The Civil Services Examination is conducted in three stages - Preliminary, Mains, and Interview - to arrive at the final list of meritorious candidates to join in the administration of India. Given the challenging and dynamic role of civil servants, each level in the recruitment process is designed to test the knowledge as well as the mental calibre of the candidates. Therefore, it is essential to strategize a plan to be competitive right from the preparation stage to the very performance in the exam hall.

IAS Parliament has thus crafted for you aspirants the "Beginner's Column" to acquaint you with the purpose of the Preliminary and Mains stages of the exam, the demands of the syllabus, the preferable resource materials and the overall so called “strategy” for taking up this exam.

It is to be understood that the Preliminary and Mains preparations cannot be undertaken in watertight compartments. Both have to go hand in hand. However, for the sake of beginners, they are dealt separately in the following sections. Lets Begin...

Examination Scheme

Syllabus and Study Materials

Finally....The "Strategy"

A holistic Preliminary preparation lies in both acquiring the necessary knowledge as well as developing the art of solving Multiple Choice Questions. Being 'smart' in your preparation is what gives you an edge and makes you a competitive candidate. But being a smart aspirant is the most challenging part and demands a well thought out strategy. So what all constitute a smart prep???

Right choice of study materials

With increasing commercialisation and flooding of study materials in the market, it is extremely crucial that you do not fall prey to the information overload. Choosing the suitable material decides the worth of your time and your knowledge gain. It is highly recommended that you start off with the NCERTs. This is to build a strong foundation of the basics and get a hold over the syllabus to move further. Complementing NCERTs with one or max two standard recommended book/s is more than enough for a particular topic, for Prelims. And needless to say that current affairs prep has to go parallelly along with this. Over and above, if necessary go for internet sources; but with caution in time investment.

Balanced attention to every topic -

Though the trend analyses bring out the predominance of particular topics in some years, given the unpredictability of UPSC, it is safe to be balanced in covering all areas of the syllabus. Also, in a combined prelims and mains perspective, being choosy in subjects may at times work to your disadvantage. However, History, Polity, Geography and Economics are said to be the core subjects and require added attention. And again Current Affairs, the bedrock of Civils prep.

Though made a qualifying paper, GS Paper II (Civil Services Aptitude Test) is getting to be challenging in recent years. Difficulty level of the questions, time-consuming paper pattern, etc demand that you give it the needed attention and practice depending on your strong and weak areas.

Proper planning and execution -

At least, one year of dedicated preparation is must for cracking all the stages of this exam. Given the length and breadth of the syllabus, it is vital that you employ your administrative skill of 'Planning' and 'Time Management' in the best possible way. Your planning should be strategized, keeping in mind the various areas in syllabus, the time in hand, and your individual ability and energy level. Executing your plan require that you stay dedicated to your goals. Self-motivation is better than many other alternatives to keep you committed through out this long drawn process.

Revise religiously -

The importance of revision cannot be over-emphasized when it comes to prelims. Proper revision comes to your help in dilemmatic situation of choosing between the two finally arrived options in Multiple Choice Questions. Thus, it is recommended that you increase the number of revisions of a particular book/material rather than increasing the number of books to get a strong hold over a subject.

Take up mock tests -

Preliminary exam is indeed a game of probability. The task lies in knowing your accuracy level and balancing between the possible positive and negative marks, to your advantage. Gaining proficiency in the art of solving MCQs increases your chances of making it to the Mains list. And all these require taking up enough mock tests to figure out your strengths and weaknesses.

On the final day -

All your knowledge, efforts, plans and strategies would bear fruit only if you are emotionally strong on the D-day. A relaxed mind is vital to understand the questions properly, arrive at the appropriate option and avoid silly mistakes. Strategise, Stay cool, Stay confident, Self-motivate and Succeed. Let's meet in Mains.

MAINS EXAMINATION

Having tested your range of information and factual foundation through the MCQs in the prelims level, UPSC aims at evaluating your analytical views and systematic approach to the issues that the country is witnessing, through descriptive answers in the Mains level. The questions are framed so as to bring out your intellectual traits and depth of understanding. Given the challenge of handling conflicting situations and decision making in a civil services career, the Mains questions test your ability to take a definite standpoint in conflicting socio-economic goals, keeping in mind the objectives and demands that the country has before it.

