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[Strategy] UPSC Civil Service Exam (Part 1 of 5): Exam Trends and Changes Mrunal

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NOVEMBER 3RD, 2012

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[Strategy] UPSC Civil Service Exam (Part 1 of 5): Exam Trends and Changes
Prologue Act I: Mindset of the Enemy Prelims GS Prelims Optional Mains: 90s Era General studies (mains) of 90s Era Optional papers: 90s era Literature optionals: 90era The Back-breakingTM era (2010 onwards) BackbreakingTM era: Prelims BackbreakingTM era: Mains (General Studies) Adaptation

Prologue
There are lot of tips scattered in various articles, but for a new person it is sometimes hard to follow what is going on here. So this is my attempt to combine and consolidate everything onto five part series on prelims cum mains cum interview approach for General Studies for UPSC Civil Service Exam. If youre following this site for many months, you will find repetition of ideas and tips in this article, so apologies in advance for any boredom caused. War on Terrorism UPSC, consists of three battles 1. Prelims (CSAT) Multi choice questions (MCQs) 2. Mains 3. interview Descriptive-essay type questions

This strategy is divided into five articles, click on the appropriate links: Topics discussed 1. In Act I, We shall try to understand the mindset of our Blood Enemy (UPSC) 2. In Act II: The weapons required to defeat him. (Booklist, art of Note making, How to use Yojana,Kurukshetra etc) 3. In Act III: We shall see how to effectively use those weapons and wage the war(Topicwise strategy for General Studies Prelims, Mains) 4. In Act IV: How to conquer your own brain, before conquering UPSC (cleansing the doubts of coaching classes, working professionals, Hindi Medium etc) 5. In Act V: We shall see how to retreat from the war, if victory is not achieved. (Career Backup plans) 6. 6th PArt (updated on March 2013): This is latest update in the strategy, with respect to, new modification introduced in UPSC 2013. Article link Discussed in this article itself. Click ME

Click ME

Click ME Click ME Click ME

Act I: Mindset of the Enemy

We can classify Bollywood movies into eras- tragedy ridden 50, musical 70s and so on. Similarly UPSC question papers too have gone through evolution. To keep it simple, I would classify this into two phases 90s era Timeline Everything upto 2009 1. History Back breakingTM era 2010, 2011, 2012continued 1. Environment
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[Strategy] UPSC Civil Service Exam (Part 1 of 5): Exam Trends and Changes Mrunal

Prelims Main areas

1. History 2. Geography 3. Current Affairs Older NCERTs Std.Ref Books Competitive Magazines History Geography Polity Diplomacy

1. Environment 2. Science 3. History/Polity New NCERT Std.Ref Books Newspapers Diplomacy Yearbook Environment Sci-Tech

Weapons

Mains

Main areas

Weapons

1. Standard Reference books Mostly Newspapers, your own notes. 2. Coaching class notes So how was the 90s era?

Most people did not have internet or computer. Internet was prohibitively expensive. Even cybercafs were hard to find. There was hardly any information on internet, about how to prepare for this exam. And whether information/booklist was available was mostly jingoistic and impractical in nature. (will be discussed in Act II List of Not recommended Books) Those who could afford to goto Delhi for coaching, had distinct advantage over others. Because they knew what to prepare, from where to prepare and what to skip. (Nowadays situation has drastically changed). in those days, Prelims had two papers a. General Studies (150 marks) b. Optional Subject (300 marks) There existed a proportional representation system rule. Crudely speaking it means Suppose 2 lakh students appeared in prelims and 20,000 had History optional. (10%) And UPSC wanted only pass 10,000 students for next stage mains exam. In that case, UPSC would need to reserve 1000 seats for candidates with history optional. (10%)

Prelims GS
By and large the structure for prelims was like following 1. There would be about 20 questions on History. You had to Mugup old NCERT + any coaching notes regarding location of Harappa sites and other boring trivial things. 2. There would be 30-40 questions on Geography (including places in news): so you had to prepare old NCERTs + competitive magazines + TheHindu accordingly. 3. About 40 questions on science: NCERT + GS manual. 4. Prelims GS questions used to be current affairs heavy : Almost 40 questions on persons/places in news, books-authors, sports, awards, science-tech etc. so competitive magazines (chronicle wizard etc) and coaching class material on current affairs compilation were precious. 5. Remaining was filled up with polity, aptitude etc questions to make a paper with total 150 questions.

