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(Getting Started) UPSC Prelims Strategy-By IAS Topper Raunak Agarwal (AIR-13)



(Getting Started) UPSC Prelims Strategy-By IAS Topper Raunak Agarwal (AIR-13)



Public service brings satisfaction, respect,' says UPSC Rank 13 Raunak  Agarwal - ABPEducation

Raunak Agarwal, AIR-13, UPSC CSE 2019

Raunak Aggarwal from Kolkata secured a prestigious all India rank of 13 in UPSC Civil Services Examination. Hailing from a family of businessmen, Raunak is a Chartered Accountant by training. He is no stranger to outstanding performances as he even secured a rank of 5 in his CA exam. This was Raunak’s 3rd attempt at Civil Services and he was under pressure to join the family business if it did not work out. Even though shocked by the magnitude of his success, Raunak is relieved that he will now be taking the first step into his dream career.

Raunak’S Strategy For The upsc preliminary Examination

Raunak had failed to qualify both his previous upsc prelims attempts. He realised that objectives were not his strength so he went on to modify his strategy a little here and there to better his chances. For the static portion, he followed the most common sources. It was for current affairs and mock tests where he made amendments.

Understanding The Trend

UPSC’s question patterns and types are ever changing and very hard to predict. However, Raunak has observed that current affairs have been gaining a lot of momentum. And the questions asked are not directly factual, they are usually analytical in their approach or a mixture of current events and related static affairs.

UPSC Prelims Subject-Wise Weightage 2011 - 2019 | IAS Prelims Marks  Distribution

Question Trends In UPSC Prelims

Current Affairs

Raunak used to read the Indian Express daily for his dose of current updates. He used to also go through Vision IAS and Insights On India’s monthly current affairs magazines. Rau has a Study Focussed magazine that is released two months before the prelims which Raunak also referred to. He believes that studying current affairs from varied sources allows you to exhaustively complete current affairs.

How To Use Mock Tests

Raunak believes negative marking is one of the main reasons many fail to qualify prelims. The first step should be to minimize it. He suggests noting down on each page which questions you are a 100% certain one, which you have 50% certainty with, and so on. On the first iteration of attempting your paper, answer only the ones you are 100% certain of. Check how short you are from reaching the score you need to clear the cut-off. If you have already reached it, there is no need to answer more. If not, answer the ones where you are 50% sure of the answers and then again repeat the process. 

This way, you minimize your negative marking and can score the best you can.

How To Answer

Message For IAS Aspirants

Raunak admits that even though he is from an financially privileged family, his ultimate goal has always been Civil Services. Businesses may fetch in a lot of money, but he sees himself contributing a lot more on the ground than anything else and encourages others to do the same. His message to aspirants is to not give up once they have admitted their passion for civil services and keep working hard towards the end goal. 

That is the only way to achieve your UPSC dream.

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(Download) UPSC IAS Mains Exam 2022 - Sociology (Paper-2)


(Download) UPSC IAS Mains Exam 2022

SOCIOLOGY (Paper-2)


  • Exam Name: UPSC IAS Mains SOCIOLOGY (Paper-II)
  • Marks: 250
  • Year : 2022
  • Time Allowed: 3 Hours

 

(Download) UPSC IAS Mains Exam 2022 - Sociology (Paper-1)


(Download) UPSC IAS Mains Exam 2022

SOCIOLOGY (Paper-1)


  • Exam Name: UPSC IAS Mains SOCIOLOGY (Paper-I)
  • Marks: 250
  • Year : 2022
  • Time Allowed: 3 Hours

 

(Download) UPSC IAS Mains Exam 2022 - PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION (Paper-2)


(Download) UPSC IAS Mains Exam 2022

PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION (Paper-2)


  • Exam Name: UPSC IAS Mains Public Administration (Paper-II)
  • Marks: 250
  • Year : 2022
  • Time Allowed: 3 Hours

SECTION A

Q1. Answer the following questions in about 150 words each: 10 x 5 = 50 Marks

 

1.(a) “Mughal administrative system was centralised despotism”. Comment.

(b) “The office of the District Collector admirably survived the changing times from colonialism to the present times”. Comment.

(c) “The smooth transaction of business in Ministries and Departments depends on the role played by Cabinet Secretariat”. Discuss.

