How To Prepare For Prelims (CSAT) The Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT) includes two objective type

question papers of two hundred marks and two hours time duration for each paper. One is on General Studies and the other is General Aptitude Paper( which has now replaced the optional subject that was there earlier). With the Civil Service exam having very limited seats its a very difficult exam to crack. Many students appear multiple times to clear it. Changes in formats of question papers always tend to create a lot of mental discomfort in students. Many students are fearful of subjects like mathematics. This fear may be baseless considering the changes lay greater emphasis on the aptitude which mainly involves reasoning skills and not just mathematics. The civil services examination is basically a test to choose suitable administrators. It tests the candidate right from the stage when one starts the preparation. One common misconception about the prelims is that it is a test of facts and figures. That was never so and specially now. A candidate should have the right frame of mind and the will power to succeed in the exam. A proper action plan is needed for the preparation itself since he /she will be tested for some essential qualities like power of retention, clarity of concepts, ability to identify the correct alternatives with efficiency and accuracy. All this requires a quick decision making power. With the new pattern, more stress is on language skills and analysis and decision making capacities, so work on these on a consistent basis as these are skills that are developed over years and not just in a few months. It would be advisabble to start focusing on your problem solving and language skills as sooon as you decide to take these exams. Paper 1 is on General Studies This includes areas like 1. Indian National Movement, Indian Polity, Basic Economic Understanding, Geography 2. While the dynamic part includes current affairs, GK and has no proper definition and syllabus making quite vast. Paper 2 includes English, mathematics, reasoning, analytical ability, and interpersonal skills. Unlike paper 1 which has a static part this paper provides no such respite.

Unlike paper 1 where quantity of questions is a major determinant for the static section paper 2 cannot be tamed without solving quality questions, though few in number Since the preliminary exam in particular is a test of endurance the candidate needs to prepare himself on the physical as well as mental level. The main constraint is the time one gets to answer questions. On an average one gets around 40 seconds for each question. Added to this time constraint is the fact that the exam is conducted in the month of May which is usually the hottest month all over the country. Most of the centres for the exam do not have proper facilities which adds to the stress. One sure way of dealing with this stress is to count numbers or to take a few deep breaths. Meditation and Yoga also help in dealing with stress to a great extent. Now we come to the actual preparation for the prelims exam. Since it is a multiple choice question paper, it needs a different preparation and a proper strategy. The first thing a candidate needs to bear in mind is that the examination is designed to evaluate certain qualities like a sharp memory and basic retention power. There are ways to increase one's memory like preparing charts. One gets confused when faced with mind boggling facts and figures. Important facts and figures can be simplified and represented on charts and they can arranged in the form of tables or graphs. Another thing to remember is to make short and brief notes on each topic so that the entire syllabus can be revised a day before the exam. It is better to use diagrams and link words which make it easier to understand difficult concepts. One more technique to help in retaining information is the use of abbreviations. Since the syllabus involves exhaustive information abbreviations help you to remember it better. It is a good method to remember dates, facts and figures in a picture format and to break up complex names and places into smaller and simpler words. The last and the most important technique is doing regular revision. This helps in retaining the maximum information. A separate time slot should be given to doing not only regular but multiple revisions like daily, weekly, monthly etc. Many candidates make a mistake of overloading themselves with lots of information and end up remembering nothing. One should be able to differentiate between relevant and irrelevant information. Since the preliminary exam is an

elimination round the candidate should also learn to focus only on the information needed and filter out the rest. It helps to discuss with friends and teachers but the most reliable way is to solve past years question papers. One should also keep abreast with current events and information related to them. An important thing to remember is that for this exam it is just enough to remember information but to understand the concepts well instead of memorizing facts and figures. The questions asked are of 10+2 level. Therefore emphasis has to be on conceptual clarity. Any concept has to be understood with its origin, merits and de-merits, then it needs to be analysed with other relevant topics and lastly it has to be correlated with the events that have taken place during the year. The preliminary exam requires candidates who have the acumen and the ability to choose the right option of many given options. This needs a proper method of elimination. It is a good idea to go through previous years and model question papers and solve as many as possible. Taking a mock test of a certain number of G.S. questions and mathematics and general ability questions would be a good practice and help to pick out the most appropriate option. Each prelims paper is for two hours but a lot of time is wasted in signing attendance sheets etc, therefore there is a lot of need for effective Time Management not only for the exam but in the preparation as well. It is not enough to know the right answer but it has to be marked correctly on the answer sheet. Speed and Accuracy are important, so solving model question papers on a regular basis would be a great help. A good presence of mind is needed to eliminate the least appropriate options and arrive at the right one. However beware of negative marking so it is better to mark only sure shot answers than making guesses. Throughout the preparation for the prelims exam, it is important to remember that any topic or concept should not be studied in isolation. It is better to understand and establish a correlation between related concepts from other subjects and current events and happenings. Even with all this preparation, it is necessary to have a positive attitude and a great amount of will power to succeed to achieve your goal, that of getting through the civil services

examination with flying colors!

