(Success Story) UPSC 2021 TOPPER, AIR-2 ANKITA AGARWAL Winning Strategy for Cracking IAS Exams

Ankita Agarwal has secured the 2nd rank in the UPSC Civil Services Examination, 2021. She is a native of Kolkata. She has given the UPSC exam thrice: in 2019, 2020 and 2021. She secured the AIR 236 in 2019 and got into IRS. Ankita wants to be an IAS officer; she reappeared again in 2020 and 2021. Finally she scored a total of 1050 marks and secured AIR 2 in her 3rd attempt 2021.

During an interview she expressed her desire to work for women empowerment, primary health and school education sectors. She also said that she was very clear about her goal and therefore chooses not to enrol for a post graduation.

EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND

She completed her graduation in Economics (hons) from St Stephen's College, Delhi University. During her college days she was also a part of the Campus Placement Cell and the Finance and Investment Cell. She was Editor-in-Chief of the Yearbook Editorial Team. After working for a year she decided to prepare for UPSC Civil Services Examination. She prepared through self study and also took the help of coaching. She believes that coaching and study both play equally important role in UPSC preparation.

When asked about her strategy she said to NDTV, “More than strategy she thinks if someone wants to be a civil servant, they should be very clear about their motivation as only that will push you on difficult days”.

ANKITA AGARWAL’S UPSC PREPARATION STRATEGY

1. ACTION PLAN 

She believes that first step towards the UPSC preparation is to made a study time table. Create a realistic time table and stick to it. It is very difficult to complete the syllabus in a limited time period, but if one follows the right strategy and organises time then one can easily cover the major portion of it. Instead of putting in a definite number of hours, she tried to maintain a sustainable study schedule. 

2. CONSISTENCY AND DISCIPLINE

She believes in consistency during preparation. Maintaining consistency and determination over such a long time is crucial for cleaning this exam. She studied 8 to 12 hours daily.

3. IMPORTANCE OF BASIC BOOKS

Ankita began her preparation with basic books that is NCERT books. She considered NCERT books as the basic reading books to build the base of the UPSC Exam. This NCERT book covers all topics which are important and gives us a clear conceptual clarity about the subjects and topics. It guarantees that candidate’s are no longer a beginner once if you read these basic books thoroughly. 

4. NOTES MAKING

Ankita said that notes making is one of the most important part of the UPSC civil services examination. It is one of the essential steps in the learning process. She made her notes on the computer and organizes it digitally. After reading any topic she made notes in her own language. She believes that making up notes in your own language is the best way of revising entire syllabus. At last moment, you can't revise the whole syllabus that's why short notes are very important especially for UPSC Mains Examination.

5. LIMIT YOUR RESOURCES

There is a bulk of reading materials, especially with Current Affairs. Ankita follow the monthly magazine and the news paper for current affairs. Apart from basic books and standard books she didn't read any additional books. She believes that limit your resources is very essential for this examination, revision matters the most. Revision is extremely important. At the end of the day what you read it doesn’t matter, what you remember in the exam matters.

6. TEST SERIES

Ankita believes that practice makes a man perfect. She solved a few mock test series to help her get enough practice before the actual UPSC exam. She follows the test series strictly and analyse it properly.

For Mains preparation, her centre of attention was answer writing practice. She took Political Science and International Relations as her optional subject. She also solved previous year’s UPSC question papers to get an idea about the nature of the questions asked in the UPSC examination.

While preparing for the UPSC exam, Ankita kept a balanced schedule, taking time out to relax and to meet her friends. To help her prepare with full concentration, she also deleting all her social media so that she would not get distracted during the preparation. She expressed her desire to serve at the grass root level. 

At last, we hope that Ankita Agarwal taught you how to be dedicated, focused and hardworking. Be positive and stay motivated. Ankita Agarwal wishes you all the best.

Ankita wishes you all the best!

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(Getting Started) Important Exam Day Guidelines For UPSC CSE Prelims 2020

Finally, after a lot of debates over whether UPSC will conduct the Preliminary Examinations as per the revised schedule amidst the rising Corona numbers, the council has released Admit Cards as per schedule and Supreme Court has given go ahead for the exams. The exam will be held on the 4th of October, 2020, as planned. However, to ensure safety for aspirants and staff alike, UPSC has released a series of guidelines for the exam day. Aspirants need to follow these guidelines in order to be allowed to sit for the examination on the day.

The Most Important Guidelines (Specific To COVID-19)

This is the most important of the usual guidelines released by UPSC. To ensure a safe examination environment, UPSC has made it mandatory for the below rules to be followed -

• Mask/face cover must be mandatorily used for all aspirants. Anyone without mask/face cover is not to be allowed entry to the exam hall, or even the venue.

• Aspirants their own hand sanitizers in transparent bottles. Note that opaque bottles are not allowed.

• All COVID-19 norms of ‘social distancing’ and ‘personal hygiene’ are to be followed by everyone present within the examination hall and the premise of the venue.

