HOWTOCRACK

CIVILSERVICESEXAMINATION

INTRODUCTION
TheIndianCivilServicesisconsideredasthebackboneofIndiaandcarriesgreatrespectand
responsibilities.India'stoughestyoungsterscompeteforentryintotheIndianCivilServices.
Eventhoughcorporatejobsmayofferveryattractivesalariesandperks,amajorityofyoungsters
stillcraveentryintotheprestigiousIndianCivil
ServicesheldbytheUPSC.Theveryfactthatabigshareofeveryyear'stoppostsinthecivil
servicesexamsarebaggedbyprofessionalsfromvariousstreamsshowsthattheIASisstillthe
dreamjobformany.ThepathtothecovetedCivilServicesisfullofupsanddownsandisa
highlyuneventracktotraverse.BeforetakingadecisionaboutCivilServicesasyourcareer,itis
expedienttocheckuponeselfandremaindeterminedafterwards.Thefirststeptowardsyour
successistochooseyourgoalhonestly.ImeanyoushouldntchooseCivilServicesasyourgoal
simplybecauseyourfatherormotherhasadreamorthereisapressurefromyoursocialcircle.It
shouldcomefromyourheart.ThisexamisnotlikeIITJEEoranyother
Engineering/Medical/UniversityEntranceExamination.Itdemandsatleastoneandhalfyearfull
timepreparationwithsoliddetermination,whichispossibleonlyifthedesireforCivilServices
is
burningyourheartincessantly.Manyofyoumaybehavingpresumptionsthatyoushouldhave
comefromareputedInstitutelikeIIScoranyIITtosucceedinCivilServices.Butthefactisthat
youneednothavecomefromareputedInstitute.Youneednottohaveasplendidacademic
background.YouneednottohavegreatscoresinSSCorIntermediate.Youneednothavecome
fromarichfamily.YouonlyneedtohaveadreamtobecomeanIASofficerandtherestwill
follow.Because,itisthehumannaturetoworkhard.Itisthe
humannaturetogainknowledgeandsucceed.Isayitisyourhumanrighttosucceed.Anyone
cansucceed.
Workhardasthereisnoshortcuttosuccessandhardworknevergoesunrewarded.Never.Every
dropofsweatofyourbrowthroughhardworkaddstothesplendourofyourbrightcareer.I
wouldliketoquoteNapoleonBonaparte:
Victorybelongstothemostpersevering.
YourmotivationtoprepareforCivilServicesshouldbetohelpthehungerandignorantpeople
andtodriveoutthepovertyfromIndia.Ifyouhavethisdesireinmind,thentheAlmightywill
alsohelpyoutosucceedinCivilServices.
Thispreparationstageisgenerallythemostfruitfulstageofyourlife.Becauseyouarejustoutof
collegeandyourparentsarelookinguptoyouforfinancialsupport.Thisisalsothetimeyoulay
foundationsforyourcareer.ThatiswhyPreparingforCivilServicesatthisstageisputtingyour
careeratstake.Itsawar.Youaretheone
whoisfightingthewarnotthecoachinginstitute,notthepersonsittingonthebankandgiving
youfreesuggestions.Youshouldprepareyourownstrategytakingguidancefromseniorsand
coachinginstitutes(ifyoujoin).Ifyoufollowawrongstrategy,youarethepersonwhoisgoing
tolosenotthecoachinginstitutenotthe
personwhohadgivenyoufreesuggestions.Iwouldliketoremindtheaspirantsthewordsof
SwamyVivekananda.
"Standup,beboldandtakethewholeresponsibilityonyourshoulders
andknowthatyouarethecreatorofyourowndensity.Allthestrengthandsuccessthatyou

wantarewithinyourself."
IwouldalsoliketostressthatyoushouldnotattemptthefirstPrelimsasatrial.Thefirstattempt
oughttobethebestattempt.
AsSwamiVivekanandasaid
Ariseawakeandrestnottillthegoalisachieved
.AllTheBest.
VijayKumarMantri,IAS
CONTENTS
1.AbouttheExam
NatureoftheExam
ChoosingtheOptionalSubjects
Coaching
GeneralTrendofMarks
Examtimetable
GeneralSuggestions
Howshouldafreshcandidateapproachtheexam?
2.ExaminationScheme
PreliminaryExamination
ListofoptionalsubjectsforPreliminaryExamination
MainExamination
ListofoptionalsubjectsforMainExamination
GeneralInstructions
Interviewtest
NumberofAttempts&AgeLimit
3.PreliminaryExam
NegativeMarking
Howtotacklenegativemarking?
GeneralStudiesPreliminaryExam
History
Polity
Geography
Economy
Sciences
MentalAbility
Currentaffairs
GeneralKnowledge
4.MainExamination
GeneralStudiesMainExamination
History
Geography
Polity
SocialIssues
Indiaandtheworld
InternationalAffairs
Economy
ScienceandTechnology
Statistics

CurrentAffairs

5.Essay
Suggestedroottopics
SuggestedReading
GroundworkPreparation
Tips
Strategy
6.EnglishandIndianLanguages
English
IndianLanguage
7.Interview
WhatislookedforinthePersonalityTest?
HowtoPrepare?
WhattypeofquestionsdoestheInterviewBoardasks?
Mock/practice
Dressingup
Entry
DuringInterview
GeneralDosandDontsforthepersonalitytest
8.ReferenceBooks&Strategy
ElectricalEngineering
Psychology
PublicAdministration
9.Miscellaneous
Health
Hobbies
InternetSurfing
IdealTimetable
Studyingwhiledoingajob
HowtoStudy
Howtopreparenotes?
Revision
Wheretoprepare?
Howtowriteanswers?
Howtoremember?
StressManagement
Foraspirantsinthelongterm
AppendixISampleInterviews
AppendixIIMarksofSuccessfulCandidatesinCSE06

1.ABOUTTHEEXAM
Beforestartingthepreparation,itisveryimportanttohaveacompleteunderstandingaboutthe
examprocess,itsstructureandthevariousaspectsrelatedtothepreparation.UPSCgenerally
issuesnotificationinthefirstweekofDecember(oftheyearprecedingtheexamyear)inThe
EmploymentNews.Thecompletenotificationshouldbestudiedcarefullytounderstandthe

structureoftheexamandrelatedinformation.Thisnotificationcanalsobeobtainedfromthe
UPSCwebsite.Goto
www.upsc.gov.in
,linktoexaminationsections.Thenlinktothearchives,
thereclickonCivilServices(Prel)Examtoviewthenotification.
NatureoftheExam
Beforeanyonestartsplayingagame,hewouldliketoknowtherulesofthegameandthatis
sportsmanship.Similarlyinanycompetitiveexam,understandingthenatureoftheexamisvery
critical.ThepreparationwillbemorefocusedwhenyouknowexactlywhattheExamination
expectsratherdemandsfromyou.Rememberateverystageofyourpreparationthatthis
examinationisrelative.Youonlyneedtobebetterthantheotheraspirantstogetafinalplacein
themeritlist.
Thenatureoftheexamcanbeanalysedthroughthefollowingways:
AthoroughperusalofNotificationandcarefullyunderstandingtherequirementsfromit.
Athoroughanalysisofthepreviousyearspapersandtherecenttrends.
Discussingelaboratelywithteachers,successfulcandidatesandseniors.
ThereislotofhypearoundtheIASexam.Afreshaspirantcomeswiththeideathathehastodo
somehifundapreparationandbelikeascholarinthesubjects.Hestartshispreparationona
highnoteandworkshardinthebeginning.Foreachtopichetriestodomaximumandbest
preparation.Intheprocess,hereadsallthe
textbooksandthecoachingmaterialavailableinthemarket.Somespend23daysoneachtopic
andprepare1015pagesofnotes.Gradually,hefeelsexhaustedandthemomentumslowsdown.
Duetothisapproach,heisnotabletocompletethesyllabus.So,hegoesforaselectivestudyas
theexamnears.Nowthepressurebecomesunbearable,asononehandhehasnotcompletedthe
syllabusandontheotherhandhepreparedsomuchnotesforeachtopicthatrevisionbecomes
impossiblewithinashorttime.PeoplehaveafunnyideathatCivilServicescanbeclearedonly
inmultipleattempts.So,theaspirantstartssuccumbingtopressure
andconvinceshimselfthatitisonlyhisfirstattemptand,thereforehecanpreparebetternext
time.
Thoughtheexamdemandshardworkfromtheaspirant,itshouldbeintelligenthardworkand
notjusthardwork.Thisexamisallaboutthebasicswithlotofclarity.Theexamcanbewritten
wellwhenthepreparationissimpleandtheaspirantisverystronginbasicswithclarity.Since
thecompetitionisrelative,youranswersintheexaminationshouldnotonlybecorrectbutalso
differentwithatouchofcreativity.Thecreativityandinnovationisnotsomethingthatyouwill
getinthetextbooks.Theyhavetobedevelopedonyour
own.Itrequireslotofthinkingandobservation.Byinnovationinanswerswhatismeantis
Catchyintroduction
Diagrams
Graphs
Flowcharts
Maps
Casestudies
Contemporarytouchandapplicability
Catchyconclusion.
Basicswithclaritywillcomewhenthereislotofquestioningwhilestudying.Thetopichastobe
studiedinalogicalmanner.SupposeyouarestudyingatopiconInflation.Thinklogicallyasa
layman,thenyoushouldgetthefollowingsequenceofquestions