aimer | About Us SYLLABUS

Website Designer Chennai by

Here is a list of subjects for IAS/UPSC exams as per the UPSC Syllabus. Under each subject is provided reources regarding the mains IAS syllabus as well as question papers, strategy and suggested readings for the subject. The IAS Syllabus and other services like the IPS and Income Tax is the same, as it is a single exam conducted by UPSC and the syllabus is also set by the UPSC. Subject Combinations That are NOT allowed Main Examination Syllabus | UPSC Question Papers | IAS Strategy |Sugested Reading | How to Prepare Notes | How to Write Answers | How to Read | Time Management | Gaining Mental Power for UPSC

The Following Combinations are NOT allowed by the UPSC

Political Science & International relations and Pubilc Administration Commerce & Accountancy and Management Anthropopgy and Sociology Mathematics and Statistice Agriculture and Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Science Management and Public Administration Any two branches of engineering Animal Husbandry & Veterimary Science and Mediacal Science Combination if two Literatures

UPSC PLAN OF EXAMINATION:

The Civil Services Examination consists Civil Services Main Exam(Written &Interview) for selection of candidates UPSC Interview Questions 2011 UPSC Main Examination - Optional Subjects General Studies Essay English Qualifying Indian Languages Mathematics Agriculture Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science Botany Chemistry Civil Engineering Commerce Economics Electrical Engineering Geography Geology Indian History Law Management Mechanical Engineering Medical Science Philosophy Physics Political Science Psychology Public Administration Sociology Statistics Zoology Anthropology Arabic Assamese Bengali Bodo Chinese Dogri English French German Gujarati Hindi Kannada Kashmiri Konkani Maithili Malayalam Manipuri Marathi Nepali Oriya Pali Persian Punjabi Russian Sanskrit Santali Sindhi Tamil Telugu Urdu

HOW TO PREPARE FOR CIVIL SERVICES EXAM One important thing that candidates should keep in mind is that since the time between the Main Exam and the declaration of result of the Preliminary Exam is very less, it is advisable to begin preparations of the Main Exam along with the Preliminary Exam. The General Studies paper covers the following areas: General Science; Current events of national and international importance; History of India; World Geography; Indian Polity and Economy; Indian National Movement; General Mental Ability. For this section, it is important to be updated in all fields. For History, Economy, Polity, etc, it is advisable to read Class 11 and 12 books published by the NCERT. Some books on the freedom struggle are published by the National Book Trust. For general knowledge and objective-type questions, refer to General Knowledge Refresher by O.P. Khanna. For General Mental Ability and current affairs, it is advisable to read The Competition Master regularly. One question that is often asked by students is about the subjects that they

should take up. Since some subjects are scoring, students wish to opt for them. But one thing that must be kept in mind is one's aptitude. If one has studied a subject since school and one is comfortable in it, chances of doing well in it are greater rather than taking up an unrelated subject which one may never have studied. Generally speaking, do not choose an entirely new subject in which you will have to work very hard. If the optional is prepared well for the preliminary and the same subject is also planned to be opted as one of the optionals, it is very useful and saves a lot of labour. Once you have decided to appear in the Civil Services Exam, preparations should start early. A look at past papers helps get an idea about the kind of questions that are asked. Over the years, The Competition Master has published solved papers which can be referred to. It may be advisable to join a coaching institute so that one keeps in touch with other students and discuss issues with them. It is important, however, to select a good institute. However, one can be successful by self-study also. Prepare Well Before initiating the preparations, a few things must be noted by the candidates. The choice of optional subject for Paper-II has to be done very carefully. The candidates must plan ahead of time. The optional subject for Paper-II should usually be the subject in which the candidate has either attained proficiency/higher academic qualification or in which the candidate feels at home. Another consideration is the performance of candidates in the said subject in the recent past. There are several subjects like History, Psychology, Sociology, Public Administration etc in which even the candidates not having special or additional educational qualifications have been doing reasonably well, while the subjects like Mathematics, Physics, and Engineering are considered to offer tougher questions and the candidates with exceptionally good preparation only may expect to do well. But this observation may not be taken as the universal truth. Moreover, the aptitude and proficiency of a particular candidate in a given subject also plays an important role in arriving at a decision. Availability and access to good and prescribed books is yet another consideration and often the candidates are also guided by this factor, particularly in smaller towns. Books for preliminary examination are available in plenty in common subjects but in case of specialised optionals like Mathematics, Engineering, Agriculture etc, one has to look carefully for good books which cover all parts of the syllabus. General Studies General Studies paper consists of questions on Indian Polity and Economy, History of India including Indian National Movement, Indian and World

