Preparation guide to Crack the UPSC CSE Prelims

Dear Aspirants,

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) is going to conduct the 2017 Civil Services Examination on the 18th of June. UPSC CSE Preliminary exam is the first hurdle that you need to cross to qualify for the Main examination. It is an objective type exam, consisting of two papers and carry a maximum of 400 marks.

Marks obtained in the Preliminary examination will not be counted for determining the candidates’ final order of merit. To qualify for the Main exam, candidates must score qualifying marks (as determined by the commission) in the General Studies Paper I and a minimum of 33% in the General Studies Paper II (CSAT). For each wrong answer, the candidate loses one-third (0.33) of the marks assigned to that question.

You have approximately 3 months to prepare for the UPSC CSE Preliminary Exam. However, it is never too late to start preparing for the exam. Therefore, in the following article, we are providing you a detailed guide for your UPSC CSE Preliminary exam preparation.

 

Exam Pattern
Paper Evaluation Question type Marks/duration
General Studies Paper I Selection based on cut offs General Studies Marks: 200
Duration: 2 Hours
General Studies Paper II Qualifying paper (33% min) Aptitude Test (CSAT) Marks: 200
Duration: 2 Hours

 

 

How to Prepare for UPSC CSE Preliminary Examination

 

General Studies Paper I

1. The first thing you need to do is to take out some time and analyze previous years’ UPSC CSE Prelims question papers. The questions asked in the UPSC CSE Preliminary exams follow a certain logic and it is important that you understand this logic.

Analyzing previous year exam papers will not only help you understand the exam pattern but also the areas that you should focus on for your preparation.

 

2. Post-analysis, gather the study material required for your Prelims preparation.

For a good and strong foundation, refer to NCERT Books. NCERT Books are written in a very simple & lucid manner. NCERT Books will help you lay a strong foundation. It is advisable to read NCERT Textbooks from 6th standard to 12th standard for subjects like Polity, Geography, Economics, History, Arts & Culture, and Science.

NCERT Books are available for free on their website. Click here to visit their official website.

The General Studies Paper I can be divided into two parts: Static and Dynamic GK. Static GK refers to subjects like History, Polity, Geography, Economics, Art & Culture, Sports, Science & Technology, stuff which doesn’t change in the short-run.

While Dynamic GK refers to current affairs. This is what we read in the newspapers every day.

Once your fundamentals are in place, you can now move to books that provide you conceptual understanding of each of the topics under the Prelims Examination.

 

Following are some of the books you can read for a deeper conceptual understanding for General Studies Paper I:

History

History can be broadly divided into the Ancient History, Medieval History, Modern History and the World History. NCERT Books are a good source for ancient history. The Medieval History lays emphasis on Historians. Focus on the provincial dynasties, Delhi Sultanate, Mughal dynasty, Chola dynasty, the Vijayanagar dynasty, people such as Ramanuja, Chaitanya, Shankaracharya, and movements such as the Bhakti Movement, Sufi Movement and famous architects of Medieval India. The Modern Indian History focuses on the British reign in India, the freedom struggle and economic policies of the British.

Suggested reading:

India Since Independence by Bipan Chandra

India’s Struggle for Independence by Bipan Chandra

India After Gandhi by Ramachandra Guha

History of Modern India by Bipan Chandra

 

Economics

Two things that you need to be thorough in the economics section are ‘the concepts’ and ‘the application of those concepts’ to real world situations. Read up principles of Macro and Micro economics and the economic development in India. It is equally important to be updated with the current affairs of economy of at least the last 12 months. Make notes of the highlights of the Economic Survey and the Union Budget and be aware of the important Economic Policies of the Government.

Suggested reading:

Indian Economy (for Civil Service Examinations) by Ramesh Singh

Economic Survey 2016-17 by Ministry of Finance, Government of India

India Yearbook 2017 (Economic Schemes)

 

Polity

In this section, there would never be questions on specific political parties, individuals or elections. However, you can expect questions from the larger constitutional systems like, “When did Goa become a state?”. The Indian constitution’s text is an authentic source for information on polity. Questions asked in this section are both static and dynamic. The questions can be about issues that are currently being debated and about issues that passed by. Read up current affairs about polity like the Bills passed and the various Acts and policies.

