Every year, lakhs of students take the Civil Services Exam, and only about 750 to 900 candidates are chosen for the final merit list (depending on the vacancy). The Union Public Service Commission is a constitutional body established under Article 315 of the Indian Constitution to administer examinations for employment in Union Government jobs. In addition to other exams, the UPSC exam preparation takes time to complete the syllabus and UPSC conducts the Civil Services Examination (CSE), which is one of the most prestigious examinations in the country.
UPSC hires officials in three categories through CSE: All India Services, Group A Civil Services, and Group B Civil Services. However, the number of openings in various services determines the number of positions offered. The CSE examination is divided into three stages: preliminary, mains, and interview. Those who pass the Prelims are eligible to take the Mains, and those who pass the Mains are eligible to take the Interview, which is the final level of the exam. Therefore, the final Merit list is produced based on the candidates’ performance in the Mains and interviews.
What Exactly is UPSC?
UPSC stands for Union Public Service Commission. The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), India’s largest governing authority, conducts one of the most competitive and prominent tests, civil services. UPSC also holds a number of competitive examinations to fill various civil service jobs for the Indian government.
The Civil Services Examination (CSE), popularly known as the IAS (Indian Administrative Service) exam, is administered by the UPSC. It is separated into two parts: UPSC Prelims and UPSC Mains. The prelims test consists of objective-type questions, whereas the mains exam requires descriptive and essay-type solutions. The UPSC is in charge of administering several examinations for positions such as IAS, IPS, IFS, etc.
History
In 1854, the British East India Company first introduced the idea of a Civil Service exam. Initially, the Indian Civil Service examinations were exclusively held in London. The first Indian, Shri Satyendranath Tagore, brother of Shri Rabindranath Tagore, passed this exam in 1864. Only after the Montagu Chelmsford reforms Indian civil service exams were held in India.
On October 1, 1926, India established the first Public Service Commission. The initial Chairman of the Commission was Sir Ross Barker, a member of the United Kingdom’s Home Civil Service. However, with the establishment of the Indian Constitution on January 26, 1950, the Federal Public Service Commission has renamed the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). As a result, the UPSC was established as the central commission for conducting government employment examinations.
Which Exams are Conducted by the UPSC?
You must be knowledgeable about the UPSC’s examinations in order to familiar with the UPSC. This is a list of tests that the UPSC performs:
1. Exams for the Naval Academy and National Defense Academy (NDA)
2. Examining for the Indian Statistical Service (ISS)
3. Examination for Indian Economic Service (IES)
4. Examination for the Indian Forest Service (IFS)
5. Exam for Combined Geoscientists and Geologists
6. IAS, IPS, IRS, and other officer recruitment through the Indian Civil Services Examination (ICSE)
7. Examination for Indian Engineering Services
8. Examination by the Combined Medical Services
9. Examination for Central Armed Police Forces (ACs)
10. Examination for the Combined Defence Services (CDS)
11. Various Exams and Recruitment Tests for UPSC EPFO
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When Should You Start UPSC Exam Preparation?
The UPSC CSE syllabus may take 18 months to complete, including Mains preparation, which is subjective. The Mains Paper demands candidates to prepare responses to some of the most difficult topics, which contain commentary on the most critical and challenging problems impacting society and administrators worldwide.
A broad knowledge, writing, and comprehension skills are required for UPSC exam Preparation. Even if one has not directly prepared for the UPSC and may focus on the development of these abilities (including communication and speaking skills) in school or university, it will go a long way in helping students throughout the UPSC exam preparation.
During their graduation, a candidate should start preparing the fundamentals and develop the habit of reading newspapers and start informed of various concerns. They should also participate in extracurricular activities to help them develop other aspects of their personality. Remember that UPSC Civil service exam preparation is equal parts knowledge and creative and imaginative application.
How Much Time Does UPSC Exam Preparation Take?
The UPSC Syllabus is broad, and the paper format involves aptitude, reasoning, reading, comprehension, and writing skills at different stages of the exam. Above all, it analyzes candidates’ suitability for public administration positions, which involves a test of their awareness of multiple disciplines, concerns, and difficulties facing the government and the globe at large.
Any candidate needs a strong foundation to start the preparation. This can accomplish by understanding the fundamentals from the NCERTs for grades 6th through 12th. However, this alone will take almost three months of research. The subject-specific advanced material should next be chosen for a reading, which normally takes 9 to 10 months to master.
Moreover, this should follow by a lot of effort with objective-type questions for the preliminary exam and answer writing for the main exam. Depending on a student’s behaviors and capabilities, it takes 12 to 18 months of dedicated study to master the entire syllabus and pass the exam.
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UPSC Exam Preparation Techniques That Work
Because UPSC examines you on a variety of aspects and the exam demands you to acquire a variety of skills, your preparation method will be unique. If you are a good writer, you may require less time to master answer writing and more time to prepare for Prelims. It is the reason why some applicants find Prelims difficult, while others find Mains or Interview difficult.
Before beginning the preparation, he/she must first go through the NCERTs or school books from any other board to set the stage and polish up on the basics. Second, he/she must go over the syllabus several times and routinely practice answer writing and tests to guarantee that they understand the ideas and can answer the question in the exam hall on time.
Third, you should be an active reader who keeps up with current events and issues in your country and around the world. Because the UPSC is looking for public administrators, you must have a viewpoint on a variety of social, national, and worldwide concerns.
However, combining all of them is critical, and this is where you will require individual direction and mentorship to effectively complete your preparation and be UPSC exam ready. The ability to pass the exam is just as important as the knowledge gained during preparation.
Conclusion
Your everyday habits and routines must incorporated into your plan. Therefore Your UPSC strategy should take into consideration of your entire life, and you should assign and arrange for adequate rest and rejuvenation time. Prepare yourself for a long journey. UPSC wants your whole patience and attention. Make the necessary preparations.
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