IAS Exam Preparation

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How to prepare for the IAS Exam?

This lens gives you guidance on UPSC Civil Services Exam Preparation.

Overview of the Examination 

The Examination comprises two successive stages.

(i) Civil Services (Preliminary) Examinations (Objective Type) for the selection of candidates for Main Examination; and

(ii) Civil Services (Main) Examination (Written and Interview) for the selection of candidates for the various services and posts.

Services/posts to which recruitment is made through the UPSC Civil Services Examination

Preliminary Examination 

The preliminary examination consists of two papers of objective type carrying a maximum of 450 marks. The optional paper has 300 marks and the general studies (GS) paper has 150 marks.

List of Optional Subjects for Prelims

The optional paper has to be studied extensively and one should aim at scoring 95-110 out of 120 questions. The GS paper has 150 questions and each question here has 1 mark compared to 2.5 for the optional. One should aim to score 90-110 out of the 150.

For more info iasguide.googlepages.com

Main Examination 

Scheme of the Main Examination.

Paper I: One of the Indian languages to be selected by the candidate from the Languages included in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution. 300 marks

Paper II: English. 300 marks

Paper III: Essay. 200 marks

Papers IV and V: General Studies. 300 marks for each paper

Papers VI, VII, VIII and IX: Any two subjects to be selected from the list of the optional subjects. Each subject will have two papers. 300 marks for each paper

Interview test. 300 marks

Note: The Papers on Indian Languages and English will be of qualifying nature; the marks obtained in these papers will not be counted for ranking.

List of Optional subjects for the Main exam

Negative Marking / Penalty for wrong answers 

As per the notification issued by UPSC on December 16, 2006, there will be penalty in the form of negative marking for wrong answers given by a candidate in the objective type question papers for the Civil Services (Prelim) Exam 2007 and onwards. As such, every question will have four alternatives for the answer and in case of each question, a wrong answer marked by the candidate will account for the deduction of one third (0.33) of the marks assigned to that question.

If a candidate gives more than one answer, it will be treated as a wrong answer even if one of the given answers happens to be correct and there will be same penalty as above for that question. However, if a question is left blank without any answer marked by the candidate, there will be no penalty for that question.

IAS Exam 2010 Preparation Schedule 

Answer writing tips 

Poll 1 - optionals 

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  • Reply
    sharvani sharvani Nov 21, 2009 @ 3:33 am
    hi, i have completed my b.a in kannada meduim from bangalore university. i want to become an ias officer . please help me to fulfill my amibition. i want to know about the ias exam details. i want to choose kannada. is it a good subject? my email id is sharvani.its@gmail.com.
  • Reply
    SUMESH SUMESH Nov 10, 2009 @ 4:08 am
    respected sir/madam

    i am a graduate from calicut university and i want to appear in the upsc exam to become an ias officer .my handwritting was not good for......that affecting to my exams please reply
    kindly reply it
  • Reply
    cruz cruz Nov 19, 2009 @ 4:15 am
    hand writing wont be a problem in any case
  • Reply
    Kavitha Ganesan Kavitha Ganesan Sep 11, 2009 @ 11:58 am
    Dear professionals,

    I am Kavitha age 23),working as a Lecturer in Social Work Dept, completed MSW, M.Phil (currently pursuing in Part Time) under Bharathiyar University,Coimbatore, i want to start to prepare for IAS and i wnt to appear in 2010 exam,This is the first time for me, so i do know how to start,I need guidance from professionals,Kindly help me out
  • Reply
    Bhuvnesh Chaturvedi Bhuvnesh Chaturvedi Aug 22, 2009 @ 5:35 am
    hi
    i am bhuvnesh chaturvedi and i am in b.com final year. i am 18 year old.
    i prepare for this exam and it will be held in 2012( i think)
    i want to ask that can i join coaching institute in 2010?
    if yes/no,
    give me sajesation
  • Reply
    balinder jeet balinder jeet Jul 24, 2009 @ 8:46 am
    hi, i have completed my m.a. in english by securing 58% marks from punjab uni. i want to become an ias officer . please help me to fulfill my amibition. i want to know about the indian language paper. i want to choose english. is it a good subject? my email id is balinderjitdhiman@yahoo.com.
  • Reply
    Pandiyarajan L Pandiyarajan L Jul 21, 2009 @ 8:51 am
    Hi,

    I want to be an IPS officer. So, Please let me know the top institution cum fee structure in Pune, Delhi and Gurgon.

