How to Plan and Prepare Yourself for Qualifying in UPSC Civil Services Examination ? Get to Know Top Strategies and Precise Actions Needed!!

Abstract:

Are you appearing in UPSC Civil Services Examination? Then you are certainly looking for right information, guidance and support Aspirants of Civil Services Examination are at the right place to get the details of the UPSC Syllabus. Here, at Career Education for Success, you will find the complete guidelines for all the stages of the examination:

1. Preliminary Stage – General Studies & CSAT

2. Mains Stage – 9 Theory Papers (GS I-IV, Language Papers, Essay & Optional)

3. Personality Test – Interview

Keywords: Civil Services, UPSC, Preliminary, Mains, CSAT, Examination, Strategies, Preparation

Learning Outcomes

After undergoing this article you will be able to understand the following

1. What's UPSC?

2. Why Civil Services examination is conducted by UPSC?

3. What's the eligibility criteria for appearing at UPSC Examination?

4. What's the application process for ups of UPSC Examination?

5. What's the stages of examination in UPSC CSE?

6. What's the UPSC preliminary syllabus- General Studies & CSAT ?

7. What's the mains syllabus

8. How to select the subjects in UPSC Mains Examination?

8. How to prepare for exams to become a top ranker?

9. Tips and strategies for UPSC Examination

10. Conclusions

11. FAQs for UPSC Examination

Introduction

It is also colloquially referred to as the UPSC examination, and UPSC CSE. and is conducted in three phases:

a preliminary examination consisting of two objective-type papers (Paper I consisting of General Studies and Paper II, referred to as the Aptitude Test or CSAT), and

a main examination consisting of nine papers of conventional (essay) type, in which two papers are qualifying and only marks of seven are counted;

finally followed by a personality test (interview).

1. What's UPSC?

The UPSC conducts various examinations in accordance with the Rules of examination as notified by the Government of India in a just, fair and impartial manner for making a merit based selection and recommendation of candidates for various Group A and Group B Services of the Govt. of India.

2. Why Civil Services examination is conducted by UPSC?

With Civil Services Examination, the UPSC recruits candidates for various Central and All India Civil Service posts in the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS), Indian Police Service (IPS), Indian Revenue Service (IRS), etc.

3. What's the eligibility criteria for appearing at UPSC Examination?

Nationality for the UPSC Exam

A candidate should be –

Citizen of India

Citizen of Nepal

Citizen of Bhutan

Any Tibetan refugee (should be settled here before Jan 1st, 1962)

Migrated from Malawi, Uganda, Kenya, Zambia, Myanmar, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Vietnam and Zaire.

( Refer official advertisement for details)

Required Educational Qualification

The UPSC exam does not need a big certificate of educational qualification from the applicants. The candidates should have any graduation level degree from any government-recognized university or UGC-approved university. The graduation could be done in any branch. Those who are in their final year of graduation are also eligible to apply for UPSC. However, their graduation result should be declared before the final exam of UPSC.

4. What's the application process for UPSC Examination? (Based on 2023 notification)

Application Process

The candidates who are willing to apply for the UPSC, can follow the following steps – Open the official website of UPSC.

Click on the UPSC Notification and download the same.
Find the UPSC Application Form link and click on the Apply button.
Start filling out the application form with all the required information.
Cross-check the details once before submitting the UPSC application form/

Guidelines while filling out the UPSC Application Form

Scan the picture and signature properly.
Fill out the application form for UPSC as soon as possible.
Do not forget to pay the UPSC Application Form Fee.
Give the details of any one of the government IDs such as Aadhar card, Voter Card, PAN, Passport, DL, etc.

UPSC Admit Card

The Union Public Service Commission will release the UPSC IAS admit card on the official website. The hall ticket will be released in the online format. The commission will release the hall ticket separately for prelims and mains examination. UPSC will release the prelims admit card first and the candidates who clear the exam will be able to sit in the mains. They will receive the Mains admit card at their official website. At the exam time, the candidates need to bring the hall ticket to the exam centre along with a valid ID card. Without the UPSC IAS hall ticket and original ID proof, the candidates will not be allowed to sit at the examination.

