Download previous year papers from the body that set the exam: NTA for JEE Main, NEET and CUET, UPSC for civil services, NDA and CDS, CBSE for board papers, the organising IIT or IISc for GATE, and each exam's own portal for the rest. Each year page on this site links the official file and archive, so you can confirm a paper is genuine before you practise it.
Rule
Get papers from the body that set the exam. Start on the exam year page on this site, which links the official file and the official archive, then confirm anything important on the conducting body’s own portal.
Search “previous year paper PDF” and you get pages of coaching sites, each with its own retyped version, watermark and answer key. Some are faithful copies. Others mix shifts, carry typing errors in numbers, or include memory-based questions without saying so. The official file is usually free and only a few clicks deeper, but conducting-body portals are not easy to navigate and they get redesigned. This guide maps where each body usually posts papers, keys and response sheets, how to check a file is genuine, and what to do when there is no official paper at all.
What “official” files exist
| File | What it is | Who usually publishes it |
|---|---|---|
| Question paper | The paper as set, often per shift, set code or paper code | UPSC, GATE, JEE Advanced, CBSE, NTA (varies by exam and year) |
| Provisional or tentative key | The body’s first answers, open to challenge | NTA, SSC, RRB, GATE, CAT, UPSC (Prelims, from 2026) |
| Final key | Answers used for results, after challenges | Most bodies that publish a provisional key |
| Response sheet | Your own recorded answers in a CBT, in your login | NTA, SSC, RRB, GATE, CAT, XAT |
| Marking scheme | Value points examiners use for subjective answers | CBSE |
| Syllabus and bulletin | Pattern, marking and syllabus for the cycle | Every conducting body |
The response sheet is personal and only available to candidates who sat the exam. Everything else in this table is meant for the public once it is released. How the provisional key, challenge window and final key fit together is covered in memory-based vs official papers.
Portal map by exam
Menu names below are typical, not guaranteed. Portals get redesigned, and the location can change between cycles. If a menu has moved, look for words like “previous question papers”, “archive”, “answer key” or “candidate activity”.
| Exam | Official portal | Where to look |
|---|---|---|
| JEE Main | jeemain.nta.nic.in (NTA) | Answer keys and the question paper with recorded responses appear in the candidate login during the challenge window. Public notices and final keys are listed on the site’s news and notices section |
| NEET UG | neet.nta.nic.in (NTA) | Provisional key and challenge link in the candidate activity area; final key and notices on the home page. Look for question papers by booklet code alongside the key |
| CUET UG | cuet.nta.nic.in (NTA) | Provisional key and recorded responses in the candidate login; syllabus PDFs per subject on the site |
| JEE Advanced | jeeadv.ac.in (organising IIT for that year) | An archive section lists Paper 1 and Paper 2 for past years. Keys appear on the current year’s site after the exam |
| GATE | Organising IIT’s GATE site, for example gate2027.iitm.ac.in for GATE 2027 | A previous question papers or archive page by paper code; response sheet in the application portal (GOAPS); keys after the exam |
| UPSC CSE, NDA, CDS | upsc.gov.in | Examinations menu: previous question papers (with an archive filter by exam), and answer keys. Prelims provisional keys are released after the exam from 2026; final keys after the process ends |
| SSC CGL, CHSL and others | ssc.gov.in | Tentative keys, response sheets and challenge link through the candidate login; notices list each key. Full public question papers are not posted for every exam |
| IBPS PO, Clerk | ibps.in | Notifications, pattern and results per CRP. Full question papers are generally not published |
| SBI PO, Clerk | sbi.bank.in careers page (sbi.co.in redirects) | Current openings and notifications. Full question papers are generally not published |
| RBI Grade B | rbi.org.in, Opportunities at RBI section | Advertisements, syllabus and results. Check the vacancy page for any previous papers it lists for that recruitment |
| RRB NTPC and others | rrb.indianrailways.gov.in and your regional RRB site | Answer key, response sheet and question paper through the link on the regional sites during the objection window |
| CBSE Class 10 and 12 | cbse.gov.in and cbseacademic.nic.in | Question papers and marking schemes by year on cbse.gov.in; current sample papers and curriculum on cbseacademic.nic.in |
| CAT | iimcat.ac.in (convening IIM for that year) | Response sheet and provisional key in the candidate login after the exam, with an objection window. Question papers have been posted publicly in some years |
| XAT | xatonline.in (XLRI) | Key, question paper and response sheet for candidates after the exam; in recent years the key has covered selected sections only |
| SNAP | snaptest.org (Symbiosis) | Results and notices. Reports say no official answer key has been released in recent cycles, so most SNAP papers in circulation are memory-based |
The organising institute for GATE and JEE Advanced, and the convening IIM for CAT, rotates each year. Older papers may sit on an older institute’s site. Your exam hub on this site collects them, for example GATE, JEE Advanced and CAT.
