UPSC Preparation Tips For Beginners

“ARISE AWAKE AND STOP NOT UNTIL YOU CRACK UPSC”

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UPSC is one of the many competitive exams that requires sheer hard work and smart work to become an IAS officer.

“NO MATTER WHAT IS THE ENVIRONMENT AROUND YOU, IT IS ALWAYS POSSIBLE TO MAINTAIN THE BRAND OF INTEGRITY”

– APJ ABDUL KALAM

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Topics covered:

1. UPSC EXAM PATTERN ALONG WITH SELECTION CRITERIA
2. CUTOFFS OF PRELIMS, MAINS, AND INTERVIEWS
3. AGE CRITERIA AND NUMBER OF ATTEMPTS FOR UPSC ASPIRANTS ACCORDING TO CATEGORY
4. LIST OF OPTIONAL SUBJECTS
5. ANALYSIS OF TOPPERS MARKS OVER THE PAST 7 YEARS
6. AGE CRITERIA AND NUMBER OF ATTEMPTS FOR UPSC ASPIRANTS ACCORDING TO CATEGORY
7. BOOKLIST FOR UPSC
8. CONCLUSION

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“UPSC EXAMINATION IS NOT DIFFICULT, IT IS DIFFERENT”

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This examination has got 3 stages

NOTE: The exam can be taken up in English or Hindi

• Prelims: 400 marks

TYPE: OBJECTIVE PATTERN

NEGATIVE MARKING: YES: for every right answer 2 marks will be rewarded and for every wrong answer 0.66 marks will be deducted

PAPER	NO OF QUESTIONS	TOTAL MARKS	DURATION OF THE EXAM
General studies I	100	200	2hrs
General Studies II (CSAT)	80	200	2hrs

NOTE: MARKS SCORED IN PRELIMS WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED FOR PREPARING THE FINAL /RECOMMENDED LIST

GENERAL STUDIES PAPER 1

For every correct answer, 2 marks are rewarded.

For every incorrect answer, 0.66 marks are deducted.

GENERAL STUDIES PAPER 2 (CSAT)

For every correct answer, 2.5 marks are rewarded

For every wrong answer, 0.83 marks are deducted

FOR EXAMPLE:

In the General Studies paper-1 if a person has attempted 70 questions correctly, out of 100 questions and 30 incorrectly then the marks scored by the candidate in the General Studies paper-1 will be:

70 * 2=140

30 * 0.66=19.8

Your score in General studies paper I will be: 140 – 19.8 = 120.2

In general studies paper II (CSAT), if a person has attempted 50 questions correctly, out of 100 questions and 30 questions incorrectly then the marks scored by the candidate in General studies paper II will be:

50 * 2.5 =125

30 * 0.83 = 24.9

Your score in general studies paper II (CSAT)will be: 125- 24.9 = 100.1

Your total score in prelims will be: 120.2 + 100.1 = 220.3

QUALIFYING CRITERIA FOR MAINS

Students who have acquired a minimum of 33 % in CSAT and the desired cut off in general studies paper I as declared by the UPSC board are considered to be selected for writing UPSC mains

PRELIMS CUT OFF OVER THE PAST 4 YEARS

NOTE:

PwBD(person with benchmark disability )

PwBD 1 ORTHOPEDICALLY HANDICAPPED

PwBD 2: VISUALLY IMPAIRED

PwBD 3: HEARING IMPAIRMENT

PH IS NOW CALLED AS PwBD. THE TERM PH WAS USED TILL 2017, FROM 2018 THE WORD PwBD IS IN USE.

YEAR	GENERAL MERIT	EWS	OBC	SC	ST	PwBD1	PwBD2	PwBD3	PwBD5
2019	98	90	95.34	82	77.34	53.34	44.66	40.66	61.34
2018	98	–	96.66	84	83.34	73.44	53.34	40	45.34
2017	105.3	–	102.66	88.66	88.66	85.34	61.34	40	–
2016	116	–	110.66	99.34	96	75.34	72.66	40	–

• Mains: 1750 Marks

TYPE: SUBJECTIVE /DESCRIPTIVE

NEGATIVE MARKING: NO

DURATION: EACH PAPER IS OF 3 HRS

TYPE OF PAPER	SUBJECT	MARKS
Paper A	Compulsory Indian language	300
Paper B	English	300
Paper I	Essay	250
Paper II	General studies I	250
Paper III	General Studies II	250
Paper IV	General Studies III	250
Paper V	General Studies IV (ETHICS AND INTEGRITY )	250
Paper VI	Optional I	250
PAPER VII	Optional II	250

EXCEPTIONS:

• Paper A is not compulsory for candidates from the States of Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Sikkim as well as candidates with hearing impairment, provided they can prove that they have been exempted from such 2nd or 3rd language courses by their concerned board or university.
• Paper A is no considered compulsory for the candidates of Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland and Mizoram. It is also not compulsory for candidates with hearing impairment, but they have to prove that they have been exempted from 2^nd or 3^rd language courses by their boards or universities
• The Indian language chosen by the candidate must be mentioned in the 8^th schedule of the constitution.
• Paper A and B are only of a qualifying nature.

