Civil Services mains examination

Civil Services mains examination has always been the biggest challenge for all the candidates, in the three tier examination schedule. This is not merely because the mains exam carries a huge weightage in terms of the total tally of marks, but it is more because while preparing for this tier of the exam, a candidate explores all the concepts which impact the working and the environment of civil services. Especially while preparing for the General Studies paper, no matter what academic background a candidate belongs to, he always faces difficulty in getting comfortable with all that he is expected to know. However this problem has become even more acute predominantly in the last few years, when candidates find that despite putting lots of hard-work in preparing for the General Studies paper, they ultimately end up with lesser score than they had expected. This trend in some cases has discouraged students from even spending the requisite time on General studies, under the belief that no matter how much time they spend on General Studies, they are not going to get good scores. This tendency further depreciates their scores and they end up wasting all their time and effort during their long course of preparation.

            Moreover, an analysis of the scores of toppers reveal that, they have, to a large extent converted this problem with the General Studies paper into an opportunity to provide a big push upwards, to their overall scores. That is to say that in most cases, we would find that those who have got good ranks finally, have scored very well in the General studies paper. Thus there is a problem before us, which if answered properly, promises to crack one of the toughest nuts in the civil services exam and bring about huge improvements in the final scores. But in order to come up with an accurate answer we need to take a very close look at the structure and the spirit of this paper.

            Foremost, we need to understand that the GS paper cannot be attempted well unless a candidate is very thorough with all those concepts which are vital to the common place understanding of all the issues which confront the governmental setup. This is the first stage i.e. a student should know vital concepts across various disciplines be it economics, political science, sociology, geography, history, science & technology, environment and so on. Secondly, he should know as to how and why those concepts are relevant within the discipline. Thirdly, he must know how those concepts are applied beyond the specific discipline and acquire relevance in the interdisciplinary territory i.e. to understand the utility of textbook concepts in real life situations. Once this stage is mastered, one starts getting some feel of the paper and the confidence level starts growing. Further, an advanced version of this stage is to practice the application of these concepts in various policy moulds and working out the feasibility and compatibility of these moulds to current issues and problems. Finally, one must know how to draw the best conclusions out of the given number of solutions available in the form of various policy moulds, which shall serve as the guiding thread or the principle tone throughout the course of the answer.

            But to get at the top of this 5 or 5+1 stage process, one must first know it. Most of the students commit the grave mistake of limiting their preparations till the second stage, and skip the subsequent stages, mostly out of ignorance or time constraints. Thus they hardly are able to even touch the interdisciplinary territory and the subsequent stages are not at all covered. Others go a little further and reach stage three, but once they start getting a relative grip over the content, they tend to leave it there and start diverting the allocated time in consolidating the optional, thereby again leaving out on the all important final stages. Only a select few dare to cover all the stages and make an exhaustive and intensive preparation, to ultimately land up in the merit list.

            Adherence to this 5+1 stage process, has become all the more important, keeping in mind the changes in the pattern of questions asked especially in recent years. There are certain noticeably distinguishing trends evolving in recent years which are too apparent to be ignored. Foremost, there is a strong sentiment towards venturing in unconventional areas. This is something which is visible across the board in all the subjects be it history, polity, economics or even science and technology for that matter. This phenomenon indicates towards the inclination of the examiner for testing the conceptual understanding of the candidate vis-a-vis hitherto unchartered areas and contexts. Secondly there is also an affinity towards testing the knowledge of polity or economics within the fold of history or testing the knowledge of polity within the fold of economics or history and similar experimentation with other combinations. Thirdly, there is a strong propensity towards the incorporation of the latest or current events and issues within the fold of the paper. Fourthly, in questions respecting disciplinary limitations, there is visible penchant towards asking more specific questions with a defined focus over asking general questions with a broader coverage. Fifthly the length of the paper has continued to be substantial which has left the student with even lesser time to think and apply at the final moment. Last but not the least, there is a strong preference towards asking questions having application based orientations on real issues, and which try to test a candidate's ability to analyze an issue under different shades or perspectives and suggest mature alternative conclusions, both from a long term strategic perspective and a short term tactical perspective.

