KVPY Previous Year Question Papers

This page covers 23 papers spanning 2010 to 2020.

Practise opens the paper in an interactive online format where you can attempt questions and get instant results, while Download gives you a PDF version of the same paper to solve offline or print.

KVPY was a competitive exam, so it rewards more than knowing the syllabus: you also need speed, accuracy and the judgement to pick which questions to attempt first. Board-exam preparation already covers a good part of the syllabus, so the real gap is usually in applying it under time pressure. The most reliable way to close that gap is to solve PYQs regularly, along with full-length mock tests, and to review every mistake afterwards until the same kind of question stops costing you marks.

The Kishore Vaigyanik Protsahan Yojana (KVPY) aptitude test was conducted by IISc Bangalore for the Department of Science and Technology. The pattern of its last edition was as follows:

• Duration: 3 hours.
• Streams: SA (Class 11), SB (Class 12) and SX (Class 12 / first-year undergraduate).
• Questions: all multiple choice. Part I had 1-mark questions and Part II had 2-mark questions. SA candidates attempted all subjects (Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics and Biology), while SB and SX candidates chose three subjects in Part I and two in Part II.
• Marking scheme: Part I: +1 for a correct answer and −0.25 for an incorrect one. Part II: +2 for a correct answer and −0.5 for an incorrect one.
• Maximum marks: 100.
• Languages: English and Hindi.

Working through past papers helps in several ways:

• It shows you honestly where your preparation stands.
• It builds the habit of managing time across the paper.
• It sharpens accuracy, because you practise on the real question style.
• It reveals your strong and weak areas so you can plan revision.
• It points out which chapters and concepts carry the most weight.
• It makes the paper structure and difficulty level familiar before exam day.
• It exposes concepts and question types that keep coming back, so you can prioritise them.

The KVPY is no longer conducted, but its questions tested Class 11 and 12 Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics and Biology at a deeper level than board exams, so they remain useful practice for IAT, NEST, JEE and other science aptitude exams. MARKS lets you go through its previous year papers year by year or chapter by chapter, try questions in practice mode with instant feedback, and read the solutions to see the right approach.

No. The KVPY aptitude test was discontinued after 2021, when the Department of Science and Technology merged the scheme into INSPIRE. Its papers are still good practice for exams such as IAT, NEST and JEE.

KVPY was of 100 marks in total. Part I carried 60 marks (1 mark per question, −0.25 for a wrong answer) and Part II carried 40 marks (2 marks per question, −0.5 for a wrong answer). The split among Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics and Biology depended on the stream and the subjects a candidate chose.

Yes, in a limited way. its questions tested Class 11 and 12 Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics and Biology at a deeper level than board exams, so they remain useful practice for IAT, NEST, JEE and other science aptitude exams. Solving them also gives you practice in reading a question quickly and choosing an approach, which carries over to any entrance exam.

Several things make the KVPY demanding: a large number of candidates competing for a limited number of seats, a wide syllabus, and the pressure of solving accurately within the time limit. A few mistakes can cost a lot of rank, and the paper can feel different from one year to the next. The best answer to that is to prepare every chapter properly and to practise past papers so the format and difficulty feel familiar.

You can go through KVPY previous year question papers for free on this page of MARKS, arranged paper by paper with solutions. Downloadable PDFs, subject wise and year wise, are being added.

Yes. The KVPY papers on MARKS include worked solutions, so you can check your answer and see the reasoning behind it, not just the final option.

Yes. MARKS groups the KVPY previous year questions by chapter as well, so you can drill one topic at a time and spend more effort on your weaker chapters.

The most recent KVPY papers (2016–2020) are on this page, each with solutions. They are the best guide to the current difficulty level, recent trends and the topics asked most often.