Prelims Optional
Lets consider the case of Public Administration. The topicwise breakup was pretty much identical every year. Basically you had to mugup following books religiously and you would clear the prelims (even without coaching or great command over GS). a. b. c. d. M.Laxmikanths book on Public Administration Prasad and Prasad Mohit Bhattacharya Sharma n Sadana (or Avasthi or Fadia)

But in those years, if you lived in a small town, there was no internet and nobody to tell you those books were important. So you had to join a coaching class in Delhi, just to figure out the damn booklist (or worst- fail in first attempt and learn from mistakes). Overall, The nature of prelims questions was such that youd need to mugup lot of data on solar planets, PSLV missions, metal-alloys, location of Harappan sites, winners of lawn tennis, Shanti-Swaroop Bhatnagar awardees and other boring things like that. Same for your optional subjects. (for Public Administration you had to mugup quotes-who said what, books and authors, timelines etc. Because of the proportional representation rule, in the preliminary exam you were only competing with the people from your optional subject group. mrunal.org/2012/11/strategy-upsc-civil-service-exam-ias-ips-csat-general-studies-part1.html

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[Strategy] UPSC Civil Service Exam (Part 1 of 5): Exam Trends and Changes Mrunal

optional subject group. And thus Senior player had distinct advantage over first timers. Because optionals were worth 300 mark, and he had rock solid command over facts because of revision. The victory rule was straight arithmetic: If Someone revised above cited Public Administration books for 15-20 times (Im not kidding) then he was riding a Tata Sumo @90 kmph. If a newguy had barely read them 5 times, so he was riding a desi Atlas bicycle (used by postmen,). Now imagine what would happen if these two clashed? Same was the situation in General studies paper. And as I told earlier, there was no internet or awareness outside Delhi. So most of the small-town, self-preparation-no coaching and no relative in civil service type candidates would fail in their first attempt, because a. they did not have idea on what to prepare, what to skip. b. They could not memorize as much as a senior player did, because of timelimit. So theyd fail in first attempt, learn from their mistakes, and clear prelims in second attempt (i.e. when they too become senior players). But then they might fail in mains exam for the same reason (lack of right direction), so theyd again rectify mistakes in third attempt and with God and goodluck willing, theyd get selected. Ofcourse there were exceptional cases, but by and large, this was the situation and hence there exists a perception in the society that 1. You cannot clear IAS exam on first trial. 2. You cannot clear IAS exam without going to Delhi for Coaching. But that was the 90s. Things have changed now. Many toppers have defied above rules. Cleared the UPSC on first attempt: Shah Faisal, Karthik Iyer, Neeraj Singh, Mohd.Safi to name a few. Anyways let us continue discussion on 90s era- moving to the Mains

Mains: 90s Era General studies (mains) of 90s Era

Questions often rephrased and repeated, so if a coaching class sir dictated the answers for previous papers / or provided notes, then all you had to do was religiously mug it up and reproduce the same in your answer sheets.
History

a. 3 books of Spectrum: Modern History, Freedom fighters and Culture b. Bipin Chandra In those years, UPSC would ask 2 markers on freedom fighters (total 10-12 marks) every year. So you had to mupup 150+freedom fighters from Spectrums book + coaching material if any. Again, senior player had distinct advantage because he would have gone through the same data atleast 5 times. He can easily recall freedom fighters compared to a new guy. Indian Geography Again questions were repeated and rephrased for example explain monsoon mechanism in India and why xyz part receives less monsoon etc. So a coaching class sir would just need to consolidate good stuff given in Spectrum book/Majid Hussain /Dr.Khullars book and provide question answers for old papers. Thatd be his coaching class readymade material and you did not even need a book, just mugup those class notes, and youd get full marks. Polity 1. Sometimes directly lifted statements on DD Basu, other times merely rephrasing old question. 2. Again same as above, coaching notes would save the time and effort. International affairs, Economy 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. You had to just mugup V******s material and whatever was dictated in the class. Statistics was also pretty easy and conventional. There were clichd questions on computers every year like write a note on RAM or email. Same for science-tech. And whatever Misc. current affairs was left, you could rely on Wizards special book on mains current affairs + Hindu.

Optional papers: 90s era

Ive already talked about that in the Public Administration strategy article. Anyways the success formula was Re-mugup the same books you used for prelims. Get some fodder material from Yojana Kurukshetra. (or Readymade notes of H******** S**** etc.) and use it elaborate or spice up the answers with so called case studies. Questions were static, direct from the SRBs, repeated, rephrased. coaching sir would dictate the answers, Class notes would

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Questions were static, direct from the SRBs, repeated, rephrased. coaching sir would dictate the answers, Class notes would save the day. Similar things for History, geography, psychology etc.

