Proven Ways On How To Crack UPSC
8 min readAre you an aspiring candidate looking for tips and tricks on how to crack UPSC. Then in this article, I have revealed all the tips, tricks, and secrets to crack the UPSC exam. Read the article till the end to know all the tips to crack the UPSC exam which you never knew before.
As we all know for all the designations in the governmental sector you have to crack the UPSC exam in India. After cracking the UPSC exam the candidate becomes an IAS, IFS, or IPS Officer. After the promotion of an IAS officer, the candidate becomes District Magistrate, a Collector, and many other prestigious positions.
UPSC is one of the toughest exams in India. Very few candidates crack the UPSC exam. To crack such a tough exam smart work is more important than hard work. Then only you will be able to crack UPSC in the first attempt. Let me reveal all the secrets tips and tricks to crack the UPSC exam. So let us get started.
What is UPSC
To become an Indian Administrative Service Officer(IAS) you need to crack the UPSC- Civil Service Exam(CSE). UPSC is the central agency of India that conducts the CSE exam for qualifying an IAS Officer.
UPSC is the All India Service Examination. After qualifying all 3 rounds of UPSC a person becomes an Indian Administrative Service Officer(IAS). The candidate can be an IAS at the National level, State Level, or District Level according to the posting.
After qualifying for this examination a candidate is also eligible to become an IPS officer after training. The main aim of Government officials is to serve the people of the country.
UPSC Exam Details
UPSC Examination is conducted in three stages namely- Preliminary Exam( CSAT Test) comprising of two papers which are objective type, Mains Exam which includes 9 papers which are subjective type. After qualifying the two phases you are eligible for the Interview Process. You can read more details on the UPSC exam details here.
Full Form of UPSC
UPSC is a National Level Exam. UPSC stands for Union Service Public Commission which is a central agency that conducts IAS Exam(Indian Administrative Service). Also, it is a pen-paper-type examination.
The total number of attempts a person is liable to give for the UPSC-CSE Exam are attempts of 6 attempts for the General Category. The total number of vacancies after qualifying for this exam is approximately 800 and above. More than 8 lakhs candidates apply for this National Examination every year.
Online Application for the exam starts from February to March tentatively. Generally, UPSC conducts an exam once a year generally in the month of October. The result of the exam is declared in the month of November.
Eligibility Criteria for UPSC
Eligibility criteria to become an IAS officer is as listed below-
Age Criteria
The candidate to appear for the UPSC CSE exam should be e between the ages of 21 to 32 years. For the OBC category, the ages extended UPTU 35 years whereas for SC/ ST candidates are the ages extended to a limit of 37 years.
Educational Qualification
To apply for the UPSC – CSE exam the candidate should have completed the graduation. The candidate can complete the graduation in any field of his/her choice.
What is UPSC Exam
The UPSC conducts PSC exam which takes place into three steps as follows-
- Preliminary exam
- Mains exam
- Interview
1. Preliminary exam
The preliminary exam has 2 papers that are conducted. The questions paper is in two languages namely English and Hindi. This paper has objective-type questions which comprise multiple-choice questions.
Paper | Type | Number of Questions | Marks | Negative Marking | Duration |
Paper 1 | Objective | 100 | 200 | 0.33 | 2 hours |
Paper 2 | Objective | 80 | 200 | 0.33 | 2 hours |
Syllabus for the Preliminary Exam
Paper 1 | Indian History General Science Indian Politics Current Events General Issues Indian Geography World Geography Social Development Economic Development |
Paper 2 | Communicational Skills Intrapersonal Skills English Skills English Comprehension Language skill that is chosen by the candidate Decision-making skills Problem-solving ability Mental Ability Basic Numeracy |
Step 2. Mains exam
After qualifying for the preliminary exam the candidates are eligible for the second round that is the mains exam. Mains Exam has the descriptive type of questions.
Syllabus for Mains Exam
The total marks for this examination are 1750 marks. Though the Mains exam consists of 9 papers, out of these 9 papers, only 7 papers will be taken for the merit ranking. This exam includes a total of 9 papers namely as listed below.
Paper | Syllabus | Marks | Duration |
Essay | Essay on any topic | 250 | 3 hours |
General studies 1 | Indian Heritage, Culture, Geography | 250 | 3 hours |
General studies 2 | Constitution, Governance, Social Justice | 250 | 3 hours |
General studies 3 | Technology, Environment, Disaster Management | 250 | 3 hours |
General studies 4 | Ethics, Integrity, and Aptitude | 250 | 3 hours |
Optional subject 1 | Any | 250 | 3 hours |
Optional subject 2 | Any | 250 | 3 hours |
Paper 1 | Indian Language (Anyone of the language) | 300 | 3 hours |
Paper 2 | English language | 300 | 3 hours |
Step 3. Interview
When you qualify for the interview round you become IAS, IFS, IPS Officer. During the review subject knowledge, personal skills, as well as Mental Ability, is tested. After cracking the final round of interviews a candidate is qualified to become an IAS, IFS, IPS officer. He/She is given training and then posted according to the requirements.
