UPSC Civil Service Exam- for Beginners

Students from Kerala surprised the whole country when this year’s UPSC Civil Service result came out. First rank, second rank, fourth rank…and a long list of successful candidates from Kerala. This was one of the best performance By Kerala in this exam till date. Likewise success of students form J&K is showing that now this service is becoming more inclusive. Now dominance of students from Delhi or from Bihar or UP is shifting in the favour of states which were not faring well in Civil Service exam till recently. This should inspire students from difficult background. Students from rural,  remote and hilly areas, students from not so wide known Universities, Students from Open Universities, students who are working to support their family and so on.   This should inspire young generation to make Civil Service as their career goal. Through this article, I am throwing some light over this exam for the beginners who are doing their plus two or who are in College for their graduation.

Civil Service is not just a profession, it is a service to the society, to the nation. Similarly, UPSC Civil Service exam is not just a job oriented exam, but it is an opportunity to you to serve your society and Nation. This is considered as one of the toughest examination in our country where you compete with people from all walks of life. But, if you prepare with a good self- made strategy and passion, you can achieve success.

Opportunity- This exam gives you chance to choose from a variety of services. Total 24 top services of this country are available through this single exam. If you are interested in Administration, IAS is for you. If you are interested in shaping India’s foreign policy then you can opt for IFS. If you are a Police fan, then you can opt for IPS. There is Indian Revenue service, Custom service, Accounts service, Railway Traffic service, Postal service and a lot of other service which give you chance to start from the top and to make a difference to your nation.

Eligibility- Graduate from any recognized university (that includes Open Universities also) from any subject is eligible to appear in this exam. There is no marks limit. Being a graduate is the only criteria. Age limit is 21 to 30 for general candidate and there is relaxation to OBC and SC/ST candidate and to Ex-serviceman. Details can be seen form Current Notification for UPSC Civil Service exam from www.upsc.gov.in. In Examination segment of website, go for Notification (archival) where you will find Notification for CSP 2013 and Corrigendum. Syllabus and Previous year’s question paper is also available in this website. Number of attempt is 4 for General candidates and there are relaxations for OBC/SC/ST and PH candidates for no of attempts.

Exam Pattern-

PT- (Objective Type)

Preliminary examination consists of two papers-1) General Studies & 2) CSAT.

General Studies consists of History, Geography, Political Science, Indian Constitution, Economics, General Science, Current Affair, International Relation etc. 100 questions carries 200 marks.

CSAT consists of Comprehension, Communication skills,Data Analysis, Mathematics, Decision Making, Statistics, English language comprehension. 80 questions carries 200 marks.

There is provision for negative marking (0.33 mark deduction for per wrong answer) for majority of questions except some segments like decision making.

PT exam is qualifying in nature. Marks of PT are not added in your final mark.

MAINS-

Mains exam consists of  One Optional Subject from the list of subjects given in UPSC Notification, Common General Studies paper, Essay paper, Two qualifying paper of English and Indian language. Candidates who pass mains exam, get chance to appear for  Interview.

GS consists of four papers of 250 marks each. This is the single largest component consisting of 1000 marks.

Paper 1- Indian History and freedom struggle, Indian Heritage and Culture, World History, Geography and Society

Paper 2 Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice and International relations

Paper 3- Indian Economy, Science and Technology, Security and Disaster Management.

Paper 4- Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude – this is a new thing added this year. Case study based questions will be asked.

Optional- You will have option to choose 1 optional Subject of your choice out of 26 different papers. There are  2 paper of 250 marks each for optional subject. There are lot of variety for optional subject which includes History, Geography, Political Science, Public Administration, Management, Agriculture, Accounting, Sociology, Language and Literature of languages which are mentioned in 8^th schedule, Physics, Chemistry, Math etc. Questions are  conventional (essay) type.

Essay- you have to write an assay for 250 marks. This paper is for testing candidate’s writing skill, thinking process, analytical power and his intellect.

English and Indian Language Paper- There are two paper of 300 marks each which are qualifying in nature. Standard of papers is of Matriculation level.

Interview- interview consists of 275 marks and it is a test of your overall personality. Your suitability for service is assessed in interview.

Totoal marks of exam which will count for your merit list is 2025 (GS 1000, Optional 500, Essay 250, Interview 275).

MYTHS 

This is the scheme of examinations. There are so many myths about the examination like this exam is very tough, people who take coaching will be in more advantage, People of English medium will have upper hand, 16-18 hours study will be required etc. Do not get scared with all these myths. This is just an exam and if you prepare with a good strategy and with passion, you will have good chance to succeed. Make a strong foundation for GS by studying NCERT books for Science and Social science from 6-12 standard, read good newspaper, magazines and books, have some good hobby and participate in extra-curricular activities during your school and college time and when in last year of your Graduation, select your optional subject carefully. One year time after your graduation is sufficient to prepare for this exam if you devote honest 8-10 hours to study.

Regarding language myth, I would like to assure you that you can achieve success in Civil Service exam with any Indian Language as medium. Many candidates achieved success through Hindi, Tamil, Malyalam, Marathi and other Indian language as their medium. Even for me, medium was Hindi. But, have a good command over English and Hindi for verbal communication which will give you more confidence in Interview.

Another myth is that coaching is necessary for success. I have got success in this exam in my first attempt without any coaching. At the same time, I prepared while doing a time consuming Clerical job with Indian Railway. There are many people who prepared and succeeded in this exam without any coaching. Coaching is just a mean, not a necessity.

So, prepare with a strategy of your own with passion to serve your county despite all odds. Your self -confidence and self- motivation will keep you on the track to become a successful Civil Servant.