Literature optionals: 90s era

In the GS and Public Administration, UPSC atleast showed the decency to rephrase the question while repeating it next year. but for literature was so totally clichd, even Saas Bahu serials look genuine. If you just studied the last 10 years paper, you could set your own guess-paper for the fourth year and upscs actual paper would 90% similar to your guess paper! For Pali or Maithali litt. All you had to do was join a coaching class or get some Arts professor to dictate you the answers of last 10 years papers. Thats all, mug it up and youd get more that 300/600 marks (+ scaling system favored litt.optionals) In short, first timer/no-coaching type player had almost 0% chance of getting decent marks in mains. And among the senior players, if Senior Player A and Senior player B. Both had revised notes for 20 times. Who would be successful? Well, questions like I said rephrased repeated every year. Mains Questions are of two types: analytical or direct. 1. For analytical questions (Critically analyse Indias policy towards Afghanistan), you had ready-made notes dictated by coaching class sir, you just needed to recall and write the points. And Suppose Mr.A solely relied on that note while Mr.B upgraded his note further with fodder material from library book or retired professor or newspapers, then Mr.B would get more marks. Therefore quality of notes =important. 2. For direct questions (like powers of the Pres of India or explain the budget making process).in that case whoever could write more points (Mr.A or B) would get more marks. Therefore memorization skill=important.

The Back-breakingTM era (2010 onwards)

So far we saw that in 90s era, A small town candidate without coaching or tips from seniors/toppers/IAS relatives, could rarely succeed. And By small town I mean every place except Delhi. (Same way for IIT entrance exam, everyplace except Kota, Rajsthan, is a small town.) Anyways, suddenly UPSC wakes up and realizes the problems faced by first timers and small towners. So UPSC starts taking certain reformative measures in the exam process to prevent coaching classes and senior players for gaining much advantage. This is phenomenon is referred as BackbreakingTM move of UPSC. The exams conducted in 2010, 2011, and 2012 are examples of that move. Now lets try to understand what was changed during this era?

BackbreakingTM era: Prelims

1. UPSC removed Optional subjects were from preliminary exam (2011 and onwards) it introduced a new thing called Civil Service Aptitude Test (CSAT). It had two papers GS+Aptitude. Both papers have same marks. So there goes the advantages associated with proportional representation, 300 marks of optional subject MCQ paper. 2. Even in Aptitude, from 2012 It reduced questions from conventional Maths: to prevent Engineers/IIT/MBA types from gaining advantage. 3. UPSC introduced new topics in the syllabus such as environment and biodiversity, rights issue. 4. In GS prelims, it stopped asking trivial current affairs stuff (person/places in news, awards etc.) for example Im copy pasting certain questions from 90s era Which of the following organization won the CSIR award for S&T innovation for rural Development, 2006? a. b. c. d. CLRI NDDB IARI NDRI

Which city has been the venue of Asian Games for maximum number of times from 1951 to 2006? a. b. c. d. Delhi Tokyo Bangkok Beijing

Match the following 1. 2. 3. 4. Bhanu Bharti Mike Pandey Mohd.Zahur Khyyam Vinda Karandikar 1. 2. 3. 4. Music composer Poet Theatre director Wildlife film maker
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[Strategy] UPSC Civil Service Exam (Part 1 of 5): Exam Trends and Changes Mrunal

To solve such questions you had to constantly follow current affairs magazines (or the readymade current affairs notes of coaching class). But Nowadays such questions dont appear much in prelims exam. 5. UPSC changed the nature of questions from History and Science. For example here are few from 1999s paper Q1. Match Following 1. 2. 3. 4. 1775 1780 1824 1838 a. b. c. d. 1st Anglo-Burmese war 1st Anglo-Afghan war 1st Anglo-Maratha war 2nd Anglo-Mysore

Q2. Volcanic eruptions donot occur in a. b. c. d. Baltic Sea Black Sea Caspian Sea Caribbean Sea

Thankfully UPSC stopped asking such questions nowadays. So you dont have to mugup a lot of data like in the 90s. For Prelims, Nowadays most of the questions are 4 Statement True or False (4TF) type. So youre given one term/phenomenon and 2 or 3 or 4 statements. Your task is to identify the correct statements. Ofcourse it does require memorization, but they more aimed at checking your basic understanding of a topic rather than your mugup skills (like in above questions from the 90s) for example here are some questions from 2012s paper Q1. Mahatma Gandhi undertook fast unto death in 1932, mainly because : a. b. c. d. Round table conference failed to satisfy Indian political aspirations Congress and muslims league had differences of opinion Ramsay macdonald announced the communal award None of the statements (a), (b) and (c) given above is correct in this context.

