The 2011 Civil Services Preliminary Examinations, held for the first time in a changed format and nicknamed CSAT (Civil Services Aptitude Test), were held in 45 cities across the country on Sunday.

In the new exam format, the UPSC scrapped the optional subjects paper, which was a part of the preliminary exams along with the General Studies paper, and replaced it with General Studies-Paper 2, an aptitude test.

The second paper contained questions that test the candidate’s English comprehension, decision-making, problem solving, logical reasoning and inter-personal skills as well as general mental ability.

The General Studies-Paper 1 has been retained with minor changes to include more questions on topics such as environment, biodiversity and climate change, besides questions on Indian history, polity, governance and current affairs, and fewer questions on ancient Indian history.

The General Studies-Paper 1 contained 100 questions while Paper-2 contained 80. Both the papers held a total weightage of 200 marks.

At the UPSC Building examination hall on Shahjahan Road, many candidates said they were happy with the new format, which had questions that tested spontaneity as well as decision-making skills. However, others felt that there was an overdose of questions that tested the candidates’ ability to comprehend English.

1. Where is the Indus Civilization city Lothal ?
(A) Gujarat
(B) Rajasthan
(C) Punjab
(D) Haryana
Ans : (A)

2. Mohenjo Daro is situated in—
(A) Sindh Province of Pakistan
(B) Gujarat
(C) Punjab
(D) Afghanistan
Ans : (A)

3. Which deity was not worshipped by the Vedic Aryans ?
(A) Indra
(B) Marut
(C) Varun
(D) Pashupati
Ans : (D)

4. The Vedanga consists of the—
(A) Kalp, Shiksha, Nirukta, Vyakaran, Chhanda, Jyotish
(B) Kalp, Shiksha, Brahman, Vyakaran, Chhanda, Jyotish
(C) Kalp, Shiksha, Nirukta, Aranyak, Chhanda, Jyotish
(D) Kalp, Upanishad, Nirukta, Vyakaran, Chhanda
Ans : (A)

5. The earliest available work of the Sangam Tamils is—
(A) Pattinappalai
(B) Tirumurugarruppadai
(C) Maduraikanchi
(D) Tolkappiyam
Ans : (D)

6. The Mahavir belonged to the clan—
(A) Kalams
(B) Bhaggas
(C) Lichhivis
(D) Bulis
Ans : (C)

7. The Jain text which contains the biographies of the Tirthankaras is known as—
(A) Bhagwatisutra
(B) Uvasagadasao
(C) Adi Purana
(D) Kalpasutra
Ans : (D)

8. The first Buddhist Sangeeti (conference) was held at—
(A) Vaishali
(B) Pataliputra
(C) Rajgriha
(D) Ujjain
Ans : (C)

9. The propounder of the Madhyamika Philosophy was—
(A) Bhadrabahu
(B) Parshwanath
(C) Sheelbhadra
(D) Nagarjuna
Ans : (D)

10. The rules of Buddhist monistic life are laid down, primarily, in—
(A) Tripitaka
(B) Vinayapitaka
(C) Abhidhammapitaka
(D) Suttapitaka
Ans : (B)

11. The battle between Alexander and Porus took place on the bank of river—
(A) Sutlej
(B) Ravi
(C) Jhelum
(D) Ganga
Ans : (C)

12. The first Persian ruler who occupied part of Indian Territory was—
(A) Cyrus
(B) Darius I
(C) Cambyses
(D) Xerxes
Ans : (B)

13. Alexander remained in India for—
(A) 29 months
(B) 39 months
(C) 19 months
(D) 10 months
Ans : (C)

14. Gedrosia corresponds to modern—
(A) Baluchistan
(B) Lahore
(C) Multan
(D) Peshawar
Ans : (A)

15. Which of the following statements is not true ?
(A) Formal accession of Asoka was very probably delayed
(B) The fifth rock edict proves the existence of Harems of Asoka’s brothers
(C) Asoka held the viceroyalty of Taxila and Ujjain in the reign of Bindusara
(D) Asoka was the younger brother of Bindusara
Ans : (D)

