚠ Vaccine vs Antibody vs Antigen
A vaccine introduces an antigen to trigger the body's own antibody response — options often swap which one is administered vs which one is produced.
⚠ DNA vs RNA
DNA is double-stranded and stores genetic information; RNA is typically single-stranded and helps express it — mRNA vaccines are a recurring test case.
⚠ Fission vs Fusion
Nuclear fission splits heavy nuclei (used in current reactors); fusion combines light nuclei (used in the Sun, and experimental reactors like ITER).
⚠ ISRO vs NASA vs Private Players
Questions often test which agency or company led a specific mission — a common mix-up between ISRO, NASA, and now private players like SpaceX.
⚠ Renewable vs Non-renewable
Some options mislabel geothermal or tidal energy — always check whether the source naturally replenishes within a human timescale.
⚠ Endemic vs Epidemic vs Pandemic
Endemic is a constantly present disease in a region; epidemic is a sudden regional spike; pandemic is global spread — precise scope matters.
⚠ Stem Cells — Totipotent vs Pluripotent
Totipotent cells can form an entire organism; pluripotent cells can form almost any cell type but not a whole organism — a fine distinction UPSC likes.
⚠ GM Crops vs Hybrid Crops
GM crops involve direct gene transfer (often across species); hybrid crops result from cross-breeding within compatible species — commonly confused.
⚠ Antibiotics vs Antivirals
Antibiotics act on bacteria; antivirals act on viruses — using one term for the other is a frequent factual trap.
⚠ Absolute words & assumptions
Words like "only," "first ever," or "cannot" describing a technology's scope usually hide an exception.
Most Important Facts & Terms
A small set of terms and facts account for a disproportionate share of Science & Technology questions. These are generally worth memorizing precisely, not just recognizing.
ISRO
CRISPR-Cas9
Gene-editing technology
Allows precise editing of DNA sequences; its discoverers won the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
mRNA Vaccine
Messenger RNA vaccine platform
Teaches cells to make a protein that triggers immune response, without using a live virus — used in COVID-19 vaccines.
DRDO
Defence Research and Development Organisation
India's principal defence R&D agency; missile systems (Agni, BrahMos) are frequently tested.
Genome India Project
National genome sequencing initiative
Aims to build a reference genome database of India's diverse population for precision medicine.
Green Hydrogen
Hydrogen produced via electrolysis using renewable power
Central to India's National Green Hydrogen Mission; production method distinguishes it from grey/blue hydrogen.
Study Smarter
The order in which you study a topic matters as much as how much time you spend on it.
Read standard reference↓
Solve topic PYQs↓
Review mistakes↓
Take Timed Test↓
Revise after 7 days
Why this order
Biology and Health build the vocabulary needed to understand Biotechnology, which in turn underpins many current-affairs questions.
Why Space Tech next
ISRO missions are near-guaranteed questions every year — high return for a well-defined, finite topic.
Why timed tests
Science questions are often quick factual recalls — timed practice builds the speed needed to bank easy marks fast.
Why 7-day revision
Names of missions, vaccines, and materials blur together fast — a short repeat keeps them distinct.
If You Have Limited Time
Only 3 Days
- Biology & Health and Diseases
- Space Technology (ISRO)
- Science in News (last 12 months)
Only 7 Days
- Everything in the 3-day plan
- Biotechnology & Genetics
- Defence Technology
- Energy Technologies
Only 15 Days
- Everything in the 7-day plan
- Physics & Chemistry — applied concepts
- Computer Technology & IT
- Materials Science & Nanotechnology
Science & Technology Cheat Sheet
ISRO HQ
Bengaluru
DRDO HQ
New Delhi
CRISPR Nobel Prize
Chemistry, 2020
India's first human spaceflight programme
Gaganyaan
National Green Hydrogen Mission launched
2023
Genome India Project
10,000+ genomes sequenced
5G spectrum rollout in India
2022 onwards
Revision Checklist
Click a topic once you've revised it. Saved automatically in this browser.
Physics — Applied Concepts
Biology — Human & Plant Systems
Health & Diseases
Space Technology — ISRO & Missions
Chemistry — Applied Concepts
Biotechnology & Genetics
Computer Technology & IT
Energy Technologies
Science in News — Awards, Missions, Discoveries
Materials Science & Nanotechnology
Defence Technology
Explore Other Subjects
Continue Practising
Solve topic-wise PYQs, take timed tests, and track your progress until all 11 topics are done.