A meticulously sought after planning and proper & timely guidance can enable an alert individual to clear the tough UPSC examinations. According to the UPSC aspirants, half of the battle is won right after selecting the right optionals for the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) selection examination. Provided that optionals in each IAS preliminary and IAS mains examination determine a candidate’s scoring pattern, questions asked in the final interview are based on the choice of optional subjects chosen. This makes the decision extremely difficult as well as critical.

There is a plethora of subjects to choose from, since students belong to varied streams of education, the subjects on offer include Science subjects that expands over Physics, Chemistry, Botany and Zoology; Humanities subjects that expands over History, Political Science, Public Administration, Geography and Sociology and languages such as Hindi, English, Urdu and Pali. UPSC also offers subjects such as Anthropology, Psychology and Philosophy. Additionally, the more number of subjects make it more difficult for students to make choices in optionals.

Optional subjects are chosen on the basis of a number of parameters, on one hand there are optionals that are considered to be scoring where as there are others that are favored for their relevance to either General Studies papers or Current Affairs and essay questions whereas there are many who choose subjects for their defined set of topics asked and comparatively short type answers. Students feel that this bit of planning makes their choice of subject a success as there are combinations that have common IAS syllabus which reduces their workloads and improves their chances of scoring in civil services examination.

Likewise botany and zoology are two complementary optionals that have common syllabus as these prove to be advantageous for their future. The IAS syllabus talks about emerging issues such as genetically modified (GM) foods, cloning, biotechnology and environmental sensitization. However, students should also show their aptitude skills for the subject they choose as they require a fair degree of specialized knowledge. While preparing for the optional, it is advised to study first for the IAS mains paper and then prepare for IAS preliminary as this provides students an edge and then allow them to specialize in certain scoring areas.

The foremost thing you need to consider while looking for Civil Services like IAS is to make a wise selection of subjects for the Preliminary as well as for the Main Examinations. Often you will have choice of choosing the subjects you are familiar with. Make sure that you choose the subject you are comfortable with.
Always do an analytical study of previous years’ syllabus and question papers. Look for the pattern of the subject you have chosen. It is always better to seek advice from seniors and colleagues to keep confusion at bay at higher level of the exam.
The IAS exam preparation must be done in a perfect manner. Prepare for General Studies at the same time, while preparing for optional papers. You can adjust your timings for both; thus you will not be bored and be able to give more time to your studies.
Never, ever compromise with your optional subjects for General Studies as every question in optional subjects will get you 2.5 marks and the paper will be of 300 marks in total. Most importantly, the input and output ration is lots better in optional compared to General Studies.
The prominent thing in preparing for the IAS preliminary exams is to identify your weak points and work on them effectively.
Only way to be successful in the exam, in addition to rigorous hard work, is planned and systematic study. Prepare a schedule as per your convenience and stick to it.
It is essential to read newspapers and magazines regularly. Other than keeping you updated with current affairs, you will also get to know how facts are presented in a clear manner. Current issues are addressed in all Civil Services Exams, so it is a must that you are aware of recent happenings in not only India, but across the World.
Complete your entire syllabus at least a month prior to the main exam. Keep the syllabus handy so that you can tally it time and again to be sure that you are not wasting your precious time in studying topics which are not of much relevancy in the exam.
Consider the question papers of previous years and see the pattern of questions asked and point out which types of questions are often repeated.
It is best if you attempt previous years question papers. This will help you know your mistakes and weak points better. Additionally, it will help you in improving your speed and accuracy too.

In the end, no doubt, IAS exam is an important exam, but depression or nervousness will not take you anywhere. So have faith in yourself and keep on moving steadily. Remember, quality of time you put in your preparation is far important than the quantity of time.

Exam fear is an awful sensation that we many people experience. From those early school examinations we sat, right through to the Civil Service test – examinations never get any easier. But there is one thing you can do though to give yourself the best chance possible at getting a great mark. And that item is called preparation.