Whatisinflation
Whyshouldtherebeinflation,i.e.,causes
Sowhatifthereisinflation,i.e.,impact
Ifimpactisnegative,thennaturallyweshouldbedoingsomethingtoreduceit,sowhatsteps
weretakenandwhathappened
Ifstillinflationisthere,thenwhatswrongwiththestepstaken
Howtocontrolinflation,anysuggestionsbyexpertsandrecentdevelopments.Youcanadd
innovationslikeasimplegraphshowinghowtheinflationhasbeeninrecenttimesandalsoa
flowdiagramabouttheimpactofinflation.Inthismanner,thebasicsinthetopiccanbecovered
withclarity.Andthetopicshouldberememberedinthislogicalstructuredwayfortheexam.It
shouldbeunderstoodthatonceyouhavedonethetopicinthiscomprehensivemethodthrough
logicalquestioning,thepreparationisoverforthattopic.Youneednotgothroughanyjournals
orhifundatextbooksforbecominganexpertinthetopic.Thismuchof
basicswithclarityaresufficientfortheexam.And,thisiswhathumanlypossibleinviewofthe
hugesyllabus.
Thefollowingpointsshouldbekeptinmindwhiledoingpreparation:
Thefocusshouldbeongainingbasicclarityineachtopic,whichwillcomeonlythroughlotof
logicalquestioning
Moretimeshouldbespentonthinkingaboutthetopicandmakinginnovations,ratherthanon
readingtoomanystudymaterial.
Thepreviouspapersshouldbethoroughlyanalyzedtounderstandtheexpectationsofthe
examiner.
Thepreparationshouldbefocusedandallthehardworkshouldbechannelisedintheright
direction.
ChoosingtheOptionalSubjects
Thisisthefirstandmostimportantstageofyourjourneyandshouldbeaccomplishedmost
carefullyascomingthingshingeonitandawrongdecisionmayprovetobedisastrous.Careful
analysisofsyllabus,previousyears'papers,yourcaliber,requirementofsubject(Visionary,
Numerical,Theoretical),comfortlevelwiththesubjectandpasttrendsshouldbedone.Advice
fromseniorsandfellowcandidatesshouldalsobesought.Toavoidditheringinchoiceatlater
stage,initialdeepthinkingandconsultationsareamust.Havingdecidedthesubject,itis
advisabletosticktoyourchoiceeveniftheperceptionofothersaboutitisnotfavourable.
Majorcriteria,whichshouldguideyouinchoosingoptionals,are:
1.Interestinthesubject.Thisisquiteimportantforsustainingthemomentuminstudiesand
completingthehugesyllabus.
2.Availabilityofguidanceintheformofseniorswhoclearedwiththeoptional,coaching,
material,etc.
3.Performanceoftheoptionalinthelastfewyears.
4.Timegapbetweenthetwooptionals.Somepeopletrytochoosetheoptionalcombinationso
thatthereissometimegapbetweenthem.
Pleasenotethatthereisnosubjectthatcanbesaidtobescoring.UPSCismaintainingutmost
balancebetweenthesubjects.Ithasbroughtalltheoptionalsubjectsontothesameplatformas
farasscoringisconcerned.
Someoftheoptionalswhichamajoritytakeare:Anthropology,Geography,History,Political
ScienceandInternationalRelations,Psychology,PublicAdministration,Sociologyand

Literature.
Themainadvantageswiththeseoptionalsare:
1.Availabilityofguidance,whichreducestheeffortstoalargeextent
2.TheknowledgealsohelpsinGS,Essayandinterview.
3.Theyarealsorelevantforanadministrativecareer.
Ifapersonisfromprofessionaleducationbackground(i.e.Engineering/Medicine),which
optionalsshouldhechoose?Thisisabasicquestionformany.Thereisatendencytooptforthe
graduatingsubject.Letsunderstandtheproblemsassociatedwiththesesubjects.
Previously,scienceandEngineeringOptionalsusedtodoverywell.Intop20,thereusedtobe
1516fromIITandengineeringbackground.Butafter2000,UPSChasmodifiedthesyllabus.It
becameaveryhugesyllabusandeventheexamquestionsaremadetough.Thatsthereason
why,veryfewarewritingtheexamfromIITsnow.Manyengineersaretakingartsoptionals
insteadofsciences.Justobservethebackgroundofthetoppersandtheiroptionals.
Therewillbenoguidanceavailableforengineering/medical/sciencesubjects.So,lotsoftime
willhavetobespentinunderstandingtherequirementsoftheexam.Then,searchingforthe
material.Itbecomesatrialanderrorprocess.Alltheenergieswillbespentonthis,whileyouget
exhaustedwhenreallystudying.Atthesametime,youwillalsohavetocompletethehuge
syllabusofanotheroptionalandGS.
Becauseoftheaboveproblem,itwilltakemoretimeandmoreattempts.While,yourfriendsin
otherfieldsgofarahead.So,bothpeerandsocialpressurestarts.Theexamisanyhow
psychologicallydemanding,ifotherpressuresaddtoit,thenitbecomesunbearable.Finally,
yourgoalofcrackingtheexambecomesimpossible.
Youwillhavetodoeverythingonyourown.Initiallyitmightbefine.Buttheexamisoflong
duration.Itbecomesdifficulttosustainthemomentumonyourown.
ApersonmightbeUniversitytopper,butwehavetounderstandthedifferencebetweenan
academicexamandacompetitiveexam.Soitisveryimportanttobecareful,whilechoosing
optionals,eventhoughyoumightfeelyouarereallygoodinaparticularsubject.Still,ifyouare
confidentaboutyoursubject,thendotakethatoptional.Therearesomepeoplewhoclearedwith
optionalsthatothersdonttakegenerally.Buttake
intoconsiderationthefollowingpoints
Whetheryouhaveaseniorwhohasclearedwiththisoptionalandwhocanguideyouwell
Whetheryouhavecloseassociationwithprofessorswhohavegoodunderstandingaboutthis
exam.
Areyouclearabouttherequirementsoftheexam?Studythepreviouspapersthoroughlyand
assessyourself
Beclearaboutthebookstofollow.Dontdotrialanderrorprocess.Doafocusedexam
orientedpreparation.
DonotneglectotheroptionalandGS.Giveequalimportance.
Formagroupofaspirantswithsameoptional.Ifyouprepareinisolation,thentherewillbeno
flowofinformation.Donotbeinahurrytodecideabouttheoptional.Beverycautiousand
consulttherightpeopleabouttheinformation.Analysecarefullyalltheprosandcons,andthen
takeadecisionpurelybasedonyourassessment.
Coaching
Duetothecomplexexamprocedure,thecoachingassumesacrucialrole.Unfortunately,itisa
costlyaffair.

Butthecoachinghasthefollowingadvantages:
Helpsinunderstandingtherequirementsoftheexamquickly,sothatthepreparationisfocused.
Reducestheeffortsinpreparation,assubjectexpertsteachthetopicsinexamorientation.
Anyhow,thecandidatehastoprepareforatleastonenewoptional.
Helpsingettingmanycontactswithcoaspirants,whichisusefulforexamrelatedinformation.
Neverprepareforthisexamincompleteisolation.Inanycomplexsituation,informationplays
thekeyrole.Pleasetakeintoaccountthefollowingpointswhilejoininganyinstitute:
Donotmerelygobytheadvertisements,northeclaimsmadeinmagazinesortheinterviews
supposedlygivenbythetoppers.
Meetthesuccessfulcandidatesandtheseniorswhohavetakencoachingfromthatinstitute.
Donotgobytheadviseofonlyoneperson.Itisbettertocontactasmanyaspossibleandgeta
generalopinion.
Meettheteacherpersonally,askfortheirprogrammedetails,results,etc,andassessyourselfif
itisworthjoiningthere.
Ifyouareworkingsomewhereoreconomicallyunderprivileged,andtherefore,cannotgofor
coaching,pleasedonotgetdiscouraged.Therearemanypeoplewhoclearedtheexamwithout
coaching.Youcandevicewaysofgettingtherequiredinformationabouttheexam.Butyou
shouldalwaysbeawarethatyouwouldhavetoworkharderthanotherstocleartheexam.Sobe
preparedforthatandbelievethathardworkwill
alwaysbepaidbackintheend.Checkoutthecompetitionmagazinestogettheaddressesof
variouscoaching
institutes.
GeneralTrendofMarks
Thefollowingdataaboutthemarksandtherankswillgiveageneralideaabouttheeffortsthat
arerequired.Themarksandtherankskeepvaryingeveryyeardependingonthevacanciesand
thestandardofthequestionpapers.Lookingatthetrend,itisbelievedbymajoritythatasame
proportionofstudentsaretakenfromeachoptional.So,inanycase,youshouldtobeinthetop
segmentinyouroptionaltogetselectedforthemains.Thequalifyingscoresvaryfromoptional
tooptional.
TrendofQualifyingscoresforPrelimswithNegativeMarks
CategoryMarks
General

240
OBC

230
SC

220
ST

200
Thescoresforthemainsareintherangeof5055%.Usually,ascoreofabove1050isbetterto
ensureaplaceinthefinallist.
TrendofCutoffscoresforInterviewCall
CategoryMarks
General

980
OBC

960
SC

950
ST

920
Intheinterview,ascorearound150180isanormalperformance.Somegetascoreofeven
220240.TheUPSChasdeliberatelykeptawiderangeininterview(scoresvarybetween

50240),soastohavethefinalsayinwhowouldgetintotheservice.So,itisveryimportantto
makepersonalitydevelopmentavitalpartinyour
preparation.Thefinalrankisgoingtodependverymuchontheinterviewmarks.GeneralTrend
ofFinalScoresforSelection
CategoryMarks
Top20ranks1300+
Top50ranks1280+
Top100ranks1250+
Top200ranks1225+
CutoffScores(LastRankMarks)forFinalSelection
CategoryMarks
General

1200
OBC

1175
SC

1150
ST

1120
Theactualfinalranksandtheserviceallocationofsuccessfulcandidatescanbeobtainedfrom
thepersonnelministrywebsite.www.persmin.nic.in
Examtimetable
TheexamtimetableforMainExaminationisalmostthesameeveryyear.Thisinformationwill
beusefulinselectingtheoptionals.Butrememberclearlythatyourinterestinthesubjectshould
bethemaincriteria.

Theexamsequenceisgenerallyasfollows:
GS
EssayandEnglish
Indianlanguagepaper
History
Mathematics,Statistics
Sociology,Anthropology
Geography
Engineeringsubjects
PoliticalScience,PublicAdministration
Literatures
Physics
Commerce,Management
Zoology
Economics
Botany
Law
Philosophy
Agriculture,VeterinaryScience
Psychology
Chemistry
Geology
GeneralSuggestions

Observethefollowingpoints:
Longhoursofstudyandlotofothersacrificesareneeded.Youshouldhaveaverydetermined
mentalmakeupandaneversaydiekindofspirit.
Thefortunefavoursthebrave.Soworkhardwithcourageinspiteofthefailures.Thefinal
rewardisboundtocome.Theluckfactordoesnothelpifyoudontworkhardtoyourfull
capacity.
Toerrishuman,buttheonewhorectifiesisachampion.So,doalotofintrospectionasyou
progressinthepreparation.Thiswillhelpyouinidentifyingthemistakesandrectifyingthemat
therighttime.
DevotionandDeterminationarethekeystothesuccess.Bereadytoworkhard.Butatthesame
time,ensurethatyoureffortsarechannelisedintherightdirection.
Planyourstudyandtrytoworkitoutwithinschedule.Setweeklytargetsandattheendofthe
week,doaselfappraisal.
Therewillbelotsoftemptationtogiveuptheattempt,asyouprogressinthepreparation.This
ismainlyduetothehugesyllabusandtheaccumulatingpressure.Butbeawarethatthesearethe
criticalmoments.Youshouldfaceallthesepressureswithcourage.Bedeterminedtoclearthe
examinthefirstattempt.

