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Skills Required |
Earlier, the standard approach to preparing for Civil Services Examination was to start preparing for Main directly rather than focusing on Prelims. This strategy worked and yielded good results since preparing for GS and the optional subjects for Main also took care of these papers in Prelims (these were the only two papers in Prelims as per the earlier pattern).
However, as per the current pattern, Prelims comprises GS as well as CSAT. Since CSAT does not appear in Main at all, preparing for Main will no longer be sufficient to take care of a candidate's preparation for Prelims as the candidate will not be able to tackle CSAT effectively.
Preparing for Main before being CSAT ready may prove to be detrimental not just to one's chances of clearing Prelims but also to the intensity and quality of one's preparation for Main examination. One might not be able to prepare with as much conviction as one would have, had one felt CSAT ready. There will always be a feeling of uncertainty regarding one's eligibility for Main in the first place.
The cut-off for the Prelims is expected to hover around 240-250 marks (out of 400) in 2014. To secure these marks, realistically, a candidate needs to target 90-100 in GS (Prelims) and around 150-160 in CSAT. Thus, scoring well in CSAT is critical to clearing Prelims and qualifying for Main.
The ideal strategy therefore, for preparing for Civil Services Examination now, is to start preparing for GS (Main) as well as for CSAT. Preparing for GS (Main) papers will enable the candidate to score well in GS Prelims paper too; hence, preparing specifically for GS Prelims is not needed initially. That is, although the questions that appear in Main are very different from the ones that appear in Prelims, the preparation required for both is more or less the same. However, in order to clear the Prelims, it is vital that a candidate should start preparing for CSAT right from day one of his preparation.
For GS (Main) preparation, an aspirant should start his preparation by studying NCERT books of standard 6 onwards. Along with this, a candidate should also read current affairs' magazines and newspapers regularly, sincerely and diligently. Studying NCERT books will provide the basic knowledge (across topics) necessary for GS papers; simultaneously, it will also enable the aspirant to identify the subject that he is most comfortable with, and/or enjoys studying the most. The aspirant can then choose this subject as his optional subject for Main.
The Recipe
As we have seen, the pattern of the Civil Services examination has changed drastically. Until a few years ago, this examination was more like a university subject paper where the quantity of information mattered a lot.
But, the new pattern has changed the mode of preparation of the candidates significantly. Now the Main Examination has become more challenging and more demanding. Selective study of a few topics has given way to a comprehensive study of every topic. The added importance of GS implies that you can no longer choose to ignore any of its areas. Students must embrace the Internet more than ever for their preparation, since a lot of reports and statistics are available only on the net.
Read laws, policies, schemes and recent updates (What's NEW) on these websites regularly.
It is advisable for students to complement their existing knowledge on current topics from the above mentioned websites.
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Books
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NCERT books from Std. 6 to 12 (History, Geography, Civics, Economics).
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NCERT Biology book for class XII (Unit on Ecology).
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Living Craft Traditions of India, NCERT class XI.
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An Introduction to Indian Art Part I, NCERT class XI.
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Craft Tradition of India: Past, Present and Future, NCERT class XII.
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IGNOU notes on Ethics and World History.
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India's Struggle for Independence by Bipan Chandra, Mridula Mukherjee, Aditya Mukherjee, Sucheta Mahajan, K. N. Panikkar, Penguin Publishers.
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Introduction to the Constitution of India by D.D. Basu, LexisNexis.
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Constitution of India: Bare Act (any good publication).
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Certificate Physical and Human Geography by Goh Cheng Leong, Oxford University Press.
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Mastering Modern World History by Norman Lowe, Palgrave Macmillan.
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Ethics in Public Administration: A Philosophical Approach by Patrick J. Sheeran, Praeger Publishers.
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Economic Survey of India, officially released by the Government of India India Year Book by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
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Magazines
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Frontline by The Hindu Group of publications.
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Economic and Political Weekly by Sameeksha Trust.
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World Focus.
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Down To Earth by Society for Environmental Communications.
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Yojana by Publications Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India.
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Kurukshetra by Publications Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India.
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Science Reporter.
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Newspapers.
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The Hindu.
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Indian Express.
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