UPSC Civil Services Prelims Examination
UPSC Prelims Exam is the first stage of the civil Services Exam conducted by UPSC. Prelims exam is generally held on the first Sunday of June every year.
More than 10 lakh aspirants apply for UPSC Prelims exam every year. Out of this huge number only 8 to 10 thousand candidates manage to clear Prelims exam. This makes its success rate only 1%.
This exam is conducted as per the following structure. It consists of two objective papers
| Slno | Exam | Syllabus | No of Questions | Marks | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | General Studies Paper I | General studies containing – polity, Geography, history, Economy, Environment, Art & Culture, Science & Technology, Government schemes, programmes 9 Current Affairs of National and international importance | 100 | 200 | 2 Hours |
| 2 | General Studies Paper II (Commonly known as CSAT) | Questions based on reading comprehension, Mental ability, Quantitative aptitude etc. | 80 | 200 | 2 Hours |
Note – General Studies Paper II is of qualifying nature, which means, only 33% marks are needed to qualify this paper.
Final cut off is prepared on the basis of marks in General Studies Paper I.
It means, competition is in General studies Paper I and competition is really huge. Students should put consistent hard work to understand all the concepts and to remember facts.
How to prepare for UPSC Prelims?
Since competition is very huge, prelims need consistent hard work along with an efficient strategy through guidance and mentorship.
Student should have complete information about what to read and what not to read as there is no limit of available study material in the market. Only relevant material can take you through this exam.
Following are the steps to start preparation for UPSC Civil Services Exam
For basic concept building and information
Step 1 – Get the booklist which includes NCERT books along with some standard books.
Step 2 – Make a smart time plan and read NCERTs and other basic books in a targeted manner.
Step 3 – Make very concise notes of important topics.
Step 4 – Give regular tests after finishing sections of a particular subject.
Step 5 – Revise all your books, notes.
Step 6 – Give revision tests to assess your level of preparation.
For Current Affairs
Step 1 – Start reading newspaper. The Hindu is strongly recommended. Apart from The Hindu, you should also follow Press information Bureau (PIB) website, All India Radio News, Rajya Sabha TV discussions. Or you can read Current Affairs for IAS Exam from jigyasa ias website.
Step 2 – Give daily current affairs test to enhance your understanding.
Step 3 – make your concise notes of important current affairs.
Step 4 – Give Current Affairs Test on a regular basis.
All the above studies should be done in a targeted manner. Best way is to get expert guidance and prepare under their mentorship.
How Jigyasa IAS can help you to crack IAS Prelims Exam?
At Jigyasa we provide best guidance and mentorship to help you in all the areas related to study material, strategy and schedule development, note making, assessment tests.
Free Initiatives
- Daily current affairs notes from The Hindu, PIB, All India radio, LS TV and other important sources.
- Daily article based on The Hindu editorial and other important sources to cover most important current affairs issues in a holistic manner.
- Daily Current Affairs Quiz – Best current affairs questions to practice on a daily basis.
- Daily Current Affairs Answer writing practice.
Paid Programme
Guided Preparation Module for Prelims
In our guided preparation module, we provide one to one mentorship and intense guidance to every student.
We have developed a most efficient schedule along with a time table which is based on targeted approach to cover complete syllabus step by step.
We provide topic wise booklist with micro detailing. After completion of every section we take standardize tests to assess your preparation and provide a detailed feedback on your performance. This programmer is available in both online and offline formats.
Other programmes are
- Prelims Master Test Series
- General Studies test Series for Prelims
- Current affairs test series for Prelims
- CSAT test series for Prelims.
- Other Test series
Classroom programmes
- Map learning & learning through maps. – Map based general studies class.
- Economy Basic concept building class
- Economy Current Affairs Class.
- Science & Technology Class
- Ethics Class for Mains