Howshouldafreshcandidateapproachtheexam?
Anewaspirantshouldkeepinmindthefollowingpoints:
Firsttrytounderstandtheexam.Gatherinformationfromvarioussources,analysetheprevious
yearspapers,meetseniorsandteachers,andthinkdeeplyabouttheexamandthewayyou
shouldprepare.
Chosetheoptionalsverycarefully.
Settledowninsomeplacewhereyoucanstudywithoutdisturbances,itisbettertobeisolated
forayearduringthepreparation.
Selectthecoachingcenterscarefullyafterenquiringfromvarioussources.Donotmerelygoby
theadvertisements.
Donotbeinahurrytobuyallthematerialavailableinthemarket.Beselectiveandchoseonly
thebest,basedonadviseofrightseniors.
Establishgoodrelationwiththeteachersandtakecompleteadvantageoftheirexperience.
Rememberalwaysthatyouaregoingtohaveatoughperiodfornexttwoyears.Sobewell
preparedforallsituations.Keepworkinghardrightfromthebeginningwithoutanydistractions.
Believestronglythatyouwillcleartheexaminthefirstattemptitselfanddonotcompromise
atanystage.Ifrequiredworkharderthaneverbefore.
Takecareofyourhealthaspects.
Donotbeinahurrytocompletethesyllabus.Goslowwhenyoureadnewconcepts.Do
regularrevisions.
Makewritingpracticeapartofyourdailyroutine.
Thecurrentaffairsnotesshouldbepreparedeveryday.
Thepreparationshouldbestartedatleastayearaheadoftheprelimsexam.
Donotgivetheattemptunlessyouareconfidentofqualifyingfortheinterview.
Thefirstattemptshouldbethebestone,soworkhardwithdetermination.

2.EXAMINATIONSCHEME

Thecompetitiveexaminationcomprisestwosuccessivestages:
Stage1:CivilServices(Preliminary)Examinations(ObjectiveType)fortheselectionof
candidatesforMainExaminationand
Stage2:CivilServices(Main)Examination(WrittenandInterview)fortheselectionof
candidatesforthevariousservicesandposts.

PreliminaryExaminationismeanttoserveasascreeningtestonlythemarksobtainedinthe
PreliminaryExaminationbythecandidateswhoaredeclaredqualifiedforadmissiontotheMain
Examinationwillnotbecountedfordeterminingtheirfinalorderofmerit.Thenumberof
candidatestobeadmittedtotheMain
Examinationwillbeabout12to13timesthetotalapproximatenumberofvacanciestobefilled
intheyearinthevariousServicesandPosts.Onlythosecandidateswhohavequalifiedinthe
PreliminaryExaminationinayearwillbeeligibleforadmissiontotheMainExamination.

TheMainExaminationwillconsistofawrittenexaminationandaninterviewtest.Candidates
whoobtainminimumqualifyingmarksinthewrittenpartoftheMainExamination,willbe
summonedforaninterviewforaPersonalityTest.However,thepapersonIndianLanguagesand
Englishwillbeofqualifyingnature.Themarksobtainedinthesepaperswillnotbecountedfor
ranking.Thenumberofcandidatestobesummonedforinterviewwillbeabouttwicethenumber
ofvacanciestobefilled.

Theinterviewwillcarry300marks(withnominimumqualifyingmarks).Marksthusobtainedby
thecandidatesintheMainExamination(writtenpartaswellasinterview)woulddeterminetheir
finalranking.CandidateswillbeallottedtothevariousServiceskeepinginviewtheirranksin
theexaminationandthepreferencesexpressedbythemforthevariousServicesandposts.
PreliminaryExamination
Theexaminationwillconsistoftwopapers.
PaperI
GeneralStudies150marks
PaperII
Onesubjecttobeselectedfromthelistofoptionalsubjectssetoutbelow300marks
Total:
450marks
ListofoptionalsubjectsforPreliminaryExamination.
Agriculture,AnimalHusbandry&VeterinaryScience,Botany,Chemistry,CivilEngineering,
Commerce,Economics,ElectricalEngineering,Geography,Geology,IndianHistory,Law,
Mathematics,MechanicalEngineering,MedicalScience,Philosophy,Physics,PoliticalScience,
Psychology,PublicAdministration,Sociology,Statistics,Zoology
Note:
Boththequestionpaperswillbeoftheobjectivetype(multiplechoicequestions).
ThequestionpaperswillbesetbothinHindiandEnglish.
Thecoursecontentofthesyllabifortheoptionalsubjectswillbeofthedegreelevel.
Eachpaperwillbeoftwohoursduration.Blindcandidateswill,however,beallowedanextra
timeoftwentyminutesateachpaper.
MainExamination
Thewrittenexaminationwillconsistofthefollowingpapers:
PaperIOneoftheIndianlanguagestobeselectedbythecandidatefromtheLanguagesincluded
intheEighthScheduleoftheConstitution.300marks

PaperIIEnglish300marks
PaperIIIEssay200marks
PapersIVandVGeneralStudies300marksforeachpaper
PapersVI,VII,VIIIandIX
Anytwosubjectstobeselectedfromthelistoftheoptionalsubjectssetoutbelow.Eachsubject
willhavetwopapers.300marksforeachpaper
InterviewTestwillcarry300marks.
Note:
ThepapersonIndianLanguagesandEnglishwillbeofMatriculationor
equivalentstandardandwillbeofqualifyingnaturethemarksobtainedin
thesepaperswillnotbecountedforranking.
ThepapersonEssay,GeneralStudiesandOptionalSubjectsofcandidateswill
beevaluatedonlyafterattainmentofqualifyingmarksinIndianLanguageand
English.
ThepaperIonIndianLanguageswillnotbecompulsoryforcandidateshailing
fromtheNorthEasternStatesofArunachalPradesh,Manipur,Meghalaya,
18
MizoramandNagalandandalsoforcandidateshailingfromtheStateof
Sikkim.
ListofoptionalsubjectsforMainExamination
Agriculture,AnimalHusbandry&VeterinaryScienceAnthropology,Botany,
Chemistry,CivilEngineering,CommerceandAccountancy,Economics,Electrical
Engineering,Geography,Geology,History,Law,Management,Mathematics,
MechanicalEngineering,MedicalScience,Philosophy,Physics,PoliticalScienceand
InternationalRelations,Psychology,PublicAdministration,Sociology,Statistics,
Zoology
AndLiteratureofoneofthefollowinglanguages:
Arabic,Assamese,Bodo,Bengali,Dogri,Chinese,English,French,German,Gujarati,
Hindi,Kannada,Kashmiri,Konkani,Maithili,Malayalam,Manipuri,Marathi,Nepali,
Oriya,Pali,Persian,Punjabi,Russian,Sanskrit,Santali,Sindhi,Tamil,Telugu,Urdu.
Note:
Candidateswillnotbeallowedtochosethefollowingcombinationsofsubjects:
o
PoliticalScience&InternationalRelationsandPublicAdministration
o
Commerce&AccountancyandManagement
o
AnthropologyandSociology
o
MathematicsandStatistics
o
AgricultureandAnimalHusbandry&VeterinaryScience.
o
ManagementandPublicAdministration
o
OftheEngineeringsubjects,viz.,CivilEngineering,ElectricalEngineeringandMechanical
Engineeringnotmorethanonesubject.
o
AnimalHusbandry&VeterinaryScienceandMedicalScience.
Thequestionpapersfortheexaminationwillbeofconventional(essay)type.
Eachpaperwillbeofthreehoursduration.Blindcandidateswill,howeverbeallowedanextra
timeofthirtyminutesateachpaper.
Candidateswillhavetheoptiontoanswerallthequestionpapers(exceptthelanguagepapers

viz.PapersIandII)inanyoneofthelanguagesincludedintheEighthScheduletothe
ConstitutionorinEnglish.
CandidatesexercisingtheoptiontoanswerpapersIIItoIXinanyoneofthelanguages
includedintheEighthScheduletotheConstitutionmay,iftheysodesire,giveEnglishversion
withinbracketsofonlythedescriptionofthetechnicalterms,ifany,inadditiontotheversionin
thelanguageoptedbythem.
Candidatesshould,however,notethatiftheymisusetheaboverule,adeductionwillbemade
onthisaccountfromthetotalmarksotherwiseaccruingtothemandinextremecases,their
script(s)willnotbevaluedfor
beinginanunauthorisedmedium.
ThequestionpapersotherthanlanguagepaperswillbesetbothinHindiandEnglish.
GeneralInstructions(PreliminaryaswellasMainExamination)
Ifacandidateshandwritingisnoteasilylegible,adeductionwillbemadeonthisaccountfrom
thetotalmarksotherwiseaccruingtohim.
Markswillnotbeallottedformeresuperficialknowledge.
Creditwillbegivenfororderly,effectiveandexactexpressioncombinedwithdueeconomyof
wordsinallsubjectsoftheexamination.
Inthequestionpapers,whereverrequired,SIunitswillbeused.
CandidatesshoulduseonlyinternationalformofIndiannumerals(i.e.
1,2,3,4,5,6etc.)whileansweringquestionpapers.
CandidateswillbeallowedtheuseofScientific(NonProgrammabletype)
calculatorsattheMainexaminationofUPSC.Programmabletypecalculators
willhowevernotbeallowedandtheuseofsuchcalculatorsshalltantamount
toresortingtounfairmeansbythecandidates.Loaningorinterchangingof
calculatorsintheExaminationHallisnotpermitted.Itisalsoimportantto
notethatcandidatesarenotpermittedtousecalculatorsforPreliminary
Examination.
Interviewtest
ThecandidatewillbeinterviewedbyaBoardwhowillhavebeforethemarecordof
his/hercareer.Candidatewillbeaskedquestionsonmattersofgeneralinterest.The
objectoftheinterviewistoassessthepersonalsuitabilityofthecandidatefora
careerinpublicservicebyaBoardofcompetentandunbiasedobservers.Thetestis
intendedtojudgethementalcaliberofacandidate.Inbroadtermsthisisreallyan
assessmentofnotonlyhisintellectualqualitiesbutalsosocialtraitsandhisinterest
incurrentaffairs.Someofthequalitiestobejudgedarementalalertness,critical
powersofassimilation,clearandlogicalexposition,balanceofjudgement,varietyand
depthofinterest,abilityforsocialcohesionandleadership,intellectualandmoral
integrity.
Thetechniqueoftheinterviewisnotthatofastrictcrossexaminationbutofa
naturalandpurposiveconversation,whichisintendedtorevealthementalqualities
ofthecandidate.
Theinterviewtestisnotintendedtobeatesteitherofthespecialisedorgeneral
knowledgeofthecandidateswhichhasbeenalreadytestedthroughtheirwritten
papers.Candidatesareexpectedtohavetakenanintelligentinterestnotonlyintheir
specialsubjectsofacademicstudybutalsointheeventswhicharehappening