Q2. Consider these factors 1. Rotation of the earth 2. Air pressure of wind 3. Density of ocean water 4. Revolution of the earth Which of the above factors influence the ocean currents? 1. 2. 3. 4. 1 & 2 only 1, 2 & 3 1&4 2, 3 & 4

To get more idea on this, read following analysis of 2012s CSAT (preliminary) paper CLICK ME

BackbreakingTM era: Mains (General Studies)

For mains exan, UPSC stopped asking conventional direct stuff from History, Geography Instead emphasis was given to public health, environment, sci-tech, yearbook and current affairs from newspapers. To get more idea on this, read following analysis of 2012s General Studies (Mains) paper click ME

Adaptation
And while writing all ^this, I donot mean even an ounce of disrespect to any senior player or his success. No one becomes senior player by his conscious choice, everyone wants to clear UPSC in first attempt- But things dont turn out that way for many, So, he is a victim of circumstances created by the (supervillain) UPSC. And life and society is very cruel to him, as youll see in Act IV and V. Initially UPSC had the upper hand in this war. When UPSC significantly changed the question style in 2010s preliminary paper, most senior players were shocked and caught unguarded. But UPSC cant trick them everytime. Theyre fighting for their life and career. In 2011, 2012 they changed their preparation strategy accordingly and adapted to this uncertain environment. So question papers are not as shocker for them as UPSC expects.
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[Strategy] UPSC Civil Service Exam (Part 1 of 5): Exam Trends and Changes Mrunal

Similarly coaching classes have been trying to adapt. UPSC keeps an eye on all the study material released by prominent coaching classes of delhi, to make sure no questions are asked from such material. So coaching classes too have came up with new ideas, for example 1. Nowadays good stuff/ ultra-important topics are not given in their printed study material but mostly dictated during the lecture. (Because printed material usually get pirated by Xerox centres of Delhi hahaha) 2. They intentionally released their current affairs material very late (just 15-20 days before the exam) to prevent UPSC from changing the papers. This is like a game of chess, you have to constantly keep moving your pawns and adapt to the moves made by the enemy, same way UPSC too keeps coming up with new ideas and new back breakingTM moves every year. In the end, competition is tough and exam is not friendly to anyside, anymore, whether youre a coaching/no-coaching/first timer/senior playeryou too should adapt and study hard else youll get massacred like an innocent bystander in the action movies. This concludes Act I (Part 1 of 5). Here are the links to the Remaining articles of UPSC strategy:

Remaining Parts of the UPSC Strategy

(Part 2 of 5): Notes, Newspapers and Books (Part 3 of 5): General Studies for CSAT prelims and Mains (Part 4 of 5): Time Management, Coaching etc. (Part 5 of 5): Career Backup Plans: How to prepare for State PSC etc Previous Posts
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267 comments to [Strategy] UPSC Civil Service Exam (Part 1 of 5): Exam Trends and Changes

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vikram
Reply to this comment hey friends till now there is no chance of changing mains pattern, if you review parliamentry proceedings of winter session(december2012), the bill was introduced by V.Narayanasamy(mos for personnel,public grievances and pensions),to change the pattern of mains exam. However the sc/st promotion quota bill consumed all the session. Next session(budget 2013) will commensurate on feb 21/2013. if upsc doesnt publishes the recruitement notification till 15th feb,then there are chances that upsc is waiting for the bill to get passed. But last year the notification was out in feb 1st week, so guys cross your finger and wait for either the notification or 21st feb.

Abhishek K. Mall
Reply to this comment you are wrong, it will done through executive order

vikram
Reply to this comment and who is going to give the executive order, pm or president. it is not contentious issue that pm has to use his discretionary
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and who is going to give the executive order, pm or president. it is not contentious issue that pm has to use his discretionary power, neither president is going to take initiative. one way with them is that the cabinet can allow upsc to make such changes but then also they have to get the bill passed within 6 months of issuing such order. refer d.d. basu/laxmikant etc for better clarity. since recent upsc declaration that csat 2013 notification will be delayed. it is obvious that upsc is waiting for cabinet/parliamentry nod. you may view/read parliamentary proceedings of winter session, i think that will content you.