16. The nirvasita (excluded) and anirvasita (not excluded) Shudras have been referred to—
(A) in the Nirukta of Yaska
(B) in the Ashtadhyayi of Panini
(C) in the Arthashastra of Kautilya
(D) None of the above
Ans : (D)

17. The first translator of Mahabharata into Tamil was—
(A) Perundevanar
(B) Kamban
(C) Sundaramurthi
(D) Bharavi
Ans : (A)

18 Which one of the following inscriptions of Asoka refers to the grant of concession in land revenue to a village ?
(A) Lumbini Pillar edict
(B) Sarnath Pillar edict
(C) Girnar Rock edict
(D) Sanchi Pillar edict
Ans : (A)

19. Who of the following was not a patron of Jainism ?
(A) Bimbisara
(B) Kharvela
(C) Kanishka
(D) Chandragupta Maurya
Ans : (A)

20. Who was the ambassador in the Court of Bindusara ?
(A) Machiavelli
(B) Megasthenes
(C) Deimachus
(D) Antiochus I
Ans : (C)

21. To propagate his Dhamma, Asoka used the services of—
(A) Rajukas
(B) Pradeshikas
(C) Yuktas
(D) All of these
Ans : (D)

22. The last king of Mauryan empire was—
(A) Devavarman
(B) Brihadrath
(C) Kunala
(D) Shalishuk
Ans : (B)

23. The historian Kalhan was—
(A) Buddhist
(B) Brahmin
(C) Jain
(D) None of these
Ans : (B)

24 Founder of the Satvahana dynasty was—
(A) Shatkarni I
(B) Simuka
(C) Shatkarni II
(D) Rudradaman I
Ans : (B)

25. Yen-Kao-Chen is generally known as—
(A) Kadphises I
(B) Kadphises II
(C) Kanishka
(D) Vasishka
Ans : (B)

26. The writer of the ‘Kalpasutra’ was—
(A) Simuka
(B) Panini
(C) Bhadrabahu
(D) Patanjali
Ans : (C)

27. The writer of the ‘Brihatkatha’ was—
(A) Dattamitra
(B) Gudadhya
(C) Bhadrabahu
(D) Sarvavarman
Ans : (B)

28. According to tradition Kashyapa Matanga introduced Buddhism to—
(A) China
(B) Kashmir
(C) Ceylon
(D) Gandhar
Ans : (A)

29. Which one of the following indicates the correct chronological order of era in India ?
(A) Gupta—Harsha—Vikram—Shaka
(B) Vikram—Harsha—Gupta—Shaka
(C) Gupta—Shaka—Vikram—Harsha
(D) Vikram—Shaka—Gupta—Harsha
Ans : (D)

30. During Pre-Gupta period what was Kahapan ?
(A) An office
(B) A luxury item
(C) A coin
(D) A port
Ans : (C)

31. Which port was known to the author of “Periplus of the Erithrian Sea” as Padouke ?
(A) Tamralipti
(B) Arikmedu
(C) Broach
(D) Cochin
Ans : (B)

32 Chandragupta-II married his daughter Prabhavati to—
(A) Rudrasena-I
(B) Rudrasena-II
(C) Agnimitra
(D) Nagsena
Ans : (B)

33. Which of the following law givers of the post-Gupta period declared that Sudras were not slaves by nature ?
(A) Medhatithi
(B) Vigynaeshwar
(C) Narad
(D) Jimutwahan
Ans : (A)

34. Who was the founder of Gahadwala dynasty who made Kannauj the main centre of his power ?
(A) Jaichandra
(B) Vijaychandra
(C) Chandradev
(D) Govind
Ans : (C)

35. Which of the following Rashtrakut kings defeated the Pratihar ruler Nagabhatta I ?
(A) Indra II
(B) Krishna III
(C) Amoghvarsha I
(D) Govind III
Ans : (D)

36. Who among the following rulers patronized Jayadev, the composer of ‘Geetgovinda’ ?
(A) Laxman Sen
(B) Kharvel
(C) Kumarpala
(D) Shashank
Ans : (A)

37. Who out of the following ousted Jainism from Mysore ?
(A) Naynars
(B) Lingayats
(C) Alwars
(D) Shankaracharya
Ans : (D)