Paper Admit Card NOT To Be Issued

All admit cards have been uploaded to upsc online .nic.in like every year for the convenience of aspirants. Paper Admit Not To Be Issued. Aspirants will have access to the online copies till 4 P.M. on 4th October 2020. They are expected to hang on to the copy of their admits until the whole exam process is completed.

Admit Card And Photo ID Must Be Carried To Venue

For both sessions of General Studies Paper-I and CSAT Paper-II, aspirants must have a photo ID and print out of their admit on them. These documents will be verified once during entrance to the venue and then again during the examination.

Carry Photographs 

Carry 2 copies of your passport size photographs. In case the photograph printed on either the admit card or/and the examination roll-call sheet is hazy, these photographs are used. It is always safer to carry them just in case.

Be On Time: Gates Close 10 Minutes Early

UPSC guidelines dictate that gates to the venue are shut exactly 10 minutes before the exam begins. DO NOT BE LATE. It is one of the most important examinations of your career, the least you can do is reach the venue an hour early.

Only Black Ball-Point Pens Allowed

OMR Sheets support black ball-point pens only. Using any other pen on the answer script or the attendance sheet will lead to disqualification. Please carry the right pen and ensure you only use it.

No Accessories Allowed

Any digital device or any device with the capability of establishing or accessing a wireless connection is not allowed inside the examination hall. This includes mobile phones, digital watches, calculators, etc. UPSC recommends not bringing expensive pieces of equipment to the exam centre as the authorities will not be responsible for the loss of any item.

Best Of Luck

Do not stress yourself too much. Stress only has a negative impact on your examination performance. Relax and do your best. You will surely be a step closer to achieving your dream.

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(Getting Started) Minimize Negative Marking and Maximize Your UPSC CSE Prelims Score

Students Taking UPSC CSE Prelims0

As the UPSC Civil Services Examination Prelims are approaching, a lot of the aspirants are worried about their performance. Among preparation worries, the unpredictable nature of UPSC, along with the negative marking involved, also leads to anxiety in many. 

What is a good attempt? How much does one absolutely need to score to crack prelims? These are questions that worry the best students out there. In this article, we try to ease the pressure a bit on aspiring Civil Servants.

How Much Must You Score To Qualify?

Take a look at the upsc preliminary cutoffs for the past 5 years –

Last 5 Years Cut-Off For UPSC CSE Preliminary Exams

As you will notice, the cut-off ranges from 95 to 115 (with a slight deviation in 2016). It is always best to consider the upper limit as no matter what, you do not want to fall behind. Thus, your target should always be scoring 120+. That is a safe score, and unless the paper set by UPSC is dead easy, which is improbable, you should be able to sail through to the mains exam with a 120+ score.

How Many Questions Should You Attempt?

Keep in mind that the preliminary exam is qualifying in nature. So, you only need to worry about crossing the 120 marks. Now, in order to do that, you need to understand your accuracy.

What is “accuracy”?

Your accuracy is the percentage of questions you answer correctly over the total number of questions attempted. In order to determine your accuracy, you must take at least 20+ mock tests during the last 90 days before your preliminary exams. The most accurate percentage will be calculated at the final stage of your prelims preparation, which will be the last 60-90 days before the prelims exam. Your scores in mock tests over the years will only help you reach this state through proper analysis.

Calculating Your Accuracy

Suppose, on an average, in a mock test, you attempt about 80 questions. And you usually end up with 65 correct answers. That puts your accuracy at roughly 81%. Thus, to score a 120, you must attempt around 75 questions. The process is further illustrated in the image below –

Once you have analysed your accuracy percentage, simply put it in this equation and find out your targeted attempts –

What Not To Do?

Here are a couple of things you should most definitely not do if you want to qualify –

• Your accuracy will not drastically change on the day of the exam – stick to what you know. Do not give yourself undue credit or criticism.
• Do not make uninformed guesses. Intelligent guesswork is a part of cracking the paper. But randomly marking answers just because of a gut feeling will most definitely be your downfall.
• Do not force yourself to attempt any more than you have to. You might think it gives you a better chance at qualifying, however, all it will do is rack up your negative marks and drag down your score.
• Do not panic. It is okay to fall short by 20-30 questions of your targeted attempts. That is where intelligent guesswork and option elimination comes to play. UPSC sets papers where an aspirant will not know more than 30-40 answers with 100% surity. The rest of it will be dependent on how cool you can stay in such a stressful situation, and use your logical reasoning to answer to the best of your abilities. That is the test they want you to take.

By keeping these few tricks and tips in mind, you should be able to clear your preliminary exam with flying colors and get further towards achieving your IAS dream.

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(Download) UPSC Mains 2022 Question Paper: Essay Compulsory

• Marks : 250 (125x2)
• Duration: 3 hours
• Exam Date: 16-09-2022
• Year : 2022
• Exam Date : 

Write Two Essays, choosing One from each of the Sections A and B, in about 1000-1200 words each.

