Exam Strategy
You have decided to pursue your dream of being an IAS Officer or equivalent Civil Servant. Congratulations. That was the easy part. The toughest journey is now ahead of you. Preparing and taking the Civil Services Exam conducted by the UPSC is nothing short of a marathon, with several challenges along the way, and many hurdles to cross (Prelims, Mains and Interview) before you join the elite Civil Service. Success requires planning, time management, a sound reading strategy among a number of other key ingredients. So what are they?
To know more about these ingredients and how to acquire them, ask for your FREE copy of the eBook ‘the missing ingredients: 5 ancient secrets to crack the IAS exam’.
| NO | SUBJECTS | MARKS | DURATION | PAPER PATTERN | ATTENTION ASPIRANT |
| PRELIMS EXAMINATION | |||||
| 1 | Paper I General Studies | 200 (100 questions) | 2 Hours | Objective | Negative marks (0.67) |
| 2 | Paper II CSAT (Qualifying) | 200 (80 questions) | 2 Hours | Objective | Negative marks (0.83) |
| MAINS EXAMINATION | |||||
| 1 | Paper I Indian Language (Qualifying) | 300 | 3 Hours | Descriptive | Minimum 25% |
| 2 | Paper II English (Qualifying) | 300 | 3 Hours | Descriptive | Minimum 25% |
| 1 | Paper I Essay | 250 | 3 Hours | Descriptive | Deciding paper |
| 2 | Paper II General Studies I | 250 | 3 Hours | Descriptive | Minimum 25% |
| 3 | Paper III General Studies II | 250 | 3 Hours | Descriptive | Minimum 25% |
| 4 | Paper IV General Studies III | 250 | 3 Hours | Descriptive | Minimum 25% |
| 5 | Paper V General Studies IV | 250 | 3 Hours | Descriptive | Minimum 25% |
| 6 | Paper VI Optional Paper I | 250 | 3 Hours | Descriptive | Minimum 25% |
| 7 | Paper VII Optional Paper II | 250 | 3 Hours | Descriptive | Minimum 25% |
| PERSONALITY TEST / INTERVIEW | |||||
| 1 | Personality Test | 275 | 15 to 45 mins | Oral | Compulsory |
Optional Subjects: Choose ‘1’ for the Mains examinationPublic Administration – Law – Political Science and International Relations –
Anthropology – History – Mathematics – Sociology – Economics – Sanskrit – Geography – Psychology – Engineering: Civil, Mechanical and Electrical – Tamil Literature – Commerce and Accountancy – English Literature