Using the year pages on this site
- Open the exam hub, for example UPSC CSE, GATE CS or CBSE Class 12.
- Pick a year, such as
/upsc-cse/2024/or/gate/2025/. - Use the download box at the top of the page. It links the conducting body’s file and names the official source.
- If you need another shift, set or language, use the official archive link on the same page.
- Read the paper analysis and attempt plan on that page before you sit the paper, then check marking rules against the syllabus and pattern page for your exam.
How to check a file is genuine
- Source domain. Government and institute portals end in .gov.in, .nic.in or .ac.in, or are the exam’s named site listed in the official notification. A file from any other site is a copy, even if it is accurate.
- Header and instructions. Official papers carry the exam name, date, shift or set code, and the instructions page. Coaching copies often drop the instructions and add their own logo.
- Question count and order. Compare with the pattern in the bulletin. A paper with too many or too few questions may mix shifts.
- Answers. Check five or six answers against the final key. If several differ, the copy has errors or a coaching key.
- Paper code. For GATE, NEET booklet codes and SSC shifts, make sure the code on the file is the one you mean to sit.
When there is no official paper
Bank exams, SNAP and some years of other exams have little or no official paper. In that case:
- Use the official notification for pattern, sections, timing and marking.
- Use memory-based papers from the latest cycle for question style, tagged as memory-based in your error log.
- Use official papers from a sibling exam for practice where syllabi overlap, for example quant and reasoning across bank and SSC exams (bank exam PYQ plan).
- Do not build topic-frequency counts from memory-based material alone.
Keep your files organised
Name each file the same way: exam_year_shift-or-code_type.pdf, for example gate_2025_CS_paper.pdf and gate_2025_CS_key.pdf. Keep the paper, the final key and your attempt sheet together. When you finish a paper, move it to a “done” folder with its error log. This keeps you from downloading 50 PDFs and sitting none of them.
Common mistakes
- Downloading the whole archive first. Download one paper, sit it, review it, then download the next (how many years of PYQs).
- Mixing paper codes or shifts. Especially in GATE and SSC, one sitting should be one code or one shift.
- Trusting a coaching key over the final key. If they differ, the final key wins.
- Forgetting your response sheet. If you sat the exam, download it before the login closes.
- Following a link from a forum post or message to an “official” portal. Type the portal address yourself or use the one in the official notification.
FAQ
Where should I download previous year question papers?
From the conducting body: NTA exam sites for JEE Main, NEET and CUET, upsc.gov.in for UPSC exams, the organising IIT for GATE and JEE Advanced, cbse.gov.in for board papers. On this site, each exam year page links the official file and the official archive.
What if the official PDF link is broken?
Portals move files when they are redesigned. Open the archive or previous papers section of the same portal and pick the year again. For papers an organising institute no longer hosts, the year page on this site may link an archived copy of the original official page.
Why can I not find official papers for bank exams?
IBPS, SBI and most bank recruiters rarely publish full question papers. What circulates is mostly memory-based. Use it for practice, label it as memory-based, and rely on the official notification for pattern and marking.
How do I know a PDF is the real official paper?
Check where it came from (the conducting body domain), whether it carries the exam name, date, shift or set code and the official instructions page, and whether its answers match the official key. A coaching logo or watermark means it is a copy.
Are coaching PDF banks OK?
As a backup, yes, if they reproduce the official paper. For scoring, wording and answers, check against the official paper and final key wherever they exist.