aroundthembothwithinandoutsidetheirownstateorcountryaswellasinmodern
currentsofthoughtandinnewdiscoverieswhichshouldrousethecuriosityofwell
educatedyouth.
20
NumberofAttempts&AgeLimit
CategoryMinimumMAagxeimLiummits
No.ofAttempts
General2130(byAugofExamyear)4
OBC2133(byAugofExamyear)7
SC/ST2135(byAugofExamyear)NotApplicable
21
3.PRELIMINARYEXAM
Thisisthefirststageoftheexamandshouldneverbetakenlightly.Thepreparation
shouldbesuchthatyoushouldnothaveanydoubtaboutclearingtheexam.The
prelimsshouldonlybeapassingphase.Ifyoupreparewellforthemainsexamand
beclearaboutthebasics,thenprelimsshouldnotbeproblem.Themainfocus
shouldbeontheoptionalsubjectfirst.AtthesametimetheGSshouldbedone
regularly.Sincethereiswelldefinedsyllabusfortheoptional,youshouldprepare
thoroughlyinallaspectsandscoreasmuchaspossible.
Thepreliminaryexamisatestofrecognition.Itissufficientifyoucanrecognisethe
correctanswerfromgivenchoices.Soifyouarestronginbasicsthisshouldnotbe
problem.Donotspendtoomuchtimeinmemorisingfacts.Itsfineifyoucan
recogniseit.Preparesomemnemonics,whichwillhelpyouinrecognizingtheright
answer.
Oneshoulddoasmanypreviousyearpapersaspossible.Itwillhelpyouintime
managementandalsoinidentifyingtheweakareas.Pleaserememberthatthis
practiceshouldberightfromthebeginningandnotinthefinalstages.
NegativeMarking
UPSChastakenarightstepintroducingnegativemarkingtofilteroutcandidates
whogetselectedonthebasisofsmartguessesandluck.So,theseriouscandidates
shouldcheerupnow.
Negativemarkingmakepapermorecomplex.Butitiseasyfor
awellpreparedstudentsandgivesanextrabenefittoagenuinecandidates.
Howtotacklenegativemarking?
Identifytheareasofyourstrengthinthequestionpaper.Solvequestionsfrom
theseareasfirst.Solvingeasyquestionwillboostyourconfidence.
Dontwasteyourtimeforparticularquestions.Leavetimeconsuming
questionstotakeupintheend.
Thedefinitionofintelligentguessingchangesnowwithnegativemarking.You
shouldtickonlythoseanswerswhichyoufeel70%correct.
Dontplayanyblindandstupidgameofguessing.
PracticePracticePracticeMocktestsreducemistakeintheexamand
prepareyoutofacerealenvironmentinwhichyoucantackle&solvethe
questionswithintimelimit.
Mocktestsprovideyouaplatformwhereyoucancheckyourownweakness,
mistakesanderrorsanddevelopabetterunderstandingforsolvingdifferent

typesofquestions.
GeneralStudiesPreliminaryExam
22
UPSCisnotfollowingastandardpatternofallotmentofquestionsforvarioustopics.
Itisbecomingdifficultnowtoattemptoreventoprepareforcompletesyllabus.
Hence,itiswisetostressonthosesubjects,whicharecommonforMain
Examination.TheareastobetakencareofareModernIndia,Polity,Indian
Economy,Geography,CurrentEventsandGeneralScience.Consideringthegeneral
natureoftheexaminationthetacticsmustbetofocusongreaterratherthan
intensivecoveragegivingmorestressonsubjects,whicharecommontoMain
Examination.
History
Theareastobecoveredarethehistoryfromancienttomodernperiod.Thebasic
understandingcanbeobtainedfrombelow10
th
NCERTbooks.Thefocusshouldbe
onmodernIndianhistory,whichiscoveredinthemains.Thebasicknowledgein
AncientIndiaandMedievalIndiaissufficient.
TheNCERTbooks(ClassXIandXII)aregoodenoughforthepurpose.
Youcanreferfollowingbooks
AncientIndia,NCERTClassXI
MedievalIndia,NCERTClassXI
ModernIndia,NCERTClassXII
ModernIndia,Spectrumpublications
Polity
TheConstitutionandvariousrelatedaspectsshouldbedonewell.Somearticlesand
factsshouldbememorised.Itisbettertopreparethisareawellsinceitwillbehelpful
inmainsandinterview.
TheIndianPolitybyLakshmikanthandNCERTbooksaresufficient.Alsorefer,DD
Basu.
Geography
SuggestedReading:
ForIndianGeography
PhysicalGeographyofIndia,NCERTClassXI
LandandPeople,NCERTClassXI
ForWorldGeography
GeneralStudiesManualbyTMHorSpectrumPublications.
ForBothIndianandWorldGeography,followPrelimsissuesbyCivilServices
ChronicleMagazineorCompetitionWizardMagazine.
Economy
Thebasicconceptsarebeingaskedalongwithcurrentaffairsbasedquestions.The
basicclaritycanbeobtainedfromthestandardbooks.Thecurrentaffairscanbe
studiedfromEconomicSurveyandthenewspapers.
SuggestedReading:
EconomicSurvey
Dutt&SundaramorMishra&PuriorICDhingra
23

Sciences
Sometimesthequestionsareaskedverydifficultthatevensciencestudentsfindit
difficulttoanswer.Butthepreparationshouldbeinsuchawaythatallthebasic
questionscanbedonecorrectly.Thequestionsarealsoaskedinapplications
orientation.
SuggestedReading:
ScienceandTechnology,NCERTClassIX&X
What,Why&HowbooksbyCSIR.
MentalAbility
Dolotofpracticefrompreviousyearspapers.Thepreparationcanalsobemadefrom
somestandardguidelikeGeneralStudiesManualbyTMH.Thespeedandaccuracy
shouldbepractised.Concentrateonpermutations,combinations,probability,logical
reasoning.
Currentaffairs
Thishasbecomeaveryimportantcomponent.Thepreparationshouldbecontinuous
fromthesourcesgiveninmainsstrategy.Thenotesshouldbefocusedonthefactual
aspectsthatcomeinthenews.Manyquestionsareaskedfromthisarea,soprepare
thoroughly.Theeffortswillbeusefulforallstagesoftheexam.Itshouldbecomea
partofyourdailyroutine.
SuggestedReading:
TheHinduNewspaper
FrontlineMagazine
YojanaMagazine
CompetitionWizardorSpectrumIssueonCurrentAffairsThisisjusttomake
surethatyouhavecoveredallthecurrentaffairsissuesinNewsPaper.
GeneralKnowledge
Quiteafewquestionsareaskedfromthisarea.Somedifficultquestionsarealso
asked.Donotspendtoomuchtimeinmemorizingunnecessaryfacts.Youshould
haveabroadawarenessaboutvariousfields.Atthesametime,focusmoreonareas,
whichhavebeenaskedinthepast.
IndiaYearBookThisisimportantfortheprelimsandalsoforsomemainstwomark
questions.Butdonotreadeverythinggiveninthebook,belogicalandconcentrate
onthebasics,whichcanbeaskedintheexam.Youshouldpreparenotesonthe
varioustermsthataregiveninthebook.Donotfocustoomuchonunnecessary
factsgiveninthebook.
ManoramaYearbookThisbookshouldalsobetakenasreference.
FortheGSprelims,ifyouwantacompilationofallmaterialatonepointthencan
refersomestandardguidelikeTMH.ButdonotignoretheNCERTandotherbooks
sincetheygivebetterclarity.
24
4.MAINEXAMINATION
TheMainExaminationisthemostimportantstageoftheexam.Ifyouarewell
preparedforthemains,thenagoodfoundationforyoursuccessismade.Therisk
involvedwiththeinterviewcanalsobereducedwithgoodperformanceinMain
Examination.AlwaystargettheMainsExamandmakeclearingthePrelimsan

incidentalobjectiveandapassingphaseinthepathofyourgoal.Ifyoualwaysfocus
onPrelimsresultanddon'tthinkofMainstillthePrelimsresultsareout,youwill
endupasalooserbecausethereishardlyanytimeleftforathoroughpreparation.
SoalwaysaimattheMains.
Note:
Youranswerintheexamistheonlymediumthroughwhichyoucanconveyto
theexaminer.Soyoushouldalwaysthinkastohowtoimpresstheexaminer
withtheanswer.Yourpen,handwriting,writingstyle,logicalpresentation,
innovations,relevancetothequestion,etc,everythingmatters.Becareful
abouttheseaspectsrightfromthebeginning.
Thefinaltwomonthsshouldbedevotedtorepeatedrevisions.
Thewritingpracticewithintimelimitshouldbedonefromthebeginning.This
willhelpinunderstandingwhatyoucanrememberandreproducewithinthe
timelimit.Ifyoudothisasthepreparationprogressesthenthestudywillbe
examoriented.
Improveyourhandwritingifitisbad.Yourhandwritingshouldatleastbe
easilylegible.
Youcanusecolourpenswhenyoudrawfigures,diagramsetc.
Whilewritinganswers,focusongoodintroductionsandconclusions.The
presentationshouldbelogical.Theintroductionshouldintroducethereader
aboutthepathheisabouttotakeandwhatsinstoredforhim.Itshouldraise
thecuriosityofthereader.While,theconclusionshouldsumupwhatthe
readerhasgonethroughinthepath.Thereshouldbeabalancedjudgementin
theconclusions.(Thisissuggestibleonlyfor30and60marksquestions)
Youneednothaveaverygoodvocabularyorscholarlywritingstyle.Itis
sufficientifyoucanpresentyouranswerinasimplelogicalmanner.
Youraimshouldbetoscoreequallywellinallthepapers.Ingeneral,you
shouldgetabove300inoptionalsandtheGS.Dependingonyourstrongareas
youshouldgetmoremarksinsomepapers.Theessayscoreshouldbeabove
100.Inthisway,ifyoucangetaround1100,thenthepositionwillbevery
strong.
Thepresentationistobepracticedwell.Donotdumptheinformationinthe
exam,butpresentitinalogicalandattractivemanner.Thepointformcanbe
usedonlyforsomefactualareas.Otherwise,paragraphmodewithgood
analysisshouldbeused.
Readthequestioncarefullyandgrasptheaspectbeingasked.Theanswer
shouldberelevanttowhatisbeingasked.
25
GeneralStudiesMainExamination
ItisusuallyobservedthatmanyaspirantsfeartheGSpaper.Butwithproper
orientationGSbecomesveryscoring.Infact,manytrytoconcentratemoreon
optionalsthanGS.Thismaynotbeagoodstrategy,asGSgivesgoodmarkswith
lesserefforts.TheGSisalsohelpfulinessayandinterview,andalsolateronin
career.Therefore,properattentionshouldbegiventoGSpreparation.
Firstly,thenatureofGSshouldbeunderstood.Thiscanbedonebyathorough