Without preparing for an exam you can’t possibly hope to pass. And preparation may seem like a drag at the time, but the benefits are huge when you take your seat in the exam room and begin the real test. After all, there’s nothing worse than turning over your exam page to begin your test and not knowing the answer to any of the questions. And as you probably can imagine, this can happen to even the most brightest of test takers. And that is where proper test prep comes into the equation.

The most common type of help for these types of examinations comes in the form of a Civil Service study guide. This is because using one is a very useful learning resource that will help you best prepare for what is most likely to be on the real examination. Furthermore, these resources are rich in content which will help you best tackle the questions most likely to be on the test and it should even offer you a look at past question formats. These tactics can really help you become one step ahead of other candidates. This is because once you have learned prior experience of the general test format; it can really pay dividends.

And please do not forget that competition for jobs is only getting harder, so it is critical to make yourself stand out with a great mark on your particular examination. Plus, sometimes a passing score just is not enough to get hired. Meaning, often times you really need to blow your test away by scoring higher than your competition to get that career you are after.

In the end, by thoroughly preparing for your examination you’ll really be helping yourself in the long run because you will have a strong foundation and understanding of what you can most likely expect. And utilizing a Civil Service study guide is the perfect partner for anyone who is serious about passing their particular test the first time around.

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.

The right approach to prepare for IAS is that one should begin the preparation of Mains before or at least concurrent with Prelims. We all know that Prelims is only a screening test, but what matters is your performance in Mains, and final outcome of your efforts depend on that. Therefore, you should start the preparation for the examination about a year in advance and consider appearing in the Prelims only when you have complete control over the Mains’ subject matter.
Those with a professional degree in science, usually tend to ignore the preparation of GS and mainly concentrate on their optional subjects. This attitude is a gamble because you are not sure about the level of preparation of other applicants. What can create problem for the students is studying completely different subjects like Economy (for the science background aspirants), Science & Technology (for the social science background aspirants) and Statistical Analysis. If you have thoroughly prepared economy for your Prelims/screening, preparing it for the mains should not be a hard task. The things which have to be kept in mind are:
One has to practice statistical analysis meticulously with the help of previous years’ solved questions given in guides and also the NCERT’s Statistical Analysis.
Secondly, it is important to read a good national daily regularly, India Yearbook (Publication Division) relevant NCERT books and a good magazine like Competition Success Review, for the purpose.
Essay writing – Those who have a natural flair for writing should be definitely at an advantage. Writing an essay is a unique art and requires talent but if you can’t write that way, you will have to invest some time in practicing. One has to seriously consider the issue of writing, mainly because things asked in the form of essay are the ones that you generally prepare for your GS where you limit your preparation up to 250 words.
As far as the compulsory language paper(s) is (are) concerned, which is (are) of qualifying nature only, it is advisable that if you are apprehensive about the language papers, better forget about preparing for these exams. Or you can join any coaching institutes/ colleges in India which helps students prepare them for enterance exam
One should judiciously decide the two optional(s) as they form a major part of the score. The ones, who live in the major centers of Civil Services-related activities, generally do not come across any major problem in finalising their optionals but others, living in smaller towns or people who are not exposed to such environment, have problems. For students who are post-graduate in any subject or have a professional degree, the first optional is the one that they have pursued for the last few years. But, for normal graduates the choice of first optional too, is equally challenging. Most of the candidates, who are not able to decide about the optionals, are hugely influenced by the interviews, given by the successful candidates that appeared earlier, in various magazines. If your decisions are abided by this idea, at times it can land you in the no man’s land.

