How Do I Clear The UPSC Prelims Successfully?

The Union Public Service test is India's most arduous exam. It offers a rewarding career in the administrative services. The annual increase in competition makes it hard as it requires rigorous preparation to pass the 2025 examination and to get into All India Services

The Exam Structure

The UPSC exam takes place in three stages:

• The preliminary exam

• The main exam and

• An interview

The initial two stages are offline with a pen and paper, the preliminary one being objective type and the main exam being descriptive, tests the candidates' knowledge in every subject. Successive clearance of each level of the exam is necessary for selection.

Preliminary Examination

• General Studies Paper 1: Merit Ranking -2 hours - 100 questions - 200 marks

• CSAT : Qualifying Nature - 2 hours - 80 questions - 200 marks.

For every single incorrect answer, you will get a negative score and a minimum of 33% in CSAT is required to get through the next stage.

Main Examination

The main examination is descriptive and consists of 9 papers in which papers 1-7 are merit ranking

Paper 1: Essay -- 3 hours – 250 marks

Paper 2: General Studies 1 – 3 hours – 250 marks

Paper 3: General Studies 2 – 3 hours – 250 marks

Paper 4: General Studies 3 – 3 hours – 250 marks

Paper 5: General Studies 4 – 3 hours – 250 marks

Paper 6: Optional Paper 1 – 3 hours – 250 marks

Paper 7: Optional Paper 2 – 3 hours – 250 marks

Paper A: Indian Language - Qualifying Nature - 3hours - 300 marks

Paper B: English - Qualifying Nature - 3 hours - 300 marks

Interview/Personality Test

The candidates who have cleared the main examination with the required cutoff marks qualify for the final stage of the examination called the personality test and attend the interview round with the UPSC board members. In these, the board assesses the personality traits, intellectual and moral capabilities, leadership qualities, decision-making, etc. The overall mark for the interview is 275.

Create A Study Plan

Allot specific time slots for each subject daily and stick to your schedule. Cover all topics and allocate extra time for areas you find challenging. Here’s a sample study plan:

• Monday-Friday: Focus on individual subjects. For example, Monday for History, Tuesday for Polity, etc.

• Saturday: Take UPSC Prelim mock tests and work on weak areas.

• Sunday: Revise the topics covered during the week.

Gather Study Material

Collect all necessary study materials, such as textbooks, reference books, and online resources. Some recommended books include:

• Primary Source

*All NCERT Books From 6th to 10th Standard

• History

*NCERT 11th Ancient and Medival History

*NCERT 12th Modern Indian History

*India’s Struggle For Independence – Bipin Chandra

*Indian Art and Culture – Nitin Singhania

• Geography

*NCERT from 6th to 12th

*Certificate Physical Geography – G C Leong

• Indian Polity

*NCERT 9th – 12th

*Indian Polity – Laxmikanth

• Indian Economy

*NCERT 11th

*Indian Economy – Ramesh Singh

• International Relations

*NCERT 12th (Contemporary World Politics)

*Current Affairs

• CSAT

*A Modern Approach to Verbal & Non-Verbal Reasoning

*Quantitative Aptitude for Competitive Examinations

Improve Accuracy

Practice solving questions within the given time limit to increase your speed. Use a timer while solving practice papers, or use the UPSC Question Paper simulator from Easy Quizzz to know how much time it takes for you to answer a question. In this simulator, you can customize the number of questions, passing score, topic selection, and time limits while taking your mock tests via the practice mode. Thoroughly understand the concepts and then practice regularly to avoid silly mistakes.

Put Extra Time And Effort On Weaker Areas

Figure out your weak areas by analyzing your performance in mock tests and practice papers. Allocate extra time to work on these areas. For instance, if you struggle with history, focus more on this subject daily. Use the UPSC civil services web simulator from Easy Quizzz to take practice tests on your desired topic for the UPSC preliminary examination.

Stay Updated With Current Affairs

Read newspapers, watch news channels, and follow reliable online sources. Pay special attention to laws and government policies, as these are frequently tested topics.

Lastly, take regular breaks, eat healthy, and get enough sleep while preparing for the exam. Choose Easy Quizzz to practice mock tests crafted by industry experts that also come with detailed answers as well as previous year question papers to prepare you for the UPSC Prelims Exam.

Author Bio:

The author is well-versed in various competitive and certification exams in India and internationally. They assist candidates to pass challenging exams through their educational app. The app provides reliable practice tests, including PDFs and topic wise (old papers) online test simulator. Visit https://www.easy-quizzz.com/in/ to know more.