UPSC FAQs

By Mayank Mishra (AIR-172 UPSC CSE 2019)

General Informations :

• Telegram Channel – https://t.me/upscmayank

• Views are personal. There may be a thousand approaches to clear this examination.
• The examination’s requirement is very dynamic. Please update your sources on regular basis.
• Wherever any coaching/online source has been mentioned, it should not be considered a promotion.
• Background about me – Graduate in Civil Engineering from BITS Pilani, Pilani Campus (2012-16). Worked
from July 2016 - May 2018 in the field of data analytics. Quit my job in May 2018 to prepare full time. First
attempt in 2019 UPSC.
• Here is a poem that is very relevant for the situation you are in. Please read it slowly and understand what it
says -

1. Why skills do I need to take this exam ?

• Perseverence
• Hardwork
• Focus
• Ability to search relevant information
• Memory
• Practicality
• Legible Handwriting
• Mental strength
2. UPSC/MBA/MS etc?

Each and every option has its own benefits. Please listen to your calling and then take the step forward. Read a
lot about your options to gather more info. UPSC is not the exam that will make you the king and give all the
satisfaction you seek from life.

3. What are the benefits of UPSC?

• Direct Public Impact Job

• Job security
• Scope to change lives of millions
• Satisfaction from life

4. How many hours to study for the exam?

Very subjective. Depends on person to person. Around 6-8 hours regularly for an year is fine.

5. Who can take this exam?

(I) Nationality
(1) For the Indian Administrative Service, the Indian Foreign Service and the Indian Police Service,
a candidate must be a citizen of India.
(2) For other services, a candidate must be either:—
(a) a citizen of India, or
(b) a subject of Nepal, or
(c) a subject of Bhutan, or
(d) a Tibetan refugee who came over to India before 1st January, 1962 with the intention of
permanently settling in India, or
(e) a person of Indian origin who has migrated from Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka, East African
countries of Kenya, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Zaire, Ethiopia and
Vietnam with the intention of permanently settling in India

(II) Age Limits:

(a) A candidate must have attained the age of 21 years and must not have attained the age of
32 years on the 1st of August, Examination Year
(b) The upper age-limit prescribed above will be relaxable:
(i) up to a maximum of five years if a candidate belongs to a Scheduled Caste or a Scheduled
Tribe;
(ii) up to a maximum of three years in the case of candidates belonging to Other Backward
Classes who are eligible to avail of reservation applicable to such candidates;
(iii) up to a maximum of three years in the case of Defence Services Personnel, disabled in
operations during hostilities with any foreign country or in a disturbed area and released as a
consequence thereof;
(iv) up to a maximum of five years in the case of ex-servicemen including Commissioned
Officers and ECOs/SSCOs who have rendered at least five years Military Service as on 1st
August, 2020 and have been released;

(III) Must have completed graduation

6. What inspired you to take this exam?

I worked for a government agency while I was doing the job. I found out that there is still a lot of scope to
improve public service delivery and governance where I can contribute. I took up the responsibility and started
preparing.

7. Where did you take coaching?

I took classroom coaching at an institute in Delhi and then went for several test series and mock interviews.
However, I did this just to bring in discipline in my preparation. If you are self motivated and can ensure
discipline, you do not need any coaching at all. A lot of guidance is available on the internet.

