All You Need To Know About the UPSC Exam

 Most of you must have been preparing for civil service exams for a bright career ahead. It is true that once you can crack it, there is no looking back. However, cracking the civil service is not a piece of cake. A lot of hard work and dedication goes into it. Before you start preparing for UPSC's current affairs, you need to have a clear idea about the exam. Worry not, as here you will get all the information related to the UPSC civil service exam.

What is UPSC?

Referred by people as the IAS exam, the Union Public Service Commission conducted the UPSC exam. The main idea behind conducting this civil exam is to appoint eligible candidates as IPS, IAS, IFS officers and give them the responsibility of several administrative posts of India. The UPSC exam is divided into three stages:

Stage 1: UPSC CS Preliminary Examination or UPSC prelims

Stage 2: UPSC CS Main Examination or UPSC mains

Stage 3: UPSC Interview or the personality test

UPSC exam pattern

As has already been mentioned, the UPSC exam is divided into three stages. Let's take a look at the exam pattern at each stage. In the UPSC prelims, a written exam is conducted, which will take you to the next level when qualified. The marks a candidate secures in the Prelims are not added to the final merit list. The prelims contain two papers of 100 marks each. Paper I aims at general studies containing 100 multiple choice questions and the Paper II is the aptitude test comprising 80 questions.

Every question in the prelims carries negative marks. A paper with wrong answers will go through a deduction of 1/3^rd of the total marks allotted to a question. Candidates who are visually impaired will get an extra time of 20 minutes on each paper. To better understand the candidates, the paper is presented in two languages – Hindi and English.

In the UPSC mains, there are nine papers where seven papers determine the merit of the candidate, and two papers are allotted for the candidate to qualify. The time limit for each paper is three hours. Candidates can sit for the mains only if they can acquire the cut-off percentage or more than that. Also, the candidate needs to get at least 33% in Paper-II in the prelims. In the mains. All the question papers need to be answered descriptively. Other than the language paper, the rest of the papers need to be answered in English.

Here are the marking schemes of the papers of UPSC mains:

Paper	Subject	Time	Marks
Paper A	Compulsory Indian Language	3 hours	300
Paper B	English	3 hours	300
Paper I	Essay	3 hours	250
Paper II	General studies – I	3 hours	250
Paper III	General studies – II	3 hours	250
Paper IV	General studies – III	3 hours	250
Paper V	General studies – IV	3 hours	250
Paper VI	Optional subject – Paper I	3 hours	250
Paper VII	Optional subject – Paper II	3 hours	250

Eligibility criteria

To sit for the UPSC exam, only focusing on studies and practicing current affairs 2020 in English is not enough. Although going through the current affairs for UPSC PDF is a must, you also have to look at the eligibility criteria. The age limit for the UPSC exam extends from 21 years to 32 years. There is relaxation for people belonging to the different categories and minority communities. The candidate who wants to appear for the UPSC exam should be a graduate from a recognized university. Above all, the candidate has to be Indian.

What to know before starting the UPSC preparation?

There are many UPSC aspirants looking for different coaching centers that can help you with monthly current affairs PDF and related other study materials. Here are some motivational tips that will help you in your journey and lead you to enjoy glorious success.

a.       Do not get misguided

You will often find many UPSC aspirants get misguided by either their seniors or even by some coaching center. Once you get misguided, you lose a lot of money, but a lot of your time is wasted. In fact, you lag behind. So, when you choose some coaching center for UPSC preparation, do not just run after their materials on current affairs 2020. Have a clear idea about how the classes are taken in the coaching centers, and only then enroll yourself.

b.      You have to get accustomed to the UPSC syllabus

Both experienced candidates and beginners need to be aware of the changing syllabus of the UPSC exam. Every year there are some changes made in the syllabus. As an aspirant, it is your duty to be knowledgeable about the latest UPSC syllabus and prepare accordingly.

c.       Be rational about the competition in the UPSC exam

Know that every year, more than ten lakh aspirants register for the UPSC civil service examination. More or less 5 lakh candidates sit for the prelims while only 12000 out of them make it to the mains. Out of those 12000, 2500 candidates crack the mains, and 1000 candidates acquire a position in the merit list. So, if you still think there is none better than you, you are highly mistaken. Always consider your competitors to be stronger than you and prepare yourself accordingly.

Conclusion

So, to start the preparation for the UPSC exam, you can join a good coaching center. People who want to opt for self-study can always do it, provided the correct books and study materials guide you. Further, for all the civil service aspirants, it is crucial to sit for mock tests. These tests can tell you how prepared you are and how much effort you need to put in. Also, follow a proper strategy. Otherwise, it will be almost impossible for you to finish the syllabus. If you want, you can consult with some UPSC toppers for a better understanding of the exam. Above all, even if you fail, do not lose hope. Remember, 'Failure is the pillar of success.'