UPSC Mains GS 3 Paper Analysis Previous Years helps aspirants understand trends, subject weightage, and difficulty level. UPSC Mains GS 3 Paper Analysis 2025: The General Studies Paper 3, also known as Paper IV, carries 250 marks and includes subjects like Economy, Agriculture, Internal Security, Environment, and Science & Technology.

This paper is often considered challenging due to its dynamic nature and the inclusion of current affairs-based questions. The PWOnlyIAS experts provided a detailed analysis of the GS 3 paper to help candidates evaluate their performance. Aspirants can also access the UPSC Mains GS 3 Paper 2025 PDF, along with insights from previous years’ papers, to strengthen preparation and tackle unexpected questions effectively.

UPSC Mains GS 3 Paper 2025 Analysis Overview

UPSC Mains GS Paper 3 is one of the nine papers candidates must attempt in the UPSC Mains Examination. It was conducted on August 24, 2025. The PWOnlyIAS experts released a detailed UPSC Mains GS 3 Paper 2025 Analysis to help aspirants with subject-wise trends and difficulty levels. Check the key highlights of GS Paper 3 in the table below.

UPSC Mains GS 3 Question Paper 2025 PDF

UPSC Mains GS 3 Paper Analysis Previous Years

UPSC Mains GS 3 paper includes subjects like Economy, Agriculture, Internal Security, Environment, and Science & Technology. The distribution of questions is not uniform across these areas. Aspirants can review the subject-wise weightage from the past few years by analyzing the graph below.

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UPSC Mains GS 3 Paper 2024 Analysis

UPSC mains GS 3 paper 2024 has been conducted on 22nd September 2024 from 9 am to 12 noon across 24 centers in India. The detailed analysis of UPSC mains GS 3 paper 2024 will be provided here after the exam. Analysis can help candidates understand the difficulty of the exam and subject-wise weightage and mark distribution. Check out the detailed analysis UPSC Mains GS 3 Paper 2024 Analysis provided by the PWOnlyIAS experts from here:

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UPSC Mains GS 3 Paper Analysis 2023

UPSC Mains GS 3 paper 2023 was held on 17th September 2023 from 9 am to 12 noon. The overall difficulty level of the GS 3 paper was between moderate and difficult.

• Almost all questions from science and technology were related to recent developments such as AI, digitization, UAVs, Chandrayaan-3 mission, etc.
• Questions from economic subjects were picked from current affairs, such as care economy, MSME, unemployment, agricultural growth, etc.
• Climate change was the central theme for disaster management as well as environment and ecology. The pollution theme was also part of the question paper.
• The subject of internal security, terror financing, border management, and the role of central investigative agencies were the themes asked in the exam.

 Marks Wise UPSC Mains GS 3 Paper Analysis

Marks-Wise UPSC Mains GS 3 Paper analysis helps students prepare for the UPSC Mains GS 3 paper by identifying the changing trends and emphasis on different topics over the years. For instance, the importance of Environment/Science and Technology/Disaster management has increased significantly, reaching 100 marks consistently from 2020 onwards, indicating a higher priority for these topics.

Question-Wise UPSC Mains GS 3 Paper Analysis

The Question-wise UPSC Mains GS 3 Paper analysis helps candidates preparing for the UPSC Mains GS 3 paper understand the distribution of questions across different topics over the years. It reveals trends consistently from 2020 to 2023, indicating the important questions:

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UPSC Mains GS 3 Paper Analysis Last Five Years

From the graph below, it is evident that all subjects are given similar weightage in the UPSC mains GS 3 paper. This means that equal importance has to be given to all subjects. A detailed breakdown of the subjects is given below.

UPSC GS Paper 3 Previous Year Papers 2018 to 2024

Aspirants gearing up for the UPSC Exam have the opportunity to access the GS Paper 3 questions from the previous year in PDF format for the last five years through the direct links presented below. Attempting these questions after thorough coverage of the UPSC Paper 3 syllabus can significantly boost your prospects of success.

The UPSC Mains GS 3 paper, with its 250-mark weightage, covers dynamic subjects like economy, science, technology, environment, and internal security. Candidates face the challenge of unexpected questions, often testing their grasp of current affairs. Interlinking between topics adds complexity, emphasizing the need for comprehensive preparation across all subjects to excel in this crucial examination segment.

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