Geography, Current Affairs of National and International Importance, General and day-to-day Science, Mental Ability and Basics of Statistics etc. Questions on planning, budgeting, developmental programmes, latest issues of political and constitutional importance, panchayati raj, electoral reforms, natural resources, culture, growth of nationalism, Committees, Commission etc can be expected almost every year. Questions on Environment (not requiring subject knowledge but related to day-to-day issues) will also be asked. Emphasis normally are placed on the general aspects of the subject which every educated person aspiring to join the Civil Services as an officer, is expected to know. The fact that this paper needs special and thorough preparations need not be over-emphasised. The aspiring candidates are expected to have keen interest in the General Studies and are supposed to have a good amount of interest in current affairs. All the preparation starting from a scratch cannot be completed in the short period of 4 to 5 months and the candidates must begin preparations early. Regular and detailed reading of a good national newspaper, a standard competition magazine and a basic book on general knowledge is the essential pre-requisite. Those readers who still have two to three years of time left for becoming eligible to go in for Civil Services Examination must begin preparations now. The candidates who do not have enough background in the General Studies may have to put in harder effort to catch up with the others. Current Affairs and Current General Knowledge is covered well at competitionmaster.com. There are also quick revision notes on History, Geography and Indian Constitution. You will also find the General Knowledge section of the website useful. In addition, a good and basic book on Indian Constitution, latest plan document and budget/economic survey, basic books like NCERT books on Indian History and National Movement, World and Indian Geography and General Science are certain other books which can fruitfully supplement the efforts. A good backgrounder on major national and international events assists the fresh starters to understand the background of any social, economic or political event, enabling them to understand the details and developments in a better way. In addition, the candidates who have recently taken the examination may also be consulted. The candidates must bear one thing in mind. Exhaustive study of each and every aspect of the General Studies is essential. It would be wrong to presume that any single book would suffice. Every book has its strong and weak parts. It is, therefore, left to the candidate to consult as many books as possible, so that every aspect is studied in the required detail. Another important point is efficient time planning. The time available with the candidates for preparations is limited and it has to be intelligently utilised. The candidates must not waste the time unnecessarily by going into lengthy details of one particular aspect, leaving other important aspects untouched. Moreover, it is better to draw up a formal time table so that no aspects of both the papers is left unprepared.

To prepare for Section II practice solving questions on Reasoning, Quantitative Aptitude and Objective English (especially the comprehension type questions) as much as you can. Competitionmaster.com provides you with some practice tests. There are various books in the market providing practice tests. Practice as much as possible for success in this section. Success Plan for Mains Preparations for the Civil Services Mains Exam should start along with those of Preliminary exam. This is because there is much common ground for study, and there is little time for the mains exam if one waits for the results of the Preliminaries. It is a long haul and preparations should be done with persistence, over nine months to an year. Choice of subjects One of the first questions that has to be answered is the choice of subjects. Here the choice should not only be with regard to your interests but also with regard to the study material available. It has been found that even science and engineering students take up subjects like history, sociology, anthropology, grography, political science, psychology and public administration because there is a huge amount of study material available, which covers the entire syllabus. Even if your branch of study is different, it is advisable to keep in touch with one of these subjects which will help you when you start preparations. Start collecting books and readings once you have made your choice. The next step is to make a time-bound study plan, which would include not only studying the subject but improvement of writing expression. This is done by writing down the answers to the questions asked in previous years' papers. Show these answers to someone you know, like a teacher in your college or university, parents or friends. The study should be done according to the syllabus and also in the same chronological order as given in the syllabus. The following topics need coverage for General Studies: i) Current Affairs - National and International ii) Indian Polity iii) Indian Economy iv) Geography of India v) Science and Technology vi) History of India and Freedom Movement vii) Study of thoughts of Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Rabindranath Tagore viii) Statistics and General Mathematics Ability To study current affairs, it is essential to read one national newspaper. Regular

reading of the Current Affairs sections of Competitionmaster.com will be very helpful. When you are studying the round up of national and international affairs, efforts should not be merely taking up the information but also to understand the issues involved. Go into the background of events. Get to know these issues and be clear about them so that you can answer questions on them. Reading List With regard to other topics, the books published by the NCERT are the best source of study. Take up the text-books for classes IX, X, XI and XII. However, just reading these books will not serve the purpose. What is essential is that the person taking up self-study must pick up past question papers and write down the answers to questions asked therein. A practice in writing is what is required to attempt the paper. Many students make the mistake of studying for hours but have no practice in writing down the answers, which costs heavily during the exam. The skill required is that of organising the arguments and making a coherent answer from the diverse material. One more thing that must be kept in mind is that the answers must be a little different from others and must have some extra bit that is missed out by others. This is not difficult if one has understood the issue in depth. One important aspect of the Civil Services Mains Exam is that the questions do not ask for mere information as a reply, but seek analysis backed with arguments from the candidates. Usually, one gets the impression that one knows everything but thoughts do not flow out naturally as one puts pen to paper. Hence, writing down the answers is an important aspect of the preparation. Another thing is that the candidate must carefully read the questions in order to make out what the examiner is asking. Having done that, it is important to organise one's thoughts before writing and the sequence of the answer should be from the most important/potent aspect to less important aspects. If you do not have someone to show your answers, keep them away and after a gap of some time, read them again. You will discover many mistakes, which earlier you could not. Analyse the answers in order to improve them. This exercise of re-analysis of answers improves the ability to be precise. One of the important requirements of the Mains exam is that the answers should be crisp and to-the-point. Optional subjects While studying for the optional subjects, keep in mind that there is no scope for selective studies in the Civil Services Examination. The whole syllabus must be completely and thoroughly covered. Invariably, some candidates organise their studies in a manner that they study one subject thoroughly, with reduced emphasis on their second subject. It is imperative that equal stress be given to both the subjects you have chosen.

