Updated on 25 August 2023 by IAS CENTRE
Welcome to UPSC/IAS exam preparation.
In this guide, you will get the answers to most of your questions related to the UPSC Civil Service Exam.
WHAT IS UPSC?
UPSC stands for Union Public Service Commission. It is a constitutional body that organizes various examinations including civil services.
WHAT IS IAS?
IAS stands for Indian Administrative Service. It is an all-India service. UPSC conducts a recruitment exam for IAS.
WHAT IS IPS?
IPS stands for Indian Police Service. Like IAS, IPS is also an all-India service along with IFoS(Indian Forest Service).
HOW MANY SERVICES ARE THERE IN THE UPSC CIVIL SERVICES EXAM?
There are more than 20 services in the UPSC civil service exam. It includes IAS, IPS, IFS, IRS, etc.
HOW MANY STAGES ARE THERE IN THE UPSC CIVIL SERVICE EXAM?
There are 3 stages in the UPSC civil service exam. The first stage is the Preliminary Exam, the next stage is Mains Exam and the final stage is the Personality Test (Interview).
WHAT IS THE UPSC PRELIMINARY EXAM?
UPSC Civil Services preliminary exam is an objective type exam. It has 2 papers, each carries 200 marks.
Also, there is a penalty of 33% for every wrong answer.
Each paper has a time duration of 2 hours. Paper one is called General Studies (GS) whereas Paper two is Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT).
WHAT IS GENERAL STUDIES (GS) PAPER?
General Studies (GS) paper as per UPSC is a paper to test the general awareness of candidates.
It includes subjects like Indian Polity, History, Geography, Economy, Environment, Art & Culture, Science & Technology, and Current Affairs.
It contains 100 questions with 2 marks each which makes a total of 200 marks.
WHAT ARE THE IMPORTANT BOOKS AND RESOURCES FOR GS PAPER?
Some important books and resources for the GS paper are:
Indian Polity – M. Laxmikanth
Indian History – Rajiv Ahir (Spectrum)
Indian Economy – NCERT (class 11th & 12th)
Indian geography -(class 11th & 12th)
Environment & Ecology – Shankar IAS
Art & Culture – Nitin Singhania
Science & Technology – Newspaper
Current Affairs – Newspapers (the Hindu or the Indian Express)
Apart from these resources Syllabus and Previous Year’s Papers are very important.
WHAT IS A CSAT PAPER?
Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT) is the second paper for UPSC preliminary exam. It includes subjects like basic maths, reasoning, statistics, etc.
It contains 80 questions with 2.5 marks each which makes a total of 200 marks. It is a qualifying paper that requires 33% marks to pass.
WHAT ARE THE RESOURCES TO PREPARE CSAT PAPER?
The best resources to prepare CSAT Paper are Previous Year’s Papers. Practice as much as possible.
WHAT IS THE UPSC MAINS EXAM?
UPSC CIVIL SERVICE MAINS Exam is a subjective type of exam. It includes qualifying papers as well as compulsory papers.
It contains 2 qualifyings which include English and other is Indian language papers given in the syllabus. These papers are of 300 marks with 3 hours duration.
There are 7 compulsory papers of 250 marks each and with a time duration of 3 hours each. These compulsory papers comprise one Essay Paper, 4 General Studies Papers, and 2 Optional Papers.
General Studies Papers include subjects like Indian Polity, History, Geography, Economy, Society, Art & Culture, International Relation, Science & Technology, Environment & Ecology, Ethics, etc.
Whereas Optional Papers have more than 50 subjects to choose from the UPSC syllabus. You can select any one subject from the list.
The last stage is the Personality Test and which contains 275 marks. After passing the previous two stages you reach this stage.
The marks of stages 2nd and 3rd are added to decide the final rank and thereby services.
WHAT ARE THE ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR THE UPSC EXAM?
For each and every detail you should consult the syllabus of that year, to see if there are any changes.
But in general, here are some of the eligibility criteria for the UPSC Civil Service Exam :
Category Age Limit (years)** Attempts** Education
General 21 – 32 06 Graduation
OBC 21 – 35 09 Graduation
SC/ST 21 – 37 unlimited Graduation
Physically Disabled + up to 10* 09*/ unlimited Graduation
*Corresponding to their category. ** For more details, follow the UPSC notification.
WHAT ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTORS TO GET SUCCESS IN THE UPSC EXAM?
Belief and Consistency are the most important factors to get success in the UPSC exam.
When you believe in your goal then you work for it, when you continuously work for it, you become consistent thereby boosting your confidence and belief.
CAN ANYONE CLEAR THE UPSC EXAM ON THE FIRST OR THE LAST ATTEMPT?
Yes, there are many who clear on their first or even the last attempt.
So you should not worry about being a fresher or a last attempter. Your focus should be on the study and current attempt.
IS COACHING REQUIRED OR NOT?
Well, it depends on whether you need guidance or not.
If you think you are clueless about this exam and want direction and guidance, you should join.
On the other hand, if you think you can manage the preparation yourself and there is no need for any coaching then go ahead.
In both cases, one thing you should always keep in mind is that self-study is a must.
HOW MANY HOURS DO I NEED TO STUDY FOR THE UPSC EXAM DAILY?
It depends on so many things, but on average, you should study for around 8 -10 hours per day.
If you are full-time in preparation then you can manage the required time.
But if you are a working professional then it becomes difficult to manage the required time on a daily basis.
So for that manage whatever time you have on working days, but compensate it on the weekend and other holidays.
WHICH ARE THE BEST NEWSPAPERS?
The HINDU and The INDIAN EXPRESS are the best newspapers.
HOW TO READ THE NEWSPAPER?
First of all, read and understand the syllabus of UPSC prelims and mains for GS papers.
After that, you will get an idea about which topic in the newspaper is useful for the exam.
HOW MANY HOURS SHOULD I READ THE NEWSPAPER?
It depends but generally you should finish it in around an hour and a half.
WHICH IS THE BEST OPTIONAL PAPER FOR THE UPSC EXAM?
Almost all optional papers are good scoring. It all depends on your interest and how you manage its preparation.
DO I NEED TO COME TO DELHI FOR THE UPSC EXAM PREPARATION?
With this digital revolution, you can prepare for this exam from anywhere. It is not necessary for you to come to Delhi or any other place.
DO I NEED AN IIT, AIIMS, OR IIM DEGREE TO CLEAR THE UPSC EXAM?
NO. There are many who have degrees from open universities or not-so-good universities with not “so good grades” that qualify for this exam every year.
On the other hand, most from prestigious colleges/universities fail to qualify for this exam.
So, don’t worry about that, this exam is designed in such a way that it provides a level playing field for everyone.
DO I NEED A VERY GOOD KNOWLEDGE OF ENGLISH FOR THE UPSC EXAM?
If your medium is English then you should be comfortable with the basics of the English language.
Otherwise many with vernacular language qualify for this exam with very good ranks.
IS IT POSSIBLE TO GET SELECTED FROM AROUND A MILLION ASPIRANTS APPLYING FOR THE UPSC EXAM?
YES. You just need one seat from around 1000 seats available every year.
IS LUCK A FACTOR IN THE UPSC EXAM?
As there is a saying that 1% is luck and 99% is hard work required for success.
So make hard work(99%) your strength then luck(1%) becomes insignificant or starts favoring you.
All the best for your future exams and endeavors. Keep working hard.
For any questions about the exam comment below.
To get the latest updates and free study materials subscribe to IAS CENTRE