How to crack UPSC Civil Services Prelims Exam in First Attempt?
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NEW DELHI: The Union Public Service Commission is going to conduct the Civil Services (Preliminary) examination on May 31, 2020.
The exam will be conducted for the candidates who have successfully deposited their application fees online for the test.
Attempts at Civil Services Examination
As a candidate is permitted six attempts at the examination, every candidate wants to clear the examination in his/her first attempt. So, clearing Civil Services prelims exam is not very difficult, if you plan to crack it.
Every candidate appearing at the examination, who is otherwise eligible, shall be permitted six attempts at the examination
You need proper planning, better understanding of the syllabus for hitting the bull’s eye in the very first attempt.
The Civil Services Examination will consist of two successive stages
(i) Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination (Objective type) for the selection of candidates for the Main Examination; and
(ii) Civil Services (Main) Examination (Written and Interview) for the selection of candidates for the various Services and posts.
Plan of Examination
The Preliminary Examination will consist of two papers of Objective type (multiple choice questions) and carry a maximum of 400 marks in the subjects set out in sub-section (A) of Section II. This examination is meant to serve as a screening test only; the marks obtained in the Preliminary Examination by the candidates who are declared qualified for admission to the Main Examination will not be counted for determining their final order of merit. The number of candidates to be admitted to the Main Examination will be about twelve to thirteen times the total approximate number of vacancies to be filled in the year through this examination.
Only those candidates who are declared by the Commission to have qualified in the Preliminary Examination in the year will be eligible for admission to the Main Examination of that year provided they are otherwise eligible for admission to the Main Examination.
Pattern of the Civil Services Preliminary Examination
According to the revised pattern of UPSC exams, there are two papers for the civil services prelims – general studies (GS) paper I and CSAT (Civil services Aptitude Test) paper II.
Syllabi for the Civil Services Preliminary examination
Preliminary Examination
Paper I - (200 marks)
Duration: Two hours
* Current events of national and international importance.
* History of India and Indian National Movement.
* Indian and World Geography-Physical, Social, Economic Geography of India and the World.
* Indian Polity and Governance-Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues, etc.
* Economic and Social Development-Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives, etc.
* General issues on Environmental ecology, Biodiversity and Climate Change - that do not require subject specialization.
* General Science.
Paper II will also be of 200 marks and the duration of the paper will be two hours
* Comprehension;
* Interpersonal skills including communication skills;
* Logical reasoning and analytical ability;
* Decision making and problem solving;
* General mental ability;
* Basic numeracy (numbers and their relations, orders of magnitude, etc.) (Class X level), Data interpretation (charts, graphs, tables, data sufficiency etc. — Class X level).
Paper-II of the Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination will be a qualifying paper with minimum qualifying marks fixed at 33%. The questions will be of multiple choice, objective type.
It is mandatory for the candidate to appear in both the Papers of Civil Services (Prelim) Examination for the purpose of evaluation. Therefore a candidate will be disqualified in case he/she does not appear in both the papers of Civil Services (Prelim) Examination.
How to Crack IAS in First Attempt?
Study as per the syllabus
Candidates, who are going to appear for the Civil Services Preliminary Examination, must have clear understanding about the UPSC prelims syllabus. The Preliminary Examination will consist of two papers of Objective type (multiple choice questions) and carry a maximum of 400 marks. As the prelims will be objective-type, candidates need not to go too much in details of the prelims. Candidates are advised to read NCERT books from Class 6-10 thoroughly and solve previous years’ questions.
Clear your Basics
Candidates should focus on strengthening their basic knowledge rather than just understanding the entire subject. For this they know very sources of information, but they should not get confused by referring to so many books.
Current Affairs
Candidates are advised to read one or two good newspapers daily. Also, browse important news and feature website once or twice in a day. Read current affairs magazines to keep yourself updated. There are some applications available on mobile phones through which you can play current affairs quiz.
Mock test
By solving the previous years’ papers candidates not only understand the level of the examination but also learn how to manage the time in the examination hall. It also gives them a clear idea of which section is to be attempted first in the exam.
Revision
Revision is a must, whatever you have prepared so far, or you have notes for the exam, candidates need to revise the same at least for three to four times before appearing in the examination. It is important that no topic should be skipped while revising. Revise everything.
Aptitude test
For clearing the aptitude test you require intense practice. Main topics for aptitude test are - comprehension, mental ability, logical reasoning, etc.
Proper sleep
All the students should note that sleep deprivation will take you nowhere; so, sleep well on the eve of the examination and don't go through any book.
All the best!
The exam will be conducted for the candidates who have successfully deposited their application fees online for the test.