Details mentioned on UPSC Admit Card

On the UPSC admit card, the relevant and requisite information will be mentioned on the UPSC admit card. The candidates need to check all the details printed on the UPSC IAS hall ticket. In case of any discrepancy on the hall ticket, the candidates should immediately contact the authorities to resolve it at hand. The details will be mentioned in the admit card are as follows –

Name of the candidate
Roll Number of the candidate
Gender
Category of the candidate
Date of birth
Exam date and timings
Exam Centre name
Exam centre address and other details
Photo of the candidate
Signature of the candidate
Exam day guidelines

5. What's the stages of examination in UPSC CSE?

The IAS Exam pattern is:

Stage I: Preliminary Examination (IAS Prelims)

Stage II: Mains Examination (IAS Mains)

Stage III: UPSC Personality Test (IAS Interview)

6. What's the UPSC preliminary syllabus- General Studies & CSAT ?

The first paper of the UPSC Prelims Exam is General Studies 1 (GS-1) which includes Geography, History, Art & Culture, Polity, Economy, Environment & Ecology, General Science, Science & Technology and Current Affairs

and

Paper 2 CSAT is based on aptitude & comprehensions.

While the score in GS Paper-I determines whether or not you qualify for the cut off of prelims,

CSAT is qualifying in nature. You only need to score more than 33% or 67 marks for the CSAT paper.

UPSC IAS Prelims Syllabus

The below table gives the detailed UPSC CSE Prelims syllabus as per the latest UPSC CSE notification. To clear Paper 1, the candidates need to score the cutoff marks while Paper 2 is qualifying in nature, and candidates need to score only 33% to clear it. Each paper consists of 200 marks.

Syllabus

General Studies (Paper 1)

Objective Type

200 Questions

200 Marks

2 Hour

Cut-Off: 95-100 (Expected)

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, Bio-diversity and Climate Change

General Science.

CSAT (Paper 2)

Objective Type

80 Questions

200 Marks

2 Hour Only

Qualifying (33% or 67 Marks)

Comprehension.

Interpersonal skills, including communication skills;

Logical reasoning and analytical ability;

Decision-making and problem-solving;

General mental ability;

Basic numeracy,

Data interpretation

Detail UPSC Prelims Syllabus for Polity and Governance

Preamble

Features of preamble

42nd Amendment

Swaran Singh committee

Schedules

The basic idea of 12 schedules

Constitution of India

The basic idea of All articles

Historical Background

Drafting committee and the making of the Constitution

Influence of other constitutions

Its salient features

Union and its Territory

The basic idea of Articles 1-4

State reorganisation and different Commissions

Federal nature

Recent issues

Citizenship

The basic idea of Article 5-11

PIO, NRI, OCI and Pravasi Bharatiya Divas

Privileges available for Indian citizens and foreigners

Citizenship Amendment Act of 2016

New policies, schemes and recent changes in voting.

Fundamental Rights (FR)

The basic idea of Article 12-35

A thorough understanding of Articles 14- 30 and Art. 32

Rights and privileges are available to citizens of India only and both to citizens and foreigners

44th amendment act

Different types of Writs

Enforcement and Exceptional cases with regard to FRs

RTE and recent issues related to FR

Fundamental Duties(FD)

Article 51A

Difference between FR and FD

Significance and Criticism

Enforcement of FDs

Recent issues with FD

Directive Principles of State Policy (DPSP)

The basic idea about Article and Article 36-51 and Article 368

Sources and key features of DPSP

Classification of DPSP

Comparison/ conflicts between Fundamental Rights and Directive Principles

Keshavananda Bharathi, Minerva Mills, Golaknath Case, Maneka Gandhi case.

Important Amendments- 42nd Amendment, 44th Amendment, and 97th amendment

Union

The basic idea of Articles 52-73

Qualification and Election

Function and Powers- (Executive, Legislative, Financial, Judicial, Diplomatic, Military and Emergency Powers)

Resignation and impeachment

Role and responsibilities and relationship with Prime minister, Council of Minister, Cabinet ministers.

