Guides for exam previous year questions only: how to practise papers, how many years to cover, when to go topic-wise vs full-paper, and how to treat memory-based sets. For company interviews or campus OA prep, use interviewquestions.app or placementpapers.app.
Most aspirants do not lack papers. They lack a routine: papers get downloaded, half-solved without a timer, and checked against the key without a review. These guides fix that in two layers. The methodology guides set one loop that works for any exam: timed attempt, same-day analysis, targeted repair, re-solve. The exam-family guides adapt that loop to how each exam is actually set and scored, such as shift normalisation in JEE Main and SSC, sectional timers in CAT and bank prelims, statement-based questions in UPSC, and marking schemes in CBSE boards.
Which guide do you need?
| If this sounds like you | Start with |
|---|---|
| ”I have never sat a full paper under a timer.” | 30-day beginner PYQ plan |
| ”I solve papers but my score does not move.” | How to analyse a previous year paper |
| ”I don’t know how far back to go.” | How many years of PYQs |
| ”One subject or section keeps leaking marks.” | Topic-wise vs year-wise PYQs |
| ”I’m not sure the PDF I found is genuine.” | Download official papers and Memory-based vs official papers |
| ”I’ve run out of papers, or the exam is close.” | Mocks vs previous year papers |
Start here
- 30-day beginner PYQ plan - First-month calendar if you are new to timed papers.
- How to use previous year papers - Timed attempt and review loop.
- How to analyse a previous year paper - Same-day checklist after you sit a paper.
- How to download official previous year papers - Conducting-body PDFs without random zip banks.
- Mocks vs previous year papers - When to add mocks without crowding out PYQs.
Exam-family strategy
School boards and entrance tests
- CBSE board PYQ strategy - Class 10 and 12 papers with sample papers and marking schemes.
- CUET PYQ strategy - Domain subjects, language and general test practice.
- JEE Main & Advanced PYQ strategy - Shift papers, percentiles and Advanced multi-correct discipline.
- NEET PYQ strategy - NCERT-close Biology, Physics timing and negative marks.
MBA and postgraduate
- CAT PYQ strategy - Slot papers, sectional timers and DILR set selection.
- CAT vs XAT vs SNAP - How practice differs across the three tests.
- GATE PYQ strategy - Paper codes, MCQ/MSQ/NAT marking and the virtual calculator.
Government jobs
- UPSC PYQ strategy - Prelims elimination, CSAT and Mains answer-writing from PYQs.
- SSC CGL & CHSL PYQ strategy - Shift papers, static GK repeats and English drills.
- RRB NTPC PYQ strategy - CBT 1 and CBT 2 shift papers.
- Bank exam PYQ plan - IBPS and SBI prelims and mains, mostly memory-based sets.
- RBI Grade B PYQ strategy - Phase 1, ESI and F&M, descriptive English.
Defence
- NDA PYQ strategy - Maths and GAT papers with negative marking.
- CDS PYQ strategy - English, GK and Elementary Maths by entry.
Methodology guides
- How many years of PYQs - Depth vs recency for timed practice.
- Topic-wise vs year-wise PYQs - When to repair chapters vs run full papers.
- Memory-based vs official papers - Interim sets, keys, and when to reconcile.
How to use this hub
- Pick the guide that matches your bottleneck (onboarding, year depth, topic repair, or official-source hygiene).
- Open your exam hub’s previous year papers and syllabus pages while you work through the guide.
- Log misses the same day; repair logged topics before the next full paper.
Questions or corrections: Contact · Editorial notes: Editorial process.