Section-A (125 marks) - Choose any one Essay

Section-A 

Q-1.Forests are the best case studies for economic excellence.

Q-2.Poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world.

Q-3.History is a series of victories won by the scientific man over the romantic man.

Q-4.A ship in harbour is safe, but that is not what ship is for.

DOWNLOAD UPSC MAINS ESSAY (Compulsory) PAPERS PDF

(Notification) UPSC IES, Engineering Services Examination, 2023

No.F. 2/5/2022-E.I(B): Preliminary/Stage-I Examination of the Engineering Services Examination for recruitment to the services/ posts mentioned in para 2 below will be held by the Union Public Service Commission on 19th February, 2023 in accordance with the Rules published by Ministry of Communications, Department of Telecommunications in the Gazette of India Extraordinary dated 14th September, 2022. 

CATEGORY I—CIVIL ENGINEERING

Group‐A Services/Posts 

(i) Central Engineering Service
(ii) Central Engineering Service (Roads), Group-A (Civil Engineering Posts).
(iii) Survey of India Group ‘A’ Service.
(iv) *AEE(Civil) in Border Road Engineering Service.
(v) Indian Defence Service of Engineers.
(vi) AEE(QS&C) in MES Surveyor Cadre.
(vii) Central Water Engineering (Group ‘A’) Service

CATEGORY II—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

Group‐A/B Services/Posts 

(i) AEE in GSI Engineering Service Gr ‘A’.
(ii) Indian Defence Service of Engineers.
(iii) Indian Naval Armament Service (Mechanical Engineering Posts).
(iv) Indian Naval Material Management Service (Mechanical Engineering Posts)
(v) Central Water Engineering (Group ‘A’) Service.
(vi) Defence Aeronautical Quality Assurance Services/SSO-II (Mechanical).
(vii) Central Electrical and Mechanical Engineering Service (Mechanical Engg.)
(viii) Central Power Engineering Service Gr ‘A’ (Mechanical Engineering Posts).
(ix) *AEE (Electrical and Mechanical) in Border Roads Engineering Service (Mechanical Engineering Posts)
(x) Assistant Development Officer (Engineering).
(xi) Central Power Engineering Service Gr ‘B’ (Mechanical Engineering Posts).

CATEGORY III—ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING

Group‐A/B Services/Posts

(i) Central Electrical & Mechanical Engineering Service (Electrical Engineering Posts).
(ii) Indian Defence Service of Engineers.
(iii) Indian Naval Material Management Service (Electrical Engineering Posts)
(iv) Central Power Engineering Service Gr ‘A’ (Electrical Engineering Posts).
(v) Indian Naval Armament Service (Electrical Engineering Posts)
(vi) Defence Aeronautical Quality Assurance Service/SSO-II (Electrical).
(vii) Assistant Development Officer (Engineering).
(viii) Central Power Engineering Service Gr ‘B’ (Electrical Engineering Posts)

CATEGORY IV—ELECTRONICS AND TELECOMMUNICATION ENGINEERING 

Group‐A/B Services/Posts 

(i) Indian Telecommunication Service Gr ‘A’.
(ii) Indian Naval Armament Service (Electronics and Telecom Engineering Posts).
(iii) Indian Naval Material Management Service (Electronics and Telecom Engineering Posts)
(iv) Defence Aeronautical Quality Assurance Service/SSO-II (Electronics & Tele).
(v) Central Power Engineering Gr ‘A’ (Electronics & Telecommunication Engineering Posts).
(vi) Assistant Development Officer (Engineering).
(vii) Central Power Engineering Gr ‘B’ (Electronics & Telecommunication Engineering Posts).
(viii) Junior Telecom Officer Gr ‘B’.

Educational Qualification:

For admission to the examination, a candidate must have – 

For admission to the examination, a candidate must have – 

(a)  obtained a degree in Engineering from a University incorporated by an Act of  the Central or State Legislature in India or other Educational Institutions established by an Act of Parliament or declared to be deemed as Universities under Section 3 of the University Grants Commission  Act,  1956; or 
(b)  passed Sections A and B of  the Institution Examinations of the Institution  of  Engineers  (India); or 
(c)  obtained  a  degree/diploma    in  Engineering  from  such  foreign  University/College/Institution  and  under  such conditions as may be recognised by the Government for the purpose from time to time, or 
(d)  passed Graduate Membership Examination of the Institution of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineers (India); or 
(e)  passed Associate Membership Examination  Parts II and III/Sections A and B of the Aeronautical Society of India; or 
(f)  passed Graduate   Membership Examination of the Institution of Electronics and Radio Engineers, London held after November, 1959 
Provided  that  a  candidate  for  the  post of Indian Naval Armament  Service  (Electronics Engineering Posts) and Indian Radio Regulatory Service Group ‘A’ may possess any of the above qualifications or the qualification mentioned below namely:‐  

For  Indian  Naval  Armament  Service  (Electronics  Engg.  Posts)  ‐  M.Sc.  degree  or  its  equivalent  with  Wireless Communication Electronics, Radio Physics or Radio Engineering as a special subject. For Indian Radio Regulatory Service Group ‘A’– M.Sc. degree or its equivalent with Wireless Communication Electronics, Radio  Physics  or  Radio  Engineering  as  a  subject  or  Master’s  Degree  in  Science  with  Physics  and  Radio Communication  or Electronics or Telecommunication as a special subject.

