IAS Toppers Tips for IAS Prelims 2022. See and Read here about the perspective and suggestions of IAS toppers for the IAS prelims 2022 exam.
IAS 2022 prelims exam is scheduled to be conducted on June 5. The IAS prelims 2022 will be conducted offline across the nation simultaneously. The IAS toppers share their experience and strategy for the IAS prelims exam. IAS Prelims 2022 is the first stage of the three and it filters the majority of candidates. IAS prelims is a screening exam and the marks secured in the UPSC prelims exam are not counted for final merit.
Every year, there is news about the postponement of IAS prelims and all of them proved a hoax. So without being diverted to anything, the candidates should continue to strengthen their IAS preparation. IAS toppers tips are very helpful in the IAS exam because all of them are well verse of the anxiety and performance pressure felt by the IAS aspirants.
Also read: How to start IAS preparation
IAS toppers gave specific tips for IAS prelims exam so that the candidates can get help with their experiences. Each IAS topper has a unique perspective of IAS prelims exam and every topper shares his experience with that perspective.
UPSC Civil Service (IAS) 2025 will be conducted on May 25, 2025. The Union Public Service Commission released the UPSC Civil Service (IAS) 2025 notification was released on January 22, 2025. The Commission activated the IAS 2025 online application form on its official website - upsc.gov.in.
The last date to apply for the IAS 2025 application form was February 21, 2025.
The candidates can download the IAS notification pdf in the following manner: Go to upsc.gov.in. Click on the Civil Service notification 2026 link. A new window will appear (on clicking above link). Follow the link for the Civil Service (IAS) 2026 notification pdf link given corresponding to the exam name. Download and Save the notification PDF. The IAS notification 2026 has been postponed.
Also read: IAS Syllabus
All the IAS toppers from IAS topper Pradeep Singh to Kanishak Kataria and all the IAS toppers of previous years suggest solving the maximum mock test papers in the exam like conditions. Every IAS topper has faced these challenges and also overcome these challenges.
IAS Topper 2020 Pradeep Singh
All India Rank 1 Pradeep Singh suggests that the IAS prelims is a different exam altogether and considering the passing percentage of the IAS prelims, the candidates should prepare a separate strategy for the IAS prelims exam. He suggests the candidates should prepare for the IAS prelims exam dedicatedly in the last two to three months. The focus of the IAS prelims preparation should on factual information and current affairs.
Also read: IAS topper Pradeep Singh's full Strategy
IAS Topper 2020 Jatin Kishore
He did not clear the IAS prelims exam in his first attempt. After failing once, he concluded that he attempted fewer questions. He suggests that in the IAS prelims, there will be wrong answers and nobody can escape this reality. So one should attempt more questions if he has good preparation so that the number of right answers also increase.
But this idea can be counterproductive also because if the candidate is not that smart to select the right answer based on the background knowledge, it will bring down the total score.
The IAS 2023 Prelims exam was held on May 28th, 2023. The exam was moderately to difficult overall, with the General Studies Paper 1 being moderate to difficult and the GS Paper 2 CSAT being very lengthy. The exam also included more questions from the Environment and Geography section, and fewer questions from current affairs and international relations. The exam pattern changed, with altered Assertion and Reason questions, and a new format for multiples.
The cut-off for the exam was expected to be between 82 and 85, compared to 88 in 2022. Only 14,624 students scored above the cut-off and were eligible to proceed to the Mains round.
Some students who took the CSAT paper said it was very difficult, and some even approached the courts against the UPSC. Even some candidates files a petition against the difficulty level of the IAS prelims GS-2 (CSAT) paper.
The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) asked a few factual questions in the 2023 IAS Prelims exam. The questions were moderate in difficulty and required both conceptual understanding and factual knowledge. The questions covered topics such as presidential elections, money bills, due process of law, and emergency provisions. Some say that the questions were difficult to answer and had limited scope for using the elimination method.
The UPSC Prelims exam syllabus has not changed for many years, so the paper setters tend to repeat questions.
UPSC conducted the UPSC 2024 exam on June 16, 2024. Earlier, the Commission postponed the IAS prelims 2024 exam from May 26 because of the General Elections in the country. The Commission also released the IAS prelims result 2024 on June 28, 2024. The Commission will conduct the IAS main exam 2024 from September 20.
Also read: IAS Topper Jatin Kishore's full Strategy
IAS Topper 2020 Pratibha Verma
The topper among the female category Pratibha Verma prepared the current affairs of two years for the IAS prelims exam. She said, UPSC questions are unexpected, one cannot expect the exact questions. She thought two years of current affairs will be enough for the IAS prelims exam. She said that the issues are important and they keep reappearing in the news repeatedly so the candidates can prepare the issue related to current affairs besides the regular current affairs.
