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Civil Service Prelims - 6 Month Strategy - Part 1 - ClearIAS
Civil Service Prelims - 6 Month Strategy - Part 1 - ClearIAS
Civil Service Prelims: To crack IAS in the first shot you need a right strategy. Candidates often find Civil Services
Exam a hard nut to crack not due to lack ofhard-work or potential, but due to lack of right strategy. Beginners
who have enough time with them for a strong preparation may referStrategy and Books for Early Birds To Clear
IAS Exam. In this post, ClearIAS.com comes up with a few points you need to keep in mind before developing an
ideal strategy to clear IAS prelims exam within the last 6 months.
NB: This post was initially written after 2012 Prelims. We have made some quick corrections and updates after
the recent change in 2015.
Topics Inside:
1. Strategy for Clearing Civil Services Prelims Exam in the First Attempt
2. What types of questions are asked by UPSC in IAS exam?
3. Analysis of 2012 Civil Services Prelims Paper
4. Cut off Marks for Prelims: How Much Do you Need to Score to Clear Civil Service Prelims?
5. The ideal approach for Civil Services Prelims
Strategy for Clearing Civil Services Prelims Exam in the First Attempt
The best way to clear civil service prelims in the first attempt is to have a positive mindset and a practical
strategy. You dont need to know everything under the sun to clear IAS prelims, but you need to know the nature
of UPSC questions to crack this exam. A blind study mugging up a lot many things will neither help you in Prelims
nor Mains. You need to know about the essential books and study materials to crack the exam, and also about
the right strategy.
Number of Questions
27
20
20
12
11
10
100 Qns (Marks = 200)
* Current Events of national and international importance is counted as part of the mentioned subjects.
Number of Questions
Comprehension
35
27
Total
Cut off Marks for Prelims: How Much Do you Need to Score to Clear Civil Service Prelims?
For 2011 prelims the cut-off for general category was 197/400. For 2012 the cut-off score was 209/400. In 2013 it
was 241/400. Though the cut-off score for 2014 is not yet out, it is expected to be above 210/385. The trend
shows an increase in cut-off marks due to competition from better-prepared candidates.
Cut-offs for Prelims vary depending on the difficulty level of the paper and it may rise or fall. Generally only
around 15000 candidates are called for the second stage ie. Mains out of more than 9lakh applicants. Now as
Paper-2 of Prelims has turned qualifying in nature, it is necessary to score high for Paper-1 to clear prelims. A
safe score can be 120+/200, if UPSC stick to the same standard.