38. Which was the word used for the royal military troops of the Cholas ?
(A) Kattupaddi
(B) Kaikkolar
(C) Bhrtaka
(D) Kadgham
Ans : (B)

39. The Chola rulers undertook extensive land survey to ascertain—
(A) Right of ownership
(B) Government’s share of revenue
(C) Production of grains
(D) Limit of the sources of irrigation
Ans : (B)

40. Which of the following taxes of Chola period was for educational purpose ?
(A) Devadana
(B) Salabhoga
(C) Brahmadeva
(D) Sarvamanya
Ans : (A)

41. The writer of Tabqat-i-Nasiri was—
(A) Barani
(B) Nizamuddin
(C) Minhaj-us-Siraj
(D) Isami
Ans : (C)

42. The following works were written by Ziauddin Barani—
(A) Tarikh-i-Firozshahi and Qiranussadain
(B) Fatwa-i-Jahandari and Ashiqa
(C) Tarikh-i-Firozshahi and Fatwa-i-Jahandari
(D) Futuhus-salatin and Tarikhi-Firozshahi
Ans : (C)

43. Which of the following books were written by Amir Khusro ?
(A) Ashiqa, Qiranussadain, Khazain-ul-Futuh
(B) Qiranussadain, Ashiqa, Tarikh-i-Mubarakshahi
(C) Khazainul Futuh, Tarikh-i-Mubarakshahi, Ashiqa
(D) Tarikh-i-Mubarakshahi, Nuh-i-Siphr, Ashiqa
Ans : (A)

44. Who wrote ‘Qanun-i-Humayuni’ ?
(A) Gulbadan Begum
(B) Yahya
(C) Khwandmir
(D) Nizamuddin
Ans : (C)

45. Which of the following books was written by Ishwardas Nagar ?
(A) Futuhat-i-Alamgiri
(B) Bir Binod
(C) Chhatra Prakash
(D) Ahkam-i-Alamgiri
Ans : (A)

46. With whom of the following Muhammad Ghori aligned against Khusrau Shah ?
(A) King of Gujarat
(B) King of Multan
(C) King of Peshawar
(D) King of Jammu
Ans : (D)

47. At the time of Muhammad Ghori’s invasion against Prithviraj Chauhan who of the following ruled Kannauj ?
(A) The Chandellas
(B) The Pratihars
(C) The Palas
(D) The Gahadwalas
Ans : (D)

48. Who of the following contested with Qutubuddin Aibak for Punjab ?
(A) Ikhtiyaruddin
(B) Tajuddin Yaldauz
(C) Nasiruddin Qubacha
(D) None of these
Ans : (B)

49. Who were the Nav Musalmans of the following ?
(A) Descendants of Mongols who settled near Delhi and embraced Islam
(B) Hindu converts to Islam
(C) Khalji Sultans
(D) Ilbari Sultans
Ans : (A)

50. Who was appointed as ambassador to China during the time of Mohammad bin Tughlaq ?
(A) Barbosa
(B) Barani
(C) Ibn Batutah
(D) Abdur Razzak
Ans : (C)

Q. 1. Which one of the following is an example of anticipatory socialization?

(a) Parents socializing their unmarried daughters for appropriate adjustments with their husbands’ families in the life after marriage

(b) A house-wife teaching her maid about proper ways of doing things in the household

(c) Training of soldiers to fight enemies

(d) A manager undergoing a training programme for improving his communication skills

Ans. (a)

Q. 2. Social distance scale as a technique for measuring attitudes was developed by:

(a) L. Thurstone

(b) L. Guttmann

(c) A.L. Lundberg

(d) E. Bogardus

Ans. (d)

Q. 3. A process whereby the norms and rules in various social settings grow and crystallize is called:

(a) Socialization

(b) Interaction

(c) Sanskritization

(d) Institutionalization

Ans. (a)

Q. 4. Weber’s typology of action include:

(a) Action and reaction

(b) Rational action in relation to goal, rational action in relation to value, emotional action and traditional action

(c) Traditional action, charismatic action arid rational action

(d) class-based action and status-based action

Ans. (b)

Q. 5. The term kinship refers to a set of relationships between:

(a) Consanguineal relatives

(b) Affinal relatives

(c) Relatives of three generations

(d) Consanguineal and Affinal relatives

Ans. (d)

Q. 6. If a married couple lives with a brother of the groom’s mother, then the couple follows which one of the following residency rules?