It is also important to remember that the level of questions asked is of the Masters level examination. The questions have an added spin in order to bring out the grasp of the candidate with regard to the basic concepts of the subject. Hence, if you choose subjects in which you do not have a basic grounding, it would be advisable to start from simple books. After getting the grasp of the basic concepts, start with higher level study material. Here again, reflections on basic concepts and their application in real life is important. For best preparation and a success plan, it is suggested that the candidate make a habit of beginning his study by writing answers to three questions each day, one each from General Studies and two from optional subjects. Questions should be chosen from previous years' papers and the answer writing should be preceded by study on the subject. Most candidates do not have problems with regard to English and Hindi examinations and are able to qualify in them easily. However, it is important to have a good working knowledge of the two languages. In order to improve this skill, pick up a General Studies book and translate it into the language in which you are weak. For instance, if you are weak in Hindi, try translating important essays on current affairs into Hindi which will not only improve fluency but also the general knowledge. Another way is to write letters to friends in the language that one is weak in. Studying for General Studies Giving a detailed description of the optional subjects is not feasible here but we give here some suggested readings for the General Studies paper. Students should remember that this list is not exhaustive and they should choose the books themselves based on recommendations of previous successful students, teachers and guides, etc. We are giving a list as a general requirement. NCERT, IGNOU booklets and National Book Trust (NBT) publications are quite helpful. For the Preliminary paper, study the following books: History: NCERT books of class XI and XII, Freedom Struggle (published by National Book Trust) Geography: Class XII books of Geography (NCERT), a good atlas. Indian Polity: Introduction to the Indian Constitution. Indian Economy: NCERT and other books on Evolution of the Indian Economy. General Science: NCERT books on science, a science magazine or newspaper supplements on science. Current Events: A national newspaper, The Competition Master, newsmagazines. General Mental Ability: Do the Quantitative Aptitude published in The Competition Master, past test papers. For the main examination, the study should be done in more detail. In addition

to the above readings, the following are suggested as well: History: India's Struggle for Independence, IGNOU publications on Modern India. Indian Culture: Art and culture portions of history books, India Yearbook (culture chapter), Encyclopaedia on Indian Culture, Gazetteer of India, books on culture published by Publications Division and National Book Trust. Current Affairs: A national newspaper, The Competition Master, current affairs programmes on Doordarshan, newsmagazines. Statistics: Class XI NCERT book on Statistics. Indian Polity: Introduction to the Constitution, Parliament. Indian Geography: NCERT books on Indian Geography. Indian Economy: NCERT and other books on Indian Economy, financial newspapers, The Competition Master carries regular analysis of the Indian Economy. Science: A science magazine, supplements in newspapers. Interview The final stage is that of interview. There are cases where students clear the preliminary and the mains but fail at the last stage. The secret is to start for preparations for the interview along with the written test. Develop the habit of debating and discussing issues with friends or parents. Listen to the current affairs programmes and learn to organise thoughts the way the participants do. Develop interests and hobbies so that you are able to answer convincingly. Understand the current affairs and the issues behind the events. Remember that the interview is not a cross examination but a natural but purposeful conversation. It is an opportunity to reveal the mental qualities of a candidate. The interview is not a test of specialised knowledge, as that has already been tested in written examination. The idea is to see the social traits of a person and his personality as suited to a career in the Civil Services. If a person gives the impression of being a bookworm, the chances of his selection are reduced. The candidate must exhibit an intelligent interest in events happening around him so that he appears to be a complete personality. Finally, there is a very frequently asked question about whether a candidate should join a coaching centre and if so, which one. Coaching centres are helpful in the sense that they develop a discipline of attending regular classes. An instructor may be available who can give an opinion about the answers written by a candidate. At the same time, the candidate will meet like-minded people with whom he can develop the habit of debating and discussion. However, the coaching centre must be chosen with care: the instructor must be erudite enough to be able to guide students. If he is not well read, the chances of guiding others would be diminished. It must also be remembered that preparation for the optional subjects must be

done on one's own, as it is unlikely that any coaching centre would be able to do justice to all the subjects.

