{"id":349,"date":"2026-06-27T07:16:59","date_gmt":"2026-06-27T07:16:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/yashkumawat.online\/?p=349"},"modified":"2026-06-27T07:17:04","modified_gmt":"2026-06-27T07:17:04","slug":"how-many-upsc-prelims-mock-tests-should-you-give","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yashkumawat.online\/?p=349","title":{"rendered":"How Many Mock Tests Are Enough for UPSC Prelims?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"How<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

how many questions should you attempt?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Let’s get straight to the point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is NO Fixed number. Nor is there any guarantee that if you give a 100 mock tests you will definitely clear Prelims<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Doesn\u2019t mean you don\u2019t give tests at all. There\u2019s a base.
Minimum number of tests
The magic numbers is 15 or 20.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"How<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What is this magic number?
It\u2019s a simple breakup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2 section tests per subject – His, Pol, Eco, Env, Geo, S&T – for a total of 12.
At least 3 full tests.
How many total tests you give will vary based on how you score on those 15 tests. But that\u2019s the base line for you to start from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You mean to tell me I can get by with just 15 tests?
NO. But by giving those 15 tests you will know how many more you need to give.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not scoring well in the 15 tests? Review, revise and give more tests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reviewing Tests
That\u2019s the important part. You review process is what will make the difference between getting 60-80 marks and crossing the 100 barrier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Focus on learning from your mistakes, not on how many tests you should give or how often you should give them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Which brings us to the next big Question.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How many questions should you attempt?
Like with the previous Q there is a base here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These were the cutoffs for Prelims<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Year | Cutoff | Min Q attempts<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2017 | 105.34 | 53<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2018 | 98 | 50<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2019 | 98 | 50<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2020 | 98 | 50<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2021 | 92 +\/- 2 | 47<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s the absolute minimum number of Qs you needed to clear Prelims in each of those years. Assuming a 100% accuracy rate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beyond that the exact number depends on these factors:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your knowledge
Your accuracy
Difficulty of the exam
1 and 2 are in your control. You can always read\/revise more and increase your knowledge and reduce errors by effective review.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But 3 is not in your control. Yet it\u2019s an important factor in determining how many questions you should attempt. If the exam is difficult – reduce attempts. If the exam is easy – attempt more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How do you know whether the exam is easy or hard?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Exercising your judgement.
This is where you judgement comes in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ve given 5-10 mock tests already. You have a sense of whether a Q is easy or hard. If the paper is full of hard Qs then the paper is hard and if it\u2019s full of easy Qs then it\u2019s easy. If you been preparing seriously then you should be comfortable with what Qs you find easy\/hard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because in the exam hall, no one will come to tell you whether it\u2019s an easy paper or a hard paper. You will be by yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s the point of this post, to help you build your judgement on the question of how many tests should you give. To help you understand that you can get lost in the numbers and lose sight of the larger goal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Numbers are helpful only up to a point. Beyond that, it\u2019s your judgement that matters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Best of luck!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tagged in:\u00a0UPSC Preparation<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

how many questions should you attempt? Let’s get straight to the point. There is NO Fixed number. Nor is there any guarantee that if you give a 100 mock tests…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-349","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"yoast_head":"\nHow Many Mock Tests Are Enough for UPSC Prelims? - YASH KUMAWAT<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Learn how many UPSC Prelims mock tests you should give to improve accuracy, boost confidence, and maximize your exam score.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/yashkumawat.online\/?p=349\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How Many Mock Tests Are Enough for UPSC Prelims? 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