(a) Uxorilocal

(b) Neolocal residence

(c) Avunculocal residence

(d) Virilocal

Ans. (c)

Q. 7. Match List I with List- II and select the correct answer by using the codes given below the lists:

List-I (Concepts)                                 List-II (Explanation)

A. Affinal kin                                           1. Male ancestor

B. Descent                                                2. Relatives of three generations

C. Agnates                                                3. Wife

D. Lineage                                               4. Mother

5. Ambilateral

Codes:

A B C D

(a) 3 5 1 2

(b) 2 1 4 3

(c) 3 1 4 2

(d) 2 5 1 3

Ans. (a)

Q. 8. Match List- I with List II and select the correct answer by using the codes given below the lists:

List-I (Term) List-II (Concept)

A. Avoidance                1. Marriage

B. Joint family              2. Kinship group

C. Gotra                        3. Exogamy

D. Sororate                   4. Kinship usage

5. Cult

Codes:

A B C D

(a) 3 5 1 4

(b) 4 2 3 1

(c) 3 2 1 4

(d) 4 5 3 1

Ans. (a)

Q. 9.

Which of the following relationship are revealed through the above chart?

(a) Polygyny and cross cousin marriage

(b) Polyandry and Sororate

(c) Matrilineal joint family

(d) Polyandry and cross cousin marriage

Ans. (d)

Q. 10. Which one of the following pairs is correctly matched?

(a) Primary consanguineal   : Blood relatives

(b) Secondary kin                 : Wife

(c) Extended family             : Secondary group

(d) Polyandry                       : Plurality of wives

Ans. (a)

Q. 11. A marriage always occurring outside a certain group of relations, is called:

(a) Hypergamy

(b) Endogamy

(c) Exogamy

(d) Hypogamy

Ans. (c)

Q. 12. According to Hindu traditional belief, marriage is a:

(a) Contract

(b) Sacrament

(c) Bond

(d) Formality

Ans. (b)

Q. 13. Consider the following characteristics:

1. Husband may be a casual visitor.

2. Wives come to live in the houses of their husbands.

3. Children have ordinarily no right over property of the mother’s family.

4. Father is the supreme head of the family.

Which of these characteristics are those of a Patriarchal family?

(a) 2, 3 and 4

(b) 1, 3 and 4

(c) 2 and 4

(d) 1, 2 and 4

Ans. (a)

Q. 14. Which one of the following is the characteristic feature of classification of family into matrilineal and patrilineal family?

(a) Residence of spouse

(b) Sexual division of labour

(c) Descendants of the same ancestor

(d) Differential power of male and female

Ans. (b)

Q. 15. Consider the following stages of evolutions:

1. Monogamy

2. Polygyny

3. Polyandry

4. Promiscuity

According to unilineal evolutions, the universally correct sequence of these evolutions is:

(a) 3, 4, 1, 2

(b) 4, 3, 1, 2

(c) 4, 3, 2, 1

(d) 3, 4, 2, 1

Ans. (c)

Q. 16. The existence of structural inequalities between groups in a given society in terms of their differential access to material of symbolic rewards is called:

(a) differentiation

(b) stratification

(c) multiculturalism

(d) heterogeneity

Ans. (b)

Q. 17. Match List-I with List-II and select the correct answer by using the codes given below the lists:

List-I (Concept)                           List-II (Explanations)

A. Class                                        1. Politically sanctioned

B. Status group                             2. Physical characteristics

C. Estate                                       3. Life chance

D. Race relations                          4. Life style

Codes:

A B C D

(a) 4 3 1 2

(b) 4 3 2 1

(c) 3 4 2 1

(d) 3 4 1 2

Ans. (d)

Q. 18. In the event of a decline in the rate of socio-economic change, social mobility likewise tends to decline in:

(a) Caste stratification

(b) Estate stratification

(c) Class stratification

(d) Ethnic stratification

Ans. (c)

