• The prelims is going to be relatively easier to those candidate who is adopting integrated approach. Isolate study will land you in isolation. You cannot rely on any single source to prepare. You need vast coverage and institutive eye to spot and pick. It is high time to figure out your even and odds, if you sit idle and wait for the notification till February 2012 and then start your preparation, in all respects, you are missing out opportunity.

• Any guesswork or supposition would not be beneficial any longer. The evolving situation requires an environment where sense of empathy would work wonders. It is better not to be isolated while preparing, being in touch with other candidates through group study is also helpful in exchanging information and discussing your strategies.

• In the new format the traditional way of studying and the rote learning of concepts would no longer help to crack the exam. In the CSAT paper only application of knowledge is required, there is nothing to mug-up. The plan and examination standards make it very demanding in nature. You are supposed to catch and collect newer information and fresh ideas whenever it comes to you.

• More emphasis on understanding and analysis than memorizing This is test of the candidate's aptitude for the prestigious civil services from the ethical and moral dimension. Candidates with low moral and ethical aptitude will get weeded out. Spruce up your general awareness and mental ability

• Focus more on decision-oriented analytical questions. Be prepared to answer situational questions faced in real life by the civil servants. Throughout the preparation for the prelims exam, it is important to remember that any topic or concept should not be studied in isolation. It is better to understand and establish a correlation between related concepts from other subjects and current events and happenings.

• Also IAS candidates who used to conveniently ignore mental ability, data analysis can no longer hide from such questions and will have to face them head long. So start practicing such questions. Also non-English background students will need to improve their English passage reading skills whereas everyone will need to reflect on their communication skills in order to tackle tricky questions on the topic. So start preparing for the prelims right away.

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