The Preliminary Examination is conducted in the month of May/June every year
and it consists of two Objective type (multiple choice questions) compulsory papers
and carries a maximum of 400 marks in the following manner:
1.Paper I – 200 marks and,
2.Paper II – 200 marks.
Syllabus for Preliminary Examination as per the New Pattern
Paper I - It comprises seven areas:
1.Current events of national and international importance
2.History of India and Indian National Movement
3.Indian and World Geography - Physical, Social, Economic Geogra-
phy of India and the World.
4.Indian Polity and Governance – Constitution, Political System,
Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues, etc.
5.Economic and Social Development – Sustainable Development,
Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives, etc.
6.General issues on Environmental ecology, Bio-diversity and Climate
Change - that do not require subject specialization
7.General Science.
Paper II - It comprises seven areas:
1.Comprehension
2.Interpersonal skills including communication skills;
3.Logical reasoning and analytical ability
4.Decision making and problem solving
5.General mental ability
6.Basic numeracy (numbers and their relations, orders of magnitude
etc.) (Class X level), Data interpretation (charts, graphs, tables, data
sufficiency etc. -Class X level)
7.English Language Comprehension skills (Class X level).
Questions relating to English Language Comprehension skills of Class X level (last item in the Syllabus of Paper-II) will be tested through passages from English language only without providing Hindi translation thereof in the question paper.
A Hindi equivalent / translation will be available for the initial six tested areas, while the seventh area. English Language Comprehension skills, will be available exclusively in English language, indicating a need of understanding of English language in prospective IAS officers as English is the Lingua Franca of our country.
Strategy for Preparation for Preliminary Exam
Now we will discuss how to prepare for both the papers of Preliminary Examination.
On the analysis of the sample questions, given by UPSC, based on the revised
pattern of Civil Services Preliminary Examination effective from 2011, we find that Paper I of Preliminary Exam is the same which was known earlier as General Studies paper. To prepare for Paper I, the candidate should see the last ten years’ question papers of General Studies Preliminary Exam. These questions will give hem a fair idea as to how the question is framed from the respective themes of the syllabus and also know the difficulty level.
1. Current Events of National and International Importance – Here, questions
generally revolve around such happenings that have taken place during the previ-
ous 12 months.
2. History of India and Indian National Movement – Under this topic, questions
include social, economic and political aspects of ancient, medieval and modern
Indian history. Special emphasis should be given to 19th century resurgence and
the attainment of the Indian Independence.
3. Indian and World Geography – Physical, Social, Economic Geography of
India and the World - Geography questions usually focus on Indian geography,
with regard to physical, social and economic aspects.
4. Indian Polity and Governance – Constitution, Political System, Panchayati
Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues etc. – In these topics, an analysis of the
previous years’ questions suggests that majority of the questions cover the themes
iii
RAU’S IAS—UPSC Syllabus for Civil Services Exam
related to the Indian Constitution and the existing political system.
5. Economic and Social Development – Sustainable Development, Poverty,
Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives, etc. – Recent develop-
ments in the field of economic priorities are also a favourite area for questioning.
The candidate should be more focused on various policy programmes initiated by
the government to eradicate poverty.
6. General Issues on Environmental ecology, Bio-diversity and Climate
Change – This is a new topic added in the new pattern of the syllabus, so the
candidates should thoroughly understand the basic concepts of Ecology,
Biodiversity and Climate Change. They should also keep in mind the recent
debates on environment and climate change.
7. General Science - In this segment, questions include the basics and scientific
awareness of related areas. It comprises themes such as physics, astrophysics,
chemistry, botany, zoology, agriculture, medicine & life sciences etc. Though,
each one of these is a fully developed discipline, but the questions asked here are
the ones that can be expected from a well-educated person without any special
knowledge of these disciplines.
The syllabus of Paper II of Preliminary Exam reflects that it is like an APTITUDE
TEST for Civil Services. To understand the impact of introduction of the Civil Ser-
vices Aptitude Test (CSAT) on a student’s approach, preparation and attitude, we
need to understand the context of its evolution.
The Background of CSAT
The concept of CSAT was advocated, first of all, by Dr Y.K. Alagh in his Civil Services
Review Committee Report, 2001. He recommended major changes in the structure of
the examination system. He favoured the idea of testing the candidates in a common
subject rather than on optional subjects.
To decide the exact content and syllabus of CSAT, the honourable UPSC Chairman,
Prof. D.P. Agrawal, constituted a high-power committee under Prof. S.K. Khanna,
former Vice-Chairman, University Grants Commission. The committee submitted its
report at the end of April, 2010, after which the UPSC formally announced the con-
tents of the syllabi of the two objective-type papers of the CSAT stage.
The Myths
The candidates for CSAT (Civil Services Aptitude Test) are confronted by a plethora of
iv
RAU’S IAS—UPSC Syllabus for Civil Services Exam
information, conjectures and assumptions disseminated by people lacking the per-
ception needed for handling the CSAT and by organizations with vested interests.
Candidates need to sift through the chaff and understand what direction to take. I
have tried to dispel some myths that my students ask me about.
Myth 1 – CSAT will be a diluted version of the IIM-CAT, XAT or MAT
The CSAT stands for the Civil Services Aptitude Test, an exam customised to test
a candidate’s aptitude for the Civil Services and not a Management Aptitude Test,
which tests for aptitude to do an MBA successfully. Management Aptitude Tests
such as the IIM-CAT and XAT have a dual focus – to test whether a student has the
aptitude / potential to become a manager in the corporate world and to test whether a
student will be able to handle the academic rigours of a demanding course, a Masters
in Business Administration or a Post Graduate Diploma in Business Management.
CSAT, on the other hand is not an entrance exam for admission into an MBA program
offered by a Business School, rather CSAT is a recruitment exam for a career in the
Civil Services, a discipline which requires a different set of abilities and attitude, so
the CSAT is an entirely different exam.
Myth 2 – The Maths of CSAT will be difficult and will give an undue advantage
to candidates with a Maths background
CSAT, by virtue of being an Aptitude Test for Civil Services, will test students for their
ability to play with numbers and not higher level Maths. The sample questions re-
leased by UPSC are indicative of the difficulty level of this component. They do not
need knowledge of formulae or any difficult Math skills. A difficult Maths question in
which more students tend to make mistakes will not be difficult because of higher
level Maths but will be difficult because of a twist or a trap in question due to fancy
language. A candidate who has passed 10th standard knows more Maths than is
needed by the CSAT. I agree that with passage of years the mathematical skills
would have got rusty but would definitely not need learning from scratch. Understand-
ing and practicing various types of questions that can come in the exam is required
initially, while later the candidates can focus on finding out what type of questions
they most frequently make mistakes in and correcting themselves is required for the
final honing of quantitative skills.
Myth 3 – The English and Reasoning questions are easy and do not need hard
work
The English questions are not easy rather they are seemingly easy. If you compare
v
RAU’S IAS—UPSC Syllabus for Civil Services Exam
English with say an area like Maths, then the differences are stark. Candidates from
our Indian schooling systems have to do a lot of Maths in their syllabi. Parents,
teachers and students work hard on Maths, but except for the initial focus on English
during primary schooling, at later stages from standards 5 to 12, students are just
handed a mandatory English Reader (book), which has a few stories followed by
some questions. Students can recall that during the high school and later stages
they could study English for a few days before exam and could secure the desired
score in English subject. So if you analyze, English is an area where our foundation
is weak and candidates will have to put in an extra effort to match the standards of
testing. To know more about CSAT preparation, visit us at http://
www.rauias.com/csat