Q. 19. Upward or downward social mobility in a stratification system within the course of an individual’s career is called:

(a) zero-sum mobility

(b) horizontal mobility

(c) inter-generational mobility

(d) intra-generation mobility

Ans. (d)

Q. 20. According to Karl Marx, class membership depends upon:

(a) power

(b) prestige

(c) mode of productivity

(d) productivity relations

Ans. (d)

Q. 21. Consider the following statements:

1. Marx distinguished between class-in-itself and class-for-itself.

2. Marx distinguished between class and status group.

3. Marx distinguished between bourgeoisie and proletariat.

4. Marx distinguished between productivity relations and mode or productivity.

Which of these correct?

(a) 1, 2 and 3

(b) 1, 3 and 4

(c) 1, 2 and 4

(d) 2, 3 and 4

Ans. (b)

Q. 22. According to Max Weber maximum members of the same:

(a) class have common life style

(b) class have common life chances

(c) class belong to the same status group

(d) status group belong to the same class

Ans. (b)

Q. 23. Who among the following viewed feudal society as an intermediate stage both chronologically and logically between the slave and modern capitalism?

(a) Lenin

(b) Stalin

(c) Durkheim

(d) Marx and Engels

Ans. (b)

Q. 24. Match List-I with List-II and select the correct answer by using the codes given below the lists:

List-I (Books)                                       List-II (Authors)

A. History of Trade Unionism                 1. V. V. Giri

B. Labour problems in Indian Industry    2. S. M. Lipset

C. The New Men of Power                      3. C. W. Mills

D. Union Democracy                               4. S. D. Punekar

5. Sydney and Beatrice Webb

Codes:

A B C D

(a) 3 1 2 5

(b) 5 4 2 3

(c) 3 4 2 5

(d) 5 1 3 2

Ans. (b)

Q. 25 Which of the following types of authority have been identified by Max Weber?

(a) Rational, emotional and traditional

(b) Rational, charismatic and traditional

(c) Traditional, modem and post-modern

(d) Traditional, modern and post-modem

Ans. (b)

1. In English alphabet, which will be the eighth letter from the left of the fourth vowel ?
(A)H
(B)I
(C)G
(D)M
Ans: A

2. Find out the missing one
U, 0, I, ?
(A)E
(B)C
(C)S
(D)G
Ans: B

3. Which will be the next in following series?
AZY, BYX, CXW, DWV
(A)EUT
(B) FUT
(C)EVU
(D) GHS
Ans: C

4. Find out the next one in following series: BDF, CFI, DHL, EJO
(A)EIN
(B) JEN
(C)CFI
(D) FLR
Ans: D

5. If in a certain code BQMBAY is written as MY MY MY, then how would TAMIL NADU be written?
(A) TIATIATIA
(B) ALDALDALD
(C) MNUMNUMNU
(D) None of these
Ans: C

6. If in a certain symbolic language DOG is written as GOD and FOG is written as GOF, then how would MOB be written?
(A)NOB
(B) OBM
(C)BOM
(D) DOM
Ans: C

7. If in a certain code UMBRELLA is written as 12345678, then how would BEAR be written?
(A)3684
(B) 3594
(C)3584
(D) 3585
Ans: C

Directions– (Q.8-12) In each question, four words are given. Out of these four words, three are related in some way and one is different. Find the different word.
8.
(A) Girl
(B) Boy
(C) Woman
(D) Teacher
Ans: D

9
(A) China
(B) Nepal
(C)Bhutan
(D) Kolkata
Ans:D

10.
(A) January—June
(B) March—September
(C) June—November
(D) April-September
Ans: B
11.
(A) Sitar—Pt. Ravishankar
(B) Tabla—Allahrakha
(C)Bansuri—Hari Prasad Chaurasia
(D) Kathakali—Mrinalini
Ans: D