Students will now have to take two compulsory papers, each of 200 marks and of two hours’ duration, in the civil services preliminary exam. The new elements in the exam for candidates going to take it in 2011:

Paper 1, 200 marks, two hours
.    Current events of national and international importance
.    History of India and Indian national movement
.    Indian and world geography — physical, social, economic geography of India and the world
.    Indian polity and governance — constitution, political system, panchayati raj, public policy, rights issues
.    Economic and social development — sustainable development, poverty, inclusion, demographics, social sector initiatives
.    General issues on environmental ecology, biodiversity and climate change — that do not require subject specialisation
.    General science

Paper 2, 200 marks, two hours

.  Comprehension
.  Interpersonal skills, including communication skills
.  Logical reasoning and analytical ability
.  Decision-making and problem-solving
.  General mental ability
.  Basic numeracy (numbers and their relations, orders of magnitude etc; Class 10 level), data interpretation (charts, graphs, tables, data sufficiency etc; Class 10 level)
. English language comprehension skills (Class 10 level)
. Questions relating to English language comprehension skills of Class 10 level are going to be tested through passages in English language without

Hindi translation in the question paper.
. The questions will be of multiple-choice, objective type.
Sample questions for both the papers are given on the UPSC website www.upsc.gov.in. So far, the UPSC has not changed the civil services main exam and the personality test.

Get ready to devote complete two years to IAS study

Yes that’s right. If you thought you can work as well as prepare for the civil services exams, then it’s mighty difficult and something that’s not advisable. As you have to prepare three complete subjects, one essay and two languages, you will need complete, unmitigated concentration of at least two years. Also remember that one complete civil services cycle consists of the preliminary exam, main exam, and interview that together take one complete year. If you are unable to clear the exam within the first two years, nothing to worry as most people clear only after two years, then you can continue to prepare for the IAS exams along with other activities, including job and giving other exams. But do this only when you have mastered your subjects thoroughly and have preferably given at least one mains.

Choose the right subjects for IAS exams

Once you have decided to take the plunge, proceed methodically. First choose the prelims optionals, the second subject can be taken up later. Now which subject should you take up as your first optional? Take a subject that excites you and implores you to find out more about. That’s the thumb rule. Don’t take a subject just because that’s the most popular one, like History, or because your friend or mentor told you take it up. As you will have to study the subject in depth and reproduce your knowledge in the IAS mains exams according to the demands of the question, you should have a passion for the subject knowledge. Once you have mastered the subject, the marks will follow. Don’t worry about it, there’s nothing called a high scoring or low scoring optional.

Don’t neglect your general awareness

So many candidates focus only on the optional subjects, ignoring the General Studies paper of the civil services exams till the last month. Don’t do this. For the past few years UPSC has made the GS paper very dynamic and the prelims paper is based largely on general awareness and not the conventional rote based knowledge. Even the mains paper has become very analytical and issue focused. For this you will have to stay on pace with the latest developments in India and worldwide, read up general knowledge based year books, magazines and most importantly, read a good paper like The Hindu on a daily basis.

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.

Take a look at the following stats for the year 2008 IAS exam…

Candidates applied for the exam- 3, 18,843 (Three lakh eighteen thousand eight hundred forty three)
Candidates appeared for the exam- 1,67,035 (One lakh sixty seven thousand thirty five) (Success ratio gets doubled)

So we see half of the people backed away before the beginning. Also out of the 1, 67,035, only 40,000 were dedicated and serious competitors, rest didn’t prepare at all due to the wrong concept in their minds. So half of the battle is won if we develop the right concept about the exam and the competition in mind and follow the appropriate ias study material, success can be ensured! definitely!!

Also, out of the 40,000, 10,283 were selected for the mains exam (1 out of every 4 is selected i.e. a high success ratio for 25%), and 1582 were then selected for the final interview, and finally out of those 1582, 791 were selected for the prestigious civil services.

So cheers!! At every stage the success ratio is very high. All that is needed is preparing structurally for every stage. Thus, like every other exam, a reasonable, dedicated and well planned IAS preparation effort can ensure the success in this prestigious exam. And thankfully, for ias exam 2010 the number of vacancies is as high as 965, that means a high success ratio for year 2010.

