10 Repeatedly Asked Question Areas in UPSC Prelims

Will UPSC repeats questions? Are there favourite areas for UPSC from which the Commission repeatedly asks questions year after year?

Yes, UPSC gives high priority to certain question areas. As IAS aspirants, prioritization is the key to your success too.

The decision of ‘what to learn’ and ‘how to learn’ plays a crucial role in the success of candidates in the UPSC Civil Services Examination.

10 Repeatedly Asked UPSC Prelims Question Topics

Mentors who keenly observe trends of UPSC questions over the past several years can help you identify the priority areas in the Civil Services Examination (CSE).

If you are time-crunched before the UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Exam, you should definitely prioritize. Don’t go behind everything. Focus on what is more significant from the exam perspective. In this post, ClearIAS shares insights about 10 repeatedly asked question areas in UPSC Prelims along with sources to learn these topics fast.

(1) Important Acts Enacted by the Indian Parliament

Analysing previous year trends, one can easily see that ‘Important Acts‘ is the most important area in UPSC Prelims. 22 Marks worth questions were asked in UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE) 2019 from the topic ‘important Acts’. There is no surprise in this because UPSC expects future Civil Servants to be knowledgeable about the important Acts/Bills/Rules etc. Questions were asked not just about recent Acts but also Acts enacted many years before.

How to prepare this area quickly: Buy the book “Important Acts that Transformed India” published by McGraw Hill. This book is prepared to considerably save your time and effort in mastering the topic. This book covers 100 must-know acts along with necessary bills, rules, and notifications aspirants should know from the UPSC exam perspective.

(2) Indian Budget

Questions based on Union Budget are common in UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Exam. Questions may be direct from Budget or conceptual in nature (Eg: Questions on Primary Deficit, Fiscal Deficit or Subsidies)

How to prepare this area quickly: Go through the below links:

• 100 MCQs from Economic Survey and Budget (ClearIAS eBook – PDF)

(3) Trends in the Indian Economy

Every year, 1-2 questions come from the recent trends associated with the Indian Economy.

How to prepare this area quickly: Go through the below links:

• 100 MCQs from Economic Survey and Budget (ClearIAS eBook – PDF)
• Trends in Indian Economy (ClearIAS eBook – PDF)

(4) Jainism and Buddhism

Jainism and Buddhism is an ever-green topic as far as UPSC CSE Prelims is concerned. 1-2 questions are framed from this area almost every year.

How to prepare this area quickly: Go through the below links:

• Ancient India: Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism (NCERT)
• Buddhist Councils: Everything you need to know!

(5) Bhakti Movement and Sufi Movement

Just like Jainism and Buddhism (Ancient India), Bhaktism and Sufism (Medieval India) are also high priority areas.

How to prepare this area quickly: Check the below links for easy-to-read notes of ClearIAS.

• Medieval India: Bhaktism, Sufism and Sikhism (NCERT)

(6) Indus Valley Civilization

Indus Valley Civilization was the first major civilization in South Asia,  which spread across a vast area of land in present-day India and Pakistan (around 12 lakh sq.km). One of the first topic you learn in Indian History, this area is highly significant as far as UPSC Preliminary Exam is concerned.

How to prepare this area quickly: Go through the below links.

• Indus Valley Civilization
• Arts of Indus Valley Civilization
• Important Indus Valley Sites and Archaeological Discoveries

(7) Biodiversity Hot Spots, Wildlife Sanctuaries, National Parks, and Biosphere Reserves

Aspirants should be aware of important Bio-Diversity Hot-spots, Biosphere Reserves, National Parks, Wild Life Sanctuaries etc. It may not be impossible to memorize all. However, take an atlas and understand the locations of the most important ones.

How to prepare this area quickly: Go through the below link:

• Biosphere Reserves – National Parks – Sanctuaries – Tiger Reserves

(8) Critical Endangered Species

In India, there are 70+ critically endangered animals and 60+ critically endangered plants, as per the IUCN classification. In previous years, UPSC had prepared questions from this area to test the awareness of candidates about India’s biodiversity.

How to prepare this area quickly: Go through the below link:

• Critically Endangered Animal Species of India

(9) Indices, Reports, and Organisations

Indices and Reports is a favourite question topic of the Union Public Service Commission. 1-2 questions are framed from this area almost every year.

Consider the UPSC CSE Prelims question: Which of the following gives the ‘Global Gender Gap Index’ ranking to the countries of the world?
(a) World Economic Forum
(b) UN Human Rights Council
(c) UN Women
(d) World Health Organization

How to prepare this area quickly: Go through the below links:

• Indices and Organisations: Memorize Faster
• Names of Reports published by Organisations: Memorize Faster

(10) GI Tags and Places in News

A geographical indication (GI) is a sign used on products that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities or a reputation that are due to that origin. Example: Aranmula Kannadi (Kerala). Questions are framed by UPSC related to GI tags or places in the news.

How to prepare this area quickly: Go through the below links:

• Geographical Indications (ClearIAS Post)
• ClearIAS Video Series on GI Tags (5 Videos)

Other Priority Question Areas of UPSC

Apart from the 10 question topics mentioned above, also go through the below links.

• Recent Technologies (Innovations)
• Types of Majorities Used in the Indian Parliament
• Major Tribes in India: State-wise compilation
• Ramsar sites (Wetlands) in India
• UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites: Names from India
• Hindu Philosophy – Orthodox and Heterodox Schools
• Historical Background of Indian Constitution
• Important Judgments and Constitutional Amendment Acts
• Important Government Schemes
• India Year Book
• Maps

Conclusion

Before you do anything, always think about the Return on Investment (ROI).

We have already written about the 80-20 strategy to maximize your marks if you are time-crunched before UPSC Prelims.

Careful selection of topics (and sources) plays a crucial role in success.

If you are lucky, a quick overview of the above topics may help you get at 15-20 questions in the next UPSC Prelims. Considering 2 marks for each question, learning these topics may boost your Prelims score by 30-40 marks. All the best!

PS: Let me know in the comment section if this post helped.