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How to prepare for UPSC?

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Kapil Sharma
How to prepare for UPSC?

Many people in India dream of becoming an IAS officer. To become an IAS one has to work hard and struggle. To achieve victory, we must have someone to show us the way. UPSC exam is considered one of the most prestigious Sarkari Exam in the country. Let us know in detail how to prepare for UPSC.


What is UPSC?

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) is a constitutional body established by the Constitution of India, which conducts examinations for the appointment of officers to the civil services of the Government of India. Articles 315-323 under Part-14 of the Constitution provide for the formation of a Federal Public Service Commission and State Public Service Commission for the States.


upsc exam 2023

The release date of UPSC Exam 2023 Notification is 1st February 2023. UPSC Civil Services Exam will be conducted on May 28, 2023. Important dates related to IAS Exam are detailed in the table below.


eligibility for upsc

The age limit for UPSC exam is 21 years to 32 years for the candidates. Other Backward Classes (OBC) candidates age limit is 21 years to 34 years. UPSC conducts the exam only once in a year.


Stages of upsc

    prelims

    main exam

    interview


Prelims – This exam is the preliminary exam. It consists of 2 papers. In Paper 1 and Paper 2, all the questions are of multiple choice type.

 Paper 1 consists of questions from Political Science, General Science, Economics and General Studies (Historical, Geography) along with current affairs.

Paper 2 consists of questions based on Quantitative Aptitude. It is necessary to have at least 33% marks to pass in the paper, it has a qualifying type nature. Only after passing this exam we can take part in the main exam.

Main Exam – This exam is the main exam. After passing the preliminary exam, you can appear in the main exam. It consists of four GS papers – one paper is optional, two papers are there and the other paper is essay type. The third paper consists of English (English) and regional language paper. Like the conventional exam, the mains paper is also a qualifying paper. Only after passing this exam, the candidate can get a chance to go for the interview. Each paper is district type and carries 250 marks.

Interview (Interview) – The merit list is prepared by combining the marks of both the 7 papers of the main examination and the interview. The interview is of 275 marks. Altogether there is a paper of 2025 marks.


It is very important to have knowledge of current affairs and general awareness for UPSC exam. At least 30 to 40 questions come in one paper of Current Affairs and General Knowledge. To prepare for these questions, we need to read news and magazines daily.


upsc previous year question paper 2022

Solving previous year question paper gives you an idea about the exam pattern and marking scheme. It will help you to understand the format, type of questions in UPSC exam. It will also help you manage your time and evaluate your strong and weak points.


Job Profiles in UPSC

Jobs are available in 24 services in UPSC Civil Services –

    Indian Administrative Service (IAS)

    Indian Police Service (IPS)

    Indian Forest Service (IFoS)

    Indian Foreign Service (IFS)

    Indian Information Service (IIS)

    Indian Postal Service (IPoS)

    Indian Revenue Service (IRS)

    Indian Trade Service (ITS)

    Railway Protection Force (RPF)

    Pondicherry Civil Services (PCS)

    Pondicherry Police Service (PPS)

    Delhi Andaman and Nicobar Islands Civil Service (DANICS)

    Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Daman Diu, Dadar Nagar Haveli Police Service (DANIPS)

    Indian Audit and Accounts Service (IAAS)

    Indian Civil Accounts Service (ICAS)

    Indian Corporate Law Service (ICLS)

    Indian Defense Estate Service (IDES)

    Indian Defense Accounts Service (IDAS)

    Indian Ordnance Factories Service (IOFS)

    Indian Communication Finance Service (ICFS)

    Indian Railway Accounts Service (IRAS)

    Indian Railway Personal Service (IRPS)

    Indian Railway Traffic Service (IRTS)

    Armed Forces Headquarters Civil Service (AFHCS)


IAS preparation without coaching

IAS exam is considered very important exam in our country, for this, students often prefer coaching. By doing coaching they feel that they will easily pass this exam. But to pass this exam in true sense, coaching is not required, but with a target setting, time limit and patience-diligence including hard work, etc., only after which this exam can be passed. At the same time, the student has more faith in coaching for the preparation of IAS exam, so the first thing he does is to join the most expensive coaching in the city as the mantra of success. Whereas this should not be the first plan of the aspirant who starts preparing for IAS. IAS preparation can make you successful even by staying at home.


How to prepare for IAS at home?

Although no time frame can be fixed for any exam, but students can reach that time limit by working tirelessly for 18 months. Along with this, the candidate will have to keep a good eye on current affairs including other contemporary events. Because the goal of the IAS exam can be achieved only by crossing three attempts, in which the first attempt, which is called the pre exam, questions related to current affairs and topics are asked. Even if the student has 60 days left, it is not impossible to crack the target with the right strategy and hard work.


How to prepare for IAS after 10th?

Although IPS exam cannot be given after 10th, but you can start preparing to become an IAS from 10th itself by following the tips given below.


    First of all, it is necessary to have complete knowledge of the exam.

    Understand the syllabus coming in the exam.

    Assemble the strategy and study material.

    Study with concentration.

    Along with studies, writing is also important.

    Give mock tests again and again.

    Read news paper and magazine daily.


How to prepare for IAS after 12th?

If you want to apply for civil service exam then you must have at least bachelor's degree. There is no minimum percentage requirement for this exam. That is, if you have done graduation then you can appear in the exam. By the way, you can apply for this even when you are in the final year.


study material for upsc exam

Apart from books, it is also very important to know the study material for UPSC which can give you success in UPSC Pre and Mains. The information related to the study material is given below:


    Second ARC Report (To read more on the ARC report, see the linked article.)

    Economic Survey (Latest)

    Budget (Latest)

    Finance Commission Report (Latest)

    Annual Reports by Central Ministries

    current affairs

    The Hindu Newspaper

    plan journal

    Press Information Bureau Releases

    NITI Aayog Action Agenda


Online IAS Coaching Platform

By the way, there are many online and offline coaching of UPSC, from which many students have passed this exam. But due to the Corona epidemic, the lockdown is going on in the whole country at this time. In such a situation, we are going to tell you about some of the best apps through which you can easily prepare for online IAS coaching in Hindi sitting at home. These are the 5 best online coaching apps for UPSC.


1. CivilsDaily

CivilsDaily Mobile App is a pioneer in providing necessary study material for UPSC IAS aspirants to crack UPSC IAS Exam. CivilsDaily Mobile App is known for current affairs and top news updates. Apart from this, CivilsDaily Mobile App publishes newscards daily and special attention is given in the newscards to those points which are very important from the point of view of IAS exam. Daily News Card is a new initiative to provide daily current affairs topics to IAS aspirants.


2. IASbaba

The vision of IASbaba is- “To provide opportunities for IAS aspirants living in remote places to get Rank 1 in UPSC IAS”. IASbaba is an initiative in the field of education by alumni of prestigious Indian education institutes like IITs/IIMs to motivate and help aspirants to study qualitatively and smartly for the aspirants of prestigious services like IAS/IPS. IASbaba provides All India Rank in the mock tests offered by it which is an important part of IAS preparation. All India Rank infuses new energy in IAS aspirants and gives right direction to the preparation.


3. The Hindu

The Hindu is a leading newspaper in India which is considered to be specialized in current affairs from the point of view of UPSC exam preparation. Often, IAS aspirants are advised to read The Hindu newspaper daily. The Hindu's mobile app is also available which UPSC aspirants can easily use while preparing for civil exam. The credibility of the news and information given in The Hindu is much higher than any other daily newspaper in the country for IAS preparation. IAS aspirants must read editorials on science, technology, environment and other important areas like health from The Hindu newspaper on a daily basis.


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