Sakshi Education
Civil Services Preliminary Examination will be held in less than a month from now. The upcoming few weeks are crucial for your performance.
Don’t mechanically attempt all questions
Negative marking in the examination and you will lose marks for every wrong answer. So, get your concepts correct. Don’t mechanically attempt all questions. Decide where to draw the red line; and don’t be very scared either. Attempting competitive exams requires presence of mind. When in doubt, remember that the paper setter is a very kind father-like figure who will give you adequate chance to get the right answer if only you allow your common sense to work for you.
Some questions may sound vague and imprecise
The high and complex sounding multiples should not make you nervous. Answer is right under your nose. Some questions may sound vague and imprecise. For example, Council of Ministers is responsible to Lok Sabha or Parliament. Check Article 75 and you will get your answer. Similarly, you may be confused whether Social, Economic and Political Justice are promised by what among the following: Preamble/Fundamental Rights/Directive Principles of State Policy? Read all the three, it becomes categorically clear that Preamble is the answer.
Don’t read anything new
Time being short, you should have a smart way to use it. Firstly, Time Management: You must have made a pattern out of the past 10 years or more of Prelims examinations and must have prepared notes on that basis. You must have been studying at least for last one year; taking notes and revising it on a regular basis. You might have also maintained a register for the ‘core’ part of it. Have a look at that for each section – Constitution, Economics, History and so on. Don’t read anything new. Even within the notes you have made, make sure there is nothing but exam-based material.
Guiding Principles: Conceptual clarity, relevant information and mental discipline
Part of your preparation for Prelims connects with the Mains and even the Personality Test. But a big portion does not. That is primarily because of the difference between the nature of Prelims and the Mains; and also because the difference between the syllabi. However, preparation for the two exams is broadly similar: conceptual clarity; relevant information and mental discipline are the guiding principles.
Important aspects in Current Affairs
In the Preliminary, the meaning of Current Affairs is different. It encompasses developments in Constitution and Economy along with Science. Let me explain: 16th Lok Sabha elections were recently held. You can expect a question on the Electoral Process, Election Commission, and comparison of the Central Election Commission with State Election Commission etc. Article 123 is in news and so is Governor (for wrong reasons); appointment of Judges, Collegium versus Judicial Commission may also figure in the exam. National Emergency (Art.352), President’s Rule etc are also relevant. Prime Minister Narendra Modi says that he will meet the President frequently and so Article 78 becomes relevant all the more.
Similarly, Inflation, Fiscal Consolidation, WTO, Monetary Policy, SEBI, balance of payments, subsidies, FRBM 2.0, taxation concepts, FDI/FII distinction are some of the ever green topics for the Prelims and the Mains. Get your concepts right about these topics. These are conventional topics as well as current. Conceptual clarity holds utmost importance.
International affairs have not been coming for some years now in Prelims. In Science, Ebola virus, cryogenic engine, uranium enrichment, sub atomic particles, gene editing, gene modification, DRDO’s Netra UAV for surveillance and reconnaissance operations and other areas that have appeared in the national newspapers could be important. Conventional Biology and Physical Sciences are also crucial.
Another most-asked question: Can we stop reading news papers?
Remember newspapers are the lifeline. They help you in most areas. They have current as well as conceptual content. For example, the Economic Survey 2014 covers all the relevant areas in economics. Since experts put their minds together to write it, current trends are highlighted and we get to see Government mind there. Your concepts also get clear. Similarly, Union Budget 2014-15 may not figure for logistical reasons- an event of July 10th for the Examination on August 24th, at least for the Prelims is, conventionally speaking, not likely. However, various areas like smart cities, programmes are named after DeenDayal Upadhyay, Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, Jaiprakash Narayan and Madan Mohan Malviya may provide you with some refreshing reading. If you do not have time, you may skip it, though, for the Mains, they are compulsory.
Practice previous year’s question papers
You must have done most of the aforementioned activities in these last weeks of preparation. Wherever you need to revise and strengthen yourselves, do it. Do whatever you can, perfectly and don’t worry about what you have not done. If you find quality questions in the market, you may practice them- the best quality of course are past papers of the UPSC Prelims may be of 15 years old.
Strategy now, as always is to maximize advantages and minimize disadvantages. Those with higher comfort levels in CSAT, sharpen the edge there and vice versa for others.
Reference Books for General Studies
Don’t mechanically attempt all questions
Negative marking in the examination and you will lose marks for every wrong answer. So, get your concepts correct. Don’t mechanically attempt all questions. Decide where to draw the red line; and don’t be very scared either. Attempting competitive exams requires presence of mind. When in doubt, remember that the paper setter is a very kind father-like figure who will give you adequate chance to get the right answer if only you allow your common sense to work for you.
