IAS Previous Year Papers
The UPSC Civil Services exam is the holy grail of competitive examinations in India. Every
youngster aspires to make to the elite club of bureaucrats in the country at some point or the
other and a sizeable majority takes the plunge to work toward making this dream a reality.
What follows is often a long, arduous journey of hard work and challenges. Not only is the
UPSC Civil Services examination the most difficult competitive to crack, but also one with
unparalleled competition. With the difficultly level of the examination pitched at the zenith
and lakhs of aspirants vying for a few hundred openings, the odds are really high. To make
the cut, you need more than just intelligence and hard work. Having a sound preparation
strategy in place and seeing its implementation through to the finish line is crucial for
success. And that’s where
UPSC IAS previous year papers play an important role.
UPSC Civil Service Exam Pattern
To be able to make the most of civil services exam question papers, a candidate must be
well-versed with the exam pattern. This helps in understanding how different questions must
be approached during these practice attempts, and ultimately, contributes toward a proficient
performance in the exam.
The
UPSC IAS Civil Service examination is divided in three phases –
preliminary, main
and personality test. The prelims is further divided into two papers – General Ability test
(GAT) and Civil Service Aptitude Test (CSAT) – both objective-type in nature and carrying
400 marks each. This is a qualifying exam for the mains. Except for the English Language
Comprehension section, questions for the both the exams are set in English as well as Hindi.
The main examination also comprises two types of tests – qualifying and merit forming. The
qualifying examination consists of two language exams – English and another language of
candidate’s choice. The second exam is divided into seven papers, each carrying about 300
questions in both objective and easy writing formats. The total score in all these papers is
taken into consideration, along with the personality test score, for the final ranking.
The Right Approach to Solving UPSC IAS Previous Year Papers
Whether you are sitting down to attempt your first set of CSAT previous year question
papers or have been consistently working with IAS past year papers, it is important to bear
in mind that attempting a 100 per cent of the questions with utmost certainty is almost
unrealistic. No matter how well-versed you are with the study material, there will always be
more than a few questions that will throw you off your game. The key is to not let these small
stumbling blocks get in your way and stay focussed on finishing civil services exam
question papers with the maximum possible right answers.
For this you can adopt a two-pronged approach:
- (a) Go With What You Know
- Start with questions related to subjects you know well.
- Read every question in the UPSC IAS previous year papers carefully to make sure
you fully understand what is being asked.
- Tick all the questions to which you know the answer with certainty.
- Count and see if these questions are enough to get you past the cut-off. This will help
put your mind at ease. Start attempting these as quickly as you can.
- (b) Eliminate What You Don’t Know
- Circle the question on which have a reasonable doubt and leave out the ones you are
complete clueless about.
- Now, comes the point of taking calculated risks by way of making an informed guess.
- Read the question carefully and instead of looking for the right answer, eliminate the
options you are sure cannot be the right answer.
- From among the choices left with you, mark the one that you feel most confident
about in your gut.
- Try doing this for all IAS past year papers attempts and you will get a hang of
arriving at the right answer by way to elimination when the day of the exam arrives.
Benefits of Attempting UPSC IAS Past Year Papers
You cannot possibly over prepare for an examination as challenging as the UPSC civil
services. Every bit of effort you channelize toward your preparation counts, and solving as
many UPSC IAS previous year papers as you can lay your hands on is a part of that
process. Here is how you stand to benefit from it:
- You get to know what speed you need to maintain to finish the entire paper.
- It helps with time management techniques.