UPSC IAS Main Exam 2023: Last minute tips

IAS main exam 2020 will be starting from January 8, 2021. See here last-minute tips for the IAS main exam 2020.

UPSC will be conducting the IAS main exam 2020 from January 8, 2021. It is expected that the candidates will be finished with their studies and doing the revisions for the exams. IAS main exam as the name suggests is the critical component of the Civil Service Exam. The marks secured in the IAS main exam is considered for the final merit. The IAS main exam is the conventional essay type exam conducted offline and the candidates need to write the answers in the Question-cum-Answer booklet provided to the candidates.

See here: IAS main exam schedule

The success in the IAS main exam depends on the right permutation and the combination of time and content. The quality of the answer is the first thing which can fetch good marks. But the candidate must also manage time to attempt all the questions. The candidates are suggested to do the answer writing practice as much as they can so they can maintain the writing speed during the exam. The following are some suggestions which every candidate should read and understand regarding the exam.

Answer Writing Practice

The candidates must do the answer writing practice in a time-bound manner and always try to write the answer within the stipulated time. There are around 20-25 questions in the IAS main question paper. The candidates need to write the answer in the allotted time of three hours. For every question, the candidate will get around seven-minute for every answer. In this meagre time of seven to eight-minute, the candidate needs to understand the question and write the answer including framing the answer and sequencing it.
The candidate must write about various topics in the preparation phase so they can quickly frame their answer in the examination hall.

See here: UPSC Essay Writing Tips

Time management

Candidates must adhere to the time allotted for each question in the IAS question paper. The candidates must start the next question after the time for the precious question ends because only in this manner, the candidate can attempt all the questions. The candidates need to attempt the 250 marks paper in 180 minutes. So ideally for each mark, the candidate has 43.2 seconds. So accordingly the candidate must practice with good writing speed.

The candidate must do not stop and waste the time on one question only. There will be no time to waste and the candidate must attempt the next question in case the candidate does not know anything about the question.

Try to attempt all questions

The candidate must try to attempt all the questions. If the candidate sticks to the time than there are chances that the candidate can attempt all the questions. There is no point of giving more time to the question where the candidate can write a better answer. Even if the candidates write the answer in 15 minutes, the maximum marks he can get remain the same.

See here: UPSC Essay Topics

Try writing in Bullet points

In the general studies papers, the candidate can try to write in the bullet points. There is very less time to create the background of the answer. It would be better to write some answer in the bullet points. It can save the time of the candidate. There are various questions where factual information is required. The candidates can write those answers in the bullet points. Indian Polity and Economy questions can be written in the bullet points format more effectively because in bullet points chronology of events can be written more efficiently.

These are some suggestions which can be implemented in the IAS main exam to fetch better marks.

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