Category: UPSC

It is rightly said that scoring good marks in the optional paper of UPSC is the gateway to the final selection. This can be verified from the fact that almost all the candidates selected in the final list have a usual score of 285 to 330 or sometimes even higher out of 500 in the optional paper of UPSC. What is more peculiar about the optional marks is that marks vary from 200 to at times even 350 which is a difference of 150 marks. This can make or break the possibility of selection of a candidate in the final list. This discussion makes it aptly clear that scoring good marks in ‘Optional subject’ is the key to the final selection. In this article I will be sharing some of the tips that helped me score 300+ marks in optional subject( My optional Subject was Public Administration and I could score 300+ in 2017 and 2018 mains exam when it was not easy to score 300+ in Public Administration). What is more peculiar is that using these tips I could increase my marks from 250 to 300. So here is my step by step guide to maximise your score in optional subject.

Selection of Questions: The first and foremost important aspect is the selection of the right questions for answering. As there are 8 questions in total, selecting 5 out of 8 is very important. In this context following are some of the pointers to be kept in mind.

1. Out of 8 questions first 4 are generally from first half of the syllabus and remaining 4 are from the second half of the syllabus. So while preparing one must keep this in mind whether he wants to attempt 3(1+2) questions from from Section I or Section II. If one wants to attempt 3 questions from section I then one should prepare first half of the syllabus accordingly. Also the questions are generally asked in combination like unit I may be usually asked in combination with unit II. For example in Public administration Comparative Public Administration question is generally asked with Development Administration. This thing may also be explored for better strategising.
2. There is always a dilemma about selection of general question vs specific question. In this case if you know the answers of at least 2 specific questions very properly in a question then you should always select specific question. However if you don’t know the answers of specific questions very properly then always go for general question. This is because if you can’t answer a specific question very properly then your comparative score will be less as compared to the others.

Answering questions: While answering questions following few things should be kept in mind.

1. First attempt the first question of 10 marker then go for attempting the long questions. The 5th question of 10 marker may be attempted at the last. This is to give more time to attempt the long questions which can help maximise one’s score.
2. Attempt those questions first whose answers you know very properly. As UPSC is all about doing better than others, always remember one thumb rule: Answer the easy questions perfectly. Answer the moderate questions properly. In the difficult questions write something related to the question, but only when time permits for that.
3. Always see the last keyword in the question like discuss/analyse/explain etc. and answer as per the keyword. Don’t just write what you know, rather try to write what is asked. For the meaning of the keywords refer to- ‎www.visionias.in/beta/sites/all/themes/momentum/files/Keywords.pdf.
4. While writing the answers keep in mind that introduction is the first thing that the examiner reads in the answer and conclusion is the last thing that the examiner reads before giving the marks. So these two portions should be attempted with full sincerity.

All the best!

UPSC civil services exam is probably the most ‘Challenging’ exam in India. This exam has been repeatedly listed as one of the most difficult exams across the world due to its low success rates. The difficulty of this exam primarily comes from following factors:

1. The background of the candidates appearing in the exam is very varied. In civil services exam one can find candidates from backgrounds like humanities, engineering, medical and many more. This diversity of background of candidates makes this exam very interesting and challenging.
2. There are around 10 lakh candidates appearing for this exam every year, whereas the number of seats per year varies from 750 to 1000 which makes it an exam for rejection rather than selection.

The mains exam of UPSC as the name suggests is the main exam of UPSC which decides the selection of a candidate. This is so because the total marks allocated for mains exam is 1750 which is way more than the marks allocated to the interview which is 275. Hence scoring high marks in mains exam is a pre requisite for getting into the final list of UPSC. One of the most important aspect of high scoring in Mains exam is “Art” of good answer writing which I am going to discuss in the following paras now.

What is a good answer in UPSC? A good answer from UPSC perspective constitutes following points:

1. It should be perfect mix of facts, ideas, arguments and solutions.
2. The facts should be used in the answer to support the arguments and emphasise a point rather than just for sake of putting the facts.
3. The answer should always be multidimensional rather than being uni-dimensional. For example; A question on causes of poverty should be answered from social, economic, geographic political environmental and administrative angles rather than only through the economic or political angle.
4. The most important aspect of answer writing is writing what is asked rather than writing what you know. This is where many candidates commit fault as they just write whatever they know about the topic in the question rather than writing as per the demand of the question.
5. The answer should be easy to read and understand so it is advisable to use simple language.

How to Write a Good Answer in UPSC? Writing a good answer in UPSC is a result of good knowledge of the particular topic asked, good understanding of the question especially the key words like critically analyse/discuss/ examine/critically examine/comment etc. and the ability to present the knowledge in a structured and easy to understand manner. The first part viz. knowledge only comes from continuous reading hence it is advisable for the candidates to cover the whole syllabus at least thrice before appearing in the exam. However the second and third point require what is popularly called ‘Answer writing skill’, hence I will be discussing these two points in some detail in following points:

1. The first and foremost important aspect in art of good answer writing is understanding the demand of the question. Candidates are advised to read the meanings of the words carefully and especially focus upon the last keywords like analyse/discuss etc. Vision IAS has given a list of detailed meaning of different keywords, the link for the same I am sharing. All candidates are strongly advised to go through it. ‎www.visionias.in/beta/sites/all/themes/momentum/files/Keywords.pdf
2. The second important aspect here is presenting whatever knowledge one has in a structured, lucid and easy to understand manner. Here I would recommend writing the answers in the following format: INTRODUCTION – MAIN BODY – CONCLUSION. An important thing to keep in mind here is that introduction should be at most 20% of the answer, main body 60-65% and conclusion 15-20%. This way one can maintain the balance of the answer.
3. The Introduction: The introduction should always be about the overall structure and the basic vision of the answer.
4. The Main Body: As said earlier the main body should cover the multiple dimensions of an answer in an structured format.
5. The Conclusion: While writing the answer one should keep in mind that conclusion is the last thing an examiner reads before giving the marks. Hence it should be written with utmost sincerity. The conclusion is not about summarising the answer rather it is about the possible solutions to the problem and vision for the future.

How to Maximise score in a paper?

In UPSC as the competition is very high there is a fight for every single marks. In this context it is very important to maximise the scores if one wants to get into the list or get into the higher ranks. Hence here I am sharing some tips for maximising the scores in the mains exam.

1. The first and foremost requirement is to attempt all the questions. For this it is necessary that the writing speed is increased and the topics should be revised multiple times so that one doesn’t invest too much time on recalling in the examination hall.
2. Along with attempting all the questions it is also required that one produces all the knowledge that he has in the question paper. For this it is required that all the questions are given equal emphasis rather than certain questions being more emphasised than others.
3. Quite often I have seen that candidates are not able to answer simple questions perfectly. It is necessary that simple questions are answered perfectly to get a competitive edge.
4. While answering a relatively ‘unknown’ question follow one thumb rule- If you don’t know the answer, write about the the question. This will help in getting few marks in a question. However this should only be done when one has attempted all the known questions ‘perfectly’.

Lastly I would like to say that in UPSC mains a set of 3-4 questions in each paper decides whether a candidate will be in or out of the ‘list’ because rest of the questions everyone answers properly. These 3-4 questions if answered properly can make all the difference. Hence candidates should focus on their writing skills. This can be achieved by practice along with right strategy.

All the best!