UPSC Guidance

The UPSC Civil Services Exam is one of the most prestigious exams in India. It is attempted by lakhs of people across the country every year. However, only a tiny fraction of them are able to fulfil their IAS ambitions. The IAS exam is not only challenging in terms of the length of its syllabus, but it is also daunting because of its highly unpredictable nature. In this article, you can get all the information you need on how to prepare for the UPSC exam, and change your destiny.

Q. How should a fresher start the preparation? Is it advisable to take any online course or is self study enough?

If you have any inclination just start without being doubtful and first of all be clear about the basic format of civil services examination..Be least bothered about optional right now and focus on other areas. Choosing optional would need a bit of maturity. Start with General studies and improve it till the very core.

Q. Does CG matter?

As I have mentioned before, marks do not matter for this exam. But many a time, my students feel that the UPSC will reject them as they may have been an average student in studies and thereby having low self-esteem. This low self-esteem is the only thing that is stopping you from achieving your dream. I will briefly explain how the CSE works to make you realize that school/college marks do not matter. Since the eligibility for the CSE is to have a pass percentage, anyone with a valid school and college degree can apply for the exam.

Q. How to choose the optional subject?

CONSIDER OVERLAPPING SYLLABUS AND PREPARATION TIME

EVALUATE THE LENGTH OF THE SYLLABUS

CONSIDER COMPETITION LEVEL AND COMPREHENSIBILITY

AVAILABILITY OF RESOURCES

FAMILIARITY AND INTEREST IN THE SUBJECT

Q.How to manage department studies and preparation?

1. Commence Strategically: - Initiate serious preparation in the third year, leveraging a solid foundation in your graduation subject.
2. The Lifeline of Newspapers: Cultivate a habit of reading newspapers early on to stay informed about diverse topics crucial for the exam.
3. Quality Over Quantity: - Resist the temptation to amass study materials. Focus on quality sources rather than drowning in an abundance of materials.
4. Coaching: A Personal Decision: - While coaching isn't obligatory, it provides structured guidance and helps in understanding the exam's intricacies.
5. Mastering Time Management: - Develop a disciplined schedule to efficiently balance college classes, coaching, and self-study. Time management is the key to success.
6. Answer Writing Proficiency: - Sharpen your answer-writing skills through consistent practice. Mains exams emphasize expression and articulation.
7. Crucial Choice of Optional Subject: - Thoughtfully choose your optional subject, combining interest and familiarity. Graduation stream success can simplify this decision.
8. Digital Education Revolution: - Embrace digital education for flexibility and accessibility. Online courses and platforms can enhance your preparation.
9. Balancing Life Beyond Preparation: - Don't sacrifice the essence of college life. Engage in extracurricular activities, hobbies, and personal development for a well-rounded personality.
10. Patience and Perseverance: - Understand that success may not come immediately. Be patient, stay sincere, and learn from challenges. Perseverance is the key to this life-changing journey.

Q. Is there any advantage of being an iitian during preparation and interview?

The most important thing is you have that confidence that if you have cleared JEE you can also clear UPSC otherwise as an IITian you can get a job in any other companies. The advantage of being an engineer or an IITian is there are many subjects like science and technology, environmental science etc where you get an upper edge over other students Where you can perform better. Also taking an technical subject as a optional will assist you in your preparation In interview I don’t think there is any advantage of being an IITian as there are many IITians giving interviews.

Q. When should we start answer writing practice and how many should we write in a day?

Usually, before starting answer writing practice, one has to build basic knowledge. Then, the aspirants can look into the UPSC previous year papers to know the type of questions asked in the Mains Exam. Before 3-4 months of the UPSC Mains Exam, the candidates can start their practice for answer writing.

