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Every figure below is a count of questions we have digitised and tagged ourselves — 1,598 Prelims questions and 1,116 from Mains. Nothing here is an estimate, and no figure is typed in by hand: the totals are generated from the question data itself.
General Studies Paper-I, 16 sittings, 1598 questions. One subject per question, so the column sums to the population.
| Subject | Questions | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Indian Economy | 318 | 19.9% |
| Environment & Ecology | 283 | 17.7% |
| Indian Polity | 227 | 14.2% |
| Science & Technology | 220 | 13.8% |
| Geography | 176 | 11% |
| Modern History | 107 | 6.7% |
| Current Affairs | 104 | 6.5% |
| Art & Culture | 81 | 5.1% |
| Ancient History | 49 | 3.1% |
| Medieval History | 33 | 2.1% |
| Total counted | 1598 | 100.1% |
The four papers are close to even, though not identical — GS-IV runs shortest because it is built around case studies. All four are compulsory, so the depth is inside each paper.
| Paper | Questions | Share |
|---|---|---|
| GS-I | 290 | 26% |
| GS-II | 285 | 25.5% |
| GS-III | 285 | 25.5% |
| GS-IV | 256 | 22.9% |
| Total counted | 1116 | 99.9% |
Counted across 14 Mains sittings. Essay and the optional papers are out of scope here.
Our subject names are a tagging vocabulary, built so you can pull every question on one topic. The syllabus is below, in the notification’s own words — seven heads for Prelims Paper-I, and the four Mains General Studies papers.
the Commission’s wording
Current events of national and international importance. · History of India and Indian National Movement. · Indian and World Geography-Physical, Social, Economic Geography of India and the World. · Indian Polity and Governance-Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues, etc. · Economic and Social Development-Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives, etc. · General issues on Environmental ecology, Bio-diversity and Climate Change - that do not require subject specialization. · General Science.the Commission’s wording
General Studies-I: Indian Heritage and Culture, History and Geography of the World and Society. · General Studies- II: Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice and International relations. · General Studies-III: Technology, Economic Development, Bio diversity, Environment, Security and Disaster Management · General Studies- IV: Ethics, Integrity and AptitudeSeven official heads, ten subjects in our table. The two lists do different jobs, and a grouping from one should not be quoted as if it came from the other.
Every question counted here is published, sorted by subject and by year, with the official key where the Commission has released one and the newest year marked provisional.
Indian Economy, at 318 of the 1598 questions we have counted — 19.9% of them. That covers General Studies Paper-I from 2011 to 2026, which is 16 sittings. The next three are Environment & Ecology at 17.7%, Indian Polity at 14.2% and Science & Technology at 13.8%.
Every figure on this page comes from questions we have digitised and tagged ourselves — 1598 Prelims questions and 1116 Mains questions — and the totals are generated from that data rather than typed in. The compilation this page replaced labelled its own figures "indicative" and "trend-calibrated" — planning aids rather than counts of any paper — and none of them are reproduced here.
Because each window is as long as its format has existed. The 100-question General Studies Paper-I dates from 2011, when CSAT was introduced. The four-General-Studies-paper Mains dates from 2013; before that the Mains had a different shape, so pooling the two would be comparing two different exams and calling the result one number.
Across 2013–2026 we have counted 1116 General Studies questions: 290 in GS-I, 285 in GS-II, 285 in GS-III, 256 in GS-IV. The four are close to even, though GS-IV runs shortest of them. All four are compulsory, so the depth is inside each paper rather than a choice between them.
No. The Commission’s Prelims Paper-I has seven heads, quoted on this page in its own words. The ten subjects in our table are our tagging vocabulary, built so a candidate can find every question on one topic. Splitting "Economic and Social Development" into economy and society, or separating Art & Culture out of History, is our editorial choice — useful for practice, but not something to quote back as the syllabus.
Not on its own. A subject’s share tells you how many questions it asks, not how many you will get right, how long the reading takes, or how stable it is year to year. Read the share alongside how long the reading takes you and how reliably you already score in that subject.
Our PYQ trends page charts these questions by year and by subject, together with the papers from before this format began, and lets you open any subject to the questions behind the number. This page is the aggregate over the current format; that page is the year-by-year movement.
For the year-by-year movement behind these totals, see our PYQ trends page, which opens each subject to the questions behind it.