Preliminary Exam Civil Services Aptitude Test The new Recruitment Process of Civil Services Exam conducted by the UPSC (Union Public Service Commission) is called the CSAT or the Civil Services Aptitude Test. The CSAT is coming into effect from the Civil Services Examination, 2011. CSAT will not only enable us to choose civil servants with

right aptitudes but also end the use of scaling system for varying subjects that has been a matter of concern for many. No changes are being introduced at this stage in the Civil Services (Main) Examination and Personality Test in the scheme of Civil Services Examination (CSE). Scheme of Civil Services Examination The Civil Services Examination consists of two successive stages (i) Civil Services Preliminary Examination (Objective type) for the selection of candidates for the Main Examination; and (ii) Civil Services Main Examination (Written and Interview) for the selection of candidates for the various Services and posts noted above. The Preliminary Examination consists of two papers of Objective type (multiple choice questions) and carry a maximum of 400 marks. There are two compulsory papers of 200 marks each. The question papers are be set both in Hindi and English. However, questions relating to English Language Comprehension skills are tested through passages from English Language only without providing Hindi translation. Each paper is of two hours duration. Blind candidates are allowed extra time of twenty minutes for each paper. Scheme of CS (Preliminary) Examination This examination is meant to serve as a screening test only; the marks obtained in the Preliminary Examination by the candidates who are declared qualified for admission to the Main Examination will not be counted for determining their final order of merit. The number of candidates to be admitted to the Main Examination will be about twelve to thirteen times the total approximate number of vacancies to be filled in the year in the various Services and Posts. Only those candidates who are declared by the Commission to have qualified in the Preliminary Examination in the year will be eligible for admission to the Main Examination of that year provided they are otherwise eligible for admission to the Main Examination. UPSC Prelims Exam Syllabus 2012 Paper I - (200 marks) Duration: Two hours

Current events of national and international importance History of India and Indian National Movement Indian and World Geography - Physical, Social, Economic geography of India and the World. Indian Polity and Governance Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues, etc. Economic and Social Development Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives, etc.

General issues on Environmental ecology, Bio-diversity and Climate Change - that do not require subject specialization General Science.

Paper II- (200 marks) Duration: Two hours

Comprehension Interpersonal skills including communication skills; Logical reasoning and analytical ability Decision making and problem solving General mental ability Basic numeracy (numbers and their relations, orders of magnitude etc.) (Class X level) Data interpretation (charts, graphs, tables, data sufficiency etc. -Class X level) English Language Comprehension skills (Class X level).

The Main examination comprises of nine papers, all of them of a descriptive type conducted within a span of 20 days. It is designed to test not only the academic talent of the aspirant but also his ability to coordinate and present his knowledge in a clear and coherent manner. The main Examination is intended to assess the overall intellectual traits and depth of understanding of candidates rather than merely the range of their information and memory. The scope of the syllabus for the optional subject papers for the examinat ion is broadly of the honours degree level i.e. a level higher than the bachelors degree and lower than the masters degree. In the case of Engineering and law, the level corresponds to the bachelor's degree. Civil Services Main Examination Timetable Part B - Main Examination - Optional Subjects One of the Indian Languages to be selected by the candidate from the 22 languages included in the VIIIth 300 Marks Schedule to the Constitution (Qualifying Paper) English (Qualifying Paper) Essay [in the medium you choose] 300 Marks 200 Marks

Paper-I

Paper-II Paper-III

Papers IV General Studies (300 Marks for each 600 Marks &V paper) Any two subjects (each having 2 papers) Papers to be selected from the prescribed VI, VII, 1200 Marks optional subjects (300 marks for each VIII & IX paper)

Total Marks for Written Examination 2000 Marks Interview Test [in the medium you choose] 300 Marks Grand Total 2300 Marks General Studies Essay English Qualifying Indian Languages Agriculture Main Syllabus Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Science Botany Main Syllabus Chemistry Main Syllabus Civil Engineering Main Syllabus Commerce Main Syllabus Economics Main Syllabus Electrical Engineering Main Syllabus Geography Main Syllabus Geology Main Syllabus Indian History Main Syllabus Law Main Syllabus Mathematics Main Syllabus Mechanical Engineering Main Syllabus Medical Science Main Syllabus Philosophy Main Syllabus Physics Main Syllabus Political Science Main Syllabus Psychology Main Syllabus Public Administration Main Syllabus Sociology Main Syllabus Statistics Main Syllabus Zoology Main Syllabus Anthropology Main Syllabus Arabic Main Syllabus Assamese Main Syllabus Bengali Main Syllabus Chinese Main Syllabus English Main Syllabus French Main Syllabus German Main Syllabus Gujarati Main Syllabus Hindi Main Syllabus Kannada Main Syllabus Kashmiri Main Syllabus Konkani Main Syllabus Malayalam Main Syllabus Manipuri Main Syllabus Marathi Main Syllabus Nepali Main Syllabus Oriya Main Syllabus Pali Main Syllabus Persian Main Syllabus Punjabi Main Syllabus Russian Main Syllabus Sanskrit Main Syllabus Sindhi Main Syllabus Tamil Main Syllabus Telugu Main Syllabus Urdu Main Syllabus Management Main Syllabus