Q. How to go about note making, specially for current affairs?

To make effective notes for current affairs for UPSC preparation, follow these steps:

Select Reliable Sources: Choose reputable newspapers, magazines, and online platforms for current affairs. Sources like The Hindu, The Indian Express, and PIB are commonly recommended.
Categorize Topics:2. Divide your notes into categories such as Polity, Economy, Environment, International Relations, etc. This helps in organized revision.
Brief Summaries: Write concise summaries of news articles. Focus on key points, government initiatives, and their implications.
Use Keywords: Highlight or underline important keywords. This will help you quickly recall information during revision.
Timely Updates: Regularly update your notes to ensure they reflect the latest information. Set aside dedicated time for this task.
Mind Maps and Diagrams: Visual aids like mind maps and diagrams can make complex topics easier to understand and remember.
Linking Events: Connect related events or issues. Understanding the context and interlinking topics enhances your comprehension.
Revise Regularly: Schedule regular revisions to reinforce your memory. Spaced repetition can be an effective technique.
Practice Answer Writing: Use your notes to practice answer writing. This helps in structuring your thoughts and improves your writing skills.
Discussion Forums: Participate in online forums or join study groups to discuss current affairs. This can provide different perspectives and insights.
Personal Insights: Add your own insights or opinions to certain topics. This personal touch can help you remember and understand the information better.
Analogies and Mnemonics: Create analogies or mnemonics to remember complex information. This can make recall easier during the exam.
Visual Symbols: Assign visual symbols or icons to different topics. For example, use a small tree symbol for environmental issues. This visual cue can aid memory.
Thematic Collages: Create thematic collages for specific months or periods. Include images, headlines, and brief notes to capture the essence of that time frame.
Voice Notes: Record short voice notes summarizing key points. Listening to these notes while commuting or during breaks can reinforce your memory.
Create a Timeline: Develop a chronological timeline of significant events. This helps in understanding the sequence of occurrences and their impact.
Character Profiles: Treat major political figures, Policymakers, or key personalities as characters in a story. Describe their roles, decisions, and the impact on policies.
Flashcards: Convert important facts into flashcards. This is an interactive way to quiz yourself and reinforce your memory.
Prediction Notes: Occasionally make notes on potential future developments based on current trends. This can help you anticipate questions in the exam.
Incorporate Quotes: Include relevant quotes from leaders, experts, or reports. This not only adds depth to your notes but can also be used in your answers for a holistic approach.

Q. How Kgp curriculum and culture help you in your preparation journey?

At KGP, the conducive environment fosters UPSC preparation through active participation in numerous societies, cultivating a well-rounded personality. The extensive infrastructure, including amenities like swimming pools and a gymnasium, complements this journey by promoting overall well-being and creating an optimal space for focused study and growth.

Q. What is the best and efficient way to prepare for current affairs?

Principle 1: Limit your sources
A fundamental problem with Curren. affairs is the deluge of reading material. In my earlier attempts, I used to buy current affairs material out of whim, in the delusional hope that more material meant more marks.

The Hindu (One English Daily)
IE Explained section on website (for comprehensive understanding of an issue)
One daily compilation (Choose any among Insights/ IAS Baba/Forum/ Vision/ CivilsDaily etc.)

Principle 2: Limit your time
The problem with most aspirants is not that they neglect newspapers, but they overplay its importance. Some read newspapers for almost 3-4 hours a day, leaving them with no time to read other subjects.
Principle 3: Focus on issues, not news What's the difference? News talks about an incident.
So to understand any current issue, I used to follow the following framework:

Reason-Why is it in the news? (This is usually reported in the newspapers)
Background Knowledge- (Data, facts, authentic reports etc.)
Current Status- What has the government done or not done so far? Both sides of the issue- Pros and Cons/ Opportunities and challenges
Opinion/Suggestions/ Way forward- What we must do about it?

Q. Is it good to choose engineering subjects as optional subject for UPSC CSE or Not?

First, the course content. CSE syllabus was probably not revised for many years and was very different from what was covered at IITK. Typically, at IITK, basics were covered in the first 2-3 weeks and the rest of the time was devoted for higher levels of learning.
Second, I never liked the ME books we needed to go through for the CSE. Thick books of khanna publishers with less emphasis on concepts, more on examples and exercises, which were more ted than challenging.
Third, the marking pattern. At IITK, on using the right concepts but arriving at a wrong answer due to some calculation error, one could get nearly full marks. In UPSC, wrong answer would mean near zero. In mechanical engineering, many questions in CSE involve calculations in which there is every possibility of committing an error.
No subject is good or bad in absolute terms. And don't look for a "scoring" subject. It all depends on your aptitude and ability to do well in a particular subject. If your analysis leads to mechanical engineering, go ahead and take the subject.