12.
(A) Prison
(C) Hand-cuffs
(B) Court
(D) Uniform
Ans: D

13. In which city there is no Metro Rail route?
(A)Hyderabad
(B) Ahmedabad
(C)Kolkata
(D) Mumbai
Ans: B

14. Main occupation of primitive man was?
(A) Hunting
(B) Cattle-rearing
(C) Food-gathering
(D) Fishing
Ans: A

15. In India the land irrigated by canals is
(A)10%
(B) 15%
(C)20%
(D) 31.6%
Ans: D

16.The reason of winter rain in North India is?
(A) Monsoon
(B) Storms
(C) Cyclone
(D) All
Ans: C

17. Air pressure is shown?
(A) By isobars
(B) By isotherms
(C) By isosalines
(D) By none of these
Ans: A

18. Who is the first Woman President of India ?
(A) Smt. Pratibha Devi Singh Patil
(B) Srnt. Sonia Gandhi
(C) Smt. Meira Kumar
(D) Late (Smt.) Indira Gandhi
Ans: A

19. Who gave the slogan of ‘Quit India’?
(A) Mahatma Gandhi
(B) J. L. Nehru
(C) Md. Ali Jinnah
(D) Subhas Chandra Bose
Ans: A

20.The Directive Principles of State Policy’ of Indian Constitution are
related to?
(A)Part-III
(B) Part-IV
(C)Part-V
(D) Part-II
Ans: B

Initial Phase in IAS Exam Pattern

The Preliminary or simply CSAT is the 1st level within the three level civil services exam. It’s usually conducted around second or possibly third Sunday each May in which around one and a half lac IAS hopefuls turn up for the civil services Preliminary. The Prelims comprises of a couple of papers of two hundred scores equally common to all prospects. Questions about Indian constitutional set up, current affairs, GK, History, Geography, General Science, and Financial system are typically expected during the first paper of civil services Prelims. While the 2nd paper comprises of queries about mental ability, comprehension, logical analysis, English passage, statistics, and decision making potential. End result of Prelims are announced during the 2nd week of August and just candidate who get past the Preliminary can show up in the 2nd level of the IAS Exam pattern.

2nd Phase in IAS Exam Pattern

The second level is referred to as the Mains exam and comprises 2000 score. It must be remembered that this IAS Preliminary is merely of qualifying nature additionally, the marks won’t be taken into account when considering the final merit list. Civil service contenders have to pick out two optional papers for the purpose of the civil services Mains, whilst GS and Essay are common to all aspirants. English, in addition to one Indian language paper are compulsory however solely of qualifying nature and scores are never revealed nor measured for the purpose of merit determination.

Third Level in IAS Exam Pattern

The third stage is considered the Interview phase conducted by a panel of specialists within the Union Public Service Comission hq located at Shahjahan Road, New Delhi. Just those candidates who manage to qualify the civil services Mains are eligible for the civil service interview. Usually 2.5 times the total seats in a particular year are called for this civil services interview assessment which usually commences around the last week of March and consequently carries on right till the 1st week of May. The interview is led by a UPSC member and other panel members tend to be primarily invited to conduct the interview and subject experts or even noted bureaucrats or technocrats. The IAS interview normally takes 20 mins even though many IAS candidates have faced 5 minute interviews also.

The final outcome in this three level IAS exam pattern is declared some days before the Preliminary examination in May consequently pulling to a close an entire pattern of your IAS exam spanning 12 months.

Books for Paper 1 of IAS Preliminary Examination:

* General Studies Manual by Tata McGraw Hill * India’s Struggle for Independence by Bipin Chandra (for History part) * Geography NCERT text books Class XI and XII * Oxford Student Atlas (for map-based questions * Spectrum’s Indian Economy * General Science NCERT text books Class VIII to X * Manorama Year Book (for questions on General Knowledge and Current Affairs) * Our Constitution by Subhash Kashyap (for questions on Indian Polity)

Books for Paper 2:

* RS Agarwal’s Quantitative Aptitude and MBA notes on mental ability and statistics (for tackling questions relating to Mathematics and Statistics) * A good book on English Comprehension (this will enable students to tackle questions relating to English passage included in the new IAS syllabus) * A book on enhancing decision making and problem solving skills * A book on on effective interpersonal communication to tackle questions on this new topic

Apart from the books listed above civil services aspirants should also refer a good newspaper like The Hindu and few relevant magazines for tackling questions on current affairs, general knowledge, and environmental issues. Also IAS exam aspirants will score well in the Preliminary exam if they try to improve their communication skills as this is a important requirement for serving in the civil service.