            All this has resulted in a situation where a student is hardly left with any breathing space within the fold of his discipline and beating about the bush has become not only impractical but also counterproductive, given the time limitations and the length of paper. In some cases candidates are found to be complaining that despite completing the entire paper, and writing all the answers, they have not obtained the expected score. In other cases candidates are whining that despite working so hard over the syllabus, they just could not get under the skin of the paper. All in all there are plenty of doubts, apprehensions, misunderstandings and other similar feelings related to the paper and the students are desperately seeking solutions.

            The answer lies in keeping pace with the trends and expectations of the UPSC. Foremost, there is a need to bring some changes in the way books are studied. For example, while we study DD Basu for polity, we have to be particularly careful about studying how the articles of the constitution are manifested and applied in particular cases and how the spirit of the constitution has evolved and implemented in the various laws over the period of time. Further, we should also study how the same could be applied to contemporary issues and what alternative consequences could unfold out of diverse interpretations arising in an effort to strike a balance between several conflicting areas in the constitution. Ultimately we should also be ready with valid conclusions on burning topics, so as to save time in the examination hall.

            Similar trends are also visible in most of the popular optional papers. Be it public administration, geography, psychology, sociology, political science and international relations or any other. The pattern of questions in the mains exam is gravitating towards application orientation with a demand for deep subjective as well as interdisciplinary insights. Further similar to GS we are more and more observing the introduction of newer areas from which questions are being asked. The UPSC seems to be looking for innovative solutions to the problems confronting the country by exploring the hitherto unchartered vistas. So we must be prepared to give the UPSC what it wants. When it comes to optionals, it seems to be testing the holistic knowledge of the candidate. It wants to ascertain as to whether a candidate has risen above what is simple or difficult or what is conventional or unconventional. So we must possess the knack of making simple things difficult and difficult things simple. That is to say that we leave no space to chance and prepare each area with a genuine approach of really trying to solve the problem.

            Therefore what is recommended is that the candidates, no matter what book or study material they read must always read it keeping in mind the importance of the content in the contemporary times and their relationship with the current issues. Further at the same time they should not be wary of using inputs even beyond their own disciplines as long as they find them attributing positively to their explanation. Having said all this, it is equally important to mention that the candidates should not only go on for improving their knowledge base in the interdisciplinary domain but also learn the art of using that knowledge in proper amounts and in proper areas, so much so to keep refraining from trespassing the unsaid boundaries prescribed while writing answers in the optional papers.

            Apart from the content of the answers which should be more and more integrative and holistic, a candidate must also be concerned about the language and the presentation offered in their answer scripts. The presentation should be methodical, systematic, consequential and understandable. That is to say that the applications should look related to the contexts and evolve out methodically from the concepts. Further the language should be strictly apolitical and reflect neutrality and unbiased treatment.

            Very few are able to score in the range of 300+ marks. 2nd paper is proving to be the more difficult one. In the previous year a large number of those who appeared in interview have scored less than 100 in 2nd paper. The prescribed syllabus for mains General Studies is as follows-

Paper-I :

            (1) History of Modern India and Indian Culture.
            (2) Constitution of India and Indian Polity.
            (3) Geography of India.
            (4) Current National issues and topics of social relevance.

Paper-II

            (1) India and the World.
            (2) India's Economic Interaction with the World.
            (3) Developments in the Field of Science & Technology, IT and space.
            (4) International Affairs and Institutions.
            (5) Statistical analysis, graphs and diagrams.

In 2010 only a 12 marks question was asked from history and it was not a compulsory question; it could be left easily. What it means is that conventional topics have not remained so important. In IES(PT)-2011 also history portion has almost been removed. But we can't accept it as a rule. In coming years history portion may become important. But one thing is sure - questions shall not be of conventional type.