Subject Strategy - How to Choose your subjects for the Mains exam How to choose a subject? That's one question that haunts many students who many times, loose precious time waiting for that decision to happen. Now that UPSC has done away with specific subjects at the preliminary stage, students should perhaps find it easier to get down to preprations straight away. Even then, One should chooose one's subject well ahead of time, so as to have ample time to collect notes and books, and also to form study groups. Normally one should select optionals, which one is familiar with, or has at least studied till the graduate level. If you are not comfortable with the subject, you should not select the subject as an optional. But the choice should not only be as per your interests but also be based on the study material available. Even science and engineering students take up subjects like history, sociology, anthropology, grography, political science, psychology and public administration because there is a huge amount of study material

available in these subjects. Also keep in mind that you may have been proficient in a subject, but lack of touch may make it tougher to crack technical subject where freshers may do better. The competition is among the people who have opted for the same subject. One should top in his/her subject to succeed in the examination. The Point is, if you are an electrical engineer with 2 years of experience go for a new subject like pub adm or sociology. Analyse the syllabus of previous years and the question papers, and analyse past trends. Get some feedback/advice from seniors and fellow students who are well versed in the subject. Remember no subject is bad. History is good if you can spend more than 4-5 hours everyday. Geography is a good option if you can spend at least 4 hrs every day. Pub Ad, more than 3 hours. Sociology, more than 2 hours and so on.... So, it all depends on how much time you can spend a day and your liking of the subject. You have a very good memory then a technical subject may help else a social subject would be better. Lastly look for overlap in subjects like, sociology and pubad; history and political science etc. Subject Combinations not allowed by UPSC for IAS exam The following are some combinations that the UPSC does not allow: Political Science & International Relations and Public Administration Commerce and Management Anthropology and Sociology Maths and Statistics Agriculture and Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science Management and Public Administration Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Science and Medical Science Any two branches of engineering. Combination of two literatures.

List of Optional Subjects - IAS (Main) - (Total 25) Agriculture Management

Animal Husbandry & Vetinary Mathematics Science Anthropology Botany Chemistry Civil Engineering Commerce & Accountancy Economics Geography Geology Indian History Mechanical Engineering Medical Science Philosophy Physics Political Science International Relations Psychology Sociology Statistics Zoology &

INDIAN CIVIL SERVICES : SCHEME OF EXAMINATION The Civil Services Examination is conducted by UPSC (Union Public Service Commission) every year. The examination has three stages i.e., (1) Civil Services Preliminary Examinations (CSP) - normally conducted during the second half of May. (2) Civil Services (Main) Examinations conducted during the month of October/November. Here, those who are selected in the preliminary examination only are eligible to appear.

(3) Those who are selected in the main examination will be eligible to appear before the Interview Board at New Delhi. Preliminary Examination (CSP) CSP consists of two papers Which is common for all candidates from 2011 i.e., No optional paper is there in CSP form 2011.This is the first stage of Civil Services Examination. This is an Objective type examination consisting of Two Papers that is common to all candidates from 2011 having special emphasis on testing their aptitude for civil services as well as on ethical and moral dimension of decision making. Normally, there are about 3 lakh applications for the preliminary examination. From this, the UPSC selects 10 to 12 folds of vacancies for the main examinations. This is only for the selection and not to be taken into consideration in the main ranking. Subjects for Preliminary Examination: As per the decision of Government of India, there shall be change in the syllabus and pattern of the Preliminary Examination from 2011 in the scheme of the Civil Services Examination. The Preliminary Examination shall now comprise of two compulsory Papers of 200 marks each and of two hours duration each. Detailed below is the new syllabus and pattern of the Preliminary Examination, which is brought to the notice of the prospective candidates intending to appear at the Civil Services Examination (CSE) in 2011 onwards:

Paper I - (200 marks) Duration: Two hours Current events of national and international importance History of India and Indian National Movement Indian and World Geography - Physical, Social, Economic geography of India and the World. Indian Polity and Governance Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues, etc.

 Economic and Social Development Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives, etc. General issues on Environmental ecology, Bio-diversity and Climate Change - that do not require subject specialization General Science.