8. What are the different services offered by the examination?

 (i) Indian Administrative Service.
(ii) Indian Foreign Service.
(iii) Indian Police Service.
(iv) Indian P & T Accounts & Finance Service, Group ‘A’.
(v) Indian Audit and Accounts Service, Group ‘A’.
(vi) Indian Revenue Service (Customs and Central Excise), Group ‘A’.
(vii) Indian Defence Accounts Service, Group ‘A’.
(viii) Indian Revenue Service (I.T.), Group ‘A’.
(ix) Indian Ordnance Factories Service, Group ‘A’ (Assistant Works Manager, Administration).
(x) Indian Postal Service, Group ‘A’.
(xi) Indian Civil Accounts Service, Group ‘A’.
(xii) Indian Railway Traffic Service, Group ‘A’.
(xiii) Indian Railway Accounts Service, Group 'A'.
(xiv) Indian Railway Personnel Service, Group ‘A’.
(xv) Post of Assistant Security Commissioner in Railway Protection Force, Group ‘A’
(xvi) Indian Defence Estates Service, Group ‘A’.
(xvii) Indian Information Service (Junior Grade), Group ‘A’.
(xviii) Indian Trade Service, Group 'A'.
(xix) Indian Corporate Law Service, Group ‘A’.
(xx) Armed Forces Headquarters Civil Service, Group ‘B’ (Section Officer’s Grade).
(xxi) Delhi, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Daman & Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli
Civil Service, Group 'B'.
(xxii) Delhi, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Daman & Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli Police
Service, Group 'B'.
(xxiii) Pondicherry Civil Service, Group 'B'.
(xxiv) Pondicherry Police Service, Group ‘B’.

9. What is the selection to applicants statistics?

This usually depends on the number of vacancies. I am sharing the stats for UPSC CSE 2019.

Around 12 lac people fill up the form out of which 6-7 lac appeared for the Prelims on 2nd June 2019 (First
Stage). Out of them, around 12,000 qualified prelims and took the Main Examination from September 20-29,
2019 (Second Stage). Around 2300 candidates were called for Interview Rounds (February 20, 2020 to March
30, 2020 planned) at Delhi. In total, offer was made to 829 candidates this year.

10. What is the reservation percentage?

The cumulative reservation percentage is currently at 59.5%. Please check official notification for more details
about the breakup.

11. What is the number of attempts at the examination?

Every candidate appearing at the examination, who is otherwise eligible, shall be permitted six attempts at the
examination:
• Provided that this restriction on the number of attempts will not apply in the case of Scheduled Castes and
Scheduled Tribes candidates who are otherwise eligible
• Provided further that the number of attempts permissible to candidates belonging to Other Backward Classes,
who are otherwise eligible, shall be nine. The relaxation will be available to the candidates who are eligible to
avail of reservation applicable to such candidates

12. What is the age limit of the exam?

(II) Age Limits:

(a) A candidate must have attained the age of 21 years and must not have attained the age of 32 years
on the 1st of August of Examination Year
(b) The upper age-limit prescribed above will be relaxable:
(i) up to a maximum of five years if a candidate belongs to a Scheduled Caste or a Scheduled
Tribe;
(ii) up to a maximum of three years in the case of candidates belonging to Other Backward
Classes who are eligible to avail of reservation applicable to such candidates;
(iii) up to a maximum of three years in the case of Defence Services Personnel, disabled in
 operations during hostilities with any foreign country or in a disturbed area and released as a
consequence thereof;
(iv) up to a maximum of five years in the case of ex-servicemen including Commissioned
Officers and ECOs/SSCOs who have rendered at least five years Military Service as on 1st
August, 2020 and have been released;

13. What is the pattern of the examination?

The competitive examination comprises two successive stages :

(i) Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination (Objective Type) for the selection of candidates for Main
Examination; and – MARKS ARE NOT USED FOR MAINS TOTAL
(ii) Civil Services (Main) Examination (Written and Interview) for the selection of candidates for the
various Services and posts.

The Preliminary Examination will consist of two papers of Objective type (multiple choice questions) and
carry a maximum of 400 marks in the subjects set out in sub-section (A) of Section II. This examination is
meant to serve as a screening test only; the marks obtained in the Preliminary Examination by the candidates
who are declared qualified for admission to the Main Examination will not be counted for determining their
final order of merit. The number of candidates to be admitted to the Main Examination will be about twelve to
thirteen times the total approximate number of vacancies to be filled in the year through this examination.