UPSC (Union Public Service commission) Conducts Civil service examination (Also called IAS Examination) every year for recruitment of officers for various Civil services of India. The three Central civil services are- Indian Administrative service (IAS), Indian Police service (IPS), and Indian Foreign Service (IFS).

Civil services Examination (IAS EXAM) is considered the toughest and the most Competitive Indeed, and the students normally find it very tough to crack. Lakhs of students compete every year for about less than 1000 seats for appointment in the prestigious civil services of India (having a success ratio of as low as.2 %).

Thus it is the common practice to think of this exam this way such that it’s out of reach or requires some extraordinary skill to crack this exam. Thus man students fail not because the exam is tough, but because they didn’t do the IAS preparation up to their abilities because of a wrong concept in mind regarding the toughness of this exam.

In these ages of advanced technologies and state of the art contrivances, the connotation of exams has not changed a bit and populaces and students from all across the globe are preparing themselves for some sort of examination or the other and in such a milieu, Previous Exam Papers are really gaining mass popularity.

In earlier times, there were limited resources to gather previous question papers and it seemed a daunting and time consuming chore to solve them. But with advancement in technologies and inception of state of the art technologies such as the World Wide Web, the whole process of laying your hands on Previous Exam Papers has become a mere cakewalk.

For aspirants who are looking forward to appear for probationary and clerical posts of the major Indian banks, you should definitely chip in for Bank Exam Papers of previous years to make sure that you are well versed and well acquainted with the syllabus, type of questions, etc. This will not only make you practice the exam beforehand but also will help you reckon your own strength and weaknesses.

This does like a sound planning for a sure shot success at the examinations you are going to appear. When it comes down to the question as to where can you find such pertaining previous exam papers. Well you need not sweat it out by visiting public libraries or asking individual students who appeared previous year’s exams.

The internet is undoubtedly the best place to find previous question papers for all type of pertaining exams. Doing a bit of intricate research on the World Wide Web will surely let you lay your hands on Previous Exam Papers such as Bank Exam Question Papers, railway Question Papers, UPSC Question Papers, IGNOU Question Papers, IAS Question Papers, and a lot more.

However the sheer assortment of web portals that the internet will endow you with, will surely sweep you off your feet as you will be left stranded on cross roads as to which web portal to go with. Well go for a web site which has easy navigation features and uncomplicated design so that you can download previous exam papers straight forwardly and without any glitches or confusion.

It is however wise to get focused on your research and make certain that you know exactly as to what you are looking for as a general search on the World Wide Web will make you more confused and perplexed. It is also imperative to solve as many previous question papers as you can as this will definitely go a long way in making yourself acquainted with the exam.

It will also build up your confidence and will help you endlessly when you are actually sitting in the exam hall and giving the test. Previous Exam Papers and Previous Question Papers are a definite step to success and you should never ever take the whole thing lightly just because you have access to previous year’s question papers or even interview questions.

Conducted by UPSC, The reputed IAS exam (also called Civil Service Examination) is all set to be conducted under a new pattern from 2011 onwards. With UPSC receiving union government’s approval for including Civil service Aptitude Test (CSAT) into the selection procedure of most reputed and competitive exam of the country, The students are going to face an all new pattern of IAS exam in 2011.

The current Pattern of this exam was laid out in 1979 on recommendations by the Kothari commision. Since then it has continued to exist besides some small changes over years. This traditional Pattern consisted of a preliminary exam followed by a mains exam and an interview. This pattern had an advantage that while choosing the two optional subjects for mains, candidates had already prepared for one in the preliminary exam and only had to choose and prepare the second optional subjects for mains. Although the drawback of this system was some inequality being introduced among the candidates because of their educational background or due to choice of optional subjects.

