Aspirants looking for UPSC admission are provided with guidance by their syllabus in terms of structuring their preparation strategy. It also assists them with choosing materials to study and prioritizing topics for revision.
Before taking an exam, it is essential that you carefully understand its syllabus. This will enable you to create a detailed study plan and dedicate enough time for each topic.
To prepare for UPSC syllabus opt for Tathastu ICS.
General Studies Paper 3
Civil Services Mains examination’s General Studies Paper 3 (GS Paper 3) is one of the key subjects. It covers topics like Technology, Economic Development, Biodiversity, Environment, Security and Disaster Management. A solid knowledge of these subjects enables candidates to craft responses that are both logical and coherent while meeting diverse socio-economic goals and objectives.
How should I prepare for UPSC Mains General Studies Paper 3 exam? One of the key components in successfully passing an UPSC exam is having an understanding of its structure and syllabus; this will allow you to formulate an effective preparation strategy and weightage allocation. It is also vital that you gain clarity regarding its weightage distribution so as to optimize time and effort invested.
Students should begin by reading NCERT books to establish basic concepts, before moving on to coaching institutes or publications for additional materials on topics like Agriculture, Environment and Disaster Management. Newspaper and magazine articles may be helpful. Students should make notes and practice answering questions so they can improve their answer writing abilities; additionally they could try solving several DS question papers daily to increase speed.
GS Paper 3 tests an aspirant’s ability to comprehend topics comprehensively and present them concisely, so reading and analyzing past year question papers to spot any repeating themes.
General Studies Paper 4
GSM 4 (Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude) is one of the nine papers of Civil Services Mains Examination which assess candidates on issues related to integrity, probity and conflict resolution in public life. Furthermore, this topic assesses problem solving skills when dealing with conflicts or disputes that arise between parties involved.
Questions in this question paper may cover various subjects like code of conduct, citizen’s charter, RTI, Nolan Committee Recommendations and others; however, its primary goal is to assess candidates’ attitude toward ethical values and principles and how they apply them both professionally and personally.
Candidates should read books on ethics and philosophy to help them better comprehend its concepts, including “The good of one person includes the good of all”. Furthermore, candidates must not simply memorize quotes by philosophers but demonstrate how they apply directly to current circumstances by compiling notes identifying key points from each book and applying them accordingly to everyday scenarios.
Optional Subject Papers
Choose an optional subject wisely when applying to the civil services. The Mains exam contains two optional papers of 250 marks each, so choosing wisely could make or break a candidate’s merit score. Selecting something aligned with one’s background and academic strengths can improve performance and boost confidence during an exam session.
When deciding on the subject for your dissertation, it is essential to keep several factors in mind:
Interest of Subject: Engaging subjects are vitally important in making the journey pleasant and engaging, making studying easier and more enjoyable for a student. Otherwise, studying may become challenging or cause their interest to wain quickly. Understanding how much time each subject requires will also assist in avoiding wasted study sessions on unnecessary topics.
Scorability of Subjects: Scorability is of utmost importance in selecting optional subjects for Civil Services Examination, covering all important areas such as General Studies, Essay and Interview. A good optional should enable students to perform better on test day while saving time for other subjects.
Students can opt for either parallel or sequential studying of Optional subjects before appearing for the UPSC Prelims examination. Furthermore, familiarisation with previous year question papers from UPSC should take place along with practice answer writing in specific subjects.
Preliminary Examination
The Union Public Service Commission conducts the Civil Services Examination (CSE) to select candidates for government jobs such as IAS, IRS, IPS and IFS. Candidates attempting to pass this rigorous exam must pass three rounds: Prelims Exam, Mains Examination and Interview Round. To qualify for CSE candidates must first go through Prelims, Mains Examinations and Interview Round. Prelims is a screening exam comprised of two 200-mark papers called General Studies Paper 1 and CSAT Paper 2, each lasting for 2 hours with 1/3rd negative marking.
Starting in 2011, the CSAT Paper 2, commonly known as Civil Services Aptitude Test, became mandatory qualifying paper for all candidates applying to civil service exams. It assesses an applicant’s aptitude, analytical skills and reasoning abilities – candidates must achieve at least 33% to pass prelims exam.
After successfully passing the Prelims exam, candidates are shortlisted for the Mains exam which comprises nine papers (including Language Papers). Candidates are required to score at least a minimum mark in each paper in order to meet final merit ranking requirements and qualify for final merit ranking. As this exam is both objective and descriptive in nature, it’s crucial that candidates understand its entirety prior to beginning preparation; this will enable them to create an organized booklist as well as determine which optional subjects suit them best.