Plan of Examination:

1.  The examination shall be conducted according to the following plan :— 
(i)  Stage‐I: Engineering Services (Preliminary/Stage‐I) Examination (Objective Type Papers) for the selection of candidates for the Stage‐II: Engineering Services (Main/Stage‐II) Examination;
(ii) Stage‐II: Engineering Services (Main/Stage‐II) Examination (Conventional Type Papers) and 
(iii)  Stage‐III : Personality Test 

Age Limits:

(As on 01/January/2023)

Minimum – 21 Years

Maximum – 30 Years

Medical Examination :

Candidates finally recommended by the Commission on the basis of Engineering Services Examination, 2023 shall be required to undergo medical examination. 

(a)  Every candidate, on being  finally  recommended by Commission will be  required  to undergo medical examination as and when  so  decided  by  the  Ministry  of  Railways  (Railway  Board)  irrespective  of  the  fact  that he/she  has  appeared  for  such medical examination in the past and found fit/unfit on the basis of earlier examination. 
(b) The medical examination will be conducted at various Railway Hospitals under Ministry of Railways (Railway Board). Other additional instructions for candidates are listed at Annexure‐II.

The findings of the Railways Medical Board will be taken as final and binding for all allotment purposes.

Physical standards :

Candidates must be physically fit according to physical standards for admission to Engineering Services Examination, 2023 as per guidelines given in Appendix-II of the Rules for the Engineering Services Examination, 2023 published in the Gazette of India Extraordinary dated 14.09.2022.

Application Fee:

Candidates (excepting Female/SC/ST/PwBD who are exempted from payment of fee) are required to pay a fee of Rs. 200/‐ (Rupees T w o  hundred   only) either by depositing the money in any Branch of SBI by cash or by using net banking facility  of  State  Bank  of India or by using any Visa/Master/RuPay Credit/Debit Card.

HOW TO APPLY:

Candidates are required to apply Online only by using the website www.upsconline.nic.in. In case the applicant has not yet registered in the One Time Registration (OTR) platform, the link of which is already available on the Commission’s website, he/she should register in this platform and thereafter proceed for filling up the online application for the examination. Brief instructions are given in Appendix-IIA. Detailed instructions for filling up online applications are available on the above mentioned website.

2.1 The facility of withdrawal of Application is available for those candidates who do not want to appear for the Examination. In this regard, Instructions are mentioned in Appendix-IIB of this Examination Notice. 

2.2 Candidate should have details of one Photo ID Card viz. Aadhaar Card/Voter Card/PAN Card/Passport/Driving Licence/Any other Photo ID Card issued by the State/Central Government. The details of this Photo ID Card will have to be provided by the candidate while filling up the online application form. This Photo ID Card will be used for all future referencing and the candidate is advised to carry this Photo ID Card while appearing for Examination/Personality Test. 

3. LAST DATE FOR SUBMISSION OF APPLICATIONS :

The Online Applications can be filled from 14th September, 2022 to 4th October, 2022 till 6:00 PM after which the link will be disabled.

4. The eligible candidates shall be issued an e-Admission Certificate three weeks before the commencement of the Examination.The e-Admission Certificate will be made available in the UPSC website [www.upsc.gov.in] for downloading by candidates. No Admission Certificate will be sent by post. All the applicants are requested to provide valid & active e-mail i.d. while filling up online application form as the Commission may use electronic mode for contacting them. 

5. PENALTY FOR WRONG ANSWERS (in Objective Type Papers) :
Candidates should note that there will be penalty (Negative Marking) for wrong answers marked by a candidate in the Objective Type Question Papers.

7. SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS:

Candidates are advised to read carefully “Special Instructions to the candidates for Conventional Type Tests and Objective Type Tests” (Appendix III Part A and Part B). For both writing and marking answers in the OMR sheet [Answer Sheet] in objective type papers, candidates must use black ball pen only. Pens with any other colours are prohibited. Do not use Pencil or ink pen. Candidates should note that any omission/mistake/discrepancy in encoding/filling of details in the OMR answer sheet, especially with regard to Roll Number and Test Booklet Series code, will render the answer sheet liable for rejection. Persons with Benchmark Disabilities in the Category of Blindness are advised not to apply for this examination as no vacancies are earmarked/identified for them for the Services/Posts included in the Engineering Services Examination, 2023. However, Persons with Benchmark Disabilities of Low Vision category are advised to apply only under Electronics & Telecommunication Category as services/posts only in this category are identified for them. 