Note I : The Commission will draw a list of candidates to be qualified for Civil Services (Main) Examination
based on the criterion of minimum qualifying marks of 33% in General Studies
Paper-II of Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination and total qualifying marks of General Studies
Paper-I of Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination as may be determined by the Commission.
Note II : There will be negative marking for incorrect answers as detailed below:
(i) There are four alternatives for the answers to every question. For each question for which a wrong
answer has been given by the candidate, one-third (0.33) of the marks assigned to that question will be
deducted as penalty.
(ii) If a candidate gives more than one answer, it will be treated as a wrong answer even if one of the
given answers happen to be correct and there will be same penalty as above for that question.
(iii) If a question is left blank i.e. no answer is given by the candidate, there will be no penalty
for that question.

3. The Main Examination will consist of written examination and an interview test. The written examination
will consist of 9 papers of conventional essay type in the subjects set out in sub-section (B) of Section II out of
which two papers will be of qualifying in nature. Also see Note (ii) under Para I of Section II (B) Marks
obtained for all the compulsory papers (Paper-I to Paper-VII) and Marks obtained in Interview for Personality
Test will be counted for ranking.

4.1 Candidates who obtain such minimum qualifying marks in the written part of the Main Examination as
may be fixed by the Commission at their discretion, shall be summoned by them for an interview for a
Personality Test, vide sub-section ‘C’ of Section II. The number of candidates to be summoned for interview
will be about twice of the number of vacancies to be filled. The interview will carry 275 marks (with no
minimum qualifying marks).

4.2 Marks thus obtained by the candidates in the Main Examination (written part as well as interview) would
determine their final ranking. Candidates will be allotted to the various Services keeping in view their ranks in
the examination and the preferences expressed by them for the various Services and posts

14. What is the syllabus of the examination?

Check UPSC Official Notification – Google Search or Website

15. Is it okay to take online class or offline?

It is absolutely okay to take online classes. What matters is your preparation based on the guidance provided in
the classes. Both have its own sets of benefits and demerits. Stay safe in these times specially.

16. When should we start answer writing?

Only after you have gathered a sufficient knowledge base with the required content. I would suggest to do it
after 4 months of preparation when ideally you should have completed the first reading of the entire syllabus.
17. How should we get our answers evaluated?

You can post it on online forums like InsightsonIndia or IASBaba. Also, it is suggested to make study groups
and cross evaluate answers as it widens your knowledge base too. If you are not able to find any of the above
useful, join a test series.

18. I am from Tier II/III college, what are my chances?

As high as anybody else. UPSC doesn’t discriminate anyone from any background as long as your knowledge
speaks for you.

19. Are test series important for the exam?

I would personally recommend taking atleast one test series where your answers are corrected by someone who
has taken this exam seriously. It may or may not be from any coaching institute but having it evaluated by
experts helps.

20. Can I take certain courses in college to help me in the exams?

Yes you definitely can as long as it aligns with the syllabus or it is one of the optionals in the list of optionals
provided by UPSC.

21. Is the attempt counted if I don’t appear in the Prelims?

No. If you don’t take Prelims, no attempt is counted as of now.

22. What is the recommended booklist?

Newspapers
• The Hindu (Core)
• The Indian Express (Important Columns)

Polity
Indian Polity by Laxmikanth
Indian Constitution at Work – NCERT

Economy
Mrunal.org articles
Sriram Economy Notes
Macroeconomics – NCERT Class XII
Indian Economic Development – NCERT Class XI
Economic Survey (Selective reading from Prelims perspective)
The Hindu
Internet for understanding concepts (Arthapedia, Google, Youtube)

Ancient History of India

Old NCERT by RS Sharma
New NCERTs

Medieval History of India

Old NCERT by Satish Chandra (Selective Reading)
New NCERTs

Modern History
A Brief history of Modern India- Spectrum Publications
India’s Struggle for Independence – Bipan Chandra (Selective Reading)
NCERT by Bipan Chandra (For the period 1700s to 1857)

