Ok, so the Mains pattern is changing sooner than anticipated.

While we knew the change in the Mains pattern was a foregone conclusion after the changes in the Prelims pattern what is surprising is the short time within which the IAS Mains pattern will change. According to this report from The Hindu, the mains syllabus could change as early as 2012 Mains itself! The IAS mains pattern change is based on Yoginder Alagh committeesrecommendations made in 2002 that as civil services aspirants have already been tested in their graduation subjects in University examination its not useful to re-test them again in the same subjects in the IAS Mains. So What Do the Changes in Mains Pattern Mean for You

Optionals subjects will be done away with just like in the Prelims Except for Indian language paper all other papers will be common to all candidates All papers will be GS based i.e. focus on General Studies exclusively Papers will test your ability to take decisions quickly and correctly, deal with pressing issues like environment, political pressures, international trade and treaties etc. Focus will shift away from rote-based approach to sound reasoning and analysis Reliance and role of coaching classes will reduce drastically

Possible Syllabus of IAS Mains from 2012 Remember UPSC has still not made any official announcement regarding changes in the Mains pattern or published the new pattern. So the syllabus mentioned below is strictly an assumption based on the YK Alagh committees recommendations. Papers of 200 marks each common to all candidates For instance instead of combining History, Geography, Science etc in one paper, from 2012 IAS mains exam there could be separate paper for Indian History of 200 marks common to all candidates. Indian History -200 marks General Science and Statistics- 200 marks

Geography 200 marks International Relations 200 marks Indian Economy 200 marks Current Events and National Issues 200 marks Indian Polity 200 marks International Trade and Finance 200 marks It is difficult to guess the exact papers or marks so I will not go so far as to estimate the total number of marks in the Mains from 2012 onwards. But the above pattern should give you some idea about the impending changes and the possible pattern so you can prepare accordingly. So How Should You Prepare for IAS Mains From Now On? Before we dwelve on this further let me state that if the Mains exam pattern were certain to change from 2012 Mains UPSC will announce the new syllabus by December 2011 at most so that candidates get enough time to plan ahead. If the announcement is not made by December you can safely go ahead with your preparation of Mains optionals like you are doing presently.