IAS Service or Civil Services Continues to be the first career choice of career aspirants in India. But have you ever wondered what it entails to become an IAS officer.

Tips #1

First of all what you need to have is a thirst to excel and to keep your dream alive by working for it. “Yes, I want to become an IAS Officer, and I will work hard for it from this moment.” If you think this value is instilled in you very strongly, continue reading the following mantras.

Tips #2

Know all about the IAS Exam. Starting 2011 Exam, it will be CSAT (Civil Services Aptitude Test) in place of the present Preliminary Exam. Those who pass the CSAT will be eligible for the Civil Services main Exam followed by the interview.

Tips #3

Start reading an English newspaper on a daily basis and make it a habit to write notes on important news reports. Buy one Year Book, preferably India Year Book 2010, published by Publications Division, Government of India.

Tips #4

Select a Good Coaching Centre like JTS Institute, Bangalore, that offers you good teachers, study material, study plan and above all good classmates. Start your classes (for IAS 2011) from May itself, if possible. JTS Institute starts its first batch for 2011 Exam on May 2, 2010. Admission to this batch is restricted through a screening interview.

Tips #5

Have a good study plan. As the exam pattern is being changed with the introduction of CSAT, it is better to complete the entire portions of the Mains (GS plus 2 Optional or at least 1 optional) before January 2011. From January, your entire time should be earmarked for the CSAT.

Tips #6

Post CSAT, the preparation should be continued without any break. The following five months will be more crucial than the months prior to the CSAT and the preparation should be at full momentum. After the main exam, interview preparation should begin.

Tips #7

There will be temptation to give up the journey as you progress in the preparation. This is mainly due to the huge syllabus and the accumulating pressure. But be aware that these are critical moments in civil services. You should face all these pressures with courage. Be determined to clear the exam in the first attempt. Streamline your preparation on the above tips and success oIAS Exam will be with you.

Preparing for civil services exam can prove to be a tough and unachievable task for all aspirants, but it is just the same as preparing for any other qualifying entrance which is held across the country today. For preparation, it is important to know the IAS syllabus of the optional subjects that you have opted; also you must have arranged the books for the same and must surely have made notes that may help u in long run to revise the IAS syllabus.

The notes you prepare must be written clearly as well as in a perfect order, so that you can refer to them in future. There are varied methods to prepare notes that include Linear Notes, Voice Notes and Pattern Notes.

Linear Notes- Talking of preparing linear notes, in this method, the study material is condensed in the form of headings and sub headings under which the most important points are jotted down. These kinds of notes can prove to be really helpful and making them is quite easy as while preparing linear notes from book, the material is already arranged properly in the book. However, there is one disadvantage of this method that while making notes, the students end up in copying the bookish language that proves to be fatal sometimes and defeats the purpose of condensing the matter at a single place.

The correct way to make use of this way is by using loose sheets in place of exercise book as it is easier to keep adding information. Leaving space in between of notes may help to integrate your notes with additional information in future. In order to make these notes look attractive you can utilize different colors, Fonts, capital letters, boxes and highlighting whenever necessary. This can draw your attention at certain content while preparing.

Pattern Notes- These kinds of notes are made as a pattern with the beginning of the topic written at the centre of the page. Just like the rays of sun, each line radiating out of the main idea is written in a brief way with the use of phrase or a keyword. This method can prove to be better than the linear approach as one can add more information without any hurdle of space. Also, the entire pattern can be seen at one go, without turning pages. Additionally, you can indicate links between different topics easily than the linear notes method.

One more plus-point of pattern notes is that it makes outstanding utilization of memory for revision as the aspirants keep jotting down points as they appear. And this makes it easier to remember as only phrases are used for making notes.

Voice Notes- Finally, talking of voice notes, this is a new method of preparing notes, as it requires a computer and internet connection. There are websites that offer clippings of classroom preparation for Indian Administrative Service, this way; you will be using your sensory organs which will help u remember this for a long time.