Also read: IAS Topper Pratibha Verma's strategy
IAS Topper 2020 Ravi Jain
All India rank 9 Ravi Jain said that he studies the standard general studies books and always kept the update of the current affairs. He prepared the current affairs well and also linked the current affairs with the basic General Studies topics. He also shares his book list for the IAS aspirants. He suggested that the daily newspaper and current affairs magazine are the key readings for current affairs.
Also read: IAS topper Ravi Jain's Study Plan
IAS Topper 2019 Kanishak Kataria
IAS topper 2019 Kanishal Kataria suggest that the test series are a very important part of the IAS prelims exam. He suggests that the candidates should practice with the test series and the mock tests. It will help their mind in guided learning for answering the questions. The candidates should not distract from by anything and they should concentrate their effort on the IAS preparation only.
Also read: IAS Topper kanishak kataria's strategy
IAS Topper 2019 Akshat Jain
IAS topper Akshat Jain suggests that revising the factual information is very helpful in the IAS prelims exam and the candidates should keep enough time for the revision in their study plan. He said that the IAS Prelims is more analytical in orientation and the analysis part will only be right if the candidates know the factual information.
Also read: IAS topper Akshat Jain's Strategy
IAS Topper 2019 Junaid Ahmad
IAS topper Junaid Ahmad secured the third rank in the Civil Services 2019 exam. He suggested that the candidates should lay more focus on the factual and objective information about the topics. Revision is another important aspect of the IAS preparation which strengthens the IAS prelims preparation. He suggests that the candidates need to develop the art of eliminating the wrong answers from the options.
Read about: IAS Topper Junaid Ahmad's IAS Strategy
So we can say that solving the mock test papers, revision of the factual and objective information related to the basic general studies and above all Current affairs is the most important topics for the IAS prelims preparation.
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IAS Previous Year Question Paper

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Student Forum
Answered a week ago
The UPSC IAS Notification 2026 has been postponed due to administrative reasons. The Commission released a notice on its official website - upsc.gov.in regarding this. The Commission will also revise the last date for UPSC applications.
N
Contributor-Level 6
Answered a week ago
The Union Public Service Commission will release the IAS Prelims Answer Key 2026 in May 2027. The Commission releases the official answer key after the declaration of final result.
M
Contributor-Level 6
Answered a week ago
The Union Public Service Commission will conduct the IAS prelims exam on May 24, 2026. The Commission will release the IAS prelims result 2026 in the first week of June.
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Contributor-Level 6
Answered a week ago
The Cadre Controlling Authority for Indian Police Service is the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). It comes directly under the supervision of Home Minister of India.
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Beginner-Level 5
Answered a week ago
The Union Public Service Commission will notify the UPSC Civil Service vacancies in the official notification. The number of vacancies for IAS is 180 and for IPS it is 150. Rest of the vacancies are notified for the Central Civil Services.
M
Contributor-Level 6
Answered a week ago
The Union Public Service Commission mention the age limit in the official notification. The upper age limit for the General Categoary candidates is 32 years. The Commission provides age relaxation to certain reserved categories.
S
Contributor-Level 6
Answered a week ago
No, the Indian Foriegn Service is a Central Civil Service. It is organised and controlled by the Ministry of External Affairs. It is recruited through the UPSC Civil Service Exam conducted annually.
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Beginner-Level 5
Answered a week ago
The Union Public Service Commission will release the Civil Service (IAS) notification 2026 on its official website - upsc.gov.in. The Commission will mention the number of vacancies (tentative) in the notification. The Commission is releasing over one thousand vacancies in the recent years.
R
Contributor-Level 6
Answered 3 weeks ago
Yes, the UPSC IAS previous year question papers are very important because they provide a clear picture of the exam. The UPSC IAS PYQs hints about the most frequently asked topics in the exam. It also provides the tentative weightage of the sections in the UPSC IAS syllabus.
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Beginner-Level 5

The UPSC IAS 2024 notification was released on February 14, 2024. The notification included important dates, the number of vacancies, the syllabus, and all the criteria for appearing in the UPSC Civil Services Examination. Candidates can apply for the UPSC IAS application form until March 5, 2024. There are 1056 UPSC vacancies in the IAS 2024 exam.
The IAS Exam for 2024 prelims phase will take place on May 26, 2024. The minimum age to fill the IAS 2024 application is 21 years and the maximum age is 32 years. Age relaxation is provided to candidates belonging to certain categories.