Some questions may sound vague and imprecise
The high and complex sounding multiples should not make you nervous. Answer is right under your nose. Some questions may sound vague and imprecise. For example, Council of Ministers is responsible to Lok Sabha or Parliament. Check Article 75 and you will get your answer. Similarly, you may be confused whether Social, Economic and Political Justice are promised by what among the following: Preamble/Fundamental Rights/Directive Principles of State Policy? Read all the three, it becomes categorically clear that Preamble is the answer.
Don’t read anything new
Time being short, you should have a smart way to use it. Firstly, Time Management: You must have made a pattern out of the past 10 years or more of Prelims examinations and must have prepared notes on that basis. You must have been studying at least for last one year; taking notes and revising it on a regular basis. You might have also maintained a register for the ‘core’ part of it. Have a look at that for each section – Constitution, Economics, History and so on. Don’t read anything new. Even within the notes you have made, make sure there is nothing but exam-based material. Guiding Principles: Conceptual clarity, relevant information and mental discipline
Part of your preparation for Prelims connects with the Mains and even the Personality Test. But a big portion does not. That is primarily because of the difference between the nature of Prelims and the Mains; and also because the difference between the syllabi. However, preparation for the two exams is broadly similar: conceptual clarity; relevant information and mental discipline are the guiding principles.
Important aspects in Current Affairs
In the Preliminary, the meaning of Current Affairs is different. It encompasses developments in Constitution and Economy along with Science. Let me explain: 16th Lok Sabha elections were recently held. You can expect a question on the Electoral Process, Election Commission, and comparison of the Central Election Commission with State Election Commission etc. Article 123 is in news and so is Governor (for wrong reasons); appointment of Judges, Collegium versus Judicial Commission may also figure in the exam. National Emergency (Art.352), President’s Rule etc are also relevant. Prime Minister Narendra Modi says that he will meet the President frequently and so Article 78 becomes relevant all the more.
Similarly, Inflation, Fiscal Consolidation, WTO, Monetary Policy, SEBI, balance of payments, subsidies, FRBM 2.0, taxation concepts, FDI/FII distinction are some of the ever green topics for the Prelims and the Mains. Get your concepts right about these topics. These are conventional topics as well as current. Conceptual clarity holds utmost importance.
International affairs have not been coming for some years now in Prelims. In Science, Ebola virus, cryogenic engine, uranium enrichment, sub atomic particles, gene editing, gene modification, DRDO’s Netra UAV for surveillance and reconnaissance operations and other areas that have appeared in the national newspapers could be important. Conventional Biology and Physical Sciences are also crucial.
Another most-asked question: Can we stop reading news papers?
Remember newspapers are the lifeline. They help you in most areas. They have current as well as conceptual content. For example, the Economic Survey 2014 covers all the relevant areas in economics. Since experts put their minds together to write it, current trends are highlighted and we get to see Government mind there. Your concepts also get clear. Similarly, Union Budget 2014-15 may not figure for logistical reasons- an event of July 10th for the Examination on August 24th, at least for the Prelims is, conventionally speaking, not likely. However, various areas like smart cities, programmes are named after DeenDayal Upadhyay, Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, Jaiprakash Narayan and Madan Mohan Malviya may provide you with some refreshing reading. If you do not have time, you may skip it, though, for the Mains, they are compulsory.
Practice previous year’s question papers
You must have done most of the aforementioned activities in these last weeks of preparation. Wherever you need to revise and strengthen yourselves, do it. Do whatever you can, perfectly and don’t worry about what you have not done. If you find quality questions in the market, you may practice them- the best quality of course are past papers of the UPSC Prelims may be of 15 years old.
Strategy now, as always is to maximize advantages and minimize disadvantages. Those with higher comfort levels in CSAT, sharpen the edge there and vice versa for others.
Reference Books for General Studies
- History of Modern India – Bipan Chandra. (History)
- India’s Struggle for Independence – Bipan Chandra. (History)
- Facets of Indian Culture – Spectrum. (Culture)
- Geography of India – Majid Husain. (Geography)
- Oxford School Atlas – Oxford. (Geography)
- Certificate Physical and Human Geography – Goh Cheng Leong. (Geography)
- Introduction to Constitution of India–DD Basu (Polity)
- Indian Polity – M Laxmikanth
- Indian Economy – NCERT (10th 12th Class) (Economy)
- Oxford/Penguin Dictionary of Economics
- Economic Survey (2014). (Economy)
- Newspaper
- Science and Technology in India – KalpanaRajaram: Spectrum. (Science and Technology)
- Environmental Studies from Crisis to Cure 2nd Edition – R.Rajagopalan. (Environment)
- India Year Book 2014.
- Manorama Yearbook 2014.
- Newspapers
- Any good Career Journal
- News Magazine
- Selective reading from Wikipedia
Published date : 08 Aug 2014 10:53AM