PREVIOUS YEAR MAINS CUT OFF

YEAR	GM	EWS	OBC	SC	ST	PwBD 1	PwBD 2	PwBD3	PwBD5
2019	751	696	718	706	699	663	698	374	561
2018	774	–	732	719	719	711	696	520	460
2017	809	–	770	756	749	734	745	578	–
2016	787	–	745	739	730	713	740	545	–

• Interview /personality test: 275 mark

The final and the most important of all stages is the personality test. no qualifying marks will be declared in this stage by UPSC.

FEW QUESTIONS LIKE 

1. Why do u want to be an IAS officer
2. Can we know your strengths and weaknesses
3. How is your degree relevant to civil services
4. Why have you chosen ABC optional, although it is something different from your specialization during degree?
5. What is your hobby? (the board members are going to check if you really possess that hobby)

FEW TIPS FOR THE INTERVIEW

• Think positively in every situation
• Improve your communication skills so that you can express yourself
• Read newspapers
• Try to give impartial and an unbiased answer to all the questions asked
• Stay calm and showcase a positive body language
• PRO TIP: give an honest answer during the interview. Don’t try to impress the UPSC interview board members by lying.

FINAL MERIT LIST /RECOMMENDED LIST

This list will be created on the basis of marks scored in the mains examination and interview/personality test. Marks scored in PRELIMS will not be considered for preparing the final list, prelims marks are considered only for writing mains.

Services like (IFS, IPS, IRS, IRTS, IAAS, IRAS, IDAS etc) will be allotted to the candidates according to their preferences and ranking.

FINAL CUT OFF OVER THE PAST 4 YEARS

YEAR	GM	EWS	OBC	SC	ST	PwBD 1	PwBD 2	PwBD 3	PwBD 5
2019	961	909	925	898	893	861	890	653	708
2018	982	–	938	912	912	899	908	754	718
2017	1006	–	968	944	939	923	948	830	–
2016	988	–	951	937	920	927	951	817	–

The number of students appearing in UPSC has seen an increasing trend in the past few years .over 10.58 lakh students approximately have put the application for prelims in the year 2020 and 8 lakh students approximately applied for UPSC prelims in the year 2019. But 15 % – 20 % of candidates don’t even appear for the prelims .0f 8 lakh students approximately 11845 students were selected for mains, 2034 students made it to the interview and at last 829 students were under the recommended list. Surprisingly choosing the right optional subject can increase your score and rate of success.

LIST OF OPTIONAL SUBJECTS:

1. Agriculture
2. Animal husbandry and veterinary services
3. Anthropology
4. Botany
5. Chemistry
6. Civil engineering
7. Commerce and accountancy
8. Economics
9. Electrical engineering
10. Geography
11. Geology
12. History
13. Law
14. Management
15. Mathematics
16. Mechanical engineering
17. Medical science
18. Philosophy
19. Physics
20. Political science and international relations
21. Psychology
22. Public administration
23. Sociology
24. Statistics
25. Zoology
26. Assamese, Bengali, Bodo, Dogri, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Maithili, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Oriya, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Santhali, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, English.

HERE IS THE ANALYSIS OF THE PAST 7 YEARS ALL INDIA RANK (AIR) 1, 2 & 3:

UPSC 2019 ANALYSIS

AIR	NAME	MARKS SECURED IN OPTIONAL SUBJECT	MAINS MARKS	INTERVIEW MARKS	TOTAL MARKS
1	Pradeep Singh	293(PD)	914	158	1072
2	Jatin Kishore	294(ECO)	878	185	1063
3	Pratibha verma	305(PHY)	869	193	1062

UPSC 2018 ANALYSIS

AIR	NAME	MARKS SECURED IN OPTIONAL SUBJECT	MAINS MARKS	INTERVIEW MARKS	TOTAL MARKS
1	Kanishak kataria	361(MATH)	942	179	1121
2	Akshat jain	335(ANTHRO)	882	198	1080
3	Junaid ahmad	321(GEO)	893	184	1077

UPSC 2017 ANALYSIS

AIR	NAME	MARKS SECURED IN OPTIONAL SUBJECT	MAINS MARKS	INTERVIEW MARKS	TOTAL MARKS
1	Durishetty anudeep	318(ANTHRO)	950	176	1126
2	Anu kumari	318(SOCIO)	937	187	1124
3	Sachin gupta	339(ANTHRO)	946	176	1122

UPSC 2016 ANALYSIS

AIR	NAME	MARKS SCORED IN OPTIONAL SUBJECT	MAINS MARKS	INTERVIEW MAKRS	TOTAL SCORE
1	Nandini K R	331(KANNADA LITERATURE)	927	193	1120
2	Anmol sher singh bedi	-(POLITICAL SCIENCE )	899	206	1105
3	Gopalkrishna ronanki	322(TELUGU LITERATURE)	936	165	1101