Civil service aptitude test will consist of two objective question papers carrying equal marks. All students from any educational background will face the same questions in CSAT with Special Emphasis on Testing Aptitude & Decision-Making Ability. Also some IAS exam eligibility criterions could be changed, for e.g. the age limit and the number of attempts could be lowered and younger students with a good zeal could be given preference in the interview. The following Types of questions will be asked in CSAT-

Current Affairs from National and International Events,
Logical Reasoning and Decision Making,
Elementary Mathematics,
Quantitative Ability,
Data Interpretation from Graphic and Chart

This new pattern is good for candidates of science background because they don’t prefer the questions from history and political science etc. On the other hand, the art subjects’ candidates (mainly history, geography and political science) may get affected badly from this pattern. Thus UPSC should also take care of the art subjects’ students.

The new pattern for Civil service examination will bring all the candidates from any educational background under the same roof. The importance of general awareness has now increased many folds and will be a deciding factor in selection of candidates. The questions will be more situations oriented and analytical, testing the mental ability of the candidate.

Thus it’s time for an all new approach towards the reputed and most competitive exam of the country. As the previous toppers say that it’s not about trying to overcome the expectations of UPSC. That is not possible in real sense, but all that is required is analyzing the intensity of competition among the aspirants and then planning to get one step ahead from them. All the candidates are now being brought under the same horizon and the candidate who will understand the requirements of this new pattern and will adopt for it as soon as possible, will get an edge over the other candidates.

As proved in T-20 cricket, in the civil services examination too the result is not guaranteed. Many cricket lovers expected that Srilanka would win the world cup 2009 tournament but Pakistan’s win surprised many. Though both the teams worked hard, but luck too seem to have favoured Pakistan. In the civil services examination too luck plays a role besides many other qualities to be acquired by the candidates before deciding to appear for this examination.

Transformation in outlook is required:

Many failed and academically poor candidates commit one more mistake of blaming blindly their own faults without fully knowing the facts. In a country like India, where the competition is huge even for a single post of a bank clerk we can imagine the competition for the country’s most prestigious job, i.e., IAS. For IAS, every year the number of vacancies is very less but the number of candidates appear for this competitive examination is very very high.

The candidates need to change their personality, attitude, out look etc. They also need to interact with some of the selected candidates for proper orientation and guidance. According to some trainers, the selection of optional subjects is half done!. SWOT analysis is a must for the candidates who would like to appear for this toughest examination of the nation. How can we swim in a river without knowing it’s depth?. Many factors play a role for success in the civil services examination unlike other competitive examinations. The UPSC (Union Public Service Commission) tests many qualities in the candidates through this exam as the selected candidates will formulate policies and determine the direction and future of our nation.

Civil services are not the bed of roses:

There are a substantial number of candidates selected for IAS itself in their first attempt. Many candidates even secured all India 1st rank in their first attempt!. There are also many cases of not getting any service even after making seven attempts. Other wise candidates would get IPS or IFS or IRS in their first attempt and in their second or third attempt get IAS. There are also some cases of Ph.d.’s not getting the desired service and B.Tech’s, M.B.B.S., and M.Tech’s getting selected for IAS at the age of 21!.

There are many candidates who planned well to achieve their IAS dream. Initially such candidates join in a small job for financial security and over a period of time get the service.

An IAS or IPS officer is supposed to know something about everything. Many candidates appearing for this exam for the first time even do not know what to read and what not to read thus waste their most valuable energy and time in reading many irrelevant and out of the syllabus topics . They run from pillar to post for proper subject material and also in search of a proper coaching centre. Some candidates spend two years in Chennai, two years in Hyderabad, and finally go to New Delhi, and so on.

The syllabus and exam pattern are formulated in such a manner that only the best among the candidates would be selected to serve the nation. A candidate has to start his/ her preparation for this exam at the early stages of life preferably after class 12th if one is serious in getting the service. For poor candidates and for those who start their preparation after passing their graduation or post graduation, the success cannot be guaranteed. Adding fuel to the problem, the performance of other candidates in this examination through out India cannot be known.

Civil services should not be the end of the road:

Every serious candidate can appear once or twice for this examination, but one should not sit with it for several years. If one is not selected or passed in three attempts, it indicates that one is not an ideal steel frame of our nation. In other words, one is not up to the mark.

However, the highly determined candidates do achieve success at any cost. Average and poor candidates should think twice before wasting several years in preparing and appearing for this one of the toughest examinations of India.