Indian Art and Culture

Nitin Singhania Book
An Introduction to Indian Art – Class XI NCERT
Chapters related to culture in Ancient and Medieval India NCERTs
 Environment and Biodiversity
Shankar IAS book
Current Affairs Compilation

General Science
General Science books – IX and X standard
The Hindu (Note down and read about the latest scientific terms, discoveries and inventions
frequently mentioned in news)
Google and YouTube

Geography
Fundamentals of Physical Geography XI NCERT
India: Physical Environment XI NCERT
Fundamentals of Human Geography XII NCERT
India: People and Economy XII NCERT
Certificate Physical and Human Geography: GC Leong
PMFIAS (Excellent resource for understanding complex topics)
Google and YouTube

Govt Schemes
Govt schemes compilations
General Trivia (Eg: Global groupings, Reports, Institutions, Rankings etc)

Ethics
Subbarao Book
Toppers Note (Google Search)

World History
NCERT
Ojha Sir Notes

Sociology
Nitin Sangwan
Harlambos (Blue Book)
Ritzer

23. Is coaching necessary?

Necessary if you are getting lost in the pile of information and want a way out of it to streamline your
preparation. Not necessary if you are able to streamline your preparation by selectively reading the content
available online to your advantage. The majority of the effort has to be definitely yours.

24. How to keep oneself motivated throughout the prepartion?

Self-motivation is a very subjective factor and people have their own reason. Start with asking why you began
in the first place everytime you feel like giving up.

25. Should I worry about the backup?

Not when you are very motivated for the exam and don’t doubt your abilities. If there are financial difficulties
or you are nearing the age limit, I would suggest having a backup as it is a safe thing to do. I had quit my well
paying job without any backup in mind because I never doubted my abilities to get a job anytime in future that
I may require because I felt I am sufficiently skilled.

26. How should I prepare if I am not taking any coaching?

Following a schedule is really important. There are no cheat days in this. You have to make a plan and stick to
it. I would suggest begin with glancing through the past year papers and careful read at the syllabus. Once you
know the requirements, look for materials that can empower you for preparation. Take extensive help from the
internet wherever you feel stuck. I have mentioned some forums in the next answer.

27. Which online forums are available for guidance?

 The best online forums I came across are -

• https://anudeepdurishetty.in/blog/ - Most of the contents of this document are inspired from here.
• https://www.insightsonindia.com/
• https://iasbaba.com/

28. Note making required?

If you are making notes, make sure it is not the exact replica of the book that you studied. There is no perfect
note making style. You are over 20 years of age and have made many notes in life till now. Find out which
style helps you the best in remebering and saves time. Please refer to various topper’s notes (specially Anudeep
Durishetty or Kanishak Kataria as they have uploaded their entire set of notes online)

29. Should we read newspaper or compilations?

Newspaper reading has no substitute. Special emphasis should be given on the editorials. Initially it will take a
lot of time but with advancement of preparation, it should become faster. Follow daily newspaper analysis on
various youtube channel or online forums to know what were the important news for the day.
Compilations are meant to be used as a complimentary material to newspaper and not its substitute.

30. Where are the complilations available?

Websites of various coaching institutes publish the materials for free. Google search for Monthly Current
Affairs compilations.

31. Can you suggest some telegram channels for guidance?

Telegram Channels I followed for preparation help -

• csepaper2atish
• AbheyKumarUPSCMentor
• target30upsc

32. What is prelims specific strategy?

The examination follows an integrated approach for preparation where all the three stage readings are
common. Prelims however is slightly more oriented towards facts and analysis of those facts. Please refer to
last years papers to get an idea.

33. What is mains specific strategy?

The examination follows an integrated approach for preparation where all the three stage readings are
common. Mains however is slightly more oriented towards analysis of central issues involved and a balanced
approach. Don’t take extreme stance unless explicitly asked in the question or the choice is too obvious.
Please refer to last years papers to get an idea.

