UPSC – IAS Exam: How to Crack?

in Exams Preparation

The Indian Administrative Service is one of the most coveted post in the government administrative structure. The government of our country is managed by a number of government agencies with large number of official working under such agencies and IAS being one of them.A person willing to serve his nation can go for this job as it is prestigious designation and one also becomes a part of the government structure. Like the other civil service it also has its own criteria for eligibility, distinct powers as an IAS and a distinct exam structure for it.

Eligibility criteria:

The candidate must hold degree of any university which has been set up under an Act of Parliament or any other university set up under an Act of Central or State Legislature of India.
A student studying MBBS who is in the final year or any Medical Examination can also appear for exam.

• The candidate must be an Indian National.
• The candidate who wants to appear for the exam must have attained the age of 21 and must not be over the age of 30 on the date of examination.

How to crack IAS exam?

Before preparing any exam we must have thorough knowledge of the exam structure.
There are 3 stages in IAS exam

• Preliminary exam
• Main exam
• Personality test

The preliminary exam consists of two paper each on general studies which is the first paper and the second paper consists of optional subject which the candidate has to choose from a list of subjects that is offered to him.  Some of the popular optional subjects are philosophy, physics, political science, sociology, mathematics etc. Those who pass this stage move to the next stage.

The next stage is the Main examination. It constitutes of nine papers with two optional subjects. Each optional subject has two papers which makes it four papers. The first two papers are language papers of which English is mandatory paper. The fourth and fifth paper are general studies and general knowledge.

The last stage is the personality or interview where candidates are selected on the basis of their overall personality such communication skill , leadership abilities, team player etc.

Now that we know the structure how should we prepare for it. Well it will be herculean task if a candidate prepares for the exam on his own. There are a lot of coaching centers which prepare students for IAS. So the task of what to prepare and how to prepare rest on the centre itself. We just have to follow the classes. But there are some essential tips which can be provided .

In the prelims itself a candidate must wisely select there subject. For example with science background should go for any related science subjects.
We must underline important while reading a text so that next time we don’t waste time in reading the whole thing. Study the topics conceptually as it will help you because are set in a manner which test your concepts more.

In the main exam also the candidate must choose his two subjects wisely. If you are studying in tuition centre the taking the view of your teachers will be helpful and we should also see the scoring pattern of that centre. In fact a post graduate candidate should go for that subject as his option which he pursued in the post graduation.

The option of IAS is a very good choice but there are certain mind framework which one has to carry make sure that he or she acts accordingly. Determination is the key to success in such cases where in spite of multiple failure one cannot afford to lose hope and shall not be contended until and unless has reached his goal.