Prime minister and council of ministers- The basic idea of Article 74-75

Powers and Functions

Council of ministers

Resignation and Removal

Attorney general

Parliament

The basic idea of the article related to

Role and functions of the Parliament

Sessions, Motions, Parliamentary procedure – Summoning, Prorogation, Joint Sitting

Parliamentary proceedings like Question Hour, Zero Hour, Adjournment Motion, etc.

Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha,

Special powers of Rajya Sabha

Anti-defection law and 10th schedule

Parliamentary Privileges

Bill and lawmaking procedure

Budget, funds and its summary

Parliamentary Committees

Judiciary

The basic idea of the article is related to the judiciary.

Powers of the Supreme court and high court

Qualification and appointment

Removal procedure

Recent controversy, verdicts, and constitutional provisions.

State Government- State Executive

Governor- appointment, removal and special powers.

Executive, Legislative, Financial, and Judicial powers and discretionary of the governor

7th constitutional amendment

Chief minister and council of ministers

Power of chief minister

State Legislature

State legislature compared to the Parliament with regard to composition, powers, and functions.

Bicameral legislatures

Creation and abolition of the Legislative councils

Administration of Union Territories (UT)

Special provision for Delhi

Administration and jurisdiction in UT’s

Administration of Special Areas

Basic idea about 5thSchedule 6th Schedule

Recent issues related to Administration of Special Areas

Special provision for Jammu and Kashmir-Article 370

Difference between constitutional provisions related to Jammu and Kashmir

Emergency Provisions

National emergency- Article 352

President’s rule or State emergency- Article 356

Financial emergency- Article 360

44th amendment act

Effects and implications of emergency

Role of President in emergency time

The State of FR, Lok Sabha, and Rajya Sabha

Revoking emergency

State-centre and interstate relations

The basic idea of Articles 262 and 263

Composition and functions of Interstate council and Zonal council

Inter-State trade and Commerce

Recent disputes between states, controversies etc

New policies or schemes which impact interstate relations

Panchayati Raj and municipalities

Elections, auditing, powers and authority of panchayats

3 tier structure

73rd Amendment Act and the 74th Amendment Act

Relation with FR and DPSP

Schemes introduced

Metropolitan planning committee and urban development

Reservation

Constitution Bodies

Election Commission

UPSC

SPSC

JPSC

Finance Commission

National Commission for SCs and STs,

Composition, Powers and functions, Removal of the Constitutional bodies

Non-Constitutional Bodies

The basic idea about Composition, Functions, and Working of the Non-Constitutional bodies such as the National Human Rights Commission, Central Information Commission, Central Vigilance Commission, Central Bureau of Investigation, State Human Rights Commission, State Information Commission, etc.

Tribunals

The basic idea about Article 323A and tribunals under Article 323B

Recent controversial issues related to tribunals

Different tribunals and their importance

Special Provisions for SCs, STs, Backward Classes, Minorities and Anglo-Indians

Privileges and rights issued to SCs, STs, Backward Classes, Minorities and Anglo-Indians

Issues related to vulnerable sections like women, children, SCs, STs, Backward Classes, Minorities and Anglo-Indians

Current affairs

Recent issues related to the above-mentioned categories

Important schemes, programs, missions, laws, and policies launched by the government.

Recent Government Bills and Governance- Actions

7. What's the UPSC CSE mains syllabus?

UPSC CSE covers vast area. A written exam and an interview/personality test will comprise the Civil Services (Main) Examination. The Union Public Service Commission publishes the official notification on its website along with the UPSC Mains Syllabus 2023. The General Studies, elective, and essay writing topics are all covered in the UPSC Mains Syllabus 2024 PDF.

It is a crucial tool for applicants as they organize their study plans and schedule specific amounts of time for every subject. The UPSC Mains Syllabus PDF is freely accessible and downloadable from the URL, giving candidates a simple and well-organized resource for their test preparation.

