With each paper carrying 250 marks, the General Studies form a major chunk of the Civil Services (Main) Examination and in turn plays a crucial role in deciding the final list for the selection to the Civil Services. Here we discuss the strategy to tackle the GS (I, II & III) papers for the Civil Services (Main) Examination.
As a first step, the candidate need to be well acquainted with the syllabus of each paper as given the notification of the UPSC. Let me give a rough sketch of the different subjects within each paper, to begin with.
Paper I - History & Culture, Geography, Sociology
Paper II - Polity & Governance, International Relations.
Paper III - Economic development, Science & Technology, Environment and Disaster management, Internal Security
The strategies for the Preliminary and the Main examinations are entirely different, though the topics that you learn for these are almost the same with a few exceptions. The descriptive nature of the Main examination demands not just the right knowledge in you, but also the ability to present your ideas in a concise and effective manner. Hence it is important that you make writing a vital part of your CSE preparations. Here are some steps to make your answers more effective.
We should try to infer what the question demands. Many people connect the question to what they know and just explain those. These may be many a times irrelevant with respect to the given question. The result, you end up in losing not just your marks, but also your time.
Also you need to give attention to the directives given at the end of the question; like comment, elucidate etc. They serve a particular purpose.
Let me elaborate this further. Given below are some important directives that have come in the previous years question papers:
1. Explain
2. Describe
3. Elucidate
4. Analyse
5. Examine
6. Discuss
7. Evaluate
8. Debate
9. Critically analyse/evaluate/examine
10. Comment
- Here 1, 2 & 3 have the same meaning i.e to further elaborate the theme of the statement in the question. Here you will be writing "FOR" the statement.
- 4, 5, 6 , 7 & 8 implies that you have to see both(or all) the sides of the given statement. You will have to write "FOR" and "AGAINST" the statement.
- 9 implies that you will have to point out the negatives underlying the given statement. In other words, you have to write "AGAINST" the statement.
- 10 implies that you have to present your view or opinion regarding a given statement. It may be "FOR" or "AGAINST" or both.
Now let me list out a few questions that was asked in 2015 Mains.
1. How different would have been the achievement of Indian Independence without Mahatma Gandhi? Discuss.
Here you need to write about the Gandhian influence on Indian freedom struggle. You need to include both the positive and negative sides since the directive used is "Discuss".
2. Critically examine whether growing population is the cause of poverty OR poverty is the main cause of population increase in India.
The theme of the statement is already negative. Critically examining the statement implies that you need to bring out the negative fall-outs of population growth (or poverty)
3. The Self-Help Group (SHG) Bank Linkage Programme (SBLP), which is India's own innovation, has proved to be one of the most effective poverty alleviation and women empowerment programmes. Elucidate.
"Elucidate" implies that you need to make the statement more clear. Here you need to write the positive sides of SHGs in poverty alleviation and women empowerment.
4. "Male membership needs to be encouraged in order to make women's organization free from gender bias." Comment.
"Comment" implies you can take any stand with respect to the given statement. Opinion may vary from people to people, but it all depends on how you substantiate your views.
i) the introduction,
ii) the body and
iii) the conclusion.
The introduction should contain some relevant facts, statistics, constitutional underpinnings etc. that supplement the statement in the question. You should make it short and restrict it to two or three sentences.
In the body of the answer, you have to present your points and explain those in simple words. Your explanations should be crisp and short. Also you need to prioritise the different points so that the more important ones get the greater focus.
The conclusion part generally contain your view-points regarding the given statement. Here you can innovate a little and make your answers very unique.
The word limit is generally set as 200 per question. This implies a candidate has to write 4000-5000 words in 3 hours which is literally impossible. But, UPSC clearly states that it is the content of the answer that matters and not its length. Hence rather than writing an answer just for the sake of filling up the blank spaces, it is better to write the relevant points and stop.
Normally a person with good speed can write 3000-3500 words in an hour. Considering there are 20 questions, this reduces to 150-175 words per question. Thus limiting the number of words would automatically save your precious time.
Yet, you need to be diligent enough throughout your exam in managing your time effectively. 20 questions in 3 hours implies you need to finish one question in 9 minutes. If you can finish 7 questions in an hour, it is well and good and gives you the buffer time for completing the task.
You have to keep practising to achieve the right writing-speed and to manage your time effectively.
The difficulty level of the GS paper has increased over the last years, on account of its expanded syllabus and more number of questions. The breathing space for the candidate has shrunk in the present format. While earlier, due importance was given to the writing style and beautification of the answer, in the present format the primary strategy is finishing the paper in time. You just need to maintain a minimum standard for your writing. While the earlier format provided some time for pondering over a question, the current format demands a candidate to start from the word "GO". Hence the biggest challenge is to strike a balance between the quality of your answers and managing your time.
As a first step, the candidate need to be well acquainted with the syllabus of each paper as given the notification of the UPSC. Let me give a rough sketch of the different subjects within each paper, to begin with.
Paper I - History & Culture, Geography, Sociology
Paper II - Polity & Governance, International Relations.