Suggested reading:

Indian Polity by M. Laxmikanth

Introduction to the Constitution of India by D. D. Basu

 

Geography

Broadly the Geography section can be divided into the Physical and the Human geography. You need to be thorough in geographical concepts of India and the world. NCERT Books are a great source to study Geography. Some topics to focus on are: Climate, Vegetation, Agriculture, Forests, Wildlife & Conservation, Mineral wealth of India, River systems, Physiography, Earth’s atmosphere, Clouds & precipitation, Hydrosphere, Wind system, Landforms & their formation, Soil & types of soil and Human geography.

Suggested reading:

Geography of India by Majid Husain

Certificate Physical and Human Geography by Goh Cheng Leong

 

Art & Culture

This section focuses on the Indian Art and Heritage. Certain topics that should be covered for this section are the Literature, Languages, Performance art, Paintings, Music, Dance forms, Drama, Religions, Reforms, Contemporary artists of India, important Philosophies and Architecture.

Suggested reading:

Indian Art and Culture by Nitin Singhania

Class XI NCERT Books: An Introduction to Indian Art & Living Craft Traditions of India (Chapters 9 and 10)

 

Current Affairs

Read up about all the events that happened in the last 8-12 months (Jan 2016 – June 2017). It is extremely important for an UPSC CSE aspirant to read newspapers. Make a habit of reading the newspaper (preferably The Hindu) every day. It is also a good idea to subscribe to a fortnightly magazine that covers all the important current affairs. (Reading newspaper alone isn’t enough. It’s also important to have an opinion of your own as you may get asked about this during your Personal Interview post exams.)

Suggested reading:

India Yearbook 2017

Pratiyogita Darpan 2017

Yojana/Kurukshetra/Frontline magazines

 

Science and Technology

Be thorough in Chemistry, Physics and Biology concepts and aware of the latest happenings in the field of science and technology like Gadgets, Research in the field of Science & Technology, Space Technology, Nuclear Chemistry and the like. If you closely notice the exam pattern, UPSC normally asks more questions from Biology compared to Chemistry and Physics. Focus on Biology concepts like Zoology, Botany, Microbiology, etc.

Analyze previous year question papers and notice which topics under the Science & Technology section hold relevance and are frequently asked. The question from this section are mostly analytical in nature. Most of the questions would be from events happening around us currently. Follow the Science & Technology section of The Hindu religiously.

Suggested reading:

General Science by S. A. Majid

Science and Technology by Ashok Kumar Singh

 

Environment

Read up about Ecology, Biodiversity, Climate change and Environment based topics from NCERT Books and about the various Environment Policies. Another major area you need to focus on are the Environment Current Affairs. It’s a good idea to follow the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate change official website closely.

Suggested reading:

Bio-diversity, Climate change and Disaster Management by Majid Hussain

India Yearbook 2017 (Chapters on Environment)

 

General Studies Paper II (CSAT)

Candidates need to score a minimum of 33% to qualify in this section. The General Studies Paper II tests candidates’ Problem Solving & Decision Making skills, Logical thinking and Clarity of thoughts. It goes without saying that you need to practice a lot to master this section.

Get your basic concepts clear and start by analyzing and solving previous years’ CSAT question papers. This will help you get acquainted with the type of questions that will be asked in CSAT.

Two more things that will help you master this section are, tricks or shortcuts to solve the problems quickly and taking UPSC (IAS) Mock Tests. Take multiple mock tests and analyze your performance. Determine your strong and weak areas in this section and practice more problems from the weaker areas.

Suggested reading:

Analytical Reasoning by M. K. Pandey

Verbal and Non-verbal Reasoning by R. S. Agarwal

 

UPSC (IAS) Mock Tests

Candidates should practice answering questions in an exam environment. Mock tests are one of the most effective ways of preparing for the UPSC CSE Preliminary exam. Mock tests help you get a grip of the examination. Taking mock tests helps you analyze your performance, determine your speed and accuracy, identify your strong and weak areas and track your improvement.

 

Click here to take FREE UPSC (IAS) Mock Tests.

 

For more articles on UPSC Civil Services Exam:

UPSC CSE Prelims General Studies Paper I Syllabus & Resources

UPSC CSE Prelims General Studies Paper II Syllabus & Resources

UPSC CSE 2017 Notification

UPSC CSE List of Services

An IPS Officers Strategy to Crack UPSC CSE

 


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