UPSC Preparation Tips For Beginners
“ARISE AWAKE AND STOP NOT UNTIL YOU CRACK UPSC”
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
Topics covered:
- UPSC EXAM PATTERN ALONG WITH SELECTION CRITERIA
- CUTOFFS OF PRELIMS, MAINS, AND INTERVIEWS
- AGE CRITERIA AND NUMBER OF ATTEMPTS FOR UPSC ASPIRANTS ACCORDING TO CATEGORY
- LIST OF OPTIONAL SUBJECTS
- ANALYSIS OF TOPPERS MARKS OVER THE PAST 7 YEARS
- AGE CRITERIA AND NUMBER OF ATTEMPTS FOR UPSC ASPIRANTS ACCORDING TO CATEGORY
- BOOKLIST FOR UPSC
- CONCLUSION
“UPSC EXAMINATION IS NOT DIFFICULT, IT IS DIFFERENT”
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 2nd or 3rd language courses by their boards or universities
- The Indian language chosen by the candidate must be mentioned in the 8th 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
- Why do u want to be an IAS officer
- Can we know your strengths and weaknesses
- How is your degree relevant to civil services
- Why have you chosen ABC optional, although it is something different from your specialization during degree?
- 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:
- Agriculture
- Animal husbandry and veterinary services
- Anthropology
- Botany
- Chemistry
- Civil engineering
- Commerce and accountancy
- Economics
- Electrical engineering
- Geography
- Geology
- History
- Law
- Management
- Mathematics
- Mechanical engineering
- Medical science
- Philosophy
- Physics
- Political science and international relations
- Psychology
- Public administration
- Sociology
- Statistics
- Zoology
- 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
- A citizen of India.
- A citizen of Nepalor a Bhutan
- A Tibetanrefugee who settled permanently in India before 1 January 1962.
- 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 1st 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