Paper II- (200 marks) Duration: Two hours Comprehension Interpersonal skills including communication skills; Logical reasoning and analytical ability Decision making and problem solving General mental ability Basic numeracy (numbers and their relations, orders of magnitude etc.) (Class X level), Data interpretation (charts, graphs, tables, data sufficiency etc. -Class X level) English Language Comprehension skills (Class X level). Questions relating to English Language Comprehension skills of Class X level (last item in the Syllabus of Paper-II) will be tested through passages from English language only without providing Hindi translation thereof in the question paper. The questions will be of multiple choice, objective type.

Main Examination NOTE:The prospective candidates are advised to note that no changes are being introduced at this stage in the Civil Services (Main) Examination and Personality Test in the scheme of Civil Services Examination (CSE) for 2011 Onwards. Only those who are declared by the Commission to have qualified in the Preliminary Examination in a year, are eligible for the Main examination of that year, provided they are otherwise eligible for the Main Examination. Civil Services Main examination has two optional subjects (two papers each carries 300 marks), one General Studies (two papers each carries 300 marks), one essay (carries 200 marks) - total 2000 marks. Other than this, there are two language papers one in Indian language and one in General English at the level of 10th standard. This is to test the ability of the candidate's proficiency in his mother tongue / Indian language and English. Total nine papers. These two papers carry 300 marks each but it will not be considered for the ranking. It is must to clear these two papers. If a candidate fails to clear these papers, his other papers will not be evaluated. The Main Examination is intended to assess the overall intellectual traits and the depth of understanding of the candidates, rather than merely the range of their information and memory. Sufficient choice of questions is allowed in the question papers. Optional Subjects for the Main Examination: Optional subjects: Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science, Botany, Chemistry, Civil Engineering, Commerce and Accountancy, Economics, Electrical Engineering, Geography, Geology, History, Law, Management, Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering, Medical Science, Philosophy, Physics, Political Science and International Relations, Psychology, Public Administration, Sociology, Statistics, Zoology. Each paper is of 3 hours duration. Literatures: Arabic, Assamese, Bengali, Chinese, English, French, German, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Marathi, Malayalam, Manipuri, Nepali, Oriya, Pali, Persian, Punjabi, Russian, Sanskrit, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu. The following combinations not allowed are: Political Science Commerce & International Relations and and Public Administration Management

Anthropology and Sociology Maths and Statistics Agriculture and Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science Management and Public Administration Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Science and Medical Science Any two branches of engineering. Combination of two literatures in the above list. Interview: At interview stage, two-fold vacancies are called to appear before the UPSC Board. Interview carries 300 marks. Interview calls are sent on the basis of minimum marks fixed by the UPSC at its discretion. The overall ranking is done based on the Mains performance (i.e., 2000 marks) and interview. Therefore, the total marks involved in the ranking are 2300. Candidates are allotted various services keeping in view their ranks in the examination and preferences given by them in their main application form. Note: If a person fails in either in mains or interview, he has to appear once again from the preliminary stage. Eligibility (i) Nationality: Conditions:

(1) For the Indian Administrative Service and the Indian Police Service, a candidate must be a citizen of India. (2) For other services, a candidate must be either: (a) A citizen of India, or (b) a subject of Nepal, or (c) a subject of Bhutan, or (d) a Tibetan refugee who came over to India before 1st January, 1962 with the intention of permanently settling in India. or (e) a person of Indian origin who has migrated from Pakistan, Burma, Srilanka, East African countries of Kenya, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Zaire, Ethiopia and Vietnam with the intention of permanently settling in India. Provided that a candidate belonging to categories (b), (c), (d) and (e) shall be a person in whose favour a certificate of eligibility has been issued by the Government of India. Provided further that candidates belonging to categories (b), (c) and (d) above

will not be eligible for appointment to the Indian Foreign Service. A candidate, in whose case a certificate of eligibility is necessary, may be admitted to the examination but the offer of appointment may be given only after the necessary eligibility certificate has been issued to him by the Government of India. (ii) Minimum Educational Qualifications: The candidate must hold a degree of any of Universities incorporated by an Act of the Central or State Legislature in India or other educational institutions established by an Act of Parliament or declared to be deemed as a University Under Section 3 of the University Grants Commission Act, 1956, or possess an equivalent qualification. Note I: Candidates who have appeared at an examination the passing of which would render them educationally qualified for the Commission's examination but have not been informed of the results as also the candidates who intend to appear at such a qualifying examination will also be eligible for admission to the Preliminary Examination. All candidates who are declared qualified by the Commission for taking the Civil Services (Main) Examination will be required to produce proof of passing the requisite examination with their application for the Main Examination failing which such candidates will not be admitted to the Main Examination. Note II: In exceptional cases the Union Public Service Commission may treat a candidate who has not any of the foregoing qualifications as a qualified candidate provided that he has passed examination conducted by the other Institutions, the standard of which in the opinion of the Commission justifies his admission to the examination. Note III: Candidates possessing professional and technical qualifications, which are recognised by Government, as equivalent to professional and technical degree would also be eligible for admission to the examination. Note IV: Candidates who have passed the final professional M.B.B.S. or any other Medical Examination but have not completed their internship by the time of submission of their applications for the Civil Services (Main) Examination, will

