First, the basics of the curriculum should be clear. Reading the basic material and developing one’s own thought process is the key.
Second, as a Civil Servant who might serve in any part of the country, it is important to know about your country’s culture, history, geography, economy, polity and how we have progressed so far, though at basic level. A deep insight into issues, current affairs and their practical application is must.
Third, take a few months to a year to let ideas sink in and enjoy the process of incubation.
last, be high on moral and ethical grounds. Recent introduction of ethics paper (GS-4) suggests the way written answers should reflect the required moral undertone. However, the real mantra to crack this competition is self belief, perseverance, patience and dedication. It might sound cliché but the basics remain the same.
For those planning to appear for the exam next year, here are the various stages of the process of selection into the UPSC.
Preliminary exam: Civil Services Prelims (CSP) has two papers which are objective in nature. Paper I is General Studies, which covers areas like History, Polity, Economy, Geography, Ecology & Environment, General Science and Current Affairs. Paper II is Aptitude Test which covers areas like comprehension, reasoning, decision making, interpersonal skills, basic numeracy (maths), general mental ability and data interpretation. Only paper I is counted for merit and paper II is qualifying in nature. This stage is only for screening the students for civil services Mains.
Mains: It has nine papers, all subjective in nature. It includes four General Studies paper, two optional papers, essay, language paper and English. English and language paper are qualifying in nature.
Personality test: The third stage is the personality test with 275 marks. Final merit list is prepared by adding the marks of mains and personality test together.
In the past few years, especially after 2011, there has been a pattern shift in the way UPSC conducts the process of selecting candidates. The competition requires renewed attitude and psyche as aspirants are expected not only to be informative but be more receptive and analytical and high on emotional quotient.
Rote learning, voluminous reading and information retention is now in the past. The present information revolution has metamorphosed the way youth thinks.
(The writer is Pramod Singh, mentor and counselor for Civil Services examination at Mindworkzz Classes)