analysisofthepreviousyearspapers.Itcanbeobservedthattheexaminerisnot
askingeverythingundertheSun,whichiscontrarytotheopinionofmanyaspirants.
Thequestionsarefocusedonlyoncertaindimensions,especiallythoserelevantfor
anadministrativecareer.
Itisimportanttoknowthedifferencebetweenageneralistandaspecialist.A
generalistisapersonwhoknowslessandlessofmoreandmore,whileaspecialist
isapersonwhoknowsmoreandmoreoflessandless.TheCivilsExamintheGS
paperistestingtheGeneralistapproach.
History
Thenationalmovementandrelateddevelopmentshavetobestudiedwithgood
clarity.Theaspirantshouldhaveaclearideaaboutthechronologicalsequence,the
linkagesbetweenvarioustopicsandagoodanalysisabouteachstage.Itshouldbe
rememberedthattheportionisnottobestudiedasifwritingHistoryoptional.The
GSpaperwillonlytestthebasicclarityonthenationalmovement.
SuggestedReading:
ModernHistorybySpectrumPublicationsThisiswrittenwellinexamorientation.
BipanChandrabooksasareferenceandtogetfurtherclarity.
NCERTbooksforabasicunderstanding.
Note:
Observetheforwardandbackwardlinkagesateverystageofnational
movementanditsimportanceintheoverallcontext.Notethatalltheevents
wererelatedinsomewayortheother.
Preparesimultaneouslyforthetwomarkersnotedownthepersonalities,
places,terms,movements,journalsetc.Youshouldbeabletoidentifythemif
giveninexam.Thisisaveryscoringarea.
Innovationslikemaps(eg.1857spreadandcentersofrevolt),flowdiagrams
etccanbemade.
Trytoattemptfactualandnoncontroversialquestions.
Concentrateontheculturalaspectsalsowhichareaskedfortwomarkers.
26
Geography
ThereshouldbeagoodunderstandingaboutthegeographyofIndia.Thiswillalso
helpalotinprelims.
SuggestedReading:
PhysicalGeographyofIndia,NCERTClassXI
LandandPeople,NCERTClassXI
GeographyofIndiabyKhullarSelectiveReadingonly
Note:
Somecurrentaffairsbasedquestionsarealsoasked
Mapsanddiagramscanbeusedextensively
Polity
Thereisastandardsyllabusforthispartandgoodmaterialwithclarityisalso
available.Thequestionsaremostlyaskeddirectly.Soscoringbecomeseasywith
goodunderstandingwithclarity.Theknowledgeinpolityalsohelpsalotintheessay
andinterview.Thiswillgiveagoodfoundationforthecareerasanadministrator.It

isveryimportanttostudypolitywell.
SuggestedReading:
IndianPolitybyLaxmikant,TMHitisaverygoodcompilationfromvarious
sources.
DDBasucanbeusedasareference.
NCERTbooksprovidethevarioustopicsfromwhichquestionscanbeasked
andalsoprovidematerialwithgoodclarity.
Note:
Youneednottorememberallthearticles.Thereareonlyaround50articles
whichareimportant.Notethemwhenreferredtointhetext.
ItsbettertoquotesomearticlesandCourtjudgements(onlyveryimportant
ones)whilewritinganswers.
Giveexampleswithcontemporaryrelevance.Generallyallthequestionsinthis
sectionareaskedwithimpliedcontemporaryrelevance.
Preparesimultaneouslyfortwomarkers.
Somequestionsarerepeated,sobethoroughwithpreviousyearspapers.
Questionsarelinkedtovarioustopics.Sowhilepreparingyoushouldbeaware
oftheinterlinkagesbetweenvarioustopics.
Variouscurrentaffairstopicswhicharelinkedtopolityareasked.Also,some
timesbasicquestionslinkedtocurrentaffairscanbeasked.
SocialIssues
Thereisnostandardmaterialforthesetopics.Further,questionsarealsonotasked
everyyear.Evenifasked,mostlytheyareofgeneralnature,whichcanbeanswered
withcommonsense.Sodonotspendtoomuchtimeontheseareasorinsearchof
27
material.PreparewellforotherpartsofGSandlateriftimepermitsthencometo
theseareas.
SuggestedReference:
TheHinduNewsPaper
FrontlineMagazine
Competitionmagazines
Yojana
NCERTbooks
SocialproblemsbyRamAhuja
SpectrumPublications.
Internet
Note:
Youonlyneedabasiclogicalstructureforeachtopic.Ifthereisnoproper
material,justspendtimeinthinkingonthetopicandtoprepareabasic
structure.Then,youmayspendtimeinsearchingformaterial.For.eg.Drug
abuse,youshouldraisefollowinglogicalquestionswhatisdrugabusewhat
arethecausesdistributionimpacteffortstocheckproblemswithstrategy
suggestions
Discussitwithotheraspirantsandgettheinformation.
Currentaffairsbasedquestioncanbeasked.Foreg.Somecontroversialcase

relatedtoChildlabourcomesinmedia,thenyoucanexpectaquestionon
Childlabour.
Indiaandtheworld
Thequestionsareaskedtotestthebasicunderstandingabouttherelationswith
othernationsandIndiasforeignpolicy.Mostly,questionsarerelatedtocurrent
affairs.Thereisaneedtohaveclarityaboutthebasiccontoursoftheevolutionof
Indiasforeignpolicy.Butdonotgetintotoomuchdepthorcontroversialtopics.You
areexpectedtohaveabasicclarityonIndiasexternalaffairs.
Therearenotmanystandardbooksavailableonthesubject.Mostly,thepreparation
hastobebasedoncurrentaffairs.
SuggestedReading:
NCERT12
th
std.bookonPoliticalscience
OldNCERTbookonPoliticalScience
NewspapersHinduarticles,C.RajaMohanarticlesinNewIndianExpress.
AIRspotlightanalysisbyexperts.
ForeignMinistrywebsite
Note:
UnderstandthecoreissuesbetweenIndiaandvariousnations.
28
Theexternalrelationscanbestructuredintopolitical,economic,defence,
cultural,S&T,etc.soprepareinthesedimensions.
Therelationswithimportantnationsaretobedoneforlonganswers,whilefor
othernationsitissufficientforthetwomarkers.
Notethevarioustermseg.Track2,whichcanbeaskedfortwomarkers.
ThereisnomaterialforthetopicsonOverseascitizensofIndia.Solookoutfor
anyissuesthatcomeinmediarelatedtoNRIs.Theycanbeaskedforthetwo
markers.
Youcanmakeinnovationslikemaps,flowcharts,etc.Foreg.AmapforIndo
Iranpipeline,orforMunnabaoKhokraparraillink.
InternationalAffairs
Thequestionsaremainlycurrentaffairsrelated.Themostimportantdevelopments
whichappearinthenewspaperswillbesufficientforthepreparation.Observethe
terms,personalities,places,etcwhichcanbeaskedforthetwomarkers.Also
preparefortheinstitutions.Firstlistoutthevariousimportantinstitutions.Then
gatherbasicmaterialonthem.Youcanalsotrythewebsitesoftheinstitutionsfor
theinformation.YoucanalsoreadInternationalOrganizationsbySpectrum
Publications.
IndianEconomy
Thisisanarea,whichisfearedbymany,especiallybecauseoflackofproperexamoriented
textbookwithclarity.Butwithsomebasicunderstanding,economycan
becomeveryscoringbecauseof15twomarkquestions.
SuggestedReading:
DuttandSundaramorMishraandPuriThesebooksareabigcompilation
withlotsofunnecessaryfacts.Donotreadthebookfromendtoend.You
shouldbeabletogetclarityoutofeverytopic.So,firstscanthroughthetopic

andthesideheadings.Thenquestionlogicallyinvariousdimensions.Tryto
findtheanswerstothequestionsraisedasyougothroughthematerialand
preparealogicalstructure.For.E.g.UnemploymentWhatisunemployment
typesextentanddistributioncausesimpacteffortstoreduceappraisalof
policiesrecentmeasuressuggestions
EconomicSurveyItisaveryusefuldocument,whichshouldbefocusedupon.
Preparenotesfromit.Alsoobservethegraphs,whichcanbeusedas
innovationsinanswers.Whilereading,notetheterms,whichcanbeaskedfor
twomarkers.Theboxitemsareveryimportant.
NCERTbooks
IndianEconomybyPratyogitaDarpanPublications
Note:
Questionscanbeonbasicsorthecurrentaffairsbased.
Youcanuseinnovationslikegraphs,diagrams,flowchartsetc.
29
Themainaspectistogainthebasicunderstandingwithclarity.Sospendmore
timeonlogicalthinkingandinterrelating,ratherthanonvariousbooksor
articles.
Simultaneously,prepareforthetwomarkers.Notethevariouseconomicterms
thatkeepappearinginthenewspapers.Also,bethoroughontheprevious
yearspapers.
ScienceandTechnology
SomeArtsstudentsfearthispartandleavethemfortheexam.However,notethat
theexaminerisnotinterestedinthetechnicalaspects.Theyareonlytestingifthe
candidatehasbasicunderstandingonthetechnologicaldevelopments.Infact,
technologyisgoingtoplayaverykeyroleinchangingtheadministration.So,dotake
anactiveinterestinthetechnologicaldevelopments,astheywillhelpyouinbeingan
effectivechangeagentwhenyoujointheservice.
Intheexam,thequestionsarebeingaskedfromboththestandardandthecurrentaffairs
based.Whilepreparing,concentrateontherelevanceandtheapplicationof
thetopic.Thefollowingdimensionsshouldbefocused:
Whatisthebasictechnologicaldimensionofthetopic
Howisitbeingusedapplicability
DevelopmentsinIndia
Thereisnogoodmaterialavailableforthisarea.Noteshavetobepreparedfrom
varioussources.Thesynopsisshouldalsofocusonthediagramsandfigures,
whereverapplicable.
SuggestedReading:
TheHinduThursdayS&Tpages(FromMay3rdweekpreviousyeartocurrent
yearSeptember30)
CompetitionMagazines
Internet
S&TSpectrumSeries
Note:
Donotgointomuchtechnicaldetail,evenifyouarefromtechnical