Q. In the aspect of answer writing in mains what are expected aspects that examiner usually expect in one's writing?

1. Content: The answer should demonstrate a clear understanding of the topic and the ability to provide relevant information.
2. Clarity: The answer should be well- organized and easy to understand. The use of proper grammar and sentence structure is essential.
3. Relevance: The answer should be focused on the topic and address the question asked.
4. Analysis: The answer should demonstrate the candidate's ability to analyze the topic critically and provide a balanced perspective.
5. Creativity: The answer should be original and show the candidate's ability to think creatively.
6. Presentation: The answer should be presented in a neat and legible manner, with appropriate headings and subheadings.

Overall, the examiner is looking for a well- reasoned and well-supported answer that demonstrates the candidate's ability to think critically and communicate effectively.

Q. What is your suggestion for final year students should they go all in for UPSC 1st attempt or take a job and prepare along?

Realise that you have time constraints, so prioritize your time!
Unlike many other aspirants who can dedicate a full year to UPSC preparation, those who prepare parallel for UPSC CSE while in college will have time constraints. So what is very important is your ability to prioritize things. Do what is extremely important.
Read newspapers and magazines
Don't compromise your newspaper reading
Don't compromise your newspaper reading irrespective of the time constraints. Once you get into the mood, believe us, it's not that boring! We prefer The Hindu or Indian Express for quality articles. Give importance to editorials and op-ed articles.
Discuss current issues with your friends
We won't say you stop all chit-chat. Long conversations and debates are all part of college life.

Q. What were the factors to keep in mind before choosing optional?

There are certain criteria for choosing the right optional, however, there are high possibilities that even the best suitable choice does not fulfil all of the criteria.

Subject Scorability: It should be of highest priority to consider how (comparatively) easy it is to score in a given optional subject.
It would be wrong to consider that all the optional subjects in the UPSC are equally scoring.
For instance, about a decade ago, Psychology was 'the' optional subject for the students. Out of the total 700 selections, about 300-350 had Psychology as the optional subject.
In 2005-06, Public Administration was the optional subject and in the 1990s, Anthropology was the subject most chosen by the students.
Students' Own Abilities: One cannot be equally good for all the subjects and it is important to recognise what is the most suitable option for you and act accordingly.
For instance, if you have exceptionally good writing skills then you must choose a subject where
subjectivity matters such as in Political Science, Sociology, Literature, Public Administration etc.
However, if writing skills are not your forte, but you can do well with flowcharts, maps, diagrams, then the right choice is going for an optional where diagramatic representation ofthe answers and maps works well such as Geography or an engineering subject like Physics.
One's Own Interest: The subjects that you really love to study will make the journey of UPSC very easy. You will not easily get tired of studying it, the moments of monotony are quite less likely to occur.
The interest that you have in a subject is one of the criteria that should be given primacy, however, it should be considered after the above two criteria.
Commonality (Overlapping with GS): If an optional subject is also helpful in General Studies or in Essay or the Interview, then it automatically increases the preference for the particular subject.
The other things to consider in this regard is to see by how much marks the subject is helping you (what is the weightage of the contents of the subject in all the other exams.. GS, Interview, Essay etc.) and how much of your time is it saving (the time you are saving by not studying something extra that is comparatively less relevant).
Length of Syllabus: Optional subject must be chosen keeping in mind the time in which the syllabus can be covered.
If you are able to save one or two months in a subject then it means a lot from the CSE perspective.
However, it should also be kept in mind that in order to save a month or two, not a few years are getting ruined due to choosing an unsuitable subject just because because it's syllabus is short.
Sources of Information/Study: Other important aspects for choosing the right optional subject include having enough study materials and proper guidance from seniors and teachers.
Dynamism of Subject: Lesser the dynamism, better the subject. In some subjects, questions are the same but answers change every year.
For instance, in Political Science Paper- II i.e., International Relations, almost every aspect in the subject is very dynamic and has to be updated regularly.
Even in Sociology and Public Administration, although not as much as political science, the aspects of dynamism are quite dynamic.
However, in subjects like History, Geography, any Literature subject, Philosophy, Psychology, the answers are not supposed to be change by year.

Unlocking Success : Complete UPSC Guidance