When it comes to the UPSC Mains preparation, meticulous and a well-structured strategy are paramount. The UPSC CSE Prelims is the first stage of the Civil Services Examination. After you have cleared the first hurdle of this prestigious exam, the most crucial phase of your preparation journey begins, which is for the UPSC Mains. Prelims is qualifying in nature, so your score in that round will not determine your final selection. The UPSC Mains exam, on the other hand, will play a critical role in determining your selection and rank.
As a result, it is critical to develop a solid UPSC Mains preparation strategy that will boost your score and improve your chances of obtaining a good rank.
Preparing for the UPSC mains requires a comprehensive strategy. Here are some key steps:
1. Understand the Syllabus: Familiarize yourself with the UPSC mains syllabus to know what topics to focus on.
2. Effective Time Management: Allocate sufficient time for each subject according to your strengths and weaknesses. Make a study schedule and stick to it.
3. Revision: Regularly revise your notes and important topics to ensure retention and understanding.
4. Answer Writing Practice: Practice writing answers regularly to improve your speed, clarity, and presentation. Analyze previous years’ question papers to understand the pattern and style of questions asked.
5. Current Affairs: Stay updated with current events and their implications on various issues. Read newspapers, magazines, and online sources regularly.
6. Essay Writing: Practice essay writing on diverse topics to enhance your writing skills and critical thinking abilities.
7. Optional Subject Preparation: If applicable, devote sufficient time to prepare for your optional subject. Understand its syllabus thoroughly and practice solving questions.
8. Mock Tests: Take mock tests regularly to assess your preparation level and identify areas for improvement.
9. Feedback and Improvement: Seek feedback from mentors, teachers, or peers on your answer writing and overall preparation. Work on their suggestions for improvement.
10. Stay Healthy: Take care of your physical and mental health during the preparation phase. Ensure proper sleep, nutrition, and relaxation to stay focused and motivated.
Remember, consistency and perseverance are key to success in UPSC mains. Keep practicing and learning from your mistakes to continuously improve your performance.
Do’s & Don’ts
one of the first tips we’ll make is not to succumb to worry and despondency if you didn’t make it past the preliminary exams this year.This is because, even if someone does not pass the Prelims this year and is a significant candidate, he or she has the opportunity to pass the Prelims the following year.
UPSC Mains Answer Writing Practice.
The UPSC Mains Examination demands you to write at least 20 responses in three hours. This makes answer writing practice critical for UPSC Mains since it improves the capacity to explain thoughts clearly within a specific time frame while also honing the skill of comprehensively addressing multiple questions. Having everything exactly fit in your thoughts does not guarantee that you will be able to put it on paper. Everyday answer writing exercise will help you build analytical thinking, logical response structure, and knowledge integration across subjects. Consistent practice can help you build confidence, improve time management, and develop the ability to clearly convey complicated topics, which is essential for success in the UPSC mains exam.
Recognize the Question Trends
It is crucial to comprehend the format of questions in every assignment, including the essay, in order to write qualitative responses. Keeping track of UPSC past year question papers is the best approach to accomplish this. This will assist you in determining the crucial subjects and domains that are probably going to be examined.
A method known as “reverse engineering” can also help you comprehend the questions better. In reverse engineering, the query is the beginning point, and the pertinent theories and concepts are found by working backwards. This can assist you in crafting more in-depth and thoughtful responses.
GS Paper I
- Indian national movement and post-independence consolidation of India.
- The questions are related to a variety of issues. For example, linking Gandhi’s ideology to the national movement. As a result, the emphasis should be on underlying ideas rather than specific incidents.
- Sources: Bipin Chandra, India’s Struggle for Independence, and India Since Independence.
- Also, consider contemporary themes such as anniversaries of any significant events throughout the Freedom Struggle.
- Indian Society
Geography
- Prepare key geographical phenomena, with a special emphasis on human geography.
- Class XI & XII NCERTs.
- Focus on important geophysical phenomena such as earthquakes, tsunamis, and landslides in the news.
- Focus on important geophysical phenomena such as earthquakes, tsunamis, and landslides in the news.
- World History
- The Enlightenment, the American and French Revolutions, and the World Wars are the primary focus areas.
- Sources
- Class IX and X NCERTs: Mastering Modern World History by Norman Lowe GS Paper II
GS Paper 2
- Federal Relationship between Union and States Separation of powers among different institutions
- Usually, current-based questions are posed.
- Sources
- For the essentials, follow Lakshmikant without going into too much depth, like you would for Prelims.
- For the current DCAT or any other standard magazine.
- Comparison of the Indian Constitution to the Constitutions of Important Countries
- Government policies
- Sources from India. Yearbook 2018.
- Yojana and Kurukshetra have been active for the past year. (For a more detailed explanation of effort maximization, see Academic Vitamins in DCAT).
- Focus on the CAG report on government schemes in the news.
