MPPSC Previous Year Paper Guide

Prelims and mains formats behind the old papers

Prelims has two objective papers in Hindi and English. Your General Studies score alone sets the mains shortlist. Paper II, the General Aptitude Test, is qualifying, so you only need to cross its minimum. The Commission's revised scheme gives each question 3 marks and takes back 1 for a wrong answer; older papers were set under a 2 mark, no penalty system, so remember that when you compare old scores.

The written mains has six papers, of which four cover GS and two test Hindi language and drafting. All units are listed on our MPPSC syllabus page.

What an MPPSC previous year paper of prelims reveals

Published analyses of the most recent prelims put the spread of Paper I roughly like this. Treat it as a guide, not a fixed quota.

• State questions are specific. Expect the district of a monument, the dialect of a region, the year a scheme began, or which tribe performs a dance.
• Match the following and statement pairs appear often, so half knowledge rarely gets you through.
• Paper II sticks to comprehension, reasoning, class 10 arithmetic and Hindi passages; reviewers called it fairly gentle last time.

MPPSC mains previous year paper: how answers are asked

Mains papers mix short and long answers with fixed word limits, and the General Studies papers come in two parts that you must both attempt. Going through past mains papers shows three habits of the paper setter: questions that ask you to link a national theme with the state (a central scheme and its results in Madhya Pradesh), definitions followed by examples, and case studies in the ethics paper. In General Hindi, grammar items such as sandhi, samas and alankar come back every year, along with translation and drafting of an official letter.

Working through old papers with negative marking in mind

1. Solve one Paper I under time with a 2 hour timer, marking each question as sure, fifty fifty or guess.
2. Score it twice: once at 3 marks a right answer with 1 off per wrong one, and once counting only your sure answers. Comparing the two totals shows what your guesses are really worth.
3. Build a state error book. Each wrong state question becomes a one line fact under its district or topic.
4. Run Paper II separately every week or two, since failing the qualifying paper wastes a good Paper I.
5. For mains, pick one past question a day per GS paper and write it in the word limit, then compare with your notes rather than a model.

Practice questions in the MPPSC style

Every item here is fresh, modelled on the Bhopal commission's habits rather than lifted from a booklet.

1. Which river of Madhya Pradesh flows westward into the Arabian Sea? (a) Chambal (b) Betwa (c) Narmada (d) Son. Answer: (c)
2. The Bhimbetka rock shelters lie in which district? (a) Raisen (b) Sehore (c) Vidisha (d) Hoshangabad. Answer: (a)
3. Which is the most populous tribe of Madhya Pradesh as per the census? (a) Gond (b) Bhil (c) Baiga (d) Korku. Answer: (b)
4. Aptitude: 12 workers finish a job in 10 days. Working at the same rate, how long will 15 workers take? (a) 6 (b) 8 (c) 9 (d) 12 days. Answer: (b)
5. Mains style: Discuss how the Narmada basin supports agriculture and power in Madhya Pradesh. (Word limit: roughly 150.)

Where to find official papers and answer keys

Within a day or two of prelims, a provisional key for each booklet set goes up, opens a short objection window that needs certified references and a fee, and later publishes the final key. All of this sits in the notices and results area of mppsc.mp.gov.in. For the prelims of the 2024 cycle, held on 16 February 2025, keys for all four sets were posted there.

Related pages for your preparation

Pair this guide with the MPPSC syllabus and exam pattern so you know which unit each past question belongs to. Writing more than one state exam this season? Compare with UPPSC previous papers and UPSC previous papers. Every state commission we cover is gathered on the state exams page.