8. MOBILE PHONES NOT PERMITTED:

(a)The use of any mobile phone (even in switched off mode), pager or any electronic equipment or programmable device or storage media like pen drive, smart watches etc. or camera or blue tooth devices or any other equipment or related accessories either in working or switched off mode capable of being used as a communication device during the examination is strictly prohibited. Any infringement of these instructions shall entail disciplinary action including ban from future examinations. 

(b) Candidates are advised in their own interest not to bring any of the banned items including mobile phones/pagers to the venue of the examination, as arrangement for safe-keeping cannot be assured

Important Dates:

• Starting Date – 14-September-2022
• Last Date – 04-October-2022 (up to 06:00 PM)
• Last Date of Fee Payment – 04-October-2022

Click Here to Apply Online

Click Here for Official Notification

Courtesy: UPSC

Important Links:

• Detail Exam Syllabus

• Previous Year Exam Papers

• Important Books

• Plan & Strategy

संघ लोक सेवा आयोग सिविल सेवा - मुख्य परीक्षा

(Download) UPSC IAS Mains Exam Paper - 2012 : प्राणि-विज्ञान (Paper - 2)

प्राणि-विज्ञान

(प्रश्न पत्र - II)

Click here to Download full Paper

(E-BOOK) UPSC संघ लोक सेवा आयोग (मुख्य परीक्षा Main Exam) ZOOLOGY प्राणि-विज्ञान प्रश्न-पत्र PDF

NEW! UPSC, IAS परीक्षा संपूर्ण अध्ययन सामग्री (प्रारंभिक, मुख्य, साक्षात्कार COMBO) - Hindi Medium

DOWNLOAD UPSC मुख्य परीक्षा Main Exam GS सामान्य अध्ययन प्रश्न-पत्र PDF

DOWNLOAD UPSC MAINS GS 10 Year PAPERS PDF

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Printed Study Material for IAS Mains General Studies

UPSC सामान्य अध्ययन प्रारंभिक एवं मुख्य परीक्षा (Combo) Study Kit

सामान्य अध्ययन सिविल सेवा मुख्य परीक्षा अध्ययन सामग्री (GS Mains Study Kit)

(Getting Started) Preparing for Economics Optional – Aishwarya Sheoran's Strategy (AIR 93)

Aishwarya Sheoran’s story is what a may be a film story is made of. This Miss India 2016 finalist has taken the news cycle by storm by securing an all India rank of 93 in the UPSC Civil Services examination 2019. She is a graduate of economics and thus, chose Economics as her optional. With that, she secured a rank that has now cemented her to getting entry into the coveted Indian Administrative Services (IAS).

Aishwarya Sheoran, AIR 93, UPSC CSE 2019

Who Should Pick Up Economics?

Economics is a technical subject and one must have some inclination towards it before taking it up. If one is a student of economics then this is the best possible subject for them. Even if they are not, anyone who is willing to spend time understanding the nitty-gritty of the field and finds themselves intrigued with how economics works can pick it up. It is not hard; it just needs dedication.

Why Should One Pick Economics?

Economics is a very scoring subject. From the UPSC Civil Services examination perspective, it is also a major chunk of the General Studies Paper III syllabus. The syllabus for GS-III and the syllabus for Economics Optional overlap to a great extent. Not to mention portions of economics such as Agriculture and the Economic Survey are a major part of the General Studies as well as Preliminary syllabus. Economics is also very to the point and requires the use of crisp facts and figures. The sources are limited as it is a newer behavioral science and has not many established authors. Thus, it is much more manageable.

Economics Optional Paper I and Paper II:
What to Cover and How?

Paper-I is the more technical out of the two. It covers macro-economics, microeconomics, money, and finance, banking, and growth and development. It covers a lot of mathematical aspects of economics. An economic background helps in this paper. However, if you do not have a background, take your time when studying this paper.

Paper-II is mostly about Indian Economic History. It is related to GS-III. Aishwarya herself has studied this paper from her own graduation notes and the little that was left, she searched them up on the internet and made fresh notes. 

Topicwise Booklist and Other Sources

Here is Aishwarya’s topic-wise booklist – 

Economics Optional Paper-I

• Micro Economics – H.L. Ahuja
• Macro Economics – H.L. Ahuja, Froyen
• Money and Finance – H.L. Ahuja
• Public Finance – H.L Bhatia
• International Economics – Salvatore
• Growth and Development – Online Sources, H.L Ahuja
• WTO, Environmental Economics – Online Sources

Economics Optional Paper-II

• mrunal study notes
• Aishwarya used her graduation notes; she suggests you take the books mentioned by other toppers

Do not ignore the Budget and the Economic survey.

Try and make notes from the budget speech directly to ensure you don’t miss details. This also helps in developing a better understanding. As for the Economic survey, it is usually a 2-part compilation with each part having around 500 pages. Aishwarya herself had reduced it to 4 pages of notes which she studied right before her interviews and could answer related questions on it.

How Much Time to Give to Economics as an Optional?

