Civils Marathon- VII: Prelims GS Paper I

The Preliminary Examination consists of two papers of objective type multiple-choice questions and carry a maximum of 200 marks each. This examination is meant to serve as a screening test only.

The marks obtained in the Preliminary Examination by the candidates who are declared qualified for admission to the main examination will not be counted for determining their final order of merit.

The number of candidates to be admitted to the Main Examination will be about 12 to 13 times the total approximate number of vacancies to be filled in that particular year( in various services and posts). In 2022, UPSC has announced 861 vacancies. Only those candidates who are declared by the commission to have qualified in the preliminary examination (in that particular year) will be eligible for admission to the main examination of that year.

Candidates, who obtain such minimum qualifying marks in the written part of the Main Examination as may be fixed by the commission at their discretion, shall be summoned for an interview for a personality test. Marks obtained in the papers will be counted for ranking. The number of candidates to be summoned for an interview will be twice the number of vacancies to be filled.

Marks obtained by the candidates in the Main Examination, written part as well as Personality Test would determine their final ranking. Candidates will be allotted to the various services keeping in view of their ranks in the examination and the preferences shown by them for various services and posts.

Scheme and subjects for the preliminary examination:

The examination will comprise two compulsory papers of 200 marks each. Both the question papers will be of the objective type multiple-choice questions. The question papers will be set both in Hindi and English. However questions relating to English language comprehension skills of class 10 level will be tested through passages from English language only without providing Hindi translation. Each paper will be of two hours duration. Blind candidates will however be allowed an extra time of 20 minutes at each paper.

General studies paper I

Paper-I (200 marks, duration 2 hours)

The subjects covered in this paper will be as follows:

l Current Events of national and international importance

l History of India and Indian National Movement

l Indian and World Geography – physical, social, economic geography of India and the world.

l Indian polity and governance – Constitution, political system, Panchayati Raj, public policy, rights issues etc.

l Economic and social development – sustainable development, poverty, inclusion, demographics, social sector initiatives etc.

l General issues on Environmental Ecology, Biodiversity and climate change – that do not require subject specialization

l General science

These are the seven subjects to be covered during the preparation. It is like climbing the Seven Hills and reaching the top most part of the Tirumala Hills. When you reach the top of the hills, it is like entering into the arena of Tirumala. If you are selected for the interview, it is like entering into the sanctum sanctorum.

The main hurdle of the long hurdle race

Around 4.5 lakhs of candidates will be appearing for the prelims examinations every year. To cope up with the examination schedule which is hardly hundred days to go

-5th June, one has to work hard. It doesn't matter whether you are reading 10 to 12 hours a day or 8 to 10 hours a day. Most of the candidates appear while working in some organization or other and may not find time to spare for the preparation. Our advice is to allot more time for individual segments of the above seven segments. The questioning pattern as we have already discussed varies from year to year.

Availability of study material

Coaching centers provide a lot of reading material prepared by the experts and they will discuss the importance of each segment. During the last two years, stress was given on Environment. That doesn't mean in 2022 also, that segment will have a bigger share. Delhi Publishers have prepared voluminous books for Prelims Examinations and they have a good marketing potential. There are candidates who doesn't even attend any coaching center and have prepared themselves. It depends upon the strategy of preparation. Take the advice of elders and seniors who have attended the exam earlier. Prepare your own schedule for reading.

Assimilation is more important than how many hours you have studied. In the question paper, 4 options will be given and you have to choose A,B,C,D. Negative marking also is a hurdle.

Answering previous years' question papers

Candidates should invariably go through the drill of answering previous question papers dating back to 2011 . It gives a clear-cut idea about the questioning pattern and the intricacies in it. Time constraint is one hurdle. Answering a hundred questions in 120 minutes is another hurdle.

Reality

UPSC tests only general intelligence levels. The annual reports of the commission show that those who are getting selected are not extraordinary but only average persons. No human being can read for 18 hours a day. Successful candidates generally prepared only for eight hours a day with reasonable breaks. If you start preparation early, it is good. Another myth is that one needs to be a Postgraduate for Civil service preparation. UPSC Annual Report shows that 80% of the successful candidates are just graduates.

Another myth is that one has to be a rich person to prepare for IAS. It is not an eligibility criteria. 70% of the candidates who are cracking IAS are from middle-class and poor family backgrounds. Thinking that it requires several attempts to crack the Civils examinations is also a myth. It depends on how you prepare yourself for the Marathon race. The strategic preparation can help the candidates to crack IAS in the first attempt itself. Be bold to enter the arena.

( The author is retired Additional Director-General Doordarshan , Delhi)