Targeting IAS Exams Right After Class 10th
Selection for the civil services takes place in three stages: a preliminary examination, a main examination, and a personality test/ interview. From 2011, the preliminary exam is going to have two common papers with equal weightage (200 marks each). The first paper will test candidates on current events of national and international importance, Indian history, Indian and world geography, Indian polity and governance, economic and social development and general science, besides environmental ecology, biodiversity and climate change.
This first paper under the new syllabus will be more or less like the current general awareness paper, with additional topics such as climate change and biodiversity.
The second paper, replacing the optional subject paper, will be an aptitude test to select those candidates most suitable for working in government. It will include general comprehension, inter-personal skills, including communication skills; logical reasoning and analytical ability; decision making and problem solving; general mental ability; basic numbers and their relations (secondary level) and data interpretation (charts, graphs, tables and data sufficiency).
The main exam comprises two language papers, one in English and the other in an optional Indian language, two general studies papers, and four papers on two optional subjects from a list of around 22 subjects. These papers are all subjective or essay-type papers.
For the present, the main exam remains the same, but it is likely that this too will undergo change by the time your daughter is ready to sit for it. Check the UPSC website, www.upsc.gov.in, for more details.
Under the current system, students who take the civil services exam like to do their bachelor's in subjects such as history, sociology and political science as they think these are more scoring, keeping in mind that a candidate requires detailed academic knowledge of least two subjects in which s/he can score high.
For those who are comfortable with the arts or humanities, there are many options including subjects such as psychology, political science, sociology and so on. For those who are good at maths, it will be advantageous for to study it in Class 11 and Class 12, irrespective of which career they may pursue. Due to the competitive nature of the entrance test, it may be advisable to keep a strong back-up option.
Author: Usha Albuquerque (HT Horizons)
Date: 16th December, 2010
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