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(Getting Started) How To Complete Lengthy UPSC Mains Papers In 3 Hours



(Getting Started) How To Complete Lengthy UPSC Mains Papers In 3 Hours



Top 5 Answer Writing Tips for UPSC Civil Service Mains

UPSC Civil Services is one of the toughest competitive examinations in the country, perhaps even the world, but with good reasons. The upsc preliminary examination itself is considered tough enough, but the upsc main examination; which comprises of 9 conventional written papers, is even harder to get through. IAS aspirants work for years developing their knowledge base and improving their writing skills to score above the cut-off. However, knowledge and writing skills cannot help you score enough if you are not able to complete answering all questions. 

So here are the top 4 tips to help you complete your mains papers within the allotted 3 hours.

4 Tips To Finish Your UPSC Mains Papers On-Time 

  1. Don’t Just Start Writing From The First Question Itself

Each mains paper is a good mix of easy, medium, and hard questions. Not all of them need to be answered. Usually, candidates are expected to answer 1 or 2 mandatory questions, and they have the option of choosing which ones to answer from the ones left. Take 5-7 minutes at the very beginning of the examination to choose the questions you have the most knowledge about. Start with writing the questions that come most easily to you. This way, when you finish those questions before time, you are left with more time to answer the ones you are less comfortable writing. In the rush to answer, do not start writing tough questions only to miss out on the easy ones.

  1. Don’t Try To Switch Between Multiple Pens And Pencil

A lot of aspirants believe using multiple colors on the paper will have the examiner more attracted to and invested in your answer. And though this may be partially true, it is ultimately the information you put down on the paper that matters. In your rush to use different inks, and draw neat diagrams and maps in pencil, do not miss out on answering questions that can fetch you 10-12 more marks. Be wise. Write neat answers and underline or indent the information to highlight them. Draw rough maps and diagrams with a pen. As long as your facts are accurate, and you have met the demand of the question, you will score well.

Why do aspirants prefer Pilot V5 pens for the UPSC CSE Mains, though it is  not water-resistant? - Quora

You only need one pen

  1. Use A Good Quality Pen

Imagine the stress if your pen stops working in the middle of such an important examination. Even if you do not lose more than a few seconds in picking up another pen, the distraction and stress alone can affect your abilities. Use a good quality pen to avoid stress. It doesn’t have to be very expensive. A regular ball-point with a wide nib should give a smooth writing experience and even help your writing speed.

  1. The Watch Is Your Friend

Keep tracking the time. The goal is to answer 20 questions in 180 minutes. 10 of these are shorter ones and 10 are longer. Allot 6-7 minutes to the 10 markers and 8-10 minutes to the 15 markers. You should absolutely spend no more than 10 minutes on a single question. Keep an eye on the watch as you start and keep checking it every few sentences to ensure you are on track. As long as you don’t slow your pace, you should be able to finish the paper with at least a few minutes to spare.

Practice Makes You Perfect

All of these tips will not be applicable overnight. As you write more answers over the months preceding your mains examination, time yourself, and keep revising, you will find yourself falling into this pattern. Practice will ensure you finish your mains papers on time, so do not stop writing answers. Remember, your mains score is the ultimate deciding factor as to where on the final list your name sits. 

Give it your best and you’ll achieve your dream.

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(Getting Started) How To Fill Your DAF For UPSC Civil Services Exam



(Getting Started) How To Fill Your DAF For UPSC Civil Services Exam



As and when results for UPSC prelims are released, many aspirants have to go back to the drawing board to start fresh for another year. The few that qualify now have the mammoth task of writing UPSC mains examination in less than 3 months. But before it all, they are now required to fill in the Detailed Application form of DAF. The DAF is a form filled only by candidates on the UPSC Civil Services Examination who have cleared the preliminary stage and it serves as a tool for the council to gather more pertinent information about those they are about to hire. It is an extremely important piece of document that must be filled in very carefully.

UPSC Civil Services exam: Important instructions for filling the DAF form |  Education News,The Indian Express

Basics Of DAF

The DAF is a very technology-friendly process these days and need to be filled online on the UPSC official website. It has around 10 parts and each part caters to a specific type of related set of information. Each year minor changes are made in the form so candidates should read the instructions and guidelines carefully before putting down a response. All documents required to be submitted must be scanned and uploaded/attached during submission.

Documents To Be Attached

As of this year, the following documents need to be attached to the DAF –

  1. Scanned copy of Certificate of age.
  2. Scanned copy of Certificate(s) of educational qualifications.
  3. Scanned copy of Certificate in support of the claim to belong to Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes/Other Backward Classes (if applicable.
  4. Scanned copy of Certificate in support of the claim for age relaxation (if applicable).
  5. Scanned copy of the certificate in support of the claim to being Physically challenged (along with the certificate of Disability in Dominant (writing) Extremity, if applicable).
  6. Scanned copy of Hailing from Certificate to show that the candidate hails from Arunachal Pradesh/ Manipur/ Meghalaya/ Mizoram/ Nagaland or Sikkim (if applicable).
  7. Scanned copy of undertaking for the candidate who is in Government service that he /she has intimated in writing the Head of the Office / Department about his/her appearance in the examination.
  8. Scanned copies of documentary proof in support of service/status/landholding/income from different sources/property held by parents of OBC (non-creamy layer) candidates.

NOTE: The documents must be scanned in 200 dpi grayscale, in PDF format only. It is advised that cellphones should not be used for scanning documents. Documents should be placed together in a single, password-protected PDF file of size not more than 3 MB. The scans should be legible. No document is required to be sent by Post or by Hand.

You can find sample images of the DAF form in the images below.

Fees

UPSC has different fee structures for different groups of candidates. General and OBC candidates need to pay ₹200, whereas female and SC/ST candidates are exempted from this payment.

Service And Cadre Preference

This varies from year to year. Some years UPSC asks for the service and cadre preference during the initial DAF submission, and some year it is required as an addendum post mains. However, once you fill the preference, you cannot change it later, so be very careful and fill it once you are sure of what you want.

Hobbies/Co-Curricular Details

This might seem trivial at the first glance but keep in mind that this finds a glowing place in the DAF summary sheet. As a result, when you go to face your interview, these are topics the interview panel has access to and may ask questions on. So be truthful, and only fill in details you are completely confident about. You have come this far; do not let this opportunity slip. 

We wish you all the very best for your mains exams.

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



(Download) CS (MAIN) EXAM:2022 GEOLOGY (Paper II)



  • Exam Name: CS (MAIN) EXAM:2022 GEOLOGY (Paper II)
  • Marks: 250
  • Time Allowed : Three Hours

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



(Download) CS (MAIN) EXAM:2022 GEOLOGY (Paper I)



  • Exam Name: CS (MAIN) EXAM:2022 GEOLOGY (Paper I)
  • Marks: 250
  • Time Allowed : Three Hours

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


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


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

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


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


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

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