- Also, focus on the government’s flagship schemes and their impact.
- NGOs and SHGs
The most often requested questions are about news problems.
Sources: Internet for understanding the operations of NGOs and SHGs and their impact on Indian democracy.
DCAT Magazine Articles, TTP, and Academic Vitamins.
Issues related to poverty and hunger
The most often requested questions are about news problems.
Sources: DCAT Magazine Articles, TTP, Academic Vitamins.
E-Governance
International relations
International institutions
Election Reforms
Prepare based on current events. For example, the simultaneous staging of elections.
Source: DCAT’s August issue provides in-depth examination.
GS Paper III
Agriculture Issues
Prepare for time-tested sectors such as farm subsidies, MSP, and irrigation.
Macroeconomic issues that are ‘in the news’ include infrastructural issues such as rivers, railways, and ports.
Prepare themes such as monetary policy, the RBI’s role in the economy, employment, including skill training, Economic Survey Vol. II, 25 years of LPG subsidy, civil aviation policy, and so on.
Science & Technology.
Prepare by researching current events such as new technologies, India’s defense and space programs, milestone developments in medical science, nanotechnology, and biotechnology.
Sources
The Hindu Science and Technology category for the past year. (Refer to the archives if you missed any segments).
DCAT September edition supplement.
Environment
Prepare solely from current events while also researching the science underlying the data. For example, consider the CAMPA Bill or the man-animal conflict, which includes culling.
Sources
The Economic Survey chapter on Climate Change. DCAT supplement. India. The yearbook’s environmental part.
Disaster Management
Prepare from current events, keeping an eye out for policy frameworks. Topics such as urban flooding and water crisis, drought and farmer suicides, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, and the National Disaster Management Plan should be developed.
Sources
NCERT Class XI: Physical Environment.
DCAT October edition supplement.
ARC recommendations are merely a synopsis.
Internal Security
Traditional subjects related to current issues are the way to go. Examples include cross-border terrorism and mob lynchings, AFSPA, money laundering (Fugitive Absconders Bill), NRC, and the Assam Accord, among others.
Sources
DCAT October Supplement.
Internal Security of India-Tata McGraw Hills.
GS Paper IV
Case Studies
Best prepared after reviewing prior years’ Q&As. There are several case studies available; understanding which ones to study and which to avoid will save you a lot of time. Please review prior DCAT issues and the upcoming Ethics addendum that we are working on.
Ethics
Prepare for current subjects such as doping (sports ethics). Also prepare for ethical issues in corporate governance, civil service, the environment, the art of ethical living, and international challenges and relations.
Sources: Lexicon for Ethics, Integrity, and Aptitude.
Leadership
Prepare ethical biographies and investigate the rationale behind some of the historical decisions made by leaders (such as Gandhi) who affected Indian history and society.
Some key words to remember while writing mains answer
| Directive | Meaning | Answer Structure |
| Comment | To Comment choose your position on the subject/issue and stick to it.Provide arguments and examples/facts to support your choice. | Start with an introduction.Follow with a body containing your opinions and the relevant examples/facts.Finish with a short and precise conclusion. |
| Critically Comment | To Critically Comment mention both sides of the arguments including both the positive and negative points.Your opinions in the answer should be based on facts. | Begin the answer by writing the positive arguments first, followed by the negative arguments.Based on your opinion conclude by supporting either the positive or the negative argument. |
| Examine | To Examine probe deeper into the given subject/issue.Support your answer by going into details like the causes, implications and what is being done about it. | Begin with a brief discussion of the various aspects of the issue at hand.Follow it up with the details and conclude in the same paragraph. |
| Critically Examine | A Critical Examination requires going into details of the issue while also mentioning the strengths and weaknesses.The answer must also carry whatever consequences/implications the issue may have. This includes consequences for any action taken over the issue. | To answer, first write the strengths or the positive aspects, then write the weaknesses or the negative aspects.Third paragraph should carry the consequences.Conclude briefly without taking sides. |
| Discuss | Discussion requires a broadly covered and all encompassing answer.Also have to mention both Positive/negative and strength/weakness.The causes and consequences are also to be mentioned. | Begin with an introduction.Then write the Positive/Negative part.Follow it up by framing the causes and consequences.In next paragraph provide the solutions, remedies/prescription or suggestions for the issue.Conclude by covering the issue holistically. |
| Evaluate | To Evaluate, assess both sides of the statement.Follow it up by mentioning the worth or usefulness of the subject.Also mention both the positive and negative arguments. | Begin with an introduction to the topic then write in paragraphs the positive and negative arguments respectively. |
| Critically Evaluate | Almost the same as to Evaluate with the exception of requiring to establish the “value” of something. | Same as above. |
| Analyse | To Analyse, break the main idea into constituent ideas.Then simply Examine each part separately. | Write a short introduction.Then explain the broken down ideas one by one.Write a conclusion addressing the main idea. |