background.Concentrateonapplicationsandrelatedissues.
Innovateusingfigures,diagrams,flowcharts,etc.
Preparenotesonthevariouscomputerrelatedterms.
Statistics
Thisisanotherarea,whichisfearedbystudentsfromArtsbackground.While,
othersfromtechnicalbackgroundtakeittoolightly,andlosemarksintheend.This
areaisveryscoringforanybodywhocanconcentrateonthebasicsanddolotsof
practice.
SuggestedReading:
30
NCERT11thstd.
Spectrumpublications.
Note:
Understandthebasicswellwithclarity.
Practicethepreviouspaperswiththetimelimit.
Showthecalculationsclearly
Drawthediagramsandgraphsneatly.
Donotforgettotakethecalculatortotheexamhall.
Sometimesdifficultquestionsareasked.Donotorientpreparationkeeping
thosequestionsinview.Justbestrongonthebasicstandardquestionsthat
areaskedeveryyear.
Itsbettertoattemptthestatisticsquestioninthebeginningoftheexam.
CurrentAffairs
Thisisthemostimportantcomponentofthepreparation.Ithascrucialrolein
prelims,essayandinterview.Itrequirescontinuouseffortsthroughouttheyear.The
noteshavetobepreparedfromvarioussources.Theeffectivenessofthepreparation
willincreaseifyouhaveagoodunderstandingaboutthequestionsthatareasked
everyyear.Thatwayyouwillbeinapositiontodiscriminatebetweenwhattoread
andmoreimportantlywhatnottoread.
Sources:
TheHindunewspaper,someaspectsoftheNewIndianexpress
TheFrontline
AIRnews8AM,2PM,9PM.
Yojana
Internet
Notethefollowingpoints:
Preparenotestopicwise.Asyougothroughvarioussources,identifythetopics
thatcanbeaskedintheexam.Writethetopicsonasheetofpaper.Youwillbe
preparingnotesforthosetopicsonly.ThemainsourcewillbetheHindu
newspaper.Theothersourcesshouldbesupplementedtogainclarityinthe
topics.
EverydaylistentotheAIRnewsbulletins.Theycoverallimportanttopicsina
dispassionatemanner.Theanalysisafterthebulletinisalsoquitegood.Try
doingsomethingelsewhilelisteningthenewssothatyoudontwastetime.If
anypoliticalorunimportantissueisbeingdiscussedinthenewsyoucan

ignoreandconcentrateonyourwork.
Nextdaybythetimepapercomes,youalreadyknowwhattoexpectfromthat
sinceyoufollowednewsonAIRpreviousday.So,gototheimportanttopics
andreadslowly,andpreparenotes.
Donotreadeverythinginthenewspaper.Readonlythatwhichisimportantfor
theexam.Donotevenlookattheitemsfromsecondpagetocentrepage.The
31
mainfocusshouldbeonfrontpage,editorials,articles,newsanalysis,
businessetc.Inthesportspagejustspendtimeonrecognizingthe
personalitiesandtournaments,whichcanbeaskedinexam.
Beforereadinganewsitem,questionlogicallyaboutthattopicorissue.Then
readthearticle.Thiswaytheeyestrytogathertheanswersforthequestions
raised.Also,theclarityonthetopicincreases.
Withpractice,youshouldincreaseefficiencyandshouldnotspendmorethat2
hrsonnewspaper.
Manyinnovationscanbemadelikemaps,diagrams,flowcharts,graphs,case
studiesetc.
Keeptwomarkquestionsinmindwhilepreparingforthecurrentaffairs.Make
separatenotesforthepersonalities,places,awards,terms,etc.
Keepcuttingsoftheeditorialinamonthlyfile.
GeneralSuggestions:
Writingpracticewithinthetimelimitisveryimportant.Thereisproblemof
timemanagementfortheGSpaper2.
GothoughtheVajiramcoachingmaterialifyouhaveaccesstoit.
Whilereadingnewspapersobservethefollowingabbreviationsnewterms
organisationsquotesandexamples,whichcanbeusedelsewhereetc.
32
5.ESSAY
Theessaypaper(200marks)inthecivilservicesmainexaminationiscrucialin
determiningthefinaloutcome/selectionandranking.Itisdecisivebecausethereis
nospecializationinanessayandsonoaspirantcanclaimexpertise,unlikeoptional
subjects.
Essaypaperdoesnothaveasourceofdefinitiveinformationasinthecaseofgeneral
studiesoroptionalsubjects.Thisconstitutesachallenge.Itisvitaltounderstand
thatanessayisareflectionofthepersonalityideas,views,analysis,assessments
andinferences,values,attitude,aptitude,orientationandcommunication(written)
abilities,alltheattributesthatarewantedbyUPSCinanaspirant.
Generaltrendisthatessaypaperwillcontain6topicsoutofwhichonetopictobe
chosen.Thereisnosyllabusforessay.Anythingundersuncanbeasked.But,ifwe
analysepreviousyearpaper,itisconspicuoustofindsomeroottopics.Forexample,
thereisatleastonequestiononwomenempowermenteveryyear.So,thetopic
WomenEmpowermentisaroottopic.
SuggestedRootTopics
1.WomenEmpowerment
2.Environment,S&T,EnergySecurity,SustainableDevelopment

3.Democracy,judiciaryandrelatedtopics
4.Education,IndianCulture
5.CurrentEvents
SuggestedReading:
a)Yojanaissues
b)Frontlinecoverstories
c)TheHinduSundayMagazines
GroundworkPreparation
Thedurationoftheessaypaperis3hoursandthewordlimitisnotmentioned.Itis
generallysaidthat15002000wordsshouldmakeagoodessay.Thiscan
comfortablybewrittenevenwithamoderatepacein2to2hours.Sothefirst30
45minutescanbespentforthegroundworkpreparation.Firstistheselectionofthe
properessaytopic.Outofthe6topics,onetopicwouldgenerallyberelatedto
philosophicalissue,unlessoneisconfidentitisbettertooptitout.Likewiseonecan
eliminatetopicswithwhichoneisnotcomfortable.Sometopics,mostofthe
aspirantscannotmaintainabalancethroughouttheessaysobetteroptthemalso
out.Finallyselectthetopicthatyouthinkcandojustice.Theanswerbookletofthe
mainexaminationconsistsof24singlepages.Thelast34pagescanbeusedfor
roughwork.Ifyouaresurethatyoucancompletethemainbooklet,thenaskforone
additionalatthebeginningoftheexamanduseitforroughwork.Inthesepages
33
prepareoutlinefortheessaybyaskingquestionsyourselves.Itisalsocalledas
brainstorming.
Supposetakeatopicforexample:Terrorismandglobalpeace(CSE2005)
Thequestionscanbe
1.Whatisterrorism,itsaims,methodologyanditsorigin?
2.Howitisaffectingglobalpeace?
3.Whataredifferentways/typesofterrorismandhoweachoneisathreatto
globalpeace?
4.Whatarethecausesforterrorismtoflourish?
5.Howtheglobalpeacecanbemaintained(remedyandaglobalapproachin
fightingterrorismbecauseofitsspreadtoallcountries)?
6.WhatistherelevanceofterrorismtoIndiaandaffectonIndianswayofliving?
7.Whatshouldbetheconclusion?Ex.Terrorismisaffectingglobalpeaceanditis
afact.Sothesolutionistomakeitdisappear.Whateverformitmaybe,it
shouldbecondemnedbecauseitinvolveslossofpreciouslivesandlivingof
many.
Ontheselinesmanymorequestionscanbeevolved.
Thenextstepisquestionyourselfregardingthetopicandscribblewhatevercomesto
yourmindwithoutanyorderinjustwords,notsentences.Afterthispartisoverwrite
theconclusionpartindetailintherougharea.
Tips:
1.Goodintroductionandgoodconclusionaremust.
2.Thereshallbelinkbetweenparagraphs.
3.Clarityofexpressionisveryimportant.UsesimpleEnglishtoexpressyour

pointclearly.Youneednotuseflowerylanguage.Simplelogicalpresentation
issufficient.
4.Practiseisessentialforgettingagoodscore.
5.Trytogiveagoodintroduction.Itshouldguidetheexaminertowhatyou
intendtoconveyintheessay.Theconclusionshouldbegoodandsatisfythe
examiner.Alwaysconcludeonapositivenote.
6.Themainfocusshouldbeongivingagoodanalysisofthetopic.
7.Donotdivertintoareas,whichareirrelevanttothetopic.
8.Makesurethatyouhavesufficientunderstandingandmaterialtowrite,
beforechosingthetopic.
Strategy
Introduction:Theintroductionistheopeningpartoftheessayandshouldbe
confinedtoaparagraph.Theintroductoryparagraphisexpectedtointroducethe
34
topic,andwherevernecessary,explainthecentralthemeoridea,basicorcore
concepts,anddefinitionalcriteria.Theintroductionshouldarouseinterestand
generatecuriosityinthemindofthereader.Spendgoodamountoftimefor
introduction.
MainText:Themaintextoftheessaymustdevelop,supportandexplainthemain
ideasstatedinyourintroduction.Thisessentiallyisasystematicorganisationof
informationbasedonaconsistentmethodology.Itdealswiththetopicandrelated
issuestobeaddressed,thecorrelationoffacts,figures,ideas,views,conceptsanindepth,
systematic,coherentanalysisbasedonthetopicleadingtologicalinferences
aswellasmaking(ifitisrequired)plausibleprojectionsandprovidingwith(if
necessary)viablesolutions.
Conclusion:Asthetextdrawsclosetotheconclusion,theessayshouldhavereached
thestageof'criticalmass',asortofaclimax.Theconclusion,asummary,should
expresstheessenceoftheessay.Itshouldnotcontainanyfreshevidence,factsor
figures.
35
6.ENGLISHANDINDIANLANGUAGES
Theobjectiveofthesepapersistotestthecandidatesabilitytoreadandunderstand
seriousdiscursiveprose,andtoexpresshisideasclearlyandcorrectlyinEnglishand
oneIndianlanguage.Standardofthesepapersisofmatriculation.
Thesepapersareonlyofqualifyingnature,butatthesametimecannotbeignored.If
youdonotqualifythenyourothermainspaperswillnotbeevaluated.Notethat
everyyeartherearesomecandidateswhogetdisqualified.Soensurethatyouhave
theminimumknowledgeaboutthelanguages.Thescoreshouldonlybeabove40%
andthequestionsarealsosetinsuchamannerthatthisisnotdifficultatall.There
isnoneedforanypreparation.Butdoseepreviousyearspaperstogainfamiliarity.
English
ThosefromnonEnglishmediumschoolsmightfacesomedifficultyinEnglishpaper.
Thenthepreparationshouldbemadefromsomestandardbook.Notethatthe
grammarisnotmuchtested,butitisonlythefunctionalknowledgeinthelanguage.
Thepatternofquestionsisasfollows:

