BharatNotes ⚡ TL;DR
No fixed distribution, but Environment (13–19Q), Current Affairs (16–33Q), and Polity (11–16Q) are the biggest categories. Prepare all; prioritise Environment and CA for marginal gains.
Approximate question count by subject (2021–2025 analysis):
| Subject | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| History & Culture | 16 | 18 | 14 | 9 | 12 | 13.8 |
| Geography | 11 | 8 | 12 | 16 | 13 | 12.0 |
| Polity & Governance | 16 | 11 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 13.8 |
| Economy | 12 | 9 | 14 | 15 | 12 | 12.4 |
| Environment & Ecology | 19 | 16 | 18 | 13 | 16 | 16.4 |
| Science & Technology | 8 | 9 | 4 | 7 | 13 | 8.2 |
| Current Affairs | 18 | 29 | 23 | 27 | 20 | 23.4 |
Note: Exact counts vary by question classifier; above figures are indicative averages across major coaching analyses.
Key observations:
- Current Affairs is the most volatile and highest-count subject — skipping it is suicidal
- Environment has grown consistently — previously 8–10Q, now 13–19Q
- History has shifted: ancient/medieval declining; post-1857 modern history and art/culture increasing
- S&T is unpredictable — can be 4 or 13 questions
- Geography is stable and highly scorable (maps, rivers, climate — factual)
Preparation priority (effort-to-marks ratio):
- Polity (Laxmikanth — direct Q source, high ROI)
- Environment (Shankar IAS + UPSC questions pattern)
- Current Affairs (last 12–15 months)
- Geography (NCERT 6–12 + atlas)
- Economy (Ramesh Singh or NCERT + Budget/Economic Survey highlights)
- History (NCERT + Spectrum for Modern)
- S&T (The Hindu Science page + current affairs)