Aishwarya has given it 3 months – August, September, and October 2018. She made notes during this time and kept revising these notes regularly. It is best to complete the optional before the preliminary examination as there is not much time between preliminary and mains exams. She used to spend roughly 5 hours every day during this time for her optional. But she never stopped her General Studies preparation. Even when she was wholly concentrated on her optional, she still kept studying her current affairs related to General Studies for 2 to 3 hours every day.

Answer Writing Practice

Aishwarya joined a test series in Delhi. She had taken 14 to 15 tests for optional. It helped her ensure she was finishing her papers on time and also to better the quality of her writing. Aishwarya suggests starting with the compulsory questions. In there, she started with 20 markers and then complete 15 markers. But she advises you to do what works for you.

For Economics, keywords are very important. Examiners mark these points first and then evaluate the rest of the answer. Aishwarya recommends picking these keywords from the Economic Survey Report, the Budget Speech, and the NITI Aayog’s ‘India at 75’ report. The goal is to complete your optional on time, and that in itself is half the battle won.

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(Getting Started) Effectively Read Newspaper for UPSC in 60 Minutes

The importance of reading the daily newspaper for your UPSC Civil Services Examination preparation cannot be stressed enough. Successful aspirants have time and again stressed how being updated in-depth with the current affairs has allowed them to score good marks. However, aspirants still face a lot of problems trying to decipher 30-35 pages of news each day. Allotting 2 to 3 hours just for reading the newspaper when there is so much more to cover every day seems wasteful. In this article, we try to decipher how one can achieve similar expertise in current news by spending an hour a day only.

The Don’ts

First thing first – know what not to read. Out of the massive 30 pages of news in the paper, hardly 2-3 pages of combined content is what you need for UPSC. So, what should you avoid?

Newspaper Front Page

The front page is only useful in terms of headlines each day. Read all headlines. Now it is time to pick and choose. Almost all articles will be further linked to detailed articles in the inner pages. 

Avoid headlines on the following :

• Election wins and loses.
• Press Conferences by Political Parties.
• News about Sports Events.
• News related to the Entertainment business.
• Share market or business profits.
• Regional news with no national impact.

Inner Pages

Avoid the state news pages. As this differs from state to state, UPSC does not expect you to be updated about different news that made it to these pages in different regions of the country. So you can skip over these pages.

For international events, usually, these are news items that get dragged over months. There is no point in updating yourself on the daily. Instead, check them up weekly or even monthly in a Current Affairs Compilation booklet. That would give you enough details.

You can skip over the business pages sections where there is detailed mention fo the share markets, company shares, profits of private concerns, or salaries of CEOs. Only follow business news relevant to government revenue or expenditure. Such articles appear a few times a year at best.

Similarly, just avoid sports-related pages. Anything of National importance will be most definitely covered in enough details in Current Affairs Monthly Compilations.

We shouldn’t need to tell you that you need to avoid entertainment news like a plague. Also, in Editorial pages, ignore the reader entires and only read columns by noted journalists or specialists.

The Do’s

Now that you know what to avoid, let us look at what you must follow.

Choose News Based on Keywords

Some topics are mentioned for each subject in the UPSC Civil Services Examination syllabus. Ensure that if any of these topics are mentioned in a news item, you give that news item its deserved importance. For example, if the words “demographic dividend”, “poverty”, “judicial review”, etc. are mentioned, the article is important for GS-II Polity. Similarly, if the words “biodiversity”, “hot spot”, “IUCN”, etc. are mentioned, the article is important for GS-III Environment portion. Choose Editorials you have to read based on these keywords too.

National News

Do not skip the national news pages. Read the policies, decisions, etc. carefully. Skip the political drama. Inter-state dynamics are important as well. 

Science and Technology

This section of the UPSC syllabus is majorly covered in current affairs. Any technological advance whether related to the private or the government sector should be given importance. Do not skip this portion. For major newspapers like the Hindu, there is a page every week that covers that week’s Science and Tech news. Follow it diligently.

Other than that, in the business section, any news related to RBI, SEBI, IRDS, and other such government regulators has to be followed. Also, follow any humanitarian activities on a national or international scale where India is an active participant.

By following these simple rules, anyone should be able to read their daily news from the papers in roughly an hour. Make notes of only keywords, names, places, and dates and take advantage of monthly news compilations. 

You will make your UPSC journey a lot less stressful this way.

Best of Luck.

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(Getting Started) What Not to Do - Advice by AIR 148 Sunny Gupta

Like many other Indians, Sunny Gupta has always had the zeal for public service. However, he lacked the proper information and guidance. While working for HCL technologies, he was gradually introduced to the world of UPSC Civil Services. That’s when he found out that this was the path to realizing his dream. His determination was fanned by him successfully clearing the prelims examinations in his very first attempt. He refused to give up and having exhausted all six attempts, he stands tall with AIR 148 in UPSC CSE 2019. 

Struggles

Sunny has also cleared Kashmir Administration Services. In fact, it served as a source of confidence when despite attending interviews he was still being unable to crack the exam. In his 5th attempt, he secured IRTS services where he is currently undergoing training. He now awaits his new service call. Working under an IAS officer over the past 2-3 years, Sunny found himself even more motivated to land this service.

