Introduction To UPSC Exam
UPSC conducts a national level exam for 24 services under the Central & State Governments of India such as the Indian Revenue Service, Indian Administrative Service, Indian Foreign Service, Indian Police Service, etc. UPSC syllabus format is common for those services, which we will see in detail for the upcoming UPSC 2021 exam. There are three parts to the Civil services exam. For the first part, a candidate must be prepared for general studies test & aptitude test. After clearing these two tests, a candidate would be allowed to write the IAS Mains which are descriptive type.
UPSC Exam Syllabus For 2021
Given below is the syllabus for UPSC Exam 2021:
- General Studies Test: This test is mainly focused on general and social awareness. During the test, a candidate should be very much careful as there is negative marking for the wrong answer. Candidate should acquire knowledge as much as possible on subjects such as general science and technology, environmental ecology, biodiversity, climate change, Indian economy, history of India and Indian national movement, sustainable development, poverty, inclusion, demographics, political system, public policy, rights issues, etc.
- Civil Services Aptitude Test or CSAT: This test is mainly focused on ‘Reasoning and Analytical’ questions, ‘Decision Making’ and ‘Reading Comprehension’. To be the best, a candidate should know the question patterns. One can follow previous year’s papers and try to solve them.
- UPSC Mains Part 1: There are two qualifying papers, an Indian language paper, and the second is an English language paper. A candidate must explore areas such as essays, synopsis writing, reading comprehension, grammar, basic language usage, and translation, which include English to compulsory language and vice versa.
- UPSC Mains Part 2: The other seven papers, ‘Essay’ which can be written in the medium of the candidate’s choice, ‘General Studies – Part 1’ topics include such as Indian Heritage & Culture, History & Geography of the World & Society, ‘General Studies – Part 2’ covers areas such as governance, constitution, polity, social justice & international relations, ‘General Studies – Part 3’ which section includes technology, economic development, biodiversity, security & disaster management, General Studies – Part 4’ which includes ethics, integrity, and aptitude, & ‘Optional Subject – Paper 1 and 2’.
- There are 48 optional subjects to choose from, which belong to optional subject papers. Like literature of Marathi/ Hindi/ Nepali/ Dogri/ Santhali/ Konkani/ Assamese/ Bodo/ Bengali/ Telugu/ Kashmiri/ Kannada/ Gujarati/ Urdu/ English/ Tamil/ Sindhi/ Malayalam/ Maithili/ Sanskrit/ Punjabi/ Odia or Manipuri. Apart from literature, other options are Philosophy, Physics, Political Science & International Relations, Psychology, Public Administration, Sociology, Statistics, Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Science, Civil Engineering, Agriculture, Geology, History, Medical Science, Zoology, Commerce & Accountancy, Economics, Mechanical Engineering, Law, Management, Geography, Mathematics, Botany and Electrical Engineering.
- And the final part is the personal interview or UPSC personality test which is more concerned with checking the analytical ability & mental qualities of the candidate.
Best Preparation Tips For Tests
Lets see some tips, that how a candidate can have the best preparation for all these tests.
- The most important fact is that a candidate should have proper dedication and patience while taking preparation. Without a correct plan of action, it is nearly impossible to clear all the tests. The prelims and UPSC mains exams are due in June & September 2021. It is better to have a timetable and work accordingly so that the stress can be avoided.
- For ‘General Studies Test’ it is always better to study one paper in your mother language, and another in the English language. It’s better to answer when & where you are confident. To develop social awareness, pick a situation and analyze it with the facts surrounds it. There are many books available online, with real-life examples that help to understand the subject in depth. E.g. The Pearson CAST Manual – 2012 Paper I General Studies & Paper II General Aptitude by author Edgar Thorpe. This book covers paper two as well. For UPSC Mains part 1 and 2 there are many good books available focusing on different parts and topics. You can have one, as per your criteria.
- There are thousands of mock questions available at indiabix.com, faceprep.in, afeias.com, etc. from where you can well prepare yourself for paper two.
Creating a timetable is very important to plan and schedule the day for preparations. It is always good to wake up early in the morning when our concentration level tends to be very high.
- Wake up by 6 a.m. and get yourself ready by 7 a.m. once you finished taking bath and having tea.
- If you have coaching, then attend that, and once you come back then start studying.
- After a healthy breakfast at 9 a.m, first, start revising whatever you have studied yesterday. During the fresh morning, this time is best to start with the most difficult topics or subjects. Try not to take any break till 1 pm, if it is not necessary.
- At 1 p.m. have a light and healthy lunch and avoid taking nap.
- At 1.30 p.m, start studying and continue till 5 p.m.
- At 5 p.m. take a break for an hour. During this break, try to do some physical activity like the gym or walk. Apart from study, it is very important to be physically fit.
- 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. this is the last phase of your study hours. During this time always try to pick some easy topics where brainstorming is not required.
- Finish your dinner at 9 p.m. It should be light. You can go through the FAQs and general information, and updates related to exams for a while. Just go through the newspaper headlines once, if you have missed it reading in the morning.
- Before you sleep, always try to relax your mind. Try to avoid thinking about exams and studies. You can speak to someone or you can take the help of some soft music if you like. Hit the bed by 11 p.m.
Conclusion – UPSC Exam Syllabus 2021
Thus this article concludes UPSC Exam Syllabus 2021.
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