PSIR OPTIONAL Previous Year Questions

Political Science & International Relations (PSIR) Optional – Previous Year Questions (Up to 2025)

Political Science & International Relations (PSIR) is one of the most popular optional subjects in the UPSC Civil Services Examination due to its conceptual depth, dynamic relevance, and strong linkage with General Studies Papers II and IV, Essay, and Current Affairs.
To support focused and exam-oriented preparation, we provide topic-wise Previous Year Questions (PYQs) of PSIR Optional from the last 30 years, up to 2025, arranged separately for Paper I and Paper II.

Practicing PYQs up to 2025 helps aspirants to:

• Understand UPSC’s analytical and conceptual demand
• Identify frequently repeated and high-weightage topics
• Improve answer writing with theory–current affairs linkage
• Develop political and international perspectives