” It is important to know the enemy in order to defeat the enemy.”
The UPSC is one of the world’s most difficult exams for government candidates. UPSC began taking civil service exams in 1922. Its base is on government tests from the British era. Also, people train according to the culture of the profession and location. UPSC conducts testing in three main phases. Candidates are responsible for making decisions in the best interests of their citizens. Every year, 10,000 people apply for this exam.
Preparing for an exam like takes a lot of persistence and consistency. Of the many challenges faced by UPSC applicants is finding an IAS preparation guide. In the metaphor of “the blind man and the elephant”, almost all UPSC job seekers try to understand what UPSC means. But not everybody cannot see the full picture. You have to deal with this “Elephant in the Room”. See the big picture.
First, understand what this means, what they expect of you, then how to meet them, then plan and move forward. In the early stages of IAS preparation, all UPSC applicants have a passion exams! But, most job seekers struggle to deliver this energy. Often due to a lack of awareness of UPSC government audits. This comprehensive guide will energize all your brain cells. This will help you focus on the right thing. From creating a mental blueprint for your UPSC readiness strategy to performing tricks. So what are you waiting for? Sit back and keep reading!
Mental Makeup
We live in a meritocratic society. Social norms set standards for success and failure. People who meet these criteria are get high social status. They become members of the criteria. But, there is a hidden dysfunction in all this. Life has many aspects and dimensions. Success in any one of these aspects creates self-esteem. This pseudo-superiority makes us believe the wrong. That if we cannot find a solution to a problem in other aspects of life, no one else can either. This false consciousness clouds our ability to perceive the abilities of others. Person A can work well and person B is most likely a master of life skills. Why are we not aware of this?
Make Sure To Enjoy The Process
Hundreds of candidates apply for and take this exam. But the real competition is between 2,000-3,000 serious candidates. If you study, you will serve. If you do, you too will be one of them. Do not be afraid to start at all. You must join the race and work hard to win. “I have never worked a day in my life. It was all in fun” (Edison). Do it for fun, read it for fun, love what you do, and do whatever it takes to make your heart happy. not society.
Respect UG
No matter what undergraduate you opt for, make it count. The graduate subjects that one opts for are very important. They should keep in mind that paying attention there is crucial too. As their subjects in ug can pay off to be their optional ones. Studying them well now will be a game changer later. Hence, stay strong to win strong later!
Structure Of The Exam
The exam of UPSC gets conducted into 3 main stages. Those are-
- Prelims
- Mains
- Personality development stage.
Prelims:
The first stage is a weeding out process. In this stage, the board removes all the unserious candidates. The question paper type is MCQ based. There are 2 exams conducted in this stage- GS and CSAT, both of 200 marks each. When if you score more than 33.3% in CSAT, then only your GS marks count. The general cut off of candidates comes out of the GS marks, where one’s score should be more than 100. Please note that the marks here aren’t carried forward in the next stage.
Mains:
This stage consist of 9 papers in total. Two language papers; i.e., paper A and paper B are both qualifying. Their marks don’t count in the final stage. Alongside these there’s an essay paper of 250 marks which is important. Then we have 4 papers – GS1,GS2,GS3 and GS4. These papers are for 250 marks as well. The vital step for every candidate should be going through the official site. In continuation, they must download the previous year papers. Then there are two optional papers of 250 marks.
Personality Test:
Then comes the stage of doomsday for candidates. The personality test stage is of 275 marks. The final merit list comprises of marks in this stage. Along with these marks, it also counts off the marks which a candidate gets in stage 2 and 3. Please note that the marks in the language papers are not counted.
So the final marks considered are 2025 for every candidate, out of which. Out of these marks, an ideal score should be more than 1100. So, it is important to keep one’s horses high throughout the game.
Conclusion
Six factors will determine your success in this prestigious IAS exam. The most important is to understand the UPSC expectations. Next stage is to plan and plot. While the others are learning about knowledge and information. Then, it is about analyzing and making linkages. About building connections. Final stage if of executing and using information. Last step is of constant course correction. Because mistakes are inevitable and one should correct them as soon as possible.