For Freshers

BASIC STRUCTURE OF EXAM:


It has three stages:



1.PRELIMS OR APTITUTE TEST:this has 2 papers-general studies and optional paper,which is selected by candidate as per his/her choice.it is multiple choice type.i think there is no need to elaborate this ,as the pattern may get replaced by aptitute test next year-this change is still doubtful,thus to use time available most productively,many aspirants hav started preparing for prelims ie for unchanged pattern...and they plan to start aptitude preparation when the official confirmation of the aptitude test inclusion comes.....probably,this a gud way as for aptitute test,the syllabus n pattern is ret not clear...still,the decision should be one's own as one cant say which strategy will be right one...



2.mains examination; this contains 9 essay type papers-two for general studies , two paper each for each optional and one essay paper. the marks of only these are counted in making merit list. others are just qualifying language papers- mine were english and hindi.



gs and optional papers are 300marks each where as essay is of 200 marks. 3 hrs for each of nine papers is alloted.the catch is this exams tests ur stamina to ultimate level by taking two papers in a single day . the first paper is gs for all on same day-paper 1 in morning and paper 2 in evening,next day morning will be essay and evening english paper. and ya still, the following morning the qualifying language paper is there(mine was hindi). a thought of it tires,and writing it tires one even more..



optional papers have their own specific dates alloted,morning is optional paper 1 and evening is optional paper2. here problem is the gap between the two papers may be very less. as for my optionals -sociology and psychology there was no gap.it was back to back. that meant in when i came back home after writing sociology paper2,i was too tired to study and just slept to hav energy for next day paper in morning. this information is very crucial as knowing this in advance helped me to plan and motivate myself till psycho paper2,where i may had underperform only because of fatigue.



essay can both easyand tough, depending on ur understanding of its demands. high score requires lots of innovation,current related relevant additions,interlinking of one's knowledge of gs,both optionals and one's own personal views on specific topic.sice it is approx of 1200 words, it reveal lots about our abilty to write coherently all along with being focussed on the topic asked.





WHAT TO STUDY,IF STARTING WELL IN ADVANCE...?

-it is an asset,if you have ample time...because the exam's preparation,coaching and even procedure of exam is very time consuming....



-just a word of caution too,preparition of civils should be balanced well with graduation studies...and should not be done at its cost(esp. for medicos as their studies do require undivided attention)....if the graduation subjects r helpful in civil exam,as being one of the optional-then an extra effort to same can b done with graduation itself-but UPSC's prescribed syllabus for same,n 10 yrs papers review should be done often,to streamline both...



-daily newspaper reading n mazines (mentioned in BOOKS column)can help u get good understanding of contemporary happenings n problems...if time permits,u can start with gs books too..



-for those who want to pursue coaching with graduation,evening batches r there in vajiram for gs..



IMPORTANT-this time should b used to collect right information,knowing right strategy,ie basically making a blue print.....this will help u when u enter into proper preparation phase..n may also help u to reduce attempts to make it through the exam...

attitude needed-

i believe,its the passion to clear the exam which is most crucial-as the exam has its frustrating moments,challenges n setbacks, and to face all one needs a burning desire to clear the exam...this alone can motivate through this exam..



-its a challenging exam n thus one has to mentally,physically ready for the hardwork,effort n commitment..



-then,this is a level playing field,so even if we have had successful academic background,we should not complacent towards this exam...same goes for those who feel their past achievements are not extraordinary....this exam provides u with a platform to prove yourself now,irrespective of ur past....it judges on ur performance in here...(though it may make a small difference during interview time,but enough opportunities are provided in interview to show many of ur positive personalities traits,so it just dont have to be feared)



-one has to remain optimistic during preparation...everyone has her strengths n weaknesses...one needs to focus on strengths n improve on weaknesses....



-try to have a friend circle of ur own where serious aspirants can discuss n share ideas....

selection of optionals;

this is a very important decision coz in unchanged pattern optional has 300 marks for 120 questions ie 2.50marks for each one,n gs is only 150 marks for 150 questions ie 1 marks per question(hough a basic minimum cutoff is there in gs n socio)



then in mains both optinals totals to 1200 out of 2300,n being more predictable than gs n having defined syllabus r helpful in getting descent score...



the decision should be based on one's INTEREST in these ...coz u have to read them for long time n achieve a high level of excellence in it....



see the 10 yrs papers n syllabus of the optionals u r interested in n then make a rational decision..



availability of good coaching,material,guidance do matter but primary thing is interest only...



having a background may be helpful but is not an necessity...like my optionals-socio n psycho were very different from medical background..if u get good guidance n u put in focussed hardwork in it...u can surely can master them too...



the concept of one optional being better than other is mispalaced as students from almost all optional qualify...



the changing of optional in midway out of low score can be very demanding on one'st ime n effort and hence better be logical n rational in making choice at first place only...

risk involved(its a relative term....)

this exam is risky,in the way that sometimes with best effort something may go wrong in this long process. a sensible decision will be to hav a decent background to fall upon in such circumstance.



most of the people recommend to plan a backup career option.



the above lines were regarding the practical aspect of exam...n should not at all b demoralising...it helps in taking right steps in advance.....every exam has risk involved...so also this one.....our focus should b on work....as this is all we can do...know right strategy,books n put best foot forward...leav no stone unturned...thats needed n thats what we can do....

JOB WITH PREPARATION-

this question has been asked to me again n again in the guestbook,here is my stand on it,esp in view that i was in internship or job for about 9 mths out of 2 yrs of study period.-



-doing job makes us more efficent time manager n our work is better planned.(infact,i used to use my lunch breaks or free time at job to read newspaper-hindu,hence multi-tasking)



-there is 5-7:30pm batch for gs in vajiram,which i joined n most of the ppl doing prepn with job,join this batch.



-if u miss few classes coz of job,coaching institutes usually allow u to attend those with other batches or u can always hav notes from frnds n clarify any doubts with concerned teacher.



-infact,doing job n coaching may make one compromise on self-study,which one should b careful about..there is also aan opinion that giv two commited attempts without job n then join job while appearing for third.(ie giving urself a time frame of studying without job n thereafter joining it.,but it is actually a personal decision)



-it goes very positively with the intw board,that u r in job or that u r managing studies with job. one direct question which is asked to many aspirants is-what hav u been doing after completing graduation?



-one can always take leave at crucial junctures,like between pre n mains, before intw etc.



-some of engineer friends hav mentioned that if they delay joining a job for more than few years,they lose the edge as the tech is changing really fast in their area,so all things need to b considered before one takes the decision.



-some others,prefer joining a course in delhi university instead of job,while pursuing civils preparation



-basically,at the end the passion,commitment for civils matter,rather than doing job or not.