Cracking the highly competitive civil services exam is a daunting
task. A structured and focussed approach will help you attain your goal.
The Civil Services Examination is conducted by Union Public Services
Commission (UPSC) for recruitment to various Civil Services, including
Indian Administrative Services (IAS), Indian Foreign Services (IFS),
Indian Police Services (IPS), among others. The Indian Civil Servants
serve as the backbone of the administration that runs the country. India
is a country with the most diverse culture in the world, and the UPSC
demands officers who understand this diversity and are sensitive to the
various social needs.
It is a position that awards power and commands respect, but with it
comes great responsibility. The examination process is structured in
such a way that it handpicks those candidates who can apply their
knowledge and understanding in carrying out these responsibilities in
the most effective way.
Employing what is regarded as one of the toughest screening processes in
the world, the UPSC selects the Civil Servants through a three stage
process — the Preliminary examination, consisting of two objective-type
papers (General Studies and Aptitude Test), and the Mains examination,
consisting of nine papers of conventional (essay) type followed by the
Personality Test (Interview).
The new pattern for Prelims was introduced in 2011 — a twin paper
objective answer test on aptitude and awareness, which revolves around a
vast array of topics. The new pattern is designed to understand a
person’s analytical and reasoning skills rather than just testing
his/her ability to memorise and replicate.
Prelims Paper-I
Prelims Paper I tests your General Awareness and how connected you are
with the latest happenings around the world. Questions are usually
related to:
History of India and Indian National Movement; Current events of
National and international importance; Indian and World Geography -
Physical, Social, Economic Geography of India and the World; Economic
and Social Development — Sustainable development, Poverty, Inclusion,
Demographics, Social Sector initiatives; General issues on Environmental
Ecology, Bio-diversity and Climate Change; Indian Polity and Governance
— Constitution, Political system, Panchayati raj, Public policy, Rights
issues and General Science.
It is natural for a student to be overwhelmed by the syllabus of General
Studies paper-I. But, it has to be noted that the UPSC is moving away
from checking the rote capability of the students and instead has
started checking the analytical skills of the student. For example: 2011
saw a wave of protests with many following Gandhian ideologies of
Satyagraha. The 2012 Civil Services paper tried to test the candidates’
understanding of this issue and their opinion on the same by posing the
quesiton: “How are Gandhian Ideals like Satyagraha, Swadhinata and
Swaraj relevant to contemporary Indian Democracy?”
Prelims Paper-II
Prelims Paper II designed to test your skills in comprehension,
interpersonal skills, communication, logical reasoning, analytical
ability, decision making, problem solving, basic numeracy & data
interpretation. Broadly, around half the questions in the last two
years, were from Reading Comprehension and Verbal Ability. A good
percentage of the remaining questions test Logical Reasoning, Basic
Calculation, Quantitative Aptitude and Decision Making. Remember that an
aptitude paper always tests your inherent common sense. Thus,
performing well in this section is not contingent on the number of
arcane formulae a student memorises, but on the application of the logic
underlying each concept.
The Mains
Once you have cleared the Prelims, you become eligible for the ‘Mains’,
which is a true test of your in-depth knowledge and writing skills. It
consists of nine papers, two qualifying and seven ranking in nature. Out
of the seven ranking papers, four papers are from two optional subjects
that have to be selected from a pack of 26 subjects. There are
proposals to do away with these two optional subjects but it has not
been confirmed yet.
Candidates who pass the qualifying papers are screened according to
marks and selected candidates are called for an interview. The Interview
for the Civil Services is aimed at assessing whether a candidate is
suitable to be a competent administrator or not. It is not an assessment
of the specialised or general knowledge that has already been tested in
the Prelims and Mains, but the mental ability of the candidate which is
judged by the clarity of expression, appreciation of different points
of view, balance of judgment and leadership qualities.
The general tip passed on through civil service success stories revolves
around in-depth knowledge. Though there has been some paradigm shift in
terms of scoring in Prelims, thanks to the aptitude section, the trend
still continues with a traditional preparation for the general studies
in Prelims done hand in hand with the Mains along with its optional. It
therefore becomes easier to focus on the wide array of topics ranging
from History to Geography to Economic and Social Development, Polity and
Governance with current events and general science. This wide array
clubbed with the comprehension, reasoning, mental ability for numeracy
and the English language makes for a daunting task.
The exam has never been about remembering all topics but understanding concepts, and this has to be done smartly and swiftly.
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