Through our extensive research, we have identified a few evergreen tips and a UPSC Prelims preparation strategy that have been proven to be successful for many aspirants. We have included this information in a blog post to provide aspirants with the tools they need to excel.
The UPSC has released the timetable for the Preliminary Examination. That leaves us with approximately 3 months to prepare.
If you are a first-time aspirant for the CSE Prelims exam, you may have many questions about the preparation strategy, the enormous syllabus, and the books you must refer to. I am available to provide guidance on these topics if you would like.
To aid in your UPSC Prelims exam preparation, please find the exam strategy for the Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT), tips for the Prelims exam, and recommended books to consider.
To ensure you are properly prepared for the UPSC Prelims, please take the time to understand the syllabus first and foremost. This will enable you to prepare accordingly.
UPSC Syllabus for Prelims General Studies Paper 1
The following topics are listed by UPSC in the official IAS Syllabus.
- Current events of national and international importance.
- History of India and Indian National Movement.
- Indian and World Geography-Physical, Social, Economic Geography of India and the World.
- Indian Polity and Governance – Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues, etc.
- Economic and Social Development – Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector initiatives, etc.
- General issues on Environmental Ecology, Bio-diversity, and Climate Change – that do not require subject specialization.
- General Science.
UPSC Syllabus for Prelims General Studies Paper 2 (CSAT)
IAS Prelims CSAT paper is a qualifying exam. Marks of CSAT are not counted for the final selection for Mains. As per the official UPSC syllabus, the following are the topics to be covered for the exam.
- Comprehension
- Interpersonal skills including communication skills
- Logical reasoning and analytical ability
- Decision-making and problem solving
- General mental ability
- Basic numeracy (numbers and their relations, orders of magnitude, etc.) (Class X level), Data interpretation (charts, graphs, tables, data sufficiency, etc. – Class X level)
Points to Remember:
To ensure you are best prepared for Prelims, I wanted to provide you with a few important details that may aid in your planning.
- The UPSC syllabus is expansive and can be overwhelming. To ensure that you are adequately prepared, it is recommended to focus on key recommended books to gain a strong foundation. Once the basics are covered, you can proceed with more advanced books to refine your preparation for the Prelims exam.
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- Dedicating time each day to keeping up with current events is an important part of preparing for the CSE. Take the time to study the newspaper and make notes on important points for review. Doing this will help you connect past and present events to more quickly identify correct answers.
- The CSAT paper, while only qualifying in nature, should not be neglected in your preparation journey. Thorough preparation is required to clear this paper, as the syllabus is defined differently than that of the GS Paper I. The syllabus may be shorter, but it still necessitates a lot of hard work to qualify. It is important to note that while CSAT scores are not counted in the final merit list, it does directly impact the cut-off for Prelims each year. As such, the cut-offs for Prelims can be affected by the difficulty level of the CSAT paper in that year. The strategies provided above are purposefully generic to appeal to aspirants of all levels preparing for the CSE. With that, you have reached the end of the preparation strategy for the Prelims exam.
These above strategy can assist you in staying focused and making consistent strides throughout your preparation process.
Important Tips:
Self-belief is one of the most important tools for success. Trust in your own abilities and strive to push yourself to reach your goals.