[Strategy] UPSC Civil Service Exam (Part 1 of 5): Exam Trends and Changes Mrunal

The Reluctant Democrat

Reply to this comment I hope sanity prevails atleast after this.If we take a recap to dec 2010 when DOPT issued a notice that year regarding change in prelims pattern it was after the approval of the cabinet not through a change in law or through a executive order,executive order is the nearest to describe the turn of events thought it can aptly termed as sub-ordinate legisation/bye-law etc.,

vikram
Reply to this comment http://www.indianexpress.com/news/upsc-suggests-changes-in-civil-services-exams-govt/1041451

vikram
Reply to this comment refer 7th december newspapers

Abhishek K. Mall
Reply to this comment DOPT will do it, it is purely an administrative issue, no law is required to be passed, only an executive notification.(like the earlier prelims change)

vikram
executive, who is head of executive wing of gov. d.d. basu- all india services. why upsc delayed the notification if dopt could grant them permission. and why the matter was laid before the cabinet, if dopt had juridiction over it. Dopt is a department under ministry of personnel,public grievances and pensions. its not a constitutional body like cag or ec. only CAG and EC have the power to frame rules and guidelines(must confront to constitution). A committee was constituted under Prof Arun S Nigavekar, former chairman, University Grants Commission (UGC). and now simple polity question, whom did the committees submit their report any specific department or parliament. as per preliminary changes refer 17 nov. 2009 newspaper, upsc csn only recommend/suggest changes. the boss of upsc is arc-administrative reforms commission. which could be refered to as planning commission for upsc

Anurag
@vikram: to say simply..upsc recommends to govtgovt approves or rejects..its only between govt and commission.. ARC too is not any ones boss..they just suggest reformstheir suggestion not even binding on govt. I think u r doubt may have been cleared after reading others comments too.. Please read polity book 1s again..but this time carefully Bill>Law>Act..so to change patterns..no one proposes act bhai.

Abhishek K. Mall
@vikram- change that horrible book, will you.

SIDHARTHA
Reply to this comment """""""""F.No.1/2/2012E.I (B)(Pt. file) ExaminationI (B) Section

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ExaminationI (B) Section *** Dated: 01.02.2013 Subject: Notification of Civil Services Examination, 2013. The Civil Services Examination, 2013 was scheduled to be notified on 02.02.2013. However, due to some unforeseen circumstances, this examination will not be notified on 02.02.2013. The revised date of notification will be intimated in due course. Sd/ (P.K. Arora) Under Secretary, E.I(B)""""""" plz check upsc site that means syllabus most likely to change

[Strategy] UPSC Civil Service Exam (Part 1 of 5): Exam Trends and Changes Mrunal

vizag
Reply to this comment its changed boss and not just likely but lovely..again upsc clerk.

balamurli krishna
Reply to this comment The Civil Services Examination, 2013 was scheduled to be notified on 02.02.2013. However, due to some unforeseen circumstances, this examination will not be notified on 02.02.2013. The revised date of notification will be intimated in due course.. What the hell is this sir ??

RAKESH JAINAPUR
Reply to this comment most imp WHAT DO THINK TANK of MURNAL say on this ,plz reply

vizag
Reply to this comment its officialoptionals gone.confirmed from a talented clerk of upsc office.

Goud
Reply to this comment really?? thnx dude for info.

Sagar Pattnaik
Reply to this comment Son , stop rumor-mongering

Himanshu
Reply to this comment Aaj hi kaise confirm kiya,notifiction ane se phle kha tha bhai..2 feb ko raat k 2 bje hi kaise yad aya tjhe post comment krne ka

Ra'z Al - Ghul
Reply to this comment Mrunal Sir if optionals are removed what affect will it have on GS???n how will it affect new aspirants(First timers)???

decoster
Reply to this comment good job,,,,,,,relevant for new buddies,,,,,,.but its quite a change in scenario afterwards.

The Reluctant Democrat

Reply to this comment Hello Guys As the Debate Rages over the CSE-2013 optionals to be or not to be i would like to offer some of the Excerpts of 2 ARC 10th report on refurbishing personnel administration:scaling new heights which in fact is a comprehensive review of every committee before it and also encapsulates various international experiences thus i felt it would be good to keep feed our inquisitive minds with those excerpts.It is as follows
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The Issue of Optional Subject Papers

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[Strategy] UPSC Civil Service Exam (Part 1 of 5): Exam Trends and Changes Mrunal