(d) “The Government of India Act, 1935 is the most important source of Indian constitution”. Identify its features.

(e) “The Chief Secretary is the chief communication link between the state and central government”. Explain.

2:- (a) “The Indian federal structure is largely symmetric albeit with some asymmetric features”. Examine the status of States and Union Territories through the principle of weighted and differentiated equality in India. (20)

(b) The Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan is a progressive policy. Analyse. (20)

(c) “Indicative Planning, is a middle path of planning and market mechanism to ensure coordination between public and private activities.” Explain. (10)

3:- (a) “The New Economic Reforms during the past three decades have not only reduced the scope of industrial licensing and areas reserved exclusively for Public Sector but also infringed the autonomy of existing public sector undertakings”. Examine. (20)

(b) “National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Ayog has become super cabinet in formulating the development agenda of our country”. Examine the statement by giving suitable examples. (20)

(c) Despite the constitutional status, the District planning committees remained a non-entity in preparation and implementation of plans. Discuss. (10)

4:- (a) “The Indian judicial system has failed to deliver justice expeditiously”. Examine the challenges faced by the judiciary and suggest measures to overcome them. (20)

(b) Analyse the specific areas of controversies with regard to Union-State financial relations, particularly in the context of one nation – one tax policy. (20)

(c) Examine the role of central government in adjudication of disputes relating to water of interstate rivers. (10)

SECTION B

5:- Answer the following in about 150 words. (10 x 5 = 50)

(a) Examine the lateral entry recruitment in government in the context of Part XIV of the Indian Constitution.

(b) Examine the role of Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) in protecting the interests of the investors in securities.

6:- (a) The recommendations of National Finance Commissions are more norms based than the need based. In the light of this statement analyse the terms of references of 15th National Finance Commission. (20)

(b) “The objective of Mission Karmyogi is to enhance capacity building of Indian Civil Servants and improve governance.” Discuss. (20)

(c) Parliamentary control over administration is no substitute for judicial control. Comment. (10)

7:- (a) In India, for the upliftment of majority of people, governmental intervention remains a central fact of life. Nevertheless, the effective implementation of policies depends on the ethical values of Public Servants. Discuss. (20)

(b) Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) is today a primary cause of widespread and paralysing unwillingness on the part of government institutions to decide and act. Discuss. (20)

(c) Do you think that the new localism relegate the spirit of 74th Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992? (10)

8:- (a) The main objective of Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 is to enable tribal society to assume control over their livelihoods and traditional rights. Critically examine the implementation of the Act. (20)

(b) The effectiveness of law and order administration depends on cooperative attitudes of people towards police, than bringing reforms in the structure and procedures of law and order machinery. Do you agree? Give reasons. (20)

(c) Examine the role of Lokpal in ensuring transparency and accountability in Indian administration. (10)

(Download) UPSC IAS Mains Exam 2022 - PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION (Paper-1)


(Download) UPSC IAS Mains Exam 2022

PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION (Paper-1)


  • Exam Name: UPSC IAS Mains Public Administration (Paper-I)
  • Marks: 250
  • Year : 2022
  • Time Allowed: 3 Hours

Exam Name: UPSC IAS Mains Public Administration (Paper-I)

Marks: 250

Time Allowed: 3 Hours

SECTION A

 

Q1. Answer the following questions in about 150 words each: 10 x 5 = 50 Marks

 

1.(a) Public Management takes ‘what’ and ‘why’ from Public Administration and ‘how’ from Business Management. Elaborate. 10

1.(b) Every human organisation shall start from System-I and ultimately end up with System-IV. Comment on Likert’s statement. 10

1.(c) All tribunals are courts, but all courts are not tribunals. Explain. 10

1.(d) Classical Organisation Theory formed the bedrock for the modern organisation theories. Analyse. 10

1.(e) Interaction between the State and Civil society has hitherto been largely neglected,especially in developing countries. Examine. 

