OPSC OAS Prelims 2026 Question Paper and Answer Key, Download PDF

OPSC OAS Prelims 2026 exam for the 2025–26 cycle is scheduled to be held on Jun 7, 2026. The examination will be conducted in two shifts. General Studies Paper I will be held from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM, and General Studies Paper II will be conducted from 01:30 PM to 03:30 PM.

OPSC OAS Prelims Paper I Subject-wise Weightage

OPSC OAS Prelims Paper II Subject-wise Weightage

OPSC OAS Prelims Paper I Analysis

Polity and Governance

Polity is one of the most important and scoring areas in the OPSC OAS Prelims exam. Questions are usually based on the Constitution, Fundamental Rights, Directive Principles of State Policy, Parliament, President, Governor, Judiciary, Panchayati Raj, constitutional bodies, and public administration. Candidates should also revise recent governance-related developments, especially those related to Odisha.

Geography and Environment

Geography and Environment together form a significant part of Paper I. Candidates should focus on Indian geography, physical features, climate, rivers, minerals, soils, forests, biodiversity, environmental conventions, protected areas, and climate change. For Odisha-specific preparation, important topics include rivers, mineral resources, agriculture, forests, cyclones, natural disasters, and major geographical features of the state.

History and Odisha GK

History questions generally cover ancient, medieval, and modern India, with special emphasis on the Indian National Movement. For OPSC OAS, Odisha history and culture are equally important. Aspirants should prepare topics such as the Kalinga empire, Odisha’s role in the freedom movement, temples, art and architecture, festivals, literature, tribal communities, and prominent personalities of the state.

Economy and Social Development

The Economy section mainly checks conceptual understanding and awareness of recent developments. Important topics include GDP, inflation, banking, budget, taxation, poverty, unemployment, planning, fiscal policy, monetary policy, and welfare schemes. Candidates should also study Odisha’s economy, state budget, agriculture, industries, mining sector, and development programmes.

Current Affairs

Current affairs questions may be asked from national, international, and Odisha-specific events. Aspirants should cover government schemes, reports and indexes, awards, sports, science and technology, environment, appointments, and major policy decisions. Revising at least one year of current affairs can help candidates perform better in this section.

General Science and Technology

This section includes basic concepts from Physics, Chemistry, Biology, health, diseases, space technology, biotechnology, inventions, and recent scientific developments. Most questions are factual or application-based, so candidates should focus on NCERT-level concepts along with important current updates from science and technology.

Overall Difficulty Level of OPSC OAS Prelims

Based on previous year trends, candidates should give more attention to Polity, Geography, Economy, Environment, Current Affairs, and Odisha GK for Paper I. Since GS Paper I plays an important role in shortlisting candidates for the next stage, accuracy is very important. Paper II should also be practised consistently, as candidates need to qualify it to move ahead in the selection process.