34. What is the strategy for Interview (Personality test)?

The official notification of UPSC clearly mentions about the traits they are looking for in the candidates. Please
absorb those terms and try to develop those qualities over time while you prepare. By the time you will reach
this stage, you will already have enough information about it. I would suggest taking a few mock interviews
before the actual one.

35. What if I don’t know any question in interview?

Focusing on the fact that it is a personality test more than a question-answer round, it should not be a problem
at all unless it is such a question which you should have known based on your preparation. Admitting to not
know the answer of a fact is a sign of honesty. Bluffing about it is cheating, which is undesirable.

36. Can I prepare it in college?

The best time to prepare is while you are in college. Balancing it with studies will not be as difficult as
balancing it with full time job. If you have already missed this stage, the second best time is NOW.
37. Should I take a drop after college to prepare?

Many people do it as a matter of fact. You are fresh with academic rigour and brimming with energy and
motivation. But please be honest with yourself if you do this and prepare rigorously otherwise it may be too
difficult later just in case if this doesn’t work out.

38. Can I prepare while working?

If you go through the topper’s videos available on YouTube, you will find many people who successfully
cracked this examination while doing a full time job. Yes, you will have to manage it well and squeeze out time
whenever possible but its totally doable.

39. Do I have to leave job to prepare?

I left my job to prepare because I was not able to manage my time very well. It depends on your individual
preference and the importance of having a job in your life. In these times, it can be even more scary a thought.
My personal advice is to begin while working and see how well you are able to make time for preparation. If
your family support is there and you are confident, you can take a personal call.

40. I am not very good in studies, can I clear?

You can clear with a rank in Top 10 if you committ yourself 100% in this exam and forget your past
experiences with poor academic records.

41. I have very low CGPA, what is the minimum cutoff?

No minimum cutoff if you are declared pass in your graduation.

42. What is the approximate timeline for GS and Optional?

GS (General Studies) should take approx 4-5 months for one round done in detail. Optional will take approx 2
months. Essay preparation can be spread across different periods but major focus after the Mains examination.

43. Importance of Timetable?

Equals the importance of Civil Services in your life. An action without a plan is just a dream.

44. Did you perfectly follow the timetable?

No. But I tried to be honest with myself and followed it whenever possible.

45. How to decide which optional to choose?

Go through the entire list of optionals. Eliminate the ones you cannot do at all, something that is very different
from your field and would require a specialisation. For the shortlisted ones, look at the syllabus, previous year
papers and your comfort levels. Make sure you spend enough time researching before you finalise as you
wouldn’t want to change it as the end moment.

46. Engineering vs Non-Engineering Optionals?

Your choice. Choose engineerig optional only if you are interested in it and are at a certain level of sound
expertise as competition will be with people with strong technical background. Same for optionals like Maths.

47. Can we prepare optional after Prelims?

You have to fill the name of optional you are choosing 3 months before Prelims. It cannot be changed. Some
people take up crash course after prelims and still sail through the exam but I wouldn’t recomment this if you
have time.

48. Should we prepare for optional before/with/after GS?

I would suggest preparation after completing one round of GS in 3-4 months.

49. Why did you choose Sociology?

I found the syllabus to be relevant for GS Papers. Study material and test series were available. I was able to
relate real life examples with the subject.

50. Which books did you refer for sociology optional?

I majorly followed Nitin Sangwan’s Book along with selective reading of Harlambos and Ritzer.

51. How many times should we revise the course?

As many times as you need, till the contents are drilled in your head. No less than 3-4 times.

52. What are the options available if I don’t succeed?

If varies from person to person. Please seek opinions from people who have faced a similar situation in life by
reading various articles online.

53. What mistakes would you avoid if given one more attempt?

I would read from the original sources, government websites, etc more than compilations. I would have also
written more answers a bit early on.