Electrical Engineering Optional PYQs Topic-wise for UPSC Mains (1995–2026) are listed below unit by unit, in the order of the official syllabus – 1987 questions in all. Click any unit to open all its previous year questions, arranged topic-wise with the latest first.
Paper I
| Unit | Topic (click to open PYQs) | Sub-topics | Questions | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Circuits—Theory | 8 | 144 | Click here → |
| 2 | Signals and Systems | 6 | 122 | Click here → |
| 3 | E.M. Theory | 3 | 134 | Click here → |
| 4 | Analog Electronics | 8 | 141 | Click here → |
| 5 | Digital Electronics | 7 | 106 | Click here → |
| 6 | Energy Conversion | 5 | 194 | Click here → |
| 7 | Power Electronics and Electric Drives | 5 | 140 | Click here → |
| 8 | Analog Communication | 5 | 148 | Click here → |
Trend: Paper I is spread almost evenly over its eight units: each takes between about 11% and 14% of the marks, both since 2013 and in the last five years, with Energy Conversion (14%), Circuits (13–14%) and Power Electronics and Drives (13–14%) slightly ahead. Within the units, network theorems (topic 1.3), the Laplace transform and transfer function (2.4), plane waves and boundary conditions (3.2), op-amp circuits (4.6), sequential circuits (5.4), DC and synchronous machines (6.2, 6.5) and drives, choppers and rectifiers (7.5, 7.3, 7.2) have been asked most often since 2013. In 2022–2026 nodal and mesh analysis (1.2), transients (1.4), amplifiers (4.4), combinational circuits (5.3) and synchronous machines (6.5) have come up more often.
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| Unit | Topic (click to open PYQs) | Sub-topics | Questions | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Control Systems | 6 | 186 | Click here → |
| 2 | Microprocessors and Microcomputers | 4 | 106 | Click here → |
| 3 | Measurement and Instrumentation | 5 | 146 | Click here → |
| 4 | Power Systems: Analysis and Control | 8 | 172 | Click here → |
| 5 | Power System Protection | 4 | 102 | Click here → |
| 6 | Digital Communication | 5 | 146 | Click here → |
Trend: Control Systems and Power Systems are the two largest units (about 20–23% each), followed by Digital Communication (about 18%), Measurement and Instrumentation (15–17%), Microprocessors (14–15%) and Power System Protection (9–10%). The most-asked topics since 2013 are frequency response and time-domain analysis in control (1.4, 1.2), instruction set and programming of microprocessors (2.2), transducers and measurement of electrical quantities (3.5, 3.2), transmission line performance (4.1) and fault analysis (4.6), circuit breakers (5.3) and error-control coding and pulse modulation (6.3, 6.1). In 2022–2026 transmission lines (4.1) have taken a clearly larger share of Power Systems, and information measure and source coding (6.4) has risen in Digital Communication.
More questions
Other questions (outside the present syllabus) – 140 questions
How this collection is organised
Considering the changing exam pattern over the years, we felt it necessary to declare some practices we’ve adopted in this collection.
Units follow the official syllabus – Paper 1: 1 Circuits—Theory, 2 Signals and Systems, 3 E.M. Theory, 4 Analog Electronics, 5 Digital Electronics, 6 Energy Conversion, 7 Power Electronics and Electric Drives, 8 Analog Communication; Paper 2: 1 Control Systems, 2 Microprocessors and Microcomputers, 3 Measurement and Instrumentation, 4 Power Systems: Analysis and Control, 5 Power System Protection, 6 Digital Communication. Each unit is divided here into numbered topics (for example Paper 1 – 6.5 Synchronous machines); where a unit has many questions, they are further divided by these topics.
Questions on areas the syllabus does not name separately are placed under the nearest topic: for example, semiconductor physics under devices (Paper 1 – 4.1); filter synthesis and S-parameters under two-port networks (1.1); network functions and poles and zeros under the Laplace transform (2.4); traction drives under electric drives (7.5); in Paper 2, stepper motors and synchros under control system components (1.1), instrumentation amplifiers and data acquisition under electronic instruments (3.4), series and shunt compensation under voltage control (4.4), tariffs under economic operation (4.5), and travelling waves and surge protection under apparatus protection (5.4).
Until about 2007 the two papers followed an older syllabus, and some subjects (for example electrical machines, measurements or communication) appeared in the other paper. Such questions of 1995–2007 are placed under the topic of the present syllabus, even when that topic is now in the other paper; Part III shows each paper as set. From 2009 every question is kept in its own paper.
Questions on subjects no longer in the syllabus (for example antennas and propagation, radar, television, satellite and optical-fibre communication, microwave tubes, electrical materials and utilisation) are placed at the end of each paper under “Other Questions (Outside the Present Syllabus)”.
Some questions cover more than one topic. We’ve kept such questions in each topic of relevance.
Every figure printed with a question is given as a complete description in square brackets – [Figure: …] – with every element, value, node, polarity, label and connection shown, so that the question can be solved from the description. Standard tables attached to a paper are not reproduced.
Graphs at the start of each paper show the weightage of every unit in that paper, and graphs for each unit show the weightage of its topics. Weightage is the share of marks asked from a unit or topic, compared for 2013–2026 (white bars) and the last five years, 2022–2026 (black bars). A question placed under two topics has its marks split equally between them.
Each of the topicwise question is suffixed by a question code like this [2024/20m/2a]. This code indicates a) year in which the question was asked, b) maximum marks the question carried, c) prescribed word limit (where UPSC set one, e.g. 200w) and, d) the question number in actual paper, in given order.
Until 2012, each paper carried 300 marks (60 per question); since 2013 each paper carries 250 marks (50 per question). Where a compulsory question offered more parts than were to be answered (“any three” of four), every part is included with its own marks. Where a retyped copy of an older paper prints no marks for a part, the code carries the marks implied by the question. In 1995–1999 Paper 2 had a third section (Q9–Q12), shown as Section C in Part III.
2016–2026 papers are transcribed from the official UPSC question papers, 2009–2015 from scans of the printed papers, and 1995–2007 from retyped copies (for most of these years only one copy could be found). The 2008 papers could not be found in any source and are not included. Doubtful readings in the older copies are marked [?].
The wording, figures and data of the questions are as printed, including the papers’ own grammar and apparent misprints such as wrong units.
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We classify every PYQ with care, but mistakes can slip in. If a question is in the wrong topic, has a typo, the wrong year, or is missing, let us know. We review every report and update the page.
Report an ErrorLast updated: 30 October 2026