Sunny appeared for his preliminary and mains examinations while still working as a Tehsildar in Kashmir Administrative Services. There were challenges to holding a full-time gazetted position while appearing for an exam that is as demanding as UPSC Civil Services, but he managed it. It was less difficult while attending his interviews while undertaking training for his IRTS service as the interview preparation according to him take roughly 3 to 4 hours of one’s day.

Do’s and Don’ts

Do Not Treat Prelims and Mains Separately

Sunny says given the pattern of the preliminary examination these days, do not make the mistake of thinking you can prepare separately for prelims and mains. UPSC Preliminary questions are no longer just factual or direct; they are in fact very analytical in nature and require as in-depth an understanding as it would take to answer a mains question. Stick to the standard textbooks and study current affairs thoroughly. Connecting each current news article to the related static information is required if one is to clear UPSC CSE prelims today.

Do Not Leave Answer Writing To The End

Writing answers is key to clearing the mains examination. It has to be a year-long process and cannot be achieved in a few months. Writing every day, having the right structure and pace is crucial to finishing the paper in time and writing quality answers that fetch good marks. Do not leave writing answers until you are done with your revisions. Work simultaneously on both; that is the only way to succeed.

16 Candidates from Jammu & Kashmir cleared UPSC CSE, 2019

Do Not Make Detailed Notes

Notes making is essential. Knowing how to make crisp and concise notes is equally important. The last one month before either prelims or mains exams should be about revising the whole upsc syllabus without missing out on a single topic. How does one revise a syllabus that took years to complete in just 4 weeks? Not from textbooks, not from a compilation, and definitely not from bulk and detailed notes. Do not try to reread, that is not what revising is all about. Instead, think of your notes as cue cards meant to guide you towards information your mind has already stored. Make crisp and short notes, keep revising them as many times as you can.

Do Not Try to Act Differently in Interviews

Interviews are a test of your personality. Do not try to fake aspects of your personality or present qualities that you don’t originally possess. Dishonesty is not ethical and thus not appreciated by interview boards. Instead, revise all that you have studies to make it through to the interviews. Learn more about the aspects you have mentioned in your upsc DAF. And try to be humble and answer best to your abilities, while remaining completely professional and honest about your strengths and weaknesses. You should come off with flying colors.

Do Not Try to Study Everything

Don’t study everything. Its not a doctorate program. Study limited sources and keep revising so much that when you write, you do not need to think hard to recall the information. Revising and retaining the little you study is more important than studying a vast amount of information. Keep revising and writing answers. That is the only way to succeed in UPSC Civil Services.

Message to Aspirants

Sunny Gupta’s Interview

Do not give up. Instead, analyze your shortcomings and reform them. There is no failure in UPSC, it is just a part of your whole journey. Do not let the pressure get to you. With a cool head, keep trying till you can. Failure is not the end.

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(Getting Started) UPSC Preparation Do's and Don'ts for Working Professionals

A lot of very successful UPSC toppers have cracked this exam while working a full-time job. Many continue to do so either due to financial restraints or due to the uncertainty associated with the Civil Services Examination. It is a myth that one cannot crack UPSC Civil Services while working. If anything, the UPSC interview panel regards those with a full-time job with high regard and even admires them for their dedication and time management skills. However, given the nature of this competitive exams, here are the top 7 do’s and don’ts working aspirants should keep in mind.

Burning the midnight oil (Picture Courtesy: Freepik)

  Stretch Out Your Preparation

The ideal time an aspirant is expected to give to UPSC is 12 to 18 months. But this is for a candidate who can spend 10+ hours a day for their preparation. When you work 8 hours a day for 5 or 6 days a week, along with some travel time, that is just not possible. The most a working candidate can give their preparation is about 4 hours on working days and maybe 8 to 10 hours on their day off. Because of this, the recommended period for a full-time working candidate is 24 to 36 months at the least. Depending on what you are comfortable with, this may stretch to 48 months as well. Do not panic. Remember, as someone with a full-time career, you also do not have the stress of ruining your professional options with a failure. So do not fret, take your time, and nail it!

Limit Your Resources

Remember, as a working candidate, you are already short of time. The UPSC syllabus is an endless abyss, and unless you are careful, you will get lost in it. Choose no more than one main source for each topic.  You can always research a little more over either the internet or a reference book. However, you should not spend too much time doing so. Stick to one newspaper like the Hindu and one current affairs monthly compilation. That will most definitely be enough for you to cover all bases.

Make Notes and Keep Revising

Multiple revisions are key to succeeding in the Civil Services Examination. A working professional does not have the luxury of reading through the same elaborate material over and over again. So, at the very first go, make crisp, short notes for each topic. Every time you need to revise a topic, just reach out for your notes. This will not only save you the time and effort that can be better utilized studying something new, but it will also help you have a grasp of the topic better than most other aspirants.

