How to Prepare for CSE (UPSC)

An Article I wrote recently for the "Saaf Kotha" on "How to prepare for Civil Services"!!!

The Civil Services Examination (CSE) is conducted by the Union Public Service commission (UPSC) every year to fill the vacancies in the civil services of the country. It is conducted in three stages viz. Preliminary (Objective), Main (subjective) and Personal Interview. One can refer to the notification, issued by UPSC, either in the last week of February or the first week of March every year, for the conditions of eligibility and other specific information.

So the million dollar question is about how to prepare for the examination. I believe the first and the most important requirement is the desire to succeed amalgamated with the willingness to work hard and the conviction that one can succeed. After one is mentally prepared the subject related preparations begin.

The clear understanding of the syllabus is a fundamental requirement which must be followed by a pragmatic plan for each section. While planning one needs to take all aspects of one’s life into consideration like leisure time, hobbies, sports and other important activities as well as commitments. When one actually starts studying, the plan may not always fit in with the realities. So a plan has to be updated regularly which does not obviously mean bringing in laxity. The management of whatever time one has is of utmost importance. The goals set must be SMART i.e Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time bound.

Now, let us see, in brief, what each stage of the examination encompasses and how those can be prepared. In the Preliminary stage there are two papers carrying 200 marks each. Paper I i.e General Studies does not need any special approach for this stage, it has to be combined with the CSE(Main) preparation although many people with commercial or other interests may claim otherwise. In this paper no pattern of specific marks for specified topic has been observed in recent years. Hence coverage of all areas of the syllabus with only basic understanding and conceptual clarity rather than intensive study is required but it must not be overstretched. Aspirants must be guided by the previous year’s question papers. The Paper II includes topics like Comprehension, Data interpretation, General Mental ability, Reasoning, Quantitative aptitude, Interpersonal ability etc. Believe me this paper is the easiest among those that UPSC offers. It can be easily prepared with any standard book or a set of books for any management aptitude test. If one practises a set of good quality questions that provide exposure to most types and levels that can be asked, the sailing becomes smooth.

The Main Examination has nine papers, two of them Paper A (One Indian Language) and Paper B (English),300 Marks each, are qualifying in nature. The other papers (250 Marks each) are: Paper I Essay (one essay), Paper II General Studies One (Indian Heritage and Culture, History and Geography of the World and Society), Paper III General Studies Two (Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice and International relations), Paper IV General Studies Three (Technology, Economic Development, Biodiversity, Environment, Security and Disaster Management), Paper V General Studies Four (Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude), Papers VI and VII are of one optional subject to be chosen from a given list.

It is clear from the above that the balance has shifted towards General Studies. The High school Textbooks esp. of the NCERT, should be the starting point. Sections on Indian polity and Economy are usually current affairs related wherein only a macro level understanding along with crystal clarity of concepts and processes will suffice. The Indian history section emphasizes only on British India (starting from the battle of Plassey ) with all its political, social, economic and cultural aspects. A deep level understanding is needed here. The World history covers the important events beginning from the Industrial Revolution which can be covered by a thorough reading of the Old NCERT textbooks of Class IX and X ( The story of Civilization I and II ). The section on Science & Technology is concerned mainly with the everyday life and new developments wherein environmental issues and current events need special emphasis.

The optional subject requires an understanding of the level of undergraduate honors paper. Although different subjects require different approach, it can be said that one should start from the Class XI and XII textbooks of the subject and then move on to other study materials.

All traditional parts of the General Studies are influenced by the current Affairs hence regular reading of a national level newspaper, preferably ‘The Hindu’, is a must. This has to be supplemented with magazines like Yojana, Kurukshetra, some other magazines and the ‘India Yearbook’ ( of the Publication Division, GoI ). In all these, social issues should be given more importance.

A question that often disturbs aspirants is whether coaching is necessary. I believe that there are individual differences and an absolute answer may not be correct. Some people do need coaching to keep themselves on track. On the other hand self study provides one the opportunity to schedule one’s preparation while keeping one’s originality and creativity intact. What is more important is one, or a group of people, who can motivate and inspire an aspirant at the depressing moments and can act as a guide or guides. It can be the parents, the siblings, a group of friends or anyone else including teachers in a coaching centre. Team work with like minded friends can sometimes be very beneficial.

The next important issue is of the amount of time one needs to devote everyday. My experience says that it depends on how much you need to gain confidence and how much time is available with you. Although the amount of time needed is important, I think consistency of preparation is more important.

To conclude I would say, one must follow an analytical approach and focus on the interdisciplinary influences of every topic. The previous year’s question papers and Mock questions are sine qua non for success .But one must remember that UPSC has almost always provided better questions than any mock test. Finally the conceptual understanding and current affairs are the two pillars that keeps an aspirant standing.

Enjoy Learning; All the Best !!

Bikram Kairi