            In polity we should not expect straight questions based on the provisions of the constitution. Procedural aspects of polity have become more important. We need to go beyond traditional books such as D.D Basu or Subhash Kashyap. Books of NCERT on Political science should be studied. Grasp on polity is a precondition for good marks in General Studies for we can't be very sure with what we write in other parts of first paper.

            Social issues are being asked more frequently nowadays. India year book and magazines such as Yojana can be helpful. In current affairs we find very less difference between PT and mains questions, so even minute information should be given importance otherwise 2 markers cann't be answered.

            In second paper - India and The World, can prove to be our foundation. Science and technology questions seem to be intriguing nowadays. Even experts are never sure on these topics. In this scenario 'India and The World' and 'Statistics' can help you reach to a safer score. Some student think that Statistics takes away lots of time hence should be attempted in the end; but when 100 marks seem to be deluding, it is safer to answer statistics question carefully. By practicing at our home we can reduce the time we take to solve these questions. With CSAT in PT we hope everybody should be able to solve those questions.

            Economy should be prepared carefully. Economic Survey should be read carefully. Students normally study Economic Survey for PT and leave it for mains but the programmes and policies announced by government in budget and survey are asked regularly in mains. Of late, Economy has also become same as current affairs, so traditional questions can rarely be expected from this section.

            We hope 'India and The World' and 'Statistics' alone can help a student cross 100 marks in second paper. Economy can help you achieve better marks and if you are good at science and tech., it can prove to be a bonus.

10 Unaffordable Mistakes :

Different individuals make different mistakes during their preparation for civil services exam. But, there are certain similarities in the pattern of errors committed by civil services aspirants. Following are the Top ten common mistakes that candidates make during the preparation.

1. Waiting for the results of Preliminary Test :
            (i). This is one of the biggest mistakes that a student commits in civil services exam.
            (ii). Month of June and July happens to be the most important phases for Mains preparation and most students waste it. It must be remembered that it is almost impossible to clear the mains stage if you have not been preparing seriously from the month of June itself.
            (iii). It also happens to be the most important period for clearing the basics and the doubts one has regarding the mains stage.

2. Preparing Current affairs at the end :
            (i). It has been proved in the recent years that current affairs dominate both the papers of GS. But most of the students leave this part to do in the end which can prove to be fatal.
         (ii). Questions asked in previous years shows that current affairs section is becoming more and more indirect and analytical in nature. This requires that current affairs should be the part of preparations right from the very beginning to develop competence over it through regular study rather than the last minute cramming of facts and values.

3. Selective Study :
            (i). The pattern of marks allocation to different subjects in GS paper has been fluctuating over the period of time.
           (ii). Selective study during such time can prove to be disastrous for the candidates. Nobody knows what will come out from the UPSC's bag, so one should be prepared for almost everything.
            (iii). Try to complete as much course as possible as it reduces the uncertainty and increases the confidence to face the exam.
4. Faulty Planning and Evaluation:
           (i). Boundaries of GS course are permeable in nature which makes it difficult to complete the whole syllabus. Thus a solid plan becomes necessary to overcome this but it has been often seen that this important component is missing in the preparation.
            (ii). In civil services course, one should know what is important as well as what is not important, that is, not ' hard work' but 'intelligent hard work' is required.
           (iii). After making the plan in the initial stage, it is also important that one should evaluate the performance from time to time and make necessary changes according to the need.
5. Neglecting Writing Practice/Strategy:
                (i). Most of the students do not develop a proper writing strategy before going in the examinations.
           (ii). There are many different sections in GS paper and each requires a different set of skills. A question from different segments requires different amount of time and style of writing.
             (iii). It must be remembered that leaving questions unattempted is sure to fetch a 'zero'. Thus a proper strategy which includes division of time among different sections and a distinctive writing style is a must and should be developed consciously.
6. No time- management :
            (i). Time management should be the part of preparations right from the starting but most of the students don't take it seriously in the initial stages.
            (ii). This leads to chaos and panic in the later stages as many things remain undone and others are overdone.
            (iii). One must introspect his or her pros and cons objectively and should divide the time accordingly.