Attempts at Civil Services Examination
As a candidate is permitted six attempts at the examination, every candidate wants to clear the examination in his/her first attempt. So, clearing Civil Services prelims exam is not very difficult, if you plan to crack it.
Every candidate appearing at the examination, who is otherwise eligible, shall be permitted six attempts at the examination
You need proper planning, better understanding of the syllabus for hitting the bull’s eye in the very first attempt.
The Civil Services Examination will consist of two successive stages
(i) Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination (Objective type) for the selection of candidates for the Main Examination; and
(ii) Civil Services (Main) Examination (Written and Interview) for the selection of candidates for the various Services and posts.
Plan of Examination
The Preliminary Examination will consist of two papers of Objective type (multiple choice questions) and carry a maximum of 400 marks in the subjects set out in sub-section (A) of Section II. This examination is meant to serve as a screening test only; the marks obtained in the Preliminary Examination by the candidates who are declared qualified for admission to the Main Examination will not be counted for determining their final order of merit. The number of candidates to be admitted to the Main Examination will be about twelve to thirteen times the total approximate number of vacancies to be filled in the year through this examination.
Only those candidates who are declared by the Commission to have qualified in the Preliminary Examination in the year will be eligible for admission to the Main Examination of that year provided they are otherwise eligible for admission to the Main Examination.
Pattern of the Civil Services Preliminary Examination
According to the revised pattern of UPSC exams, there are two papers for the civil services prelims – general studies (GS) paper I and CSAT (Civil services Aptitude Test) paper II.
| Paper I | Paper II |
| Current events | Comprehension |
| Indian history | Interpersonal skills |
| Geography | Logical reasoning and analytical ability |
| Indian polity and governance | Decision making and problem solving |
| Economic and social development | Mental ability |
| Environment | Basic numeracy |
| General science | Data interpretation |
| English language comprehension |
Syllabi for the Civil Services Preliminary examination
Preliminary Examination
Paper I - (200 marks)
Duration: Two hours
* Current events of national and international importance.
* History of India and Indian National Movement.
* Indian and World Geography-Physical, Social, Economic Geography of India and the World.
* Indian Polity and Governance-Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues, etc.
* Economic and Social Development-Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives, etc.
* General issues on Environmental ecology, Biodiversity and Climate Change - that do not require subject specialization.
* General Science.
Paper II will also be of 200 marks and the duration of the paper will be two hours
* Comprehension;
* Interpersonal skills including communication skills;
* Logical reasoning and analytical ability;
* Decision making and problem solving;
* General mental ability;
* Basic numeracy (numbers and their relations, orders of magnitude, etc.) (Class X level), Data interpretation (charts, graphs, tables, data sufficiency etc. — Class X level).
Paper-II of the Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination will be a qualifying paper with minimum qualifying marks fixed at 33%. The questions will be of multiple choice, objective type.
It is mandatory for the candidate to appear in both the Papers of Civil Services (Prelim) Examination for the purpose of evaluation. Therefore a candidate will be disqualified in case he/she does not appear in both the papers of Civil Services (Prelim) Examination.
How to Crack IAS in First Attempt?
Study as per the syllabus
Candidates, who are going to appear for the Civil Services Preliminary Examination, must have clear understanding about the UPSC prelims syllabus. The Preliminary Examination will consist of two papers of Objective type (multiple choice questions) and carry a maximum of 400 marks. As the prelims will be objective-type, candidates need not to go too much in details of the prelims. Candidates are advised to read NCERT books from Class 6-10 thoroughly and solve previous years’ questions.
Clear your Basics
Candidates should focus on strengthening their basic knowledge rather than just understanding the entire subject. For this they know very sources of information, but they should not get confused by referring to so many books.
Current Affairs
Candidates are advised to read one or two good newspapers daily. Also, browse important news and feature website once or twice in a day. Read current affairs magazines to keep yourself updated. There are some applications available on mobile phones through which you can play current affairs quiz.
Mock test
By solving the previous years’ papers candidates not only understand the level of the examination but also learn how to manage the time in the examination hall. It also gives them a clear idea of which section is to be attempted first in the exam.
Revision
Revision is a must, whatever you have prepared so far, or you have notes for the exam, candidates need to revise the same at least for three to four times before appearing in the examination. It is important that no topic should be skipped while revising. Revise everything.
Aptitude test
For clearing the aptitude test you require intense practice. Main topics for aptitude test are - comprehension, mental ability, logical reasoning, etc.
Proper sleep
All the students should note that sleep deprivation will take you nowhere; so, sleep well on the eve of the examination and don't go through any book.
All the best!
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