It is important for a civil service aspirant to be aware of the UPSC Civil service Exam pattern. It is one of the toughest examinations in India. This prestigious examination is attempted by more than 5 lakh candidates every year. But only the best gets selected for the job vacancies. Being the guardian of merit, UPSC examines the candidates in three stages to select the best among the candidates. The three phases of the examination are prelims, mains, and the personality test (interview).
The period for the whole process extends to over a year i.e., between June month of a year to June month of the following year. But, in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic situation, the prelims examination in 2021 scheduled to be held on 27.06.2021 is postponed and will now be held on 10.10.2021. The UPSC Prelims 2021 Result is expected to be released in the month of November.
The preliminary exam demands a different approach due to heavy competition faced by aspirants from lakhs of candidates. Every UPSC-CSE aspirant must have his own strategy to get through this prestigious exam.
Tips to Crack IAS Prelims
Complete the Syllabus: Each and every portion should be thoroughly studied and understood. UPSC can ask questions from any portion of the syllabus. The type of questions and the number of questions asked is never predictable. For example, the number of questions asked from the Polity is 17 and many questions were asked from Ancient India in 2021. So it is advisable to cover the whole syllabus comprehensively.
Make Precise and Concise notes: The candidates must make their own proper notes covering important topics from current affairs and interlinking them with the static portion of the syllabus. Notes should be Precise and Concise so that it becomes easier for the aspirants to memorize.
Current Affairs coverage:The candidate should not deviate from the syllabus while preparing current affairs. It is better to confine yourself to the boundaries of the syllabus. It is important to cover One standard Newspaper, one monthly magazine, the gist of the Indian Year Book, Economic Survey, Budget, PIB, and Yojna. Too much diversity in study materials is not advisable as it will mess up the candidates’ entire preparation.
Revision: The syllabus should be properly studied and understood. The subjects with more data and facts must be revised as many times as possible before the examination. Revision should be reasonable and time-bound.
Mock Tests: Mock tests must be given in an exam type environment. A decent number of mock tests should be attempted to analyze preparation and time management. Joining any one standard test series is advisable and analysis after each test is a must exercise to continuously improve one’s performance.
CSAT: CSAT must be taken seriously. Aspirants who think that their performance in CSAT is not good enough must keep CSAT at par with General Studies. All the candidates irrespective of their educational background should take it seriously.
Previous years question papers: Previous years question papers will provide the candidates with a proper direction for their preparation. It helps in analysing the nature of questions asked in the exam. This also enhances the candidate’s ability to eliminate wrong options and pick the right ones.
All the above tips will help the candidate to clear the cut off in the preliminary examination. The UPSC Prelims Cut Off varies every year between 95 and 120 to Unreserved and OBC categories and between 80 and 100 to the SC/ST category. Hence it is necessary to score above 110 for unreserved and OBC candidates and above 95 for SC/St candidates to be on the safer side. Hard work, planning and practice are the three most important qualities to crack the preliminary examination.