Paper III - Economic development, Science & Technology, Environment and Disaster management, Internal Security
The strategies for the Preliminary and the Main examinations are entirely different, though the topics that you learn for these are almost the same with a few exceptions. The descriptive nature of the Main examination demands not just the right knowledge in you, but also the ability to present your ideas in a concise and effective manner. Hence it is important that you make writing a vital part of your CSE preparations. Here are some steps to make your answers more effective.
Step I : Understanding the question
This is the most crucial step while attempting a question in the Mains paper. Going wrong here implies that you screw up the entire answer. Hence due care need to be given in reading and understanding the question.We should try to infer what the question demands. Many people connect the question to what they know and just explain those. These may be many a times irrelevant with respect to the given question. The result, you end up in losing not just your marks, but also your time.
Also you need to give attention to the directives given at the end of the question; like comment, elucidate etc. They serve a particular purpose.
Let me elaborate this further. Given below are some important directives that have come in the previous years question papers:
1. Explain
2. Describe
3. Elucidate
4. Analyse
5. Examine
6. Discuss
7. Evaluate
8. Debate
9. Critically analyse/evaluate/examine
10. Comment
- Here 1, 2 & 3 have the same meaning i.e to further elaborate the theme of the statement in the question. Here you will be writing "FOR" the statement.
- 4, 5, 6 , 7 & 8 implies that you have to see both(or all) the sides of the given statement. You will have to write "FOR" and "AGAINST" the statement.
- 9 implies that you will have to point out the negatives underlying the given statement. In other words, you have to write "AGAINST" the statement.
- 10 implies that you have to present your view or opinion regarding a given statement. It may be "FOR" or "AGAINST" or both.
Now let me list out a few questions that was asked in 2015 Mains.
1. How different would have been the achievement of Indian Independence without Mahatma Gandhi? Discuss.
Here you need to write about the Gandhian influence on Indian freedom struggle. You need to include both the positive and negative sides since the directive used is "Discuss".
2. Critically examine whether growing population is the cause of poverty OR poverty is the main cause of population increase in India.
The theme of the statement is already negative. Critically examining the statement implies that you need to bring out the negative fall-outs of population growth (or poverty)
3. The Self-Help Group (SHG) Bank Linkage Programme (SBLP), which is India's own innovation, has proved to be one of the most effective poverty alleviation and women empowerment programmes. Elucidate.
"Elucidate" implies that you need to make the statement more clear. Here you need to write the positive sides of SHGs in poverty alleviation and women empowerment.
4. "Male membership needs to be encouraged in order to make women's organization free from gender bias." Comment.
"Comment" implies you can take any stand with respect to the given statement. Opinion may vary from people to people, but it all depends on how you substantiate your views.
Step II : Identifying the relevant points to be included in the answer
Once you imbibe the essence of the question, the next step is identifying the relevant points that are to be included in your answer. The question paper clearly tells that it is not the number of words that matter, but the content of your answers. Hence we need to select the most important points while answering. Your answer should be a mix of facts and analysis. You should also add your view-points if the question demands so.Step III : Structuring the answer
Once you are ready with the points, the next challenge is how to present them effectively. Generally an answer can be divided into three parts -i) the introduction,
ii) the body and
iii) the conclusion.
The introduction should contain some relevant facts, statistics, constitutional underpinnings etc. that supplement the statement in the question. You should make it short and restrict it to two or three sentences.
In the body of the answer, you have to present your points and explain those in simple words. Your explanations should be crisp and short. Also you need to prioritise the different points so that the more important ones get the greater focus.
The conclusion part generally contain your view-points regarding the given statement. Here you can innovate a little and make your answers very unique.
Step IV : Limiting your words and managing time
The CSE Main question-papers for General Studies have been subject to major changes all along the last 3-4 years. As per the current trend, the total number of questions per paper is 20-25. This demands greater time-management from the candidates.The word limit is generally set as 200 per question. This implies a candidate has to write 4000-5000 words in 3 hours which is literally impossible. But, UPSC clearly states that it is the content of the answer that matters and not its length. Hence rather than writing an answer just for the sake of filling up the blank spaces, it is better to write the relevant points and stop.
Normally a person with good speed can write 3000-3500 words in an hour. Considering there are 20 questions, this reduces to 150-175 words per question. Thus limiting the number of words would automatically save your precious time.
Yet, you need to be diligent enough throughout your exam in managing your time effectively. 20 questions in 3 hours implies you need to finish one question in 9 minutes. If you can finish 7 questions in an hour, it is well and good and gives you the buffer time for completing the task.
You have to keep practising to achieve the right writing-speed and to manage your time effectively.
It's getting tougher...
The difficulty level of the GS paper has increased over the last years, on account of its expanded syllabus and more number of questions. The breathing space for the candidate has shrunk in the present format. While earlier, due importance was given to the writing style and beautification of the answer, in the present format the primary strategy is finishing the paper in time. You just need to maintain a minimum standard for your writing. While the earlier format provided some time for pondering over a question, the current format demands a candidate to start from the word "GO". Hence the biggest challenge is to strike a balance between the quality of your answers and managing your time.