2.(a) ‘The administrative state is the creation of a power to bind us, with rules that are not made by legislature.’ Discuss the constitutionality of the administrative state and its future. 20

2.(b) Transformational leadership requires high degree of coordination, communication and cooperation. Explain. 15

2.(c) Human relationists postulate that ‘what is important to a worker and what influences his/her productivity level may not be the organisational chart but his or her associations with other workers’. Is it more relevant today? 15

3.(a) Barnard posits the zone of indifference as the human condition that animates authority relationships and cooperation in modern organisations. Examine. 20

3.(b) New public service celebrates what is distinctive, important and meaningful about public service. Discuss 15

3.(c) Strategic communication ought to be an agile management process Discuss the conceptualization of strategic communication for the government actions.

4.(a) ‘Leadership is seen as dealing with change, whereas administration is viewed as coping with complexity.’ In this context, discuss the contextuality of leadership and administration for the success of organisations. 20

4.(b) Regulatory governance frameworks have become essential building blocks of world society. Discuss their potential and impact in fulfilling the hopes and demands. 15

4.(c) Social auditing is not just saving the money, it creates positive impact on governance. Comment.

 

SECTION B

Q5. Answer the following questions in about 150 words each: 10 x 5 = 50

5.(a) Development Administration ‘embraces the array of new functions assumed by the developing countries’. Explain. 10

5.(b) Policy evaluation contributes fundamentally to sound public governance. Discuss. 10

5.(c) Weber’s construct of bureaucracy has served a great heuristic purpose in furthering research in the field of Comparative Public Administration. Do you agree with the statement ? Give reasons. 10

5.(d) Standards are the foundation which do not replace regulations but complement them. Comment. 10

5.(e) ‘Outcome budgeting addresses the weaknesses of performance budgeting.’ Elaborate. 10

6.(a) ‘The more exogenetic the process of diffraction, the more formalistic and heterogenous its prismatic phase; the more endogenetic, the less formalistic and heterogenous.’ Examine this hypothesis of Riggs. 20

6.(b) The environment and situational conditions under which the government operates have an important bearing on its human resource development practices. Examine. 15

6.(c) ‘Lindblom regarded rational decision-making as an unattainable goal.’ In the light of the statement, suggest measures to avoid policy failures. 15

7.(a) The results of Washington Consensus were far from optimal for transitional economies. In this background, discuss the change of direction towards postWashington Consensus. 20

7.(b) A sound budgeting system is one which engenders trust among citizens that the government is listening to their concerns. Elaborate this in the context of budgetary governance. 15

7.(c) Performance problems are rarely caused simply by lack of training and rarely can performance be improved by training alone. Critically analyse the statement. 15

8.(a) The audit function has always been viewed as an integral part of government financial management. Discuss the significance of internal audit in improving the performance of the government sector. 20

8.(b) Most civil service regimes still equate ‘Public Sector Ethics’ with anti-corruption efforts. Discuss the insufficiency of Ethics-code in this background. 15

8.(c) Failure of public policies has often been attributed to problems of implementation, while implementors question the policy design. Discuss the contestation. 15

(Download) UPSC MAIN EXAM : 2022 - PSYCHOLOGY (Paper-2)

(Download) CS (MAIN) EXAM : 2022 Psychology (Paper 2)

  • Exam Name : CS (MAIN) EXAM : 2022 Psychology (Paper II)

  • Marks: 250

  • Time Allowed : Three Hours

 

(Download) UPSC MAIN EXAM : 2022 - PSYCHOLOGY (Paper-1)

(Download) CS (MAIN) EXAM : 2022 Psychology (Paper 1)

  • Exam Name : CS (MAIN) EXAM : 2022 Psychology (Paper I)

  • Marks: 250

  • Time Allowed : Three Hours

 

(Download) UPSC (MAIN) EXAM:2022 PHILOSOPHY (Paper 2)


(Download) CS (MAIN) EXAM:2022 PHILOSOPHY (Paper 2)


  • Exam Name: CS (MAIN) EXAM : 2022 Philosophy

  • Paper : 2

  • Year : 2022

  • Marks: 250

  • Time Allowed : Three Hours

(Download) UPSC (MAIN) EXAM:2022 PHILOSOPHY (Paper 1)


(Download) CS (MAIN) EXAM:2022 PHILOSOPHY (Paper 1)


  • Exam Name: CS (MAIN) EXAM : 2022 Philosophy

  • Paper : 1

  • Year : 2022

  • Marks: 250

  • Time Allowed : Three Hours

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