ShortEssay
ReadingComprehension
Prciswriting
TranslationfromEnglishtotheIndianlanguageandviceversa.
UsageandVocabulary
TipsforReadingComprehension:
Therearetwokindsofreading.Oneiswhenyoureadtoeducateyourselfon
sometopic.Secondiswhenyoufindanswerstosomequestionsinthecontent.
Inthefirstcase,readingisslowasyouhavetounderstandeveryconcept.But,
inthesecondcase,itisfasterasyouareonlylookingforanswerstofew
questions.ForReadingComprehension,itisbettertofollowthesecondkindof
reading.Firstreadthequestionsandthenreadthepassagetowriteanswers.
Asyoureadunderlinethelines,whichcontainanswers.
Youshouldwriteanswersinyourowncomposition.Donotcopyfromthe
passage.
Tipsforprciswriting:
Theprcisshouldbewritteninyourowncomposition.
Examples,illustrationsandquotationsoftheoriginalpassageshouldnotbe
includedintheprcis.
Noideaorpointshouldbeelaborated.
Youshouldnotaddyourowncommentsofcriticismsintheprcis.
TipsforshortEssay:
36
MorestressshouldbeontheEnglishratherthanthecontent.Sentencesshouldhave
soundgrammaticalconstruction.
IndianLanguage
Similarly,somefacedifficultywiththeIndianlanguagepaper.Ensurethatyouhave
functionalknowledgeinatleastoneIndianlanguage.
37
7.INTERVIEW
TheInterviewstagehasemergedasthemostdecidingphaseoftheexam.The
rangeofmarksawardeditselfisaproof,itvariesbetween50to240.IftheUPSC
boardfeelsthatacandidateisunsuitableforadministration,thenitawardsverylow
marks.Asaresulthemaynotgetthedesiredserviceinspiteofgoodperformancein
themainsexam.Sointerviewplaysaverycrucialroleinthefinalselection.
Thepersonalityissomethingthatcannotbedevelopedinfewdays.Itisa
continuousprocesssinceyourchildhood.But,youcanmodifyitsuitablytogetgood
marksintheinterview.
WhatislookedforinthePersonalityTest?
TheUPSCislookingforsometraits,whichcanbesummarizedbelow:
1.Suitabilitytoapubliccareer
2.MentalCaliber
3.Notonlyintellectualtraitsbutalsosocialtraits
4.Interestincurrentaffairs
5.Mentalalertness

6.Criticalpowersofassimilation
7.Clearandlogicalexposition
8.Balanceofjudgment
9.Varietyanddepthofinterest
10.Abilityforsocialcohesionandleadership
11.Intellectualandmoralintegrity
InthewordsofformerUPSCChairmanSurendraNath,anidealcivilservantshould
be:

Firstly,anofficermustbeagentleman.Heshouldpossessgoodcharacterqualities.
Heshouldhavecourageofconviction,intellectualandmoralcapabilities,leadership
qualitiesandcapableoftakingtherightdecisionsattherighttime.Heshouldhaveindepth
professionalknowledge,selfconfidence,goodcommunicationskills,analyticalin
histhinking,flexibleandnotrigid,mustbeabletoinspireandmotivatehiscolleagues
andhissubordinates.Thereshouldbeabalanceofjudgmentindecisionmaking.
So,youwillhavetoimprovethesequalitiesasyouprogresstowardstheinterview
stage.
HowtoPrepare?
Startfullscalepreparationfortheinterview,immediatelyafterthemains
exam.
Beverycarefulwhilefillingthemainsapplicationform.Thisformisthebasis
38
onwhichthewholeinterviewdepends.So,consulttheseniorsandfillthe
informationcarefully.Throughthisform,youcandirecttheboardintoyour
strongareas.Theinterviewwillgoonexpectedlinesandyoucangivewellprepared
answers.Dokeepaphotocopyoftheform.
Thepreparationshouldbeattwolevelsthesubjectmatterpreparationand
thewayyoupresentyourself.
Oneshouldpreparefortheinterviewwithagroupof34peopleasthe
preparationforInterviewcannotbedoneinisolation.Personalityisalifetime
assetandexpectingmiraculouschangesinpersonalityinaspanofafewdays
orweeksisnotpossible.Yet,effortscanbemadetoovercomemajordeficiency
andpolishingofviewsandopinions.
Useahandycamoramirrortoseehowyouspeak,thefacialexpressions,
mannerismsetc.
Keepvisualizingtheinterviewscenarioandmodifyyourselfaccordingly.In
interviewyouareassessedrightfromthemomentyouenter.Sothefollowing
aspectsareimportantthewayyouwalkthewayyousitdownthewayyou
dressuptheenthusiasmandcheerfulnessinyourfacethewayyoutalkyour
mannerismsfacialexpressionspolitenessbehaviorthewayyoutacklethe
questionstheconfidenceyoudisplaythewayyoutakeleaveandwalkoutof
theroometc.Soinallthesedimensionsyoushouldkeepcontemplatingand
putyourbestperformanceonthatday.
Thebestwayofpreparationistojustsitanddobrainstormingintensively.
Thinkwhattypeofquestionscanbeaskedandhowyoucangiveasimpleand
logicalanswer.Thiswillnotcomefromreadingmanybooks.Itrequireslotof

introspection.
Showapositivebodylanguage.Youbelievethatyouaresuitableforthejob.
Conveytothemthemessagethatyouarethepersontheyarelookingfor.
Readvariousoriginalinterviewsgiveninthemagazinestounderstandwhatthe
UPSCexpectsfromyou.
WhattypeofquestionsdoestheInterviewBoardasks?
WhatarethethingsthattriggeraquestioninthemindoftheInterviewboard?Ans.:
Theelementsintheirimmediateview.Whataretheseelements?Ans.:Firstthe
candidatehimself/herself,secondhisbackgroundrecordasrevealedfromthemains
applicationform,thirdimportanteventsthathavehappenedinlastfewmonthsor
areinnewscurrentlyandlastlywordsthatweuseinouranswerstotheboard.Can
weidentifythesetriggers?Ans.:Yestolargeextent.Bydoingsowecanbeverywell
preparedforabout8590%ofthequestions.Howdoesthishelp?Ans.:Bypreparing
wellonthesetriggers,wecanalsoworkontheirpresentationaswellsoastoavoid
givingunnecessarytriggersthroughouranswersorpositivelygivingtriggersthatwill
leadtheboardtoourfamiliarterritory.
Practicallyspeakingwecansitwithourmainsapplicationformandwritedowneach
andeverywordthatwehavewritteninthatformseparatelyonaseparatepageofa
register.Havingdonethat,thenlistquestionsthatcanbeasked,withthatword
39
actingasatrigger.Refinethelistbysittingwithfewfriends.Youwillhavealistof
about100200questions.Startpreparingontheircontentandworkontheir
presentationtokeepitcrispyandmeaningful.Similarlywecanworkonother
triggersandtrytoavoidgivingunnecessarytriggersinouranswers.
TypesofquestionsaskedattheUPSCinterview:
Relatingtoyourname:Anyfamouspersonalitywhohasasimilarorsame
nameorsurname.
Yourcareerchoice:Whyyouwanttooptforthecivilservices.
YourHobbies:Whyyoupursuesuchahobbyorquestionsrelatedtoyour
hobby.Soresearchwellonyourhobby.
HottopicsofrecentdaysliketheBirdFluandTamiflu,Growingairlines,Terror
attacksinIndia,IndiaUSNucleardeal,IndianCricket,SauravGangulyetc
(Thesearejustexamples).Keepreadingandwatchingthenews.Iftherecent
headlineshavesomethingtodowithyoursubjectthenspeciallyrevisethose
portions.Forexampleifyouareaveterinarydoctor,Birdflumaygoontoother
animaldiseasesthatcaninfectmen.IfyouareanMBBS,thenyoumightbe
askedabouthumantohumanspreadofepidemicsoranyotherepidemicsand
precautionsetc.Ifyouarefromaneconomybackground,thesametopicwill
veertowardstheeconomicimplicationsoftheBirdflu.
Howyouaregoingtouseyourspecificknowledge(likeifyouareadoctor,
lawyer,engineeretc)intheservices.
Situationalquestions/Hypotheticalquestions:LikeIfyouwerethe
collector/SPofsoandso,whatwouldyoudoaftertheCommunalriots/Bomb
Blast?
Choiceofservices:Theorderofyourchoiceofservicescanraisequestionstoo.

Aboutyourinstitutionandrelated:IfyouhavestudiesatIIMyoumaybeasked
abouttherisingsalaries,iffromIGNOUthenevenaboutIndiraGandhiandso
on.
Otherareastobefocusedare:whyoptionalsbackgroundoftheparents
placeswhereyoustayedacademicbackgroundandrelatedaspectsoptional
subjectsgraduatingsubjectpositionsifheldjobexperienceifanyhobbies
sports
Mock/Practice
Oneshouldformagroupof45people,asthepreparationforPersonality
Testcannotbedoneinisolation.Tryholdingasmanymockinterviewsas
possible.
Notraininginstitutecandevelop/transformyourpersonalityinafewdays.
However,someofthetipsmayhelpinironingoutsomeweaknesses/gray
areasandcanprovideanavenueforawellplannedpreparationandgroup
discussions.
Takemockinterviewswithyourfriends.Inthemockinterview,askyour
friendstogrillyousothatyoucanfacepressurefromtheBoardeasily.
40
Discussalotwithyourfriends.Thisnotonlyhelpsinyouassimilating
differentpointsofview,butalsoenhancesknowledgelevels.
DressingUp
Dresssenseisofcrucialimportance.Thechoiceofdressshouldbeaccording
totheweatherconditions.Trynottowearnewlystitchedclothes,asthey
mightmakeyouuneasy.
Wearcomfortableclothes.Menneedtowearlightcolouredshirtandadark
trouserwithatie.Womenappearbestinasareeorsalwarkameez.
Payattentiontothedetails,ironeddress,polishedshoes,hairaccessories,
trimmednailsetc.Polishyourfootwearmeticulously.Useconvenientfootwear
likeblackorbrownleathershoes.
Womencandidatesshouldtakecaretoavoidthehairfallingoverthefaceasit
couldannoybothyouandtheinterviewer.
Donotwearanythingthatconnectsyouwithareligiousorpoliticalgroup.
Donotuseheavyperfume/deodorants.
Incaseyouhavearunningnoseorhavecaughtacold,carryahandkerchief,
orsufficientstockoftissuepaper.Tissuepaperispreferable.
Somecandidatestakemedicinetorelaxonthepreviousnightoftheinterview
thisshouldbeavoidedastheeffectofmedicinemaydecreaseyouralertness
duringtheinterview.
Whatandhowyoueatisalsoimportant.Havealightmealonthedayofthe
PersonalityTest.Donotgofortheinterviewonanemptystomach.However,
alsoavoidovereating,orhavingaheavymeal.
Firstimpressionisoftenthebestimpression.Socreateapositive,good
impressionwithinthefirstfewminutesoftheinterview.
Entry
Arrive2030minutesearly.Thiswillgiveyouenoughtimetorelax