UPSC 2015 ANALYSIS

AIR	NAME	MARKS SCORED IN OPTIONAL SUBJECT	MAINS MARKS	INTERVIEW MARKS	TOTAL SCORE
1	Tina dabi	299(POLITY)	868	195	1063
2	Athar amir UI shafi khan	PHILOSOPHY	825	193	1018
3	Jasmeet singh sandhu	PUNJABI LITERATURE	824	190	1014

UPSC 2014 ANALYSIS

RANK	NAME	MARKS SCORED IN OPTIONAL SUBJECT	MAINS MARKS	INTERVIEW MARKS	TOTAL SCORE
1	Ira singhal	305(GEO)	920	162	1082
2	Renu raj	319(MALAYALAM)	858	198	1056
3	Nidhi gupta	316(PHY)	846	179	1025

UPSC 2013 ANALYSIS

RANK	NAME	MARKS SCORED IN OPTIONAL SUBJECT	MAINS MAKRS	INTERVIEW MARKS	TOTAL SCORE
1	Gaurav agarwal	296(ECO )	769	206	975
2	Munish sharma	202(LAW)	732	204	936
3	Rachith raj	272(ZOOLOGY)	796	138	934

AGE CRITERIA  AND NUMBER OF ATTEMPTS FOR UPSC ASPIRANTS ACCORDING TO CATEGORY

• All the UPSC aspirants must be of Indian origin and must have completed their graduation (those who are in final year can also appear for the prelims , but while appearing for prelims one should have completed mains)

EXCEPTIONS:

• For the Indian Administrative Service, the Indian Police Service and Indian Foreign Service the candidate must be a citizen of India.
• For other services, the candidate must be one of the following

1. A citizen of India.
2. A citizen of Nepalor a Bhutan
3. A Tibetanrefugee who settled permanently in India before 1 January 1962.
4. A person of Indian origin who has migrated from Pakistan, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Zaire, Ethiopiaor Vietnam with the intention of permanently settling in India

UPSC AGE LIMIT

The candidate must be at least of 21 years as on 1^st august 2021 (if he or she is sitting for UPSC 2021)

CATEGORY	UPPER AGE LIMIT	ATTEMPT
GENERAL LIMIT	32	6
OBC	35	9
SC/ST	37	(unlimited attempts until the person reaches age of 37)
DISABLED DEFENCE SERVICES PERSONNEL	35	9
EX-SERVICEMEN	37	9
PEOPLE WILL BENCHMARK DISABILITY – economically weaker section	42	9

• BOOK LIST FOR UPSC:

SUBJECTS	BOOKS
HISTORY	MODERN HISTORY: a brief history of modern India by Rajiv Ahir, spectrum IndiaArt and culture by Nitin SinghaniaAnicent and Medieval India by Poonam DayalNCERT Class XI and XIIIndian culture and heritage by Devdutt Pattanaik
GEOGRAPHY	NCERT: 6th to 12th old and newGes periods Vol 1 : Physical, world and environmental geography by Mohan KrishnamurthyGes periods Mol 2 : Indian, human and economic by Mohan KrishnamurthyCertificate Physical and human geography: G C LeongOxford atlas or orient BlackswanGlobe and wall mapsNATMO AtlasIndian geography by Dr. KhullarPhysical geography by StrahlerHuman geography by Majid Hussain
POLITY	Indian constitution at work: 11th NCERTDemocratic politics:10th NCERTIndian polity: LakshmikanthIntroduction to Indian constitution: Durga Das Basu
ECONOMY	Indian Economy by Ramesh Singh
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY	Science and technology by Ravi P AgrahariScience and technology: Arihant publications
CSAT	A modern approach to verbal and non-verbal reasoning by Dr. RS AggarwalCSAT Paper- 2 manual by McGraw Hill
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS	NCERT XIIInternational relations: Pushpesh pantIndian polity by M LaxmikanthCurrent affairs and Hindu newspaper
ESSAY	Contemporary essays by Ramesh Singh
ENGLISH	Compulsory English by AP Bhardwaj
SOCIAL ISSUES	Social problems in India by Ram AhujaThe Hindu newspaper: EditorialsIndian Express editorialsNCERT class 11th and 12th.
ETHICS AND INTEGRITY	Ethics, integrity, and aptitude by Santhosh Ajmera and Nanda Kishore Reddy, McGraw hill publicationsEthics, Integrity and Aptitude by M Karthikeyan
INTERVIEW	Important Judgments that Transformed India: for UPSC Civil Service Examination by McGraw HillHow to score high in the IAS interview: tips to clear IAS interview with flying colors in the format of a PDF

CONCLUSION

The number of candidates who applied for prelims in 2010 was 6 lakh approximately, the number has seen a drastic increase to 11 lakh approximately. Along with the increase in the level of competition, the number of candidates in the final list or the recommended list has also come down from approximately 1000 to 800. UPSC is called the mother of all exams, if you prepare for this examination, all the other central and state government group A and B and also the other competitive examinations will be a cakewalk. Now it is time for all of us to raise out of our comfort zones and let’s start working harder, and at the same time smarter. Only hard work doesn’t lead to success. If only hard work led to success then the daily wage workers had to have a lavish and contented life .so let our goals not stop for anyone, let’s raise every day from bed and do what is needed rather than doing what is easy