Civil Services Mains Preparation Strategy

Weightage of Papers

Once the Prelims exam is cleared it is followed by the mains. There are 9 papers in the mains exam, therefore, many times students get nervous and confused about the exam. But it’s not impossible to crack. With continuous effort, dedication and smart preparation the mains can be cleared.

As per the latest pattern of the Civil Services Exam, it consists of –

4 GS papers + 2 optional papers + 1 essay paper+2 qualifying language papers.

Paper 1 – Essay (250 marks).

Paper 2 – General Studies – Paper 1 (250 marks).

Paper 3 – General Studies – Paper 2 (250 marks).

Paper 4 – General Studies – Paper 3 (250 marks).

Paper 5 – General Studies – Paper 4 (250 marks).

Paper 6 – Optional – Paper 1 (250 marks).

Paper 7 – Optional – Paper 2 (250 marks).

Writing Good Answers

No matter how good you are at theory, at last, you have to prove yourself in the exam by writing down the answers in an outstanding way. Make down handwritten notes. Regularly writing for two to three hours in a day will help you in the mains as you will know the time limit and the word limit. Students who make hand written notes during the exam preparation write better answers than the others in the exam. If you are making regular hand written notes than your task is 60 percent done as far as the mains preparation is concerned.

Points to keep in mind while writing answers:

1. Handwriting is the most important part. 

2. Highlight the most important part or words in the answer.

3. Read the question twice so that you will know what exactly you need to write. Never beat around the bush. Be to the point.

4. Practice time management is one of the most important elements of the exam.

General Studies Preparation

Tips for General Preparation

1. Always refer to ICSE and NCERT books to build up the basics

2. Give preference to quality over quantity. Make sure you are thorough with the topic before moving to the next.

3. Practice writing every day. You can pick any current topic and can write on that for at least 500 words. As we all know practice makes a man perfect.

4. Revise daily it will help you to remember things better.

5. Your preparation is never complete until and unless you enroll for a test series it can be both online or offline.

Optional Subject Preparation

You should not wait till the prelims results are out for the optional paper preparation. Preparation for optional subjects can be started right during the prelim preparation. Many aspirants waits till the prelims results are declared but this may cost you a year.

Essay Preparation

1. Read books by standard authors.

2. Be aware of the international event.

3. Read newspapers editorials daily especially the Hindu.

4. Yojana and Kurukshetra Magazines can be very helpful.

5. Debates on national/international news channels can add points to your preparations.

As the phrase goes “There is no substitute for hard work” Civil Services Main Preparation is no bed of roses but it is not impossible to. A candidate who is very much focussed and determined can crack the exam in the very first attempt. We have IAS, IPS and IFS officers who have cleared the civil exams in their early 20’s in the very first attempt. Therefore all that matters is time, dedication and hard work.