In the interview process, only academics knowledge is not tested but the personality test is all about how much the candidate is alert and all aware of the events happing around. The marking criteria for the Personal Interview Process are based on mental alertness, logical reasoning ability, clear exposure, proper judgment, and intellectual ability.
The Board judges the candidates on various parameters including mental and social traits. The main purpose of the interview purpose is to judge the candidate’s suitability for the civil service position and capability to take responsibility.
Syllabus for Interview
- This is basically a question and answers session
- This exam is of 275 marks.
- The interview is nothing but a Personality Test.
- Even current affairs and General knowledge questions can be asked for an interview.
How to fill UPSC Exam Form
Here is the information provided to fill the UPSC exam form.
Step 1. Visit the official website of UPSC – www.upsc.gov.in
Step 2. Now, click on the online application for various examinations
Step 3. Go to service civil services examination-Preliminary Exam
Step 4. Start registering with IAS Part-1
Step 5. Fill in all your mandatory Personal Details
Step 6. Choose the examination center
Step 7. Upload your passport size Photograph, Signature, and Identity card
Step 8. Accept the Declaration by clicking on the button
Step 9. Once recheck the details
Step 10. Then click on Submit button
Step 11. Keep this printout with you
How to crack UPSC – Tips & Tricks
The UPSC exam is very tough to qualify for. It is not everybody ‘s cup of tea to crack the IAS exam and become an IAS officer. To crack the exam you need to follow certain tips and tricks. Without which you will not be able to crack the UPSC exam. As we all know work smarter and not harder.
So, let me make your work for the preparation of the UPSC exam smarter so that you do not work harder to crack it. Here are some tips and techniques I am sharing with you all to crack the UPSC exam.
Tips and tricks to crack the UPSC exam are listed below.
1. Planning
You need to preplan about all your schedules, timetable, utilization of time, distribution of all the subjects in advance. As we all know good planning leads to better execution. So always plan the way you are going to prepare for the UPSC exam.
2. Pre hand preparation
Early preparation is anytime better than 11th-hour study. To crack the UPSC exam eleventh-hour study is not going to be useful at all. You need to work hard with dedication to crack the UPSC CSE exam. The reason for this is the number of candidates at a time who are applying for this exam. You need to study day and night. As we all know to achieve something you have to lose something. You have to start preparing for your UPSC exam.
3. Start your preparation after 12th
It is a misconception among the candidates that the IAS preparation cannot be started in the 12th class. The essay exam has nothing to do till 12 th. Though this is the case, this should not be practice. The exam is very tough you have to start your preparation from your 12th class or after your 12th class onwards. So you get three to four long years of your graduation for UPSC preparation.
You get ample time to prepare for the examination and also you can distribute each subject and study each of the subjects more in detail. You can apply for the UPSC – CSE exam even while appearing for the final year of your graduation. So if you have decided to become an IAS, IFS, or IPS officer then start preparing for your ambition after the 12th onwards.
4. Prepare keynotes and charts
Always have a habit of preparing the keynotes and charts whenever you feel it will make your work easy in the future. This will help you are revision very easily without consuming more time. At the time of the exam, you can even just have a glance at your keynotes remember, and appear for the exam.
5. Time management
Time management is a very vital strategy to appear for the IAS exam. Not only during the exam but time management for the exam and at the time of preparation is also important. The time given for each subject should be calculated and decided in advance.
Time management while solving the mock papers should also look forward.
6. Solve doubts
If you are having any doubt in any of your subjects don’t keep that doubt and go ahead. Always have a habit to solve and then move forward. There is a possibility that your doubt can be a question in the IAS exam. You can take the help of your seniors or a coach to solve your doubts.
7. Regular Reading
Constant reading every day is a secret for an easy IAS paper. So distribute your time over all the subjects and keep reading your subjects constantly.
8. Proper guidance
You are supposed to take proper guidance from your senior or a course to crack an IAS exam. So that you know all the loopholes for the IAS exam and you are quite prepared in advance for all the loopholes with the great strategy to crack in.
9. Paper Solving
Paper solving is just the best thing. After your preparation, I am before appearing for the UPSC exam you must solve as many papers as you can. Solve the papers continuously at least for 2 to 3 months. This will give a glance at the UPSC exam. I will not panic at the time of the final UPSC exam. There is also an online mock test you can also practice on this mock test.
10. Enhance general knowledge
All your subjects you should also distribute your time for reading the newspaper. Current affairs and general knowledge play a very vital role in the IAS exam. Not only for the prelims and mains exam but general knowledge is very important even for the interview process.
So, prepare your timetable such that you also distribute the time for reading various newspapers and have knowledge of current affairs happening in India.
11. Practice essay writing
With all the subjects you also need to practice the essay because even an essay is a part of your mains exam. You can even refer to the essay books for the same.
Conclusion
To sum up, this was all about how to crack UPSC. These tips and preparation tricks will surely help you to crack the IAS exam. Share with me your experience of the UPSC exam.
Sharing is Caring – If you have liked the article share it!
Good Luck!