The Issue of Optional Subject Papers In the case of the Preliminary Examination, the Kothari Committee hadrecommended five objective type papers of equal weightage to test candidates in (a) any Indian language listed in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution, (b) English language, (c) General Studies, (d) & (e) one Optional Subject in two papers from a list of subjects. The Government did not accept this scheme and presently the candidates are tested in twoobjective type papers consisting of General Studies (150 marks) and Optional Subject (300marks). Th e optional subject can be chosen from a list 23 subjects from Humanities/Social Sciences, Science and Technology/Medical and Commerce streams. Th ere is no weight to the marks obtained in the Preliminary Examination. The Alagh Committee had also deliberated on the nature of the Preliminary Examination. With regard to the general studies paper, it was of the view that it should be recast into a Civil Services Aptitude Test paper with emphasis on comprehension,logical reasoning, problem solving and data analysis. However, in case of the optional subject paper, it did not fully agree with the view that optional subjects do not provide a level playing field as also to the fact that the success ratio of various subjects varies widely. The Committee felt that there is a need for testing academic knowledge in some depth. Hence it recommended the upgradation of the level of the optional subject paper to the honours level of a good university. It also proposed a weight of 25% to the Preliminary Examination in the overall scheme.\\ In the Main Examination, the weightage of compulsory subjects is 26.08% while that of Optional Subjects is 52.16%. On the recommendation of the Kothari Committee, subjects were included in the list of optional subjects including language and literature of one of 23 languages. Th e Satish Chandra Committee recommended the removal of French, German, Russian and Spanish from the language and literature group and inclusion of Education, Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering and Medical Science as new optional subjects. At the time of review by the Alagh Committee, there were optional subjects in the list and suggestions had been received for inclusion of nearly more subjects The Kothari Committee had felt that an examination consisting of only compulsory subjects without any optional papers would drastically reduce the base of recruitment,as the compulsory subjects would generally be related to national development, modern administration and management, facilities for the study of which are at present strictly limited. However, as the Committee was of the view that the written examination was intended to assess the intellectual qualities and depth of understanding of a candidate, it was assumed by the Committee that a candidate would off er as one of the optional subjects, the subject which he may have studied for the honours or masters degree. The importance of this in the context of the present structure of the examination and actual experience cannot be underestimated. Th is issue was considered by the Alagh Committee in great detail. The Alagh Committee doubted the very utility of re-examining the candidates in their own subjects. It emphasized that what is important is the relevance of a subject to the job requirements of a civil servant, especially in the changing scenario. It pointed out the following issues in relation to the testing of candidates in optional subjects: i. Large number of optional subjects presents problems of question setting and evaluation of answer scripts. Th e fact that these could be answered in any of the 18 languages of the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution clogs the system. ii. The threshold of difficulty could not be maintained at the same level among the optional subjects. iii. It is difficult to balance streams like Humanities, Social Sciences, Engineering and Medical Science. The Alagh Committee observed that candidates were opting for optional subjects on the basis of scorability and not on the basis of their own specialization. Thus, in the CSE 1999, as many as 41% of candidates preferred to take the examination with both optional subjects diff erent from those which they had studied in college/university. Th e fi gures for such candidates for the years 2000 to 2005 are 40%, 36%, 44%, 46%, 41% and 48% respectively.61 Such high percentages vitiate the basic assumption made by the Kothari Committee as mentioned above. Given the inadequacies of the present system, the Alagh Committee recommended the replacement of optional subjects with a set of three compulsory papers on: (a) Sustainable Development and Social Justice, (b) Science and Technology in Society, and (c) Democratic Governance, Public Systems and Human Rights The curriculum and the general objectives of each compulsory subject would be designed to bring out the issues or the problems which the civil services would need to address. Th e Committee also noted that in countries like France and the UK, the Civil Services Examinations have a focus on human rights, economic and social development,administrative and environmental law, public systems management, science and technology and economics and accountancy. Thus, in order to moor the examinations to the demands of a civil service of the 21st century, the papers on the compulsory subjects would need to cover issues related to our society, social structure, political and administrative governance, emerging areas of change and modern developments in science and technology as they affect society at large. This, in the view of the Committee, would give a specific focus to the civil services recruitment process, rather than keeping it as a general fishing process with a degree of randomness to it.The Committee also felt that this would reduce the total time taken to conduct the examination by three to six months. The Commission agrees with the conclusions reached by the Alagh Committee. However, it is of the view that this should also apply to the Preliminary Examination. In other words, the Preliminary Examination should consist of an objective type test having one or two papers on general studies. Th e Main Examination should consist of conventional type compulsory papers dealing with the Constitution of India, the Indian legal system,Indian economy, polity, history and culture etc. A Committee may be constituted by the Government in consultation with the UPSC, to decide on the structure and syllabi of the compulsory papers for both, the Preliminary and Main Examinations. Further, the Commission is of the view that suffi cient lead time may be provided to the prospective candidates for the civil services from the date of acceptance of these recommendations. Essay Paper The Alagh Committee had recommended the merger of the Essay paper with the compulsory language papers and allowing for a weight of 5% to the marks obtained in them. Th e Commission is of the view that the essay paper should not be merged with the language papers which only test the language profi ciency of the candidates. There should be a separate Essay paper in the Main Examination
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papers which only test the language profi ciency of the candidates. There should be a separate Essay paper in the Main Examination for testing the candidates ability and skills in comprehension, analysis and presentation as also their knowledge and language skills. As mentioned earlier, the evaluation of the essay paper should only be done in case of candidates who have scored a threshold level of marks in the Preliminary Examination. Language Papers The Kothari Committee had found it imperative that candidates be tested in their knowledge of English and at least one Eighth Schedule language. The Alagh Committee had also endorsed this view. However, it felt that the standard of testing should be upgraded to a slightly higher level from the present matriculation level and a 5% weightage should be given to the marks obtained in these papers. It also recommended the merger of the separate Essay paper into the language papers. While endorsing the view of the Alagh Committee regarding continuance of testing of proficiency in English and one Eighth Schedule language, the Commission feels that modern methods of standardization and grading of testing in language skills should be adopted and accordingly, appropriate tests should be designed. Grading systems and standardization as adopted in the United Kingdom may be examined for this purpose. Further, the Commission feels that no weight need to be attributed to testing of language skills. I guess that is lot more that just food for thought but nevertheless the time not least apt for us to intiate discussions based on hard and established facts and issues rather than on thin air and on some frivolous rumors. Cheers and Warm Regards