There will be nine conventional essay-style papers in the written examination. The UPSC Exam consists of three subsequent stages:

Preliminary Examination (Objective Type),
Main Examination (Conventional Type Written Exam)
Interview/Personality Test,

UPSC Mains Exam Pattern 2023

Candidates who pass the preliminary exam will be able to take the main exam. Candidates must be qualified for each paper as this is the stage of the exam procedure where scores and rankings are determined. The Mains exam assesses a candidate’s academic knowledge as well as their capacity to effectively and within the allotted time articulate their understanding in accordance with the requirements of the question.

Candidates must obtain minimum passing marks in each of the nine papers that comprise the Mains exam. Language papers i.e., English and Indian Language papers are qualifying papers, and the remaining papers i.e., GS-I, GS-II, GS-III, GS-IV, Essay paper, Optional Paper 1 and Paper 2 will be graded.

UPSC Mains Exam Pattern

Qualifying Papers Marks

Paper-A One of the Indian languages listed in the Constitution’s Eighth Schedule needs to be selected by the candidate. 300

Paper-B English 300

Papers Counted for Merit

Paper 1 Essay Paper 250

Paper 2 – General Studies I General Studies Paper I consists mainly of History and Geography of the World and Society, Indian Heritage and Culture. This paper mainly revolves around History, Geography and Society. 250

Paper 3 – General Studies II General Studies Paper II consists mainly of Polity, Constitution, Governance, Social Justice and International relations. 250

Paper 4 – General Studies III General Studies Paper III consists mainly of Economic Development, Technology, Environment, Biodiversity, Security and Disaster Management. 250

Paper 5 – General Studies IV General Studies Paper IV consists mainly of Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude. 250

Paper 6 Optional Subject – Paper 1 250

Paper 7 Optional Subject – Paper 2 250

Sub Total (Written Test) 1750

Personality Test 275

Grand Total 2025

Some Important Facts about UPSC Mains Exam:

The main exam consists of two qualifying papers at 300 marks each, “Paper A” and “Paper B.”

Any Indian Language from the Eight Schedule” and “English Language Paper” are two qualifying papers for Mains Exam.

Candidates must obtain 25% on each of the two qualifying exams, or 75 marks on each paper.

Because the remaining seven papers are all scoring in nature, the final merit list will incorporate their scores.

Candidates may answer every question in either English or one of the eight scheduled languages in the 7 merit-based papers.

For Papers VI and VII, candidates must choose one subject from the list as their optional subject.

Focus on Subjects Preparation

It is crucial to be focused and not get distracted during preparation . You should not waste your time in unnecessary thoughts. Instead, your focus should be on your preparation and how to make it more effective.

Ideal selection of optional

The optional subject should not feel like a burden, hence only choose a subject you are comfortable in. Once selected, candidates should equip themselves with every small piece of information about the subject.

Be Engaged in productive study

Make sure to study with full concentration as half-hearted efforts are not fruitful and don’t yield the desired results. Always remember, it is the quality that matters not quantity.

Mock Answer Writing

Answer writing practice is of paramount importance in the context of ‘Mains Examination’ and should be started immediately after the Prelims exams. Mock answering exercises can be most fruitful, If done with dedication, it can fetch better marks in the Mains examination.

Be habitual Reader of Newspapers

Newspaper reading should be a part of your daily study routine while preparing for Civil Services Examination.

Know time management skills

Know how you're spending your time.

Stick to a daily schedule.

Prioritize.

Tackle the most difficult task first.

Batch-process similar tasks.

Set reasonable time limits.

Learn when to say no.

Avoid multitasking.

Watch TV News and Analysis

The watching TV and news analysis keep you updated on the latest happenings of the world. It is now possible to get news from the other corner of the world. Similarly, television also offers educational programs that enhance your knowledge about science and wildlife and more.