    Regards,

    Pandiya
  • Reply
    abeda dodamani abeda dodamani Jul 11, 2009 @ 4:34 am
    he dont be excited be cool and calm .
    see start reading about our history , current affairs practise essay writing spend min 2-3hrs for IAS preparation
    ok
  • Reply
    Santhosh.N Santhosh.N Jun 20, 2009 @ 11:31 pm
    Respected sir/madam
    i have done BBM from Bangalore university .. from child hood days i have dream of becoming IAS officer .. but i dont know where to apply for exam and when is this exam conducted can u please guide me my Email id is sany66music@yahoo.com
  • Reply
    Sharmistha Sharmistha Jun 8, 2009 @ 11:26 am
    Hi I'm Sharmistha this is my dream to join the IAS.I score very poor marks in graduation.How can I prepare myself for the exam? Please reply me to sharmistha_2505@rediffmail.com
  • Reply
    Narasimha Narasimha Jun 4, 2009 @ 1:40 am | in reply to archana
    Hi Archana, you cannot attend the exam unless u complete degree
  • Reply
    rajaprabhu rajaprabhu Jun 3, 2009 @ 8:23 am
    Please guide me in preparing for I A S exams, i am doing my B.tech(it) 1st Year. My dream and childhood aim is to be an I A S Officer that is to score 1st Rank, so myself want to prepare for my aim from nowonwards please guide me in this regard and sugest the books which i have to start study from now . I work hard to acheive my goal. Please mail me to the adress raja.ias294@gmail.com
  • Reply
    NIKHIL KULKARNI NIKHIL KULKARNI Jun 1, 2009 @ 12:41 pm
    I am working professional having qualification B. E. (PRODUCTION) I want to be IAS officer but i didn't have enough knowledge /information about it,Please guide me for the same.And also please tell me prspects for engineer in civil servises.Please do reply on below mail id
    nikhilkulkarni2005@gmail.com
  • Reply
    yogendra singh yogendra singh May 29, 2009 @ 6:47 am
    hi
    my name is yogendra singh and i am working in central excise department but now i am serious about for ias exam preparation so what should i do for that. plz guide me.
  • Reply
    Vidya Shree K S Vidya Shree K S Apr 16, 2009 @ 3:54 am
    Please guide me in preparing for I A S exams, i am doing my B.com., 1st Year. My dream and childhood aim is to be an I A S Officer that is to score 1st Rank, so myself want to prepare for my aim from nowonwards please guide me in this regard and sugest the books which i have to start study from now . I work hard to acheive my goal. Please mail me to the adress VIDYA3391@gmail.com
  • Reply
    jaydeep jaydeep Apr 15, 2009 @ 6:35 am
    when will the IAS exam anounced next
    please reply on my email id jaydeep.engg47@gmail.com
  • Reply
    ARPIT MISHRA ARPIT MISHRA Apr 11, 2009 @ 12:28 pm
    i m a student,pursuing B.E. in electrical n electronics. i m in fourth yr. i want to prepare for IAS exam. but i don't have a wit of knowledge about IAS. can u plz help me out to understand about exam n suggest me gud start up sothat i can get through it.
  • Reply
    vani b vani b Apr 11, 2009 @ 8:16 am
    sir iwant to write i. a. s exam .now i am doing my b.d.s how i should prepare?kindely replay in my email id vanilbindu@gmail.com
  • Reply
    RAJA YAQOOB FAROOQ RAJA YAQOOB FAROOQ Apr 10, 2009 @ 10:37 pm
    sir im from civil engineering and i am interested in taking political science nand sociology as my subjects for IAS prepration and i am in second year of engineering can u guide me how to start the prepration
  • Reply
    shwetha shwetha Apr 10, 2009 @ 2:19 am
    sir i want to start preparing for ias exam as i'm doing ma be 1st yr...wat kind of preprations helps me to persue in ias exam which i want to take after i complete my be.....?
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