[Strategy] UPSC Civil Service Exam (Part 1 of 5): Exam Trends and Changes Mrunal

B.parameshwari
Reply to this comment I am studying Electrical and Electronics Engineering in second year how did prepare the IES exam? What syllabus?

Anup
Reply to this comment UPSC combine defense services information IMA

santu
Reply to this comment sir plz help me with the information about CDS SSB INTERVIEW ..

Mudasir
Reply to this comment Mrunal sir,plz reply me. Recently i wrote upsc capf ac exam in which i used black gel pen instead of ball pen on OMR sheet .what will b d outcome.plz

Vishva
Reply to this comment Hi Mrunal, I am a working professional and read your post on working professionals I have decided to appear for exam in 2014 and started studying from last two weeks, I can spend daily 3 to 4 hours, I have started reading NCERT books of science and social science from 7 to 12 class and making note out of daily reading of HINDU. I am commerce graduate I WANT YOUR HELP IN SELECTING OPTIONAL SUBJECTS AND BOOKS TO REFER SYLLABUS WISE FOR MAINS, HERE IN PUNE I AM UNABLE TO FIND GENUINE HELP, COACHING CLASS PEOPLE HAVE PLANNED THEIR 2014 SCHEDULE STARTING FROM JUNE WITH FEES AROUND A LAC BUT I AM ONLY EARNING SOURCE OF MY FAMILY CAN NOT SPEND THAT MUCH MONEY AND MAY NOT OPT FOR COACHING.

Ritesh
Reply to this comment Hello Sir, Could u plz let me know that where to download the notes for geography for pre?? Since am appearing this year so its urgent.. Do reply. Thanks, Riteh

Mrunal
Reply to this comment NCERTs + NIOS links given in second and third article.
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[Strategy] UPSC Civil Service Exam (Part 1 of 5): Exam Trends and Changes Mrunal

R BALJI
Reply to this comment respectes sir, why civil service not notified and is optional is removed?

anshuman
Reply to this comment sir, i just want to know how to prepare daily for bank po, can you kindly guide me in this matter.

Girish
Reply to this comment Friends please seen yesterdays Hindustan Times. There is something for your confirmation.

Girish
Reply to this comment That means there is reporting by Hindustan Times that changes may be announced by this weekend and notification may also be issued in this week or next one. So pleas check 26th February paper.

R BALAJI
Reply to this comment respected sir,i have one doubt sir,you already told that when we use figures in mains exam we can get more mark.in your article,kisanganga details involved,so if they ask kisanganga question,may we use this diagram? it is correct format to draw or this is a sample diagram sir? and we use this drawing format to other questions?

viki
Reply to this comment is it true that age eligiblty cut off date is changed from 1st of august to 1st of jan

viki
Reply to this comment Is it true that age eligiblity criteria is changed from 1st of aug to 1st of january from this year for IES

MADHU
Reply to this comment sir,how far will the programmes and other info given in pib site would help for premlims as well as mains exam? i am going through features section on that site and collecting some information. please let me know will it really help me in upsc exam preparation.