Making notes is absolutely essential (Picture Courtesy: Freepik)

Target Writing 3 to 4 Answers A Week

Answer Writing is crucial to securing a good rank in UPSC CSE. Unlike full-time aspirants, a working professional has to make a trade-off here and cannot possibly choose to write answers every day. However, by setting weekly targets, you ensure that you get enough practice and keep improving yourself gradually. The same goes for practicing Essay writing. Target 3 to 4 essays a month to ensure you ace that paper.

Don’t Neglect Your Optional

Keep a day dedicated to studying and practicing writing for your choice of optional. It carries a total of 500 marks and needs your full attention. Target completing your optional syllabus in 9 to 12 months. This way, by the time you sit for your Civil Services Examination, you will have an in-depth knowledge of your optional subject and that is exactly what UPSC requires.

Join a Test Series

If you are starting with a 24 months target, it is advisable to join a test series for both Prelims and Mains 6 to 9 months into your preparation. A test series allows you to analyze your strengths and weaknesses, understand where you stand with respect to the competition, and improve yourself so that you come out on top when you finally sit for UPSC CSE. For working professionals, this is extremely important to keep you motivated and help you not give up on your goals.

Finally, Save as Much Time as You Can

You need to conserve time and energy. A human being cannot keep overworking themselves for years and be in good enough mental and physical health to function at their best. Stay near your workplace to limit commute time, cook your week’s food requirement over the weekend or hire a tiffin service, limit social media presence, and decrease socializing considerably. These are minor sacrifices compared to the reward in the end.

At the end of the day, it is your name that will be on top of the merit list. Do what you must to get there. The destination is worth the difficult journey you will take.

Best of Luck.

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(Article) ANALYSIS OF UPSC 2019 EXAM FINAL RESULT CUT OFF

Context : 

Recently, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has declared the final result of the Civil Services Examination 2019. The number of total qualified candidates is 829 including the prestigious services of IAS, IPS & IFS, IRS among others.

Key details :

• A total of 829 candidates are recommended for Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS) and Indian Police Service (IPS), among other civil services.
• Mr. Pradeep Singh secured the first rank while Mr. Jatin Kishore and Ms. Pratibha Verma secured the second and third ranks respectively in the UPSC Toppers list.

Break up of 829 candidates category wise are as under :

• Out of 829 qualified candidates, 304 are from the General category, 78 from Economically Weaker Section (EWS), 251 from Other Backward Classes (OBC), 129 from Scheduled Castes (SC) and 67 from Scheduled Tribes (ST) categories.
• The prestigious civil services examination is conducted every year in three phases i.e. preliminary, mains, and interview.

Reserve list :

• A total of 182 candidates has been put under the reserve list.
• A consolidated Reserve List of candidates along with the list of recommended candidates is maintained by the UPSC. 
• This reserve list serves the purpose of the supplementary list which comes after the first main list. Both lists are based on the number of vacancies sanctioned in a particular year.

Significance of UPSC Cut Off score :

• The minimum qualifying standards/marks secured by the last recommended candidate in various categories at various stages issued by the UPSC are as under:- 

UPSC CSE Prelims Exam 2019 :

UPSC had conducted the IAS Prelims examination on 02nd June 2019 (Sunday) across the country. There were 2 compulsory papers i.e. General Ability Test (GAT) and the Civil Service Aptitude Test (CSAT) of 200 marks each, out of which CSAT is of qualifying nature.

UPSC CSE Mains Exam 2019 :

Those candidates qualified in prelims exams have been invited for the CSE Mains exams conducted in September 2019.

UPSC Civil Service Personality Test (Interview):

UPSC CSE Interview was conducted in February-July 2020. A total of 2304 candidates were invited to appear for the interview round.

EWS quota cut off lower than OBC category :

• EWS quota was introduced for the first time in the 2019 exam. 
• The Final cutoff list released by UPSC shows that the EWS category cutoff is lower than the OBC, SC, and ST at different stages of the exams.
• For instance,

•  In Pre-exam 2019: EWS cut off is 90 while the OBC cut off is 95.34.
• In Mains exam 2019: EWS cut off is 696 while the OBC, SC, ST cut off is 718, 706, 699 respectively.
• In Interview 2019: EWS cut off is 909 while the OBC cut off is 925. 

• Every reserved category is having its own cut-off list that ultimately depends upon the number of candidates who actually come forward to avail the quota in that category and their subsequent performance. 
• If few people are availing of the EWS quota, then its cut off is bound to be lower in comparison to other categories.
• This also indicates that the candidates from the EWS category would have found it almost impossible to make it without quota.
• It also raises questions over the extent of the differences between the backward among forwards & the other categories.

Way Forward :

UPSC CSE 2019 results have shown a bright & clear path to its future aspirants. It once again shows that quality & hard work is the way out to achieve the dreams of being a civil servant.

Differences among the reserved categories with their cut off now give a new dimension to think about the policies of development of various social groups in the country.

Happy Studies!

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