Prelims

UPSC CSE  / UPPSC PCS Exam Strategy



Since pattern of exam of UPSC CSE and UPPSC PCS exam is almost same from this year so is preparation also. The only difference is that UPSC CSE prelims exam have 100 multiple choice questions while UPPSC PCS exam have 150 multiple choice questions.

Civil Services Exam is held in three stages-



Preliminary Examination:

Prelims is like a screening exam and can be easiest or toughest stage of exam depending on your strategy for preparation. Some student clear their prelims in very first attempt and some are not able to do it even in third or fourth attempt. There are examples where an aspirant clears prelims in his/her fourth or fifth attempt and clears the whole exam easily. Failing in prelims exam doesn't means you lack knowledge or you didn't worked hard. It only means that strategy for your preparation didn't worked well. Truly speaking from my experience there is no universal strategy for this exam that will work for every student. But there are some basic things which are universal to this preparation and almost every aspirant who clears the exam follows these.

Most of the exams can be cleared by hard work alone but this exam requires smart work along with hard work. A beginner has lots of question in mind like

And many more questions like this. All the questions are answered below.

Answer to these questions overlap so there is no need of different answer for these questions. This paragraph will contain answer to all those questions in detail.

One of the basic question in the mind of every aspirant is how to start preparation. What if I start preparation and not study 12 hours a day. There are lots of myth and misconception about this exam which makes it even more difficult. Myths like you have to study about 12 to 18 hours to clear this exam. You have change your lifestyle from a kid to yogi. You have to live austere life like a yogi to get succeed. Yes these things can help you clear the exam but these things cannot guarantee 100% success. You can start preparation for this exam with your regular life style but you will need proper guidance and must have patience and persistence. You will need a proper planning and time table for all your preparation atleast for a year. Strong determination, dedication and devotion are only important things you need to start your preparation.

Next important question is whether it is necessary to join coaching institute or I can do it by myself. Yes this question troubles the minds of every aspirant in the beginning of their preparation phase. Answer to this question is different for person to person. Your ability to understand the books, newspaper, and your optional knowledge will help you to decide this question. Some toppers give credit of their success to their mentor from various prestigious institutes while some topper clear clear the exam without regular coaching. Civil services exam can be cleared without coaching also but not without guidance. You can take guidance online or from your seniors or friends or toppers.  You can join any reliable coaching if you want to do so. But most of the coachings for hindi medium students in Delhi or Prayagraj are waste of time. Many of my friends and students wasted their time in those coachings. You don't have to join these type of coachings, they don't help you anyway. Some students told me that in their coaching syllabus was completed in more than two years. So you have to avoid these kinds of institutes which waste your precious money, and time which can make you out of the race.
Another important question is whether to join online classes or offline classes. If you can you must join offline classes. Online classes have its own limitations.
Although I am not here to promote any coaching institute but for english medium students Vajiram and Ravi is best these days. They don't waste too much on advertisements rather work on maintaining the prestige of institute by providing best faculty and completing the syllabus in time. Most of the toppers every year are from this Institute.
Next important question is which optional is easy to score with short syllabus. Which optional will help me in GS paper also. You will be thinking why we are discussion about Optional in the Prelims section. Yes you are right optional is relevant with mains section but since optional needs PG level knowledge of the subject, you have to start your optional preparation from the beginning. And choosing optional is first step in this.
If you are PG, you must go with your subject. It will save your time and energy. But if you are an Engineer you can choose any optional. The most preferred optional these days are:-
  • Politcal Science and International Relations
  • Anthropology
  • Socilogy
  • Geography
  • Philosophy
  • History
You must go through the syllabus of the optional paper and previous years questions, this will help you in deciding. Youtube is best source to get information about anything. You can check toppers interview and this will help you to decide.
Next important question is can I start my preparation while working. Yes definitely you can start and you must start. Every year various aspirants top this exam while working.


For this we have a separate section. But for now I will suggest you to start with basic books of every subject and then switch to advance books. Basic books like NCERTs and other books.


Test series helps you alot in this preparation. I will suggest its more important than coaching. It increases chances of selection and reduces chances of mistakes at final exam. It helps you to know which portion of the syllabus you lack behind, types of mistakes you do so that you can rectify in final exam.




Mains Examination

Mains exam test your physical, mental, psychological strength along with your preparation. You have to be physically strong enough to sit 6 hours and write continously. Mains exam consist of four GS paper, two optional paper, One compulsory English paper, one optional paper for regional language and one essay paper. So your whole life comes in front of you in three hours when you write mains paper. You need skills to clear the mains exam. Skills like-
  • Readable Handwriting
  • Understanding the question correctly
  • Processing a beautiful answer in the limited time
  • Using simple and easy vocabulary
  • Not loosing hope even if Question seems to be out the universe

I have written detailed post on mains examination and what should be your approach for mains exam. When to start preparation for mains, how to start answer writing. All these questions are answered here

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Prelims Prelims Reviewed by UP Shiksha Team on December 09, 2018 Rating: 5

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