Here are a few tips that can help you study & learn faster. Take a look:

Find your Mnemonics - Everybody has their way of memorising information, like combining the first letter of a table or relating things with music. You need to find your mnemonics.
Focus on Concepts - Learning a chapter has only use if you know what it is all about. Invest a significant time in understanding the concept instead of cramming things. Solve related questions.
Learn to Manage Time - You can make a timetable and stick to it throughout the preparations. It will help you keep your studies on track.
Study in Group - Studying in a group is also a good idea to have minds likewise. You can solve their issues and also get your doubts resolved.
Keep Yourself Hydrated - Studies suggest dehydration slows our brain’s overall processing power. So, increase your water intake or try to have at least seven glasses of water every day.
Eat Healthy- Better food habits result in improved physical and mental health. Incorporate a balanced diet in your routine rich with nutrition & protein like eggs or Omega-3 fatty acids etc.
Sleep Better - An active, fresh & energetic mind is required to perform a productive study. Take at least eight hours of sleep.
Do Exercise - Studying smarter & faster will work better with good physical & mental health. Try to exercise for a week thrice.
Stop Procrastination - Avoiding reading or leaving them on tomorrow is your biggest enemy towards smart study. Prepare your mind and perform regular studies.
You Can Do It - Thinking positively throughout your preparation plays a vital role in your success. Stay in the company of people who encourage you and distance yourself from all the negativity

Apart from the above

Keep fit yourself

Maintain your schedules

Eat healthy foods

Drink water

9. Conclusions

SQ3R (Survey, Questions, Read, Recite, Review)

This technique can help you to get the most out of your syllabus. You need to follow these five steps:

Pickup the book or syllabus and survey the chapters. Browse all the pages in a chapter.

Go right to the questions sections. Read all the questions once before you start studying any concept in the chapter.

Read or study the chapter now (Follow the 20% Read and 80% Recite tips)

Close your book, ask yourself a question and recite. (Follow the 20% Read and 80% Recite tips)

Review or revise the chapter(Follow Spaced Repetition tips)

In this way you can prepare yourself in a better way for the UPSC CSE

10. FAQs for UPSC Examination

Q 1. What is not allowed in UPSC exam?

Answer - (a) Mobile phones (even in switched off mode), any electronic equipment or programmable device or storage media like pen drive, smart watches etc. or camera or bluetooth devices or any other equipment or related accessories either in working or switched off mode capable of being used as a communication device .

Q.2. Can final year students of graduation apply for UPSC CSE?

Answer: Yes, candidates who have appeared at an examination the passing of which would render them educationally qualified for the Commission's examination but have not been informed of the results as also the candidates who intend to appear at such a qualifying examination will also be eligible for admission to the Preliminary Examination.

Q.3. Is UPSC CSE tough competition?

Answer: You can assess the level of competition from the following data:

No. of vacancies advertised every year: Between 1000 to 1200.

No. of candidates who filled the form: More than 9,00,000

No. of applications who appeared in the Preliminary exam. : Almost 4,50,000-5,00,000

No. of candidates who qualify the Prelims and become eligible to appear in the Mains Exam: Equal to 12 to 13 times the nos. of vacancies of CSE.

Nos. of Candidates who qualify Mains to appear in the Interview: 2-2½ times the Nos. of vacancies in the CSE.

Thus UPSC CSE is one of the toughest competitive examinations.

Q.4. Is NCERT books are best for UPSC CSE?

Answer: NCERT is the Aadhaar on which the Foundation of UPSC CSE is built. Without reading and understanding NCERTs, it is very hard to qualify this exam.

So, first go through the NCERT books according to syllabus.

Thereafter, Now you can refer other books and reading materials.

Q.5. What is the perfect time to start preparation for the civil services examination?

Answer: There is no fixed answer to question that; when should you start preparation of civil services examination? Answer to this question will vary according to the person to person.

This is very much person specific question.

The civil services, aspirants should focus mainly on their graduation subjects. Aspirants can start their preparation with some seriousness from starting of their last year of graduation or little before that without hampering their graduation studies side by side remaining up-to-date with events going on nationally and internationally.

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