Showing posts with label Civil Service Exam. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Civil Service Exam. Show all posts

How to Prepare Current Affairs for Civil Services Exam ?

MASTERING CURRENT AFFAIRS FOR CIVIL SERVICES EXAM

How to Prepare Current Affairs for Civil Services Exam?


Current affairs to the civil services exam is what the backbone is to the human body. Just as without a backbone, our body shall not get the support to stand erect, without current affairs, civil services preparation shall come crumbling on the ground.

If there is one thing that defines civil services exam, it is current affairs. And if there is one thing that needs top priority, it is again, current affairs.

To state a simple fact, current affairs accounts for almost sixty percent of the GS syllabus. If we take an extended view, the current affairs count even in optional papers such as Political Science, Sociology, Public Administration Geography etc.

The second paper of these optional are applied aspects of the subject with special bearing for India. And unless one knows the current developments related to the topics of these optional papers, it will be impossible to write an effective, relevant answer.

Thus, one can safely say that current affairs is an all-pervasive phenomenon in civil services exam and no one can get away from this reality. Sadly, few understand the importance of current affairs in this exam.

Even those who are aware of its importance are at a loss to understand as to how to handle it. It results in poor preparation, poor marks, and frustration among the aspirants. Therefore, a true understanding of the value and significance of current affairs is the key to success in the civil services exam.

This article briefly summarises current affairs in all its aspects to navigate the path of preparation for the aspirants who lack direction and purpose while attempting to cover current affairs part.

How to Prepare Current Affairs for Civil Services Exam?


Why current affairs in civil services exam?

As we all know, civil services exam is a process to select generalists and not specialists in various administrative jobs. It follows from this that a candidate must demonstrate a good knowledge of the issues and events that have social, economic, political and administrative implications. For a career in civil services, knowledge of issues of current relevance is important to make informed decisions.

Macaulay, who introduced the merit-based civil services under the Charter Act 1853, said :" Knowledge is transferrable" By this what he meant was that if a candidate has a wide knowledge of diverse subjects, it will translate into his capacity to govern better. In other words, a civil servant, with a wide knowledge base is better equipped to discharge his duties in order to meet the broader administrative goals as also to act in the larger public interest. Thus, the goal of wider knowledge as advocated by Macaulay can be achieved by a good comprehension of current affairs which is made up of a very wide, diverse range of topics reported in newspapers, journals, websites and electronic media.

Smart Strategy on How To Crack IAS Prelims Examination 2019 - UPSC CIVIL SERVICES EXAMINATION-2019

CIVIL SERVICES EXAMINATION-2019

HOW TO CRACK IAS PRELIMS EXAM

Given its immense popularity among the educated, talented and hardworking youth of the country, civil service examination is bound to be the most bitterly contested exam one can find in India.

Civil services command respect, prestige and status like no other job can offer. Besides, it provides job security and attractive perks to provide a comfortable lifestyle. But more than all these factors, it is the nature of the job to be performed in civil services that motivate many to aspire for it.

Apart from offering challenges and diversity, civil services offer some of the most socially relevant jobs which lend meaning and justification to life. Unlike the private sector jobs, where one is doing mostly socially irrelevant jobs or, even at times socially harmful jobs, civil services offer satisfying jobs in sectors such as policing, education, health, welfare etc. This is why many candidates try hard to get into civil services rather than pursuing a career in the private sector.

As is well known, it is a three-stage examination comprising prelims, mains and interview. At all the three levels of the contest (i.e., preliminary, mains and the personality test), there are challenges. But it is at the first stage of the exam. i.e. the preliminary exam, that is found to be most challenging. Although prelims is purported to be just a qualifying test to allow a candidate to appear in the main examination, the reality is that it is both scary and intimidating.

It is scary because out of a total of 4-5 lakh aspirants appearing, only 15,000 candidates have a chance to get selected at this level. Thus it actually translates into not a qualifying exam but an elimination process and even the most talented among the aspirants run the risk of getting eliminated in the prelims level itself. If one gets eliminated, he/she has to wait for one full year to get another chance to qualify and appear in the mains.

It is intimidating because there is so much to study for the exam ranging from the traditional areas like history, culture, geography, environment and ecology, polity, science and technology to current and contemporary issues.

Whereas the mains exam seeks a conceptual understanding of the issues, prelims seek both conceptual understanding and factual knowledge which broadens its scope. Viewed in this perspective, prelims preparation is a true test of one’s nerves, tenacity, persistence, and perseverance.

Smart Strategy on How To Crack IAS Prelims Examination 2019 -  UPSC CIVIL SERVICES EXAMINATION-2019

Civil Services Exam is a Major Challenge - Keep Your Option Clear

Keep Your options Clear For UPSC Civil Service Exam
Civil Services Exam is a Major Challenge

Choosing the right optional subject in Civil Services examination is a major challenge for aspirants. The liberal decision of the UPSC of taking one optional subject out of two papers from 2013, has reduced a lot of stress for the aspirants. Now they need to select only one optional subject. But choosing that one optional subject also matters a lot as the subject consists two papers of 250 marks each. Selecting the right optional subject is of paramount importance as it will surely step up your chances of selection, so an aspirant should know all the factors before picking up the optional subject. Let’s dig into the factors that a candidate must consider before picking up an optional subject.


Scoring quotient
Most of the students attempting for the first time choose an optional subject which is considered as the most scoring subject. Therefore, most of the students prefer to choose geography, history, political science, public administration or psychology. Statistics reveal that most of the students select geography and public administration as optional subject. More than 80 per cent of aspirants opt for these subjects as all these subjects overlap with general studies which they usually study while preparing for GS pre and Mains.

In the past few years, candidates have been scoring above 350 marks in public administration and more than 400 marks in geography, which is pretty good. This explains why more and more students are opting for these subjects. Let’s see what makes certain subjects more scoring:

■ Public administration is more about having knowledge of administrative traits and involves more self – study and self-understanding than personal coaching.

■ As almost everyone studies history till at least Class VIII, it is a familiar subject for most students. With multiple choice questions it is easier to score more in this.

■ Most of the students are interested in map-based questions, especially those from engineering or medical background. No wonder geography is one of the most popular subjects among IAS aspirants.

Civil Services Exam is a Major Challenge

Have a good command over a subject
Although, when we talk about which paper is more scoring, it is better to remember that no subject is less scoring as it largely depends upon the interest of the candidate and his academic background. If a candidate is exceptionally good in a subject, he will obviously score more in that paper. So, if geography is your forte, it will not be prudent to pick up history as it is scoring subject.
■ If a candidate has already mastered a subject in school or in graduation, it becomes easier to understand and it is natural to select it. Moreover, the availability of preparation material and guidance are also important. Thus, choosing the right optional subject is half the battle won and candidates must factor in all the pros and cons of a particular choice before going ahead.

LANGUAGES GAIN MOMENTUM
Languages are generally seen as less scoring than other subjects and require a higher level of proficiency. But in spite of that over the past few years the trend of selecting a language as an optional subject is on the rise. Many students opt for Hindi Literature, which is not too surprising as a large number of candidates from Hindi speaking states appear for IAS exam. Similarly, languages like Pali are also gaining currency and most of the students are opting for the language, but again it completely depends upon one’s interest, academic and geographical background and knowledge. Tamil literature is being opted by many of candidates from Tamil Nadu and so on.

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