Skip to content
PYQSathi

UPSC SO/Steno LDCE Previous Year Question Papers

Combined Section Officers' (Grade 'B') and Combined Stenographers' (Grade 'B'/Grade 'I') Limited Departmental Competitive Examination

Union Public Service Commission42 papers · 2017–2025Verified 10 Oct 2026
Browse Previous Year PapersOfficial website

Papers by year

All 42 papers

About UPSC SO/Steno LDCE

UPSC holds these limited departmental examinations to promote serving staff of the central secretariat services to the Section Officers' Grade (Categories I, II, III, VIII, X and XI) and to the Private Secretary/Grade 'B' level of the stenographers' services (Categories IV, V, VI, VII and IX); outside candidates cannot apply. The 2025 round, held on 13 and 14 December 2025, combined the Section Officers' LDCE 2025 with the Stenographers' LDCE for 2019, 2020 and 2021. Candidates write three papers, and stenographer categories also take a qualifying shorthand test.

Stages & subjects

  1. 1

    Written Examination

    Paper I General Studies, Constitution, machinery of government, parliamentary procedure and RTI Act (objective); Paper II Procedure and Practice by category (objective); Paper III Noting and Drafting, Précis Writing (descriptive)

  2. 2

    Shorthand Test

    Qualifying shorthand test in Hindi or English at 100 words per minute for candidates competing for the stenographer Categories IV, V, VI, VII and IX

General Studies and General Knowledge of the Constitution of IndiaMachinery of Government, Practice and Procedures in ParliamentRight to Information Act, 2005Procedure and Practice in the Government of India Secretariat and attached officesGeneral Financial and Service RulesNoting and DraftingPrécis Writing

Exam pattern

Summarised from the official notification. Patterns change; confirm in the latest notice.

StagePattern
Written ExaminationPaper I General Studies and General Knowledge of Constitution of India and Machinery of Govt., Practice and Procedures in Parliament and Knowledge of RTI Act, 2005: objective, 150 marks, 2 hours. Paper II Procedure and Practice in the Government of India Secretariat and attached offices and General Financial and Service Rules (set separately for the relevant categories of services): objective, 150 marks, 2 hours. Paper III Noting and Drafting, Précis Writing: subjective, 200 marks, 3 hours. The 2026 notice states there is a penalty (negative marking) for wrong answers in the objective papers; the 2025 Paper I and Paper II booklets each had 120 items printed in Hindi and English, with one-third of a question's marks deducted for a wrong answer.Time table of the Combined SOs' (Gr. 'B') LDCE 2025 and Combined Stenos' LDCE 2019, 2020 & 2021; negative marking from the SO LDCE 2026 notice (16.09.2026) · source
Shorthand TestQualifying shorthand test in Hindi or English at 100 w.p.m. for all candidates competing for Categories IV, V, VI, VII and IX; held on 20, 27 and 28 December 2025 in batches for the 2025 roundTime table of the Combined SOs' (Gr. 'B') LDCE 2025 and Combined Stenos' LDCE 2019, 2020 & 2021 · source

Preparing with UPSC SO/Steno LDCE papers

  • Start with the most recent paper (2025) to see the current style, then work backwards.
  • Practise each stage separately: Written Examination, Shorthand Test.
  • Re-check the syllabus in the latest notification before relying on older papers.

FAQs

Where can I download UPSC SO/Steno LDCE previous year papers?

PYQSathi lists 42 UPSC SO/Steno LDCE papers from 2017 to 2025, each linked to its official source. Open the paper library above and pick a year.

Who conducts UPSC SO/Steno LDCE?

UPSC SO/Steno LDCE is conducted by the Union Public Service Commission. Notifications, dates and results are published on its official website.

Is this information official?

No. PYQSathi is independent. We summarise official documents and link to them, last checked 10 Oct 2026. Always confirm on the official website before applying.

Official sources

Last verified 10 Oct 2026. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.

Related exams

  • UPSC CSE

    Union Public Service Commission

    The Civil Services Examination is UPSC's annual three-stage recruitment for the IAS, IPS, Indian Foreign Service, the Indian Revenue Services and oth…

    1435 papers · up to 2026View Papers

  • UPSC IFoS

    Union Public Service Commission

    The Indian Forest Service Examination recruits officers for the all-India forest service. It has no separate preliminary paper: candidates apply for…

    300 papers · up to 2025View Papers

  • UPSC Geo-Scientist

    Union Public Service Commission

    The Combined Geo-Scientist Examination is held by UPSC to recruit geologists, geophysicists and chemists for the Geological Survey of India and hydro…

    129 papers · up to 2026View Papers

  • UPSC Recruitment Tests

    Union Public Service Commission

    Besides its named examinations, UPSC fills many Group A and Group B posts by recruitment by selection, and where a post draws many applicants it hold…

    121 papers · up to 2026View Papers
UPSC SO/Steno LDCE Previous Year Question Papers 2017–2025 PDF | PYQSathi