UPSC conducts the civil services examination in three phase, viz; preliminary. mains, and interview. Each one of these is designed to test certain traits in the aspiring candidates which is briefly explained in the notification issued by UPSC itself. Thus, the primary objective of conducting the prelims exam is to test basic, fundamental knowledge of the candidates in subjects of general interest like history, geography, polity, economy current issues etc. Along with this, the aptitude is also sought to be tested by the CSAT paper in the prelims exam. Over the years , prelims has become highly unpredictable due to constant experimentation done by UPSC to surprise the students with unexpected questions. It has emerged as an exam where not only knowledge is tested , but your strategy to score enough marks to get past the cut –off limit is also put on test.
However, the main exam is quite different from the prelims exam in so many ways. For the mains, you know the areas of study fairly well from where questions are going to be asked, There is no mystery about the mains question paper and there is no surprise element involved in the main exam unlike the prelims exam. Apart from four GS Papers, i.e., GS-I, GS-II, GS-3, and GS-IV, there is a separate essay paper also Thus, four GS papers and the essay paper account for 1250 marks in the main exam. Then, there is a compulsory language test comprising English and any Indian language included in the 8th schedule of the constitution. These language papers are of qualifying nature and one needs just to obtain the qualifying percentage in these language papers, i.e., 35% marks. It should be noted that the marks obtained in the language papers are not counted along with other papers. Finally, there is an optional paper that a candidate has to select out of the choices offered by UPSC. Almost all popular subjects taught in Indian universities are available to choose from , except some papers like, computer science, etc.
Thus, the scheme of the main examination includes four GS papers, one essay paper, two language test papers and one optional paper. A total of 1750 marks are allotted to these papers .No doubt, mains exam is the decisive exam in the civil services as it carries maximum number of marks. In the final stage, which is called the personality test, those who qualify in the main exam have to appear before an interview board at UPSC. The IAS interview carries 275 marks. The final results are declared on the basis of marks obtained in the main exam and the personality test. The grand total of marks thus is 1750+275=2025. In order to get selected, a candidate is required to obtain at least 40-45 percent marks of this total. Needless to say that for the top posts of IAS, IPS, IFS, you need to secure 45% and above marks.
When to start preparing for IAS exam?
Though there is no single starting point for this exam and people begin their preparations at their own convenient time, an early start is highly recommended given the long preparation time consumed in commanding the entire syllabus. Ideally, a candidate must take a firm decision to appear in this exam at the school level itself. Since the school level syllabus of subjects like history, geography, economics and political science form the backbone of the material tested by UPSC, it helps to have a solid foundation.
Further, current affairs is the backbone of the civil services exam and it takes a very long time to comprehend current affairs which is very diverse and the candidates have little knowledge of many current issues. Newspaper reading, magazine reading, making notes on current issues on daily basis are habits that must be cultivated from an early age. Similarly, for interview also, you can not change your personality overnight. It is a matter of cultivation of leadership qualities, communication skills, projection of personality etc, which can be done only through consistent and regular practice. In other words, many aspects of the civil services preparation require early start and school is the right time for this.
Whether you start right during the school days or after that, you have to adhere to a systematic plan of study for this exam. The basic fundamentals must be cleared in the first leg of preparations. For this, the static subjects, like history, geography, economics, polity must be understood conceptually from basic books. NCERT has produced very high quality books on these static subjects.
One should read them thoroughly at least twice and make short notes. Once one clears the fundamentals of these subjects, one should graduate to higher books on the subject under the guidance of a good mentor. For the dynamic parts of the syllabus, i.e., current affairs, newspapers are the best choice. One should read only reputed, national newspapers and not local, regional newspapers. A few journals, prescribed below, should be read regularly. It must be understood clearly that there is no need to read so many books and newspapers. But whatever you read should be original texts by renowned authors. Do not choose unverified materials flooding the market in the online age. It can be counter-productive.
Choosing an optional paper
Selection of the right optional paper is crucial to your success. Never choose an optional paper just because somebody recommended it to you. Apply the following criteria in choosing your optional paper: your liking of the subject, availability of good materials, availability of a competent mentor to guide you. Do not go by the popular notion of a particular subject being more scoring and others being less scoring while choosing it. No optional paper is more or less scoring. It is your command of the subject that would make it more scoring
Coaching or self study?
This is a dilemma which most freshers face before starting their preparation. Self-study is a time saving and more productive mode. But it requires guidance from a personal mentor who is a true expert. If no such help is available, only then one should go for coaching. In coaching also, no need to study everything offered by them. Choose only those subjects in which you are weak and you want to master them through a coaching. Full-fledged coaching is not required at all as it is a wastage of time and money. Ultimately, all candidates realize that self-study is the only way out.
The author is an IAS mentor and academician and can be reached at sb_singh2003@yahoo.com
