GENERAL STUDIES PAPER I - Civil Services

Preparation in April and May: The FAQ is how to begin. Students may begin their preparation by downloading previous years question papers so that they can have an idea about the question pattern.

They can list down the topics from which questions have been asked during previous years.

But keep it in mind that the pattern changes every year.

By and large the 7 important topics in the syllabus will be covered.

This knowledge will give a clear idea of what to expect in the coming examination.

Already civils pundits have made guess work.

Major Areas

Art and culture - around 10 questions

Current affairs - 10-20 questions

Modern Indian History - 10 questions

Geography & Environment - 10-20 questions

Economy - 8-20 questions

Science &Technology - 5-10 Questions

Indian polity - 10-20 Questions

Miscellaneous - 10 Questions

This is not a hard and fast rule. It varies from year to year

To site an example the pattern of 2014 prelims GS paper I is given below:

Culture - 14 questions

Geography – 10

Science - 9

History - 6

Environment - 28

Polity - 11

Economy - 10

Agriculture - 8

Information - 4

Lot of stress was given for environmental issues

How to go about: It is better to begin with a preliminary reading of History text book of Class XI of NCERT and others for these above topics. While concentrating on Art and culture keep in mind the areas like Buddhism and Jainism. Schools of philosophy like Sankhya, Charvaka, and Vedanta etc are to be kept in mind. Indus valley civilization is also important. It is part of Ancient History. Sangam period from South India is another area to be covered which will help in Mains examination also. With regard to Medieval India cultural aspects of Bhakti and Sufi Movement are crucial. Most of the questions were based on NCERT Art and Culture text books. In ancient history the questions are interfaced with culture and history.

Be cautious: While selecting the books to read be cautious. Whatever book you have choosen read it with the point of examination. 1857 revolution and early part of Indian freedom movement are important. Peasant movements and Role of women in freedom struggle are other areas to be covered.

Indian History: It is a vast subject to cover. It takes lot of time also. The time is short and one has to coverall the topics in the syllabus. The focus should be one post 1919 developments in India as part of freedom struggle and Gandhi's role. Most of the candidates have inhibitions about History. During the school days they might have gone through the History books with fear complexity. With regard to prelims nothing to worry. Post 1857 History can be attempted. Give more time to it .

Indian polity: This is a scoring topic. It is a mixture of easy and difficult questions. Constitutional frame work is an area where focus is to be laid. Have thorough knowledge on the following aspects:

1. Historical Background

2. Preamble- salient features

3. Fundamental Rights and Duties

4. Directive principles of state policy

a. Constitutional bodies (Election commission, CAG, Finance commission etc)

b. Planning commission has been replaced with Niti Aayog. A detailed study in depth is to be made.

5. National development council and Human rights commission of India

6. New institutions like Competition commission of India

7. National green tribunal

8. Lokpal

9. Polity and Governance

The focus should be on Social sector legislations. They include new legislations with regard to Domestic violence and various Rights based on this legislation. The study will help for mains preparation also.

Economy: NCERT CLASS XI AND XII text books are most useful. Basic economic concepts like GDP, GNP, and national income are to be studied in depth. International Financial institutions like World Bank, International Monetary Fund and World Trade organization are other areas to be covered with statistics on hand. Mostly the questions are conceptual and a thorough understanding of concepts is necessary. Get the basics as well as latest updates.

Geography: This has two parts- World geography and Indian geography. Environment is also part of it. NCERT Class XI Fundamentals of geography is a must to read book. Atlas is to be kept on the wall of study room to understand the details. In World geography Principles of geography, Map work and climatic and vegetation zones are areas to be studied. Map marking will be part of the question paper.

In Indian geography physical geography India, including relief features, mineral resources distribution, vegetation and cropping patterns are important.

Environment

Items include Biodiversity, ecology, human geography, climate change and pollution. It is better to study them with current affairs orientation so that the questions can be well answered.

General Science: Basic concepts of physics- electromagnetic spectrum, reflection and diffraction etc are to be studied in detail. In Biology section Biotechnology and Public health are focused areas.

Be careful: One should read the questions carefully and thoroughly before selecting the correct answer. If a question cannot be answered immediately one should move to next question instead of wasting time on one. After going through the whole question paper and answering all the questions, one may get back to unanswered questions. Since there is negative marking no guess work to be done. Each mark counts for mains selection. Time management is very vital during the two hour period of examination. There is only a minute or more to answer a question, speed and accuracy is the key to get good score. This can be done only through weekly tests conducted by various institutions are ones own effort.

An in depth understanding of subjects can help candidates to prepare for prelims in a much better way.

The syllabus does not give much detail of the topics to be studied under each subject. -it is expected to gain knowledge slightly below graduation level but definitely above high school level.

Three categories of questions:

1. Multiple choice questions- single response correct

2. Multiple choice questions- Multiple response correct

3. Multiple choice questions- Matching type

The number of questions asked from different sections varies each time and there is no fixed rule. We will discuss in detail next week