Keepafile/foldertokeepyourcertificatesanddocumentsinanorganized
manner.Theyareverifiedbeforeyouentertheinterviewroom.(Youdonthave
tocarryfile/folderinsideboardroom)
Whilewaitingforyourturninthewaitingarea,readanewspaperora
magazineandtrytoremainfocusedwithoutthinkingtoomuchofwhatwill
happenintheinterview.DonottrytopresupposesituationsinthePersonality
Test.
Takeafinal,deepbreathbeforeenteringtheboardroom.
Donotforgettoknockatthedoorbeforeentering,asitindicatesbasic
courtesy.
Onenteringtheroom,greetallthememberscordiallyanddonotsitdownon
theseatwithoutbeingaskedto.
Ifthereisaladymemberintheinterviewboard,greetherfirst.
41
Beconsciousofyourbodylanguagewhenyouareseated.
Menshouldkeepthefeetflatonthefloorduringtheinterview,kneesatwaist
level,andhandsonyourthighsandplaceyourelbowsonthearmchair.Avoid
lockinghands.
Women,crossyouranklesorlegs,butkeepthebottomlegstraightdownand
donotswingitoverthetoplegandkeepyourelbowspositionedonthearmsof
thechair.
WhentheBoardmembersthankyouattheendofthePersonalitytest,donot
forgettothankthemembersonelasttimeandkeepyourbodyposturestraight
atthetimeofleavingtheroom.
Becool.BeyourselfduringtheInterview.
Youraimshouldbetomaketheboardmembersfeelcomfortableinyour
presence.
Dontexpectanyexpressiononthefacesofboardmembers,evenifyour
answerisverygood.
DuringInterview
Inapersonalitytest,whatisofimportanceishowyousaywhatyousay.Itis
thestyleofpresentationthatmatters.
Yourpersonalityis,onanaverage,assessedin2530minutesitisyour
responsibilitytobringoutyourverybestinfrontoftheboard.
Intelligentlisteningisthemantra,andforthismaintainingeyecontactisvery
important.Youshouldnotglarebutallthesameappearattentiveanddonot
glanceatothermembers,itcanbeverydistractingfortheinterviewer.However
ifsomeothermemberasksyouanything,lookatthatmemberandanswerand
turnbacktothefirstthisiswhatwedoinnormalattentivelistening.
Trynottojumpintoananswerbeforethecompletequestionhasbeenposed,
asyouwillendupwastingtimeonansweringaquestionthatyouwerenot
actuallyasked.Ifyouarenotsureofwhatwasasked,youcanalwayspolitely
seekaclarification.
Donottrytoanswerthequestionassoonasitisposed.Thinkoverthe
question,takeyourtimeandorganizethebroadoutlineoftheanswerbefore

airingit.Pauseawhilebeforeanswering,evenifyouknowtheanswer.
Donotspeakrapidly.SpeakslowlyandclearlysothattheBoardmembers
graspwhatyouaresayinganddonothavetointerruptyouoraskyouto
repeatyourviews.
Donotfidgetorthrowyourhandsaround,orshakeyourhead.Lessamountof
movementdoesnotmeanyoushouldsitunnaturallystiff.Yourpostureshould
beattentiveandrelaxedatthesametime.Donotcrouch/bendforwardor
placeyourhandsonthetable.
Attimes,youwillbegivensituationswhereinyouwillberequiredtotakea
decision.Insuchsituations,theboardistestingyourabilitytocomprehend
issuesandusereasonandgoodjudgmentlogically,preciselyandarriveata
balanceddecision.
42
Yourrepliesshouldbecrispandtothepoint.Donotbeataroundthebush.
Cutyouranswershorttotherequiredpatienceshownbythemembertalking
toyou.Theyusuallyliketotalkmore,solistencarefullyandthinkforafew
secondsbeforeyoustartansweringthequestion.Thiswillshowthatyouare
organisingyourthoughtsinmindbeforestartingtospeak.
Leavesomeroomfordifferenceinopinion.Dotakeastand,butdonotlook
adamantorunwillingtoappreciatetheboard'sopinion.
Usecoupleofwordsfromthequestionwhileansweringanyquestion.Itshows
youhavelistenedtothequestioncarefully.Butatthesametimelimittheuse
thetechnicaljargon.
Donotstartevaluatingyourperformancewhilestillintheinterview.Evenif
youhavecommittedmistakesinthebeginning,donotthinkthatyouhave
alreadylostthegame.Theyarelookingforwarm,sensitiverespectfuland
attentiveyoungsters.Theyknowyouaregoodoryouwouldnothavecomeso
far.
Talkhumblyaboutyourachievementsandhobbies.Youmayhavementioned
somehobbiesintheformwithoutseriousbackgroundinthem,butbeforethe
interviewitwouldbeusefultopickupsomebasicinfoonthehobby.
Saylesstoconveymore.Arguelogicallyandgeneralisecorrectly.
Remember,whileansweringanyquestion,whatiseasytoseeiseasytomiss.
Weoftentendtomisstheobviousandgoforsomenoncrucialaspectofthe
subject.
Questionsposedbeforeacandidatebytheinterviewingboardareverywell
framedandanswerstothemshouldbemadetakingintoconsiderationall
possibleviewsandabalancedapproachisexpectedfromacandidate.
Remember,nonawarenessofsomethingshouldbeadmittedwithpoliteness.It
isokaytonotknowsomething!Itisbettertosay'No'thantobluffaround.
Thoseinterviewingarehighlyexperiencedpersonsandknowmuchbetterthan
us.
Ifthequestionputisnotcleartoyou,politelyaskformoreinformation.Itis
notthefactualknowledgebutyourviews,whichwillbetestedintheinterview.
Alwaysobserveinterviewetiquetteandbehonest,polite,convincingamodest.

Arrogance,rigidity,flickingroundtheissueshouldbeavoided.
Don'tbeargumentative.Beconsistentinyourviews,i.e.justdon'tchangeyour
viewsbecauseofthefactthattheBoardisdifferingwithyou.Rememberthat
theyareonlytestingyouandofteneventrytoprovokeyou.Givebalanced
answersandavoidtakingextremes.
ThemostimportantthingtoknowabouttheInterviewisthatitisnota
questionanswersessionandwhattheyarelookingoutforisdifferentaspects
ofone'spersonality.Asfaraspossible,theanswergivenshouldreveala
particularaspectofone'spersonalityandattemptsshouldnotbemadeto
presentamakeupappearanceorpoliticallycorrectanswers.Thereisnoharm
intakingextremeviewsifoneisabletojustifythem.
MaintainagentlesmileoffandonduringthePersonalityTestwithout
overdoingit.Itdisplaysasenseofeaseandconfidence.Whereverpossibleuse
yoursenseofhumourjudiciously.
43
Getuptoleaveonlywhenthechairpersonasksyouto,notbecauseyouthink
everyonehasaskedaquestion.Similarly,evenifsomeonehasnotaskeda
questionandthechairpersonasksyoutoleavethenpleaseleave.Some
membersdonotaskquestionsatall,duetovariousreasonslikelimitedtime.
Beforeleavingpolitelythankthechairpersonandnodattheotherspolitely.
Avoidsaying"Haveagooddaysir/madam".A"ThankyouSir/Madam"is
enough.
GeneralDosandDontsforthepersonalitytest:
Theboardmembersareusuallyveryseniorandlearnedpeople,sogiveutmost
respecttotheboard.
Speakhonestly,truthfullyandmodestly.
Nevermakeanattempttopresentamadeupappearanceorpoliticallycorrect
answers.
Ifyouaretakinganextremeview,youshouldalsobeabletojustifythesame.
Taketeaorcoffee,ifanymemberoffersthesametoyou.Thiswillshowyouare
relaxedanditwillalsohelpinlighteningandrelaxingfurtherproceedingsand
givethemaninformaltouch.
Dontcriticizeanygovernmentpoliciesorevenindividuals.
Takeagoodnightssleep.Agood,soundsleepwillkeepyourefreshed,cheerful
andrelaxed.Otherwiseyouwillhaveafuzzyheadandyouwillhaveaconfused
personality.Youwillneitherbeabletograspquestionscorrectly,norbeableto
thinkclearly.
Attimes,theBoardmembersmightpilepressureuponyou.Donotpanicitis
astrategyaimedatgaugingthepointtillwhichyoucanmaintainyourcool
underpressureandcanthinkoriginallyevenintensesituations.
Formyourviewsonthesubjectsinalogicalandrationalmannersupportedby
datawhenevernecessary.
Tobeintouchwiththelatesthappenings/eventsnationallyand
internationally,candidatesshouldreadmagazinesandnewspapers(atleast
twoforinterview),watchcurrentaffairsbasedtelevisionprogrammes.

Assumethatallquestionsareaskedwithagoodreasonandanswerthem
accordingly.
Donotentertainanyrumorsregardingtheintegrityoftheboard.TheUPSC
interviewsareofthetopclassandthemarksawardedarealsoproportionalto
whatthecandidatedeserves.Therumorsare,mainlyspreadbypeoplewhodo
notcleartheexam.Insteadofcriticizingothers,itisbettertointrospectand
makeeffortstodeveloponespersonality.So,gototheinterviewwithutmost
respectfortheboardandconfidenceintheirintegrity.Putyourbest
performanceonthatday.
Avoidconversationalclichs,like:'asyouknow','that'scorrect','ofcourse',
'indeed','obviously',etc.
Avoidtechnicaljargon.However,ifamembercontinuestoprobeyouinany
technicalfield,youcanusetechnicalexpressions.
44
Maintainacheerfuldisposition.Nowandthenyoucanappearseriousbut
mostofthetimekeepsmilingorlookcheerfulandcomposed.Onecaution
here:iftheboardlaughs,youshouldonlysmile.Itisonlywhenyoumaintain
someamountofdistancethattheboardbeginstowonderaboutthedepthof
yourpersonality.
Donotgivelongintroductions.Comestraighttotheheartofthematter.
Showhumanconcernwheneverpossibleinyouranswers.
Youshouldbelogicallyconsistentandanalysethingsrationallywhiletalking.
Youaresupposedtodefendwhatyousay,butwithduerespecttotheviewsof
theboard.Stoptryingtodefendananswerifitbecomesdifficulttodoso
logicallyandfairly.
Donotmakehastyorsweepinggeneralisations.