UPSC (2017): Civil Service Exam tips and strategy

The Main exam will be conducted on October 28 (Saturday), 2017 as per the official notification

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) had announced the result of the prestigious Civil Service prelims that was conducted on June 18, 2017 (Sunday). The Commission had declared the results on July 27 on its official website. Now those who cleared the prelims will move on for the Main exam that will, as per the official notification, be conducted on October 28, 2017 (Saturday). The Main exam will require the candidates to fill in a detailed application form online and submit the same online. It is to be noted that the online application form will be available on the website of the Commission from August 17 to August 31, 2017 till 6pm. Candidates must note down these dates. The Civil Service exam happens annually for filling numerous vacancies in the Central government department. Roughly 980 vacancies are said to be filled through the exam this year. Therefore a lot of candidates take up the exam and the best of them make it to the finals like Darwin said: survival of the fittest. Here we share some of the simple tips that would help you perform well in the Main exam.

Examination Overview:
The Commission conducts the annual Civil Service exams for the Central Government at three levels: Preliminary, Main and Interview. The Candidates passing these exams secure the highly prestigious services such as Indian Foreign Service, Indian Administrative Service, Indian Police Service and the like. Following is the Main exam pattern

Paper	Subject	Marks
Paper A	(One of the Indian languages to be selected by the candidate (from the languages listed in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of India) (Qualifying)	300
Paper B	English (Qualifying)	300
Paper I	Essay	250
Paper II	General Studies I (Indian heritage and culture, history and geography of the world and society)	250
Paper III	General Studies II (Governance, constitution, polity, social justice, and international relations)	250
Paper-IV	General Studies III (Technology, economic development, biodiversity, environment, security and disaster management)	250
Paper V	General Studies-IV(ethics, integrity, and aptitude)	250
Papers VI, VII	Two papers on subjects to be selected by the candidate from the list of optional subjects below (250 marks for each paper)	500
TOTAL(WRITTEN TEST)		1750

How to start preparation?

Keep in mind that the Main exam has descriptive type of questions. It tests the candidate’s ability on various levels. The time limit for the essay paper is set for 3 hrs without a word limit. However for the optional paper, there are questions having specific word limit like 250 words in optional subjects and 250 words, 150 words and 20 words in general studies. It is necessary to attempt and answer these questions quickly and effectively and in minimum words. Candidates often get confused about whether to adopt the paragraph or the point style of answering questions. It would make sense to adopt a style reliant on the question asked. If the question requires you to discuss, analyze or critically examine, it would be better to answer the question in the paragraph format. If you are required to list the advantages or give reasons for/ against etc., it makes sense to pick the point format of answering.

• Answers should highlight the facts and concepts in an attention-grabbing way and should never read like a passage from a book.
• Try using simple English and avoid ornate language which takes the attention away from the original facts and the opinions about a given topic.
• Practice writing the answers as it is the best way to manage the time limit set for the exam.
• Practice daily and try finishing your answers within the allotted time it will help you get used to the time and word limits.
• Reading previous question papers helps to a great extent.

There are common terms used in soliciting answers from the candidates. One must understand the difference between them. When a candidate understand the difference, it is easy to hit the bull’s eye. So, when you are asked:

Enumerate: It means you have to simply list the points about the topic. No details to be explained.

Narrate: It means you have to write the answer with time-related sequencing. For instance, in the 30s India had ‘n’ number of universities followed by the rise after independence and it will increase to this number by 2025.

Define: You have to define a topic in its exact context including all possible keywords and phrases which you know are essential parts of that particular definition.

Evaluate / Assess / Examine: You need to have detailed explanations with one to two lines of introduction followed by three to four lines in favour and three to four lines against the given topic.

Opinion / Comment / Views: You have to provide constructive opinions with optimistic, future oriented and progressive ideas.

Analyse: You have to provide evaluation, assessment or examination along with your opinion which means you are interpreting the event as per your knowledge apart from detailed explanations.

Discuss: It means to write whatever you know but the most important thing is to write as if you are talking to the examiner.

Describe: It requires you to apply your theoretical knowledge which include constituents, characteristics and attributes.

Elucidate / Elaborate / Expand / Exemplify: Elucidate means make it clear with examples. Elaborate and Expand mean giving detailed explanations. Exemplify means - give a typical example of that particular category.

Contrast / Distinguish: It means you have to write differences not similarities.

Justify / Advocate: It means you have to argue in favour of and write constructive comments as far as rationally possible.

Illustrate: It means you have to use examples, data, diagrams and charts to explain the given topic.

There are the general tips a candidate can follow. One can plan and strategize the method that they find suitable.

About UPSC:
Established on 1 October 1926 as Public Service Commission, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) is India's prestigious central recruiting agency that conducts appointments to and examinations for All India services and group A & group B of Central services. It was known as Federal Public Service Commission by the Government of India Act, 1935 and was then renamed as today's Union Public Service Commission after the independence.