UPSC Preliminary Exam

General Studies Paper 1:

• Type:  Paper-based test(Offline Mode)

• Duration: The duration of the General Studies Paper 1 for UPSC Pre exam will be of 120 minutes.

• No. of Questions: 100 Objective type questions.

• Syllabus Covered: The Syllabus includes areas like; Indian National Movement, Indian Polity, Basic Economic Understanding, Geography. While these are static parts of the syllabus, the dynamic part includes Current affairs, General Knowledge and that does not a proper definition, thus making the syllabus quite vast.

• Marking Scheme: 2 marks will be awarded for every correct answer and 1/3 mark will be deducted for every wrong answer.

General Studies Paper 2:

• Type:  Paper-based test(Offline Mode)

• Duration: The duration of the General Studies Paper 2 for UPSC Pre exam will be of 120 minutes.

• No. of Questions: 80 Objective type questions.

• Syllabus Covered: Paper 2 is an Aptitude Test that is dynamic in nature and includes mathematics, reasoning, analytical ability, and interpersonal skills. All these areas require spot mental ability.

• Marking Scheme: 2.5 marks will be awarded for every correct answer and 1/3 mark will be deducted for every wrong answer.

• Paper 2 is now of only qualifying nature and its marks are not counted while making the merit list. However, it is mandatory for the candidate to score minimum 33% in this paper to qualify the Prelims Exam.

Understanding the competition in UPSC Prelims

UPSC Pre is the toughest Qualifying format in India which is a first step out of the three to become a civil service official in the country.The competitiveness of this exam is really high as the number of appearances per year has grown with approximately 12 lakh applications coming up in the last year. Being the exam leading to one of the most prestigious job across the country the level of difficulty is always high. The candidates who secured the cut-off marks is next eligible for the UPSC Main Examination. The intensity and difficulty level of this examination has always been a high as the exam is setup by the most qualified and certified officers who formerly cracked the examination.The examination is conducted in two parts General Studies Paper 1 and General Studies Paper 2 both the paper carrying 200 marks each with 2 hours allotted to each paper. Paper 1 is what makes the cut-off marks where as Paper 2 is a qualifying Paper which required at least a 33% marks. A highlight point of this examination is, an eligible candidate can appear for 6 times until the age of 32 in General category.

Cutoff (UPSC PRE)

The cut-off is the next step in a UPSC Civil Service Examination after the PRE Exam.The cut-off is what decides how many candidates are eligible for the next Examination and allowing them to enter for the Mains Exam.

UPSC Preliminary Exam: Eligibility Criteria
 

• Nationality:

Candidate must be a citizen of India

• Qualification: 

Candidate applying for civil service exams is required to fulfill the following criteria:

• Candidate must hold a Bachelor's Degree from any of the recognized universities
• Candidates who have appeared for the qualifying examination and are awaiting results or those who are yet to appear for the qualifying examination are also eligible for the Preliminary Examination.

• Such candidates have to produce proof of passing the said examination along with the application for the Main Examination Candidates with professional and technical qualifications recognized by the Government or its equivalent are also eligible to apply Candidates who have passed the final year of MBBS or any Medical Examination but are yet to complete the internship can also appear for the Main Examination. However, they must submit a certificate from the concerned University that they have passed the final professional medical examination

• Age Limit :

• A candidate should be minimum of 21 years and maximum 32 years old.
• The upper age limit prescribed above is relaxable for the following candidates: 5 Years - Scheduled Caste/ Scheduled Tribe (SC/ST) 3 Years - Other Backward Classes (OBC) 3 Years - Defence Services personnel 5 Years - ex-servicemen including Commissioned Officers and ECOs/SSCOs who have rendered at least 5 years Military Service  5 Years in the case of ECOs/SSCOs 10 Years - Blind, deaf-mute, and orthopedically handicapped persons 5 Years -  In the case of ECOs/SSCOs who have completed an initial period of assignment of five years of Military Service  and whose assignment has been extended beyond five years and in whose case the Ministry of Defence issues a certificate that they can apply for civil employment and that they will be released on three months’ notice on selection from the date of receipt of offer of appointment

Syllabus: UPSC Preliminary

The Preliminary Examination is composed of two components:

• General Studies (Prelims Paper I) 200 Marks

  • 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 - that do not require subject specialization General Science

• Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT) (Prelims Paper-II) 200 Marks

  • ​Comprehension

  • Interpersonal skills including communication skills

  • Logical reasoning and analytical ability

  • Decision-making and problem solving

  • General mental ability

  • Basic numeracy (numbers and their relations, orders of magnitude, etc.) (Class X level), Data interpretation (charts, graphs, tables, data sufficiency, etc. - Class X level)

Phase 2: Civil Services (Mains) Examination Syllabus

• Paper - I: Essay (Can be written in the medium or language of the candidate's choice) 250 Marks

• Paper-II: General Studies- I (Indian Heritage and Culture, History, and Geography of the World and Society) 250 Marks

• Paper-III: General Studies- II (Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice and International relations) 250 Marks

• Paper-IV: General Studies- III (Technology, Economic Development, Bio-diversity, Environment, Security and Disaster Management) 250 Marks

• Paper-V: General Studies- IV (Ethics, Integrity, and Aptitude) 250 Marks

• Paper-VI:  Optional Subject - Paper I 250 Marks

• Paper-VII: Optional Subject - Paper-II (A Candidate can also take up literature as an optional subject and candidate need not be a graduate in that language’s literature.)

Tips and Tricks: UPSC Preliminary

With people applying for UPSC Pre in lakhs, it became really difficult to crack but all you need to do is follow these tricks and tips to succeed:

• Take Mock tests online to know your Strengths’ and Weakness.

• Must have the full knowledge of Reasoning and Quantitative Aptitude.

• Must be clear with roots of rural economy should be clear.

• Should have the understanding of Computers and its parts.

• Should know what’s happening in the country i.e. Current Affairs.

• Blind candidates will be given 20 Minutes more.

• The exam revision is to revise what you read in your graduation.

• Since both the papers are of Objective type, properly distribute time.

• Since, the exam will be held in two Papers offline: You need to pay attention and prepare well.

• Solve previous year’s question papers in order to know what to expect and it will test your speed as well as accuracy.

• Paper I will decide whether you qualify for Mains or not, For Paper II you just need to get 33%, which is the passing mark.

• Wrong answers will fetch you 1/3 mark deducted and right answers will fetch you +2.5 marks.

• Prepare yourself with the timing of the exam so that you will able to finish well in time.

• Don’t be anxious and before going to examination hall eat properly, have proper sleep and just relax.

Youth4work Prep Tests

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Following are interesting insights from nearly lakhs of question attempts on UPSC Pre  exam practice tests on Youth4work. Every aspirant is rated on a Rating Scale. The ratings of the aspirants change with every question attempt