MADHU
Reply to this comment sir please reply.waiting for your reply since long time.

bala
Reply to this comment mr.mrunal, in your article indian geography related portion only involved,i need world geography related books and information can you help?

bala
Reply to this comment mr.mrunal, i need civil services old question papers links, can u help?

bala
Reply to this comment i need civil services question banks sir by either website or book name name sir, can you help?

rajesh
Reply to this comment
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[Strategy] UPSC Civil Service Exam (Part 1 of 5): Exam Trends and Changes Mrunal

raja
Reply to this comment sir i need a way to read world geography and some useful tips about world geography,it will help to my my upsc preparation.

manash
Reply to this comment DEAR MRUNAL,I am aware of the new changes brought by Upsc just three four days back.but iam not sure WHETHER THE NOTIFICATION IS STILL IN ABEYANCE OR NOTPLZ let me know about the current status..

balaji
Reply to this comment sir due to poor commnication i cannot know about civil services current changes,sir i need how many optional subject may we choose either one or two? if you tell,it may use to preparation sir.

balaji
Reply to this comment sir due to poor commnication in my village,i cannot know about civil services current changes,sir i need how many optional subject may we choose either one or two? if you tell,it may use to preparation sir.

raunak dubey
Reply to this comment SIR HOW CAN I PREPARE IPS WHICH BOOK IS BETTER FOR PRLIEM

ravi
Reply to this comment hi mrunal .. i need ur advice regarding current affairs i actually started preparing very latein feb this year till now i have covered all the static GS part ( i have no problem in apti that is already covered ) i have gone through all the books prescribed by Mr. Mrunal i e Laxmikant , Ncert for geo, history , eco, and science, and Ramesh singh twice .. my only problem is that due to the delay in starting the preparation i have missed on to the 2012 jan -2013 jan current affairs . and now as u can see theres not much time left so how should i prepare current affairs ? should i buy 1 year hindu newspaper? or some magazine like chronicle etc ? please advise me ..i will devote 3 hours per day and 6 hours on weekend to cover the current affair ( rest of the time i have kept to keep revising the static gs books which i have read)

maverick1234
Reply to this comment MRUNAL SIR, KINDY START A NEW THREAD FOR INDIAN FOREST SERVICES GUIDANCE. THANKS AND REGARDS MAVERICK

vimal
Reply to this comment Sir google reader is going to close this july then how can we read the hindu..

raja
Reply to this comment sir i like to know about a sample essay to develop essay writing skills.if you tell tips it will use to my this year main exam.

h c tripathi
Reply to this comment Dear ,Will you suggest any standard book for communication .

madhu
Reply to this comment sir, what should be the ideal score in paper 2?
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[Strategy] UPSC Civil Service Exam (Part 1 of 5): Exam Trends and Changes Mrunal

nishat
Reply to this comment 135-150 is gud enough in paper 2 to make it through

love shandilya
Reply to this comment 135 n above tht bonus for paper 1

Lelen
Reply to this comment hi, murnal plz suggest the reqired books and magazine etc.required for UPSC

AppleXsoft review
Reply to this comment I do not even know how I stopped up here, however I assumed this put up used to be great. I dont know who you might be but certainly you are going to a famous blogger in case you arent already. Cheers!

pravin
Reply to this comment dear sir.. mai Civil Services Examination 2010/11/12 cut off kaha melga.. batwo plz last year .. Civil Services Examination ka cut off.. aapke pas ho to plz batwo na sir..

Nidhi Bhatt
Reply to this comment Respected Sir,My graduation will be complete in 2014.After complete graduation I want to join SPIPA.How can i prepare my self for that?Plz give me idea for starting preparation from now

ajit
Reply to this comment hello admin, I need some help. Please tell me: from where to prepare General Science Part? from where to prepare for Mahatma Buddha part? for culture, I am doing selective study from Spectrums Indian Culture for eco/soc devt I am relying on Budget/ESI/Ministry Websites for schemes rolled out. Please Reply soon. Thanks Ajit.

Nik
Reply to this comment I agree with you Shame on you Carlos. This is absolute nonesense. No body knows what circumstances has the other person gone through and making fun of a fellow aspirants shows the worst attitude. If you cant help others then it is better not to make fun either. My suggestion Carlos, dont be much proud of your intelligence (I hope you have some), because if you have read Ramayana, nobody can forget what happened with Ravana. All the best for your future endeavours.

Amit Chaudhary
Reply to this comment Agree with Nik!

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