Before you start, some nitty-gritty details about The Civil Services Examination (CSE) a nationwide competitive examination in India conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).
Sr.No. | Category | Maximum age | Attempt Limit |
---|---|---|---|
1 | General | 32 | 6 |
2 | Non-creamy OBC | 35 | 9 |
2 | SC/ST | 37 | Unlimited |
UPSC Civil Services Prelims exam is common for both Civil Services and Indian Forest Services.
Understand the exam structure thoroughly to plan according to your weakness and strengths, so that whenever you read you get a glimpse of syllabus and its relevance with what you are reading. So here it is
Paper 1 – General studies
Exam Structure
100 MCQ, 2 marks each = 200 Marks total
Penalty – 0.66 for every wrong answer
Duration – 2 hours
Paper 2 – Aptitude
Exam Structure
80 MCQ, 2.5 marks each = 200 Marks total
Penalty: -0.83 for wrong answers
Duration: -2 hours
It is a qualifying paper and only 33% (67 marks) passing marks have to be scored.
From the time this paper has been made qualifying, the difficulty level is somewhat higher than the previous year questions. There are no direct questions in the comprehension part, some analytical ability will help you solve this questions. This ability can be acquired through practising and practising alone. Solving previous year questions will help you analyse your week areas and work according to your strength and weakness. And then attempting various mock tests with a proper time will make you improving.
Also understand that this paper is only qualifying so make sure to give it an appropriate time without compromising on general studies paper.
It is always better to observe the previous year question papers of UPSC prelim, as to understand about the extent of syllabus and questions to save unnecessary wastage of time. Here is the analysis.
Tables showing the Subject wise questions asked UPSC prelims examination from 2013 - 2017. From the above graph we can understand as to how the weightage for history and environment is average throughout all these years. The trend of any particular subject is not certain as to make any sure shot prediction. So be prepared for any googly by UPSC. But keeping in mind the weightage of every subject will divert your energy in right direction.
Year | Gen | OBC | SC | ST | PH1 | PH2 | PH3 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2014* | 205 | 204 | 182 | 174 | 167 | 113 | 115 |
2015 | 107.3 | 106 | 94 | 91.34 | 90.66 | 76.66 | 40 |
2016 | 116 | 110.7 | 99.34 | 96 | 75.34 | 72.66 | 40 |
Start with the NCERT textbooks syllabus and topic wise, NCERT books are interactive and very basic in nature which makes you understand a topic better with a holistic view. Also many questions can directly be solved only on the basis of NCERT. For example,
2017 Prelim questions
Q. Democracy’s superior virtue lies in the fact that it calls into activity
Source: NEW NCERT Class 8, Social and Political Life, Chapter 3, page 32
“The take-off point for a democracy is the idea of consent, i.e. the desire, approval and participation of people. It is the decision of people that creates a democratic government and decides about its functioning.”
So, since democracy requires voters’ decision making- hence intelligence and character are called in.
Q. Out of the following statements, choose the one that brings out the principle underlying the Cabinet form of Government:
Source: NCERT Class 9: Democratic Politics: Chapter 5: Working of the institutions, page 87
“Since it is not practical for all ministers to meet regularly and discuss everything, hence the decisions are taken in Cabinet meetings. That is why parliamentary democracy in most countries is often known as the Cabinet form of government.”
M.Laxmikanth’s Indian Polity: Buy
Environment by Shankar IAS Academy Buy
NIOS Download Here
Old NCERT history books Click Here Download
Pratik Nayak’s Lectures on Freedom Struggle Click Here To Download
A Brief History of Modern India by spectrum publication Buy
India's Struggle for Independence: 1857-1947
by Bipin Chandra Buy
Budget & Economic Survey Download Here
India Yearbook Ch.7,13,14,19,21 Buy
Bhaske sir’s book Buy
Newspaper: The Hindu / Indian express
From the time this paper has been made qualifying, the difficulty level is somewhat higher than the previous year questions. There are no direct questions in the comprehension part, some analytical ability will help you solve this questions. This ability can be acquired through practising and practising alone. Solving previous year questions will help you analyse your week areas and work according to your strength and weakness. And then attempting various mock tests with a proper time will make you improving.
Also understand that this paper is qualifying so make sure to give it an appropriate time without compromising on general studies paper.