be provisionally admitted to the Examination provided they submit along with their application a copy of certificate from the concerned authority of the University/Institution that they had passed the requisite final professional medical examination. In such cases, the candidates will be required to produce at the time of their interview original Degree or a certificate from the concerned competent authority of the University/Institution that they had completed all requirements (including completion of internship) for the award of the Degree. (iii) Age limit: 21 years must be completed on 1st August of the year, which a candidate is appearing. Maximum 30 for general category, 33 for OBCs and 35 for SCs/STs. Ex-servicemen will get 5 more years exemption from the prescribed age limit. (The date of birth accepted by the Commission is that entered in the Matriculation or Secondary School Leaving Certificate or in a certificate recognised by an Indian University as equivalent to Matriculation or in an extract from a Register of Matriculates maintained by a University, which extract must be certified by the proper authority of the University or in the Higher Secondary or an equivalent examination certificate). (iv) Number of Attempts: Four attempts for open, seven for OBCs and no limit for SCs/STs. If a person appears in the Preliminary Examination or even one paper is counted as an attempt. (v) Restrictions on applying for the examination: A candidate who is appointed to the Indian Administrative Service or the Indian Foreign Service on the results of an earlier examination and continues to be a member of that service will not be eligible to compete at this examination. How to Apply: (a) The UPSC have developed an application form common for all their examinations, which will be processed on computerised machines. This application form alongwith an Information Brochure containing general instructions for filling up the form, an acknowledgement card and an envelope for sending the application is obtainable from the designated Head Post Offices/Post Offices throughout the country as against cash payment of Rs. 20/- (Rupees twenty only). Form should be purchased from the designated Post Offices only and not from any other agency. This form can be used only once and for only one examination. Candidates must use the form supplied with the Information Brochure only and they should in no case use photocopy /

reproduction / unauthorisedly printed copy of the Form. Since this form is electronically scannable, due care should be taken to fill up the application form, correctly. While filling up the application form, please refer to detailed instructions given in the Notice.

Civil Services Books For General Studies

Preliminary IAS (General Studies) Subject Good books (more content follows the advertisement below) ADVERTISEMENT

Indian

History

History books of Classes XI and XII - NCERT Freedom Struggle (NET) - Bipin Chandra

Subject World Geography - including Indian Geography Good books

Principles of Geography (Class XII-Part I, II) General Geography of India (Class XII) Part I - NCERT Geography of India - Resources and Regional Development Part II (Class XII) - NCERT Physical Geography - Leong Atlas

Subject Indian Good book

Polity

Introduction to Indian Constitution - D.D. Basu Related

Subject Indian Good books

Economy

Evolution of Indian Economy - NCERT Indian Economy - Dutt and Sundharam.

Indian Economy - Mishra and Puri

Subject General Good books

Science

NCERT books on Science. Science and Technology supplements in the Newspapers and magazines.

Subject Current importance. Good books

Events

of

National

and

International

One major National Daily - Either The Times of India or The Hindu. Newsweeklies like India Today or/and Outlook Current Events - Spectrum

Subject Good books

General Mental

Ability

No special preparation is required in this area. But some practice may be done from any exercise books or quantitative aptitude. In fact, an intelligent calculation is the basic requirement for this topic.

Main (General Studies) Subject History Good books

of

Modern

India

India's struggle for Independence - Bipan Chandra and others. Modern India - NCERT. Freedom Struggle (NBT) - Bipan Chandra Modern India - IGNOU o If one is hard pressed for time, he/she may

skip the Modern India and Freedom Struggle.

Subject Indian Good books

Culture Art and Culture portions of history books and Gazetteer of India. Culture Chapter (s) in the India Year Book. Encyclopaedia of Indian Culture. A good library invariably has more than one encyclopaedia on Indian Art and Culture selected notes may be taken from it. Books on culture / cultural topics brought out by Publications Division of Ministry of Information and broadcasting and National Book Trust.

Subject Current Good books

Affairs At least one major national newspaper - either The Times of India or The Hindu Newsweeklies like India Today or/and Outlook Current Affairs and News Analysis of BBC. Current events Spectrum

Subject Statistics Good book

Book on Statistics (Class XI) - NCERT

Subject Indian Good books

Polity

and

Constitution

Introduction to the Constitution of India - D.D.

Basu. Our Parliament - S.C. Kashyap

Subject Indian Good books

Geography

and

Economy

Indian Geography (Class XI and XII) - NCERT Yozna Indian Economy - Dutt and Sundharam/Mishra and Puri The editorial page of the Economic Times.

Subject Science Good books

and

Technology

Science and Technology section of the Wednesday edition of the newspaper 'The Hindu'. Science and Technology Published by the Spectrum. Yozna contains science and environment related topics.