The questions of the prelims examination are objective in nature. There are two papers in the civil service prelims. They are General Studies Paper-1 and General Studies Paper-2. The General Studies Paper-1 of prelims deals with subjects like history, geography, economy, polity, environment, etc. The General Studies Paper-2 deals with subjects like mental ability, interpersonal skills, comprehension, basic numeracy, etc. This paper is popularly known as Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT). GS Paper-2 is only qualifying in nature. Aspirants need to ensure that they score at least 33% marks in this paper. Though GS Paper-2 is only qualifying in nature, it cannot be neglected as there are a few candidates who were able to clear the GS-1 cut-off and could not score minimum marks in Paper-2.
The marks of GS Paper- 1 are only taken into account to decide the toppers of the preliminary exam. GS Paper-2 is only qualifying in nature. Along with subjects like history, geography, economy, polity, environment, etc., UPSC notification mentions “current events of national and international importance” as part of the syllabus. Therefore, it is very important for a candidate to include current affairs as part of their preparation. Candidates can also follow current affairs 2022 to get a stronghold over current affairs for UPSC CSE 2022.
Often, questions are asked linking the current affairs with the static portion of the syllabus. Therefore, a comprehensive preparation strategy is required to clear the preliminary of UPSC CSE. Serious UPSC aspirants have their own one-year strategy for prelims, but most of them panic at the last moment as there is a huge syllabus to revise in less time. To make last month’s preparation easier, the 30-days strategy to boost the prelims score is given below.
30 Days Prelims Strategy
The aspirants of UPSC CSE, in their preparation process, would have gone through the entire UPSC syllabus, their own notes, and revision. The 30-days strategy will help in effectively completing the whole Preliminary syllabus effectively and effortlessly. The 30-days strategy to revise the entire prelims syllabus is given below.
Day 1 to 6 (Economy)
The weightage of economics in UPSC prelims is around 25 marks. Money and banking, international trade, public finance, national income, inflation, and fiscal and monetary policies are some of the important chapters of the economy. The candidates are advised to go through the important terms of these chapters and practice as many MCQs as possible. Give importance to sustainable development, climate change, social infrastructure, employment, and human development.
Day 7 to 12 (Current affairs)
Current affairs are very important for UPSC Prelims. Around 20 current affairs questions will be asked in the preliminary examination. The candidates should revise their monthly current affairs magazines, MCQs, Economic surveys, budget, India Year Book, etc.
Day 13 to 18 (Geography & environment and ecology)
These two subjects are very important for prelims because around 25 questions are asked from them. The candidates must revise NCERTs, Goh Cheng Leong, and NIOS material for environment and ecology. Practice map-based questions, locations in news, conventions, and agreements.
Day 19 to 24 (Modern Indian history, and art and culture)
Entire history carries a weightage of around 25 marks in the prelims of UPSC CSE. The candidates must revise NCERTs, art and culture, current affairs in the news, and entire modern India from standard books.
Day 25 to 30 (Revision)
Revise all the topics and keep track of your performance. Go through all the mock test MCQs that you have given or solved and revise current affairs.
The last 30 days are very important in the preparation process for UPSC. These 30 days determine your score in the prelims. The UPSC CSE prelims 2022 is on 5th June. Candidates can check UPSC Exam Date for more details. Be prepared to work very hard and stay focused. If the candidates Work hard and meet their daily goals, success is definitely in their hands.