In the context of these, it is fundamental that your preparation is aligned with the demands of both analytical understanding and appropriate presentation to convey it as intended to the examiner. So, how do you go about it? Here comes the nitty gritties...

Exam Scheme

Syllabus and Study Materials (General Studies)

GS- I (Indian Heritage and Culture, History and Geography of the World and Society)

GS- II (Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice and International relations)

GS - III (Technology, Economic Development, Bio-diversity, Environment, Security and Disaster Management)

GS IV (Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude)

And now the "strat'edge'gy"

Study the Syllabus - Syllabus can be the best guide and light for your Mains preparation. A strong hold over the syllabus rationalises your time by directing you what to read and what not to. This is extremely important given the information overload scenario. So, Syllabus ---> Previous Year Question Papers ---> Study Materials. This would be the ideal way to start and proceed with your preps; be it Prelims or Mains.

Decide your resources - The suggested books/other sources are not to be read from cover to cover or in its entirety in all cases. It is to be noted that the examiner does not look for the source of the content in your paper but rather only 'your understanding and conceptual clarity'. These can be accumulated and grasped through any means. So please do not force yourself to read any magazine or book or website just because it is popular in the market. Given the vastness of the syllabus and the time in hand, YOU should ultimately decide your resources that suit your requirements in cracking this exam.

Planning - The aspects of planning as dealt in the Prelims Section applies to Mains as well. It is just that your planning has to be adapted to the Mains syllabus. And when it comes to Mains, the syllabus is lengthier and each subject has under it a range of subtopics and ideas. Though the number of questions under each subject for a particular year may range from 1 or 2 to max 6 or 7, you cannot afford to ignore any topic, given the high level of competition, as even a single mark can make changes in the rank list. So it is essential that you craft your plans, giving due importance to all the papers in the syllabus and all aspects including studying, revising and practising answer writing.

Approach - As mentioned in the intro part, the Mains level is to test how best as an administrator you would respond to the issues and challenges that the country is meeting out. Besides some static topics, the syllabus and the questions are largely intended to evaluate your analytical and critical view-point. Your Mains preparation process has to incorporate this understanding in its fullest sense. So approach your study material not just as facts and information, but instead as inputs for handling an 'issue'.

This approach should significantly integrate into your Current Affairs preparation as well, as it is becoming the heart and soul of Civils prep. Your current affairs materials are not just an account of the day-to-day happenings. They are rather the past, present and future courses of the country. Each and every issue that you read as part of your current affairs prep should logically sensitise you as an administrator, as a rights activist, as an economist, as an environmentalist, as a diplomat, and what not? Coz you are a Civil Services Aspirant.

Practice makes aspirants competitive - Mains answer writing is an art in itself. Limited time and limited space for writing. In this context, it is extremely important and indispensable that you tune your mind and hand to write about 5000 words on varied topics in a matter of three hours. Consistently practising answer writing would give you an idea as to how to approach different types of questions and also to figure out your own style of presentation. It makes you aware of your strengths and weaknesses. Undoubtedly, it is as important to get your paper evaluated by a reliable guide as practising answer writing. Enrolling in a proper test series is more advisable as it channelizes your preparation in terms of time and topics, trains you in an exam environment, helps manage time better as well as guide you in the right way of rendering answers. The more trained you are in this art, the easier and efficient it is in the Mains exam hall to ultimately fly to the Interview...

Time to say bye!

Hope the ideas shared above had helped you in some way. This is just to give a brief idea to help you go about with the preparation smartly, and certainly, success in this highly competitive exam depends largely on the dedication, sincerity, and perseverance of the individual ‘YOU’. Civil Services Preparation, above all, makes you an educated person. It makes you more sensitive and responsive to the happenings of the society than before. So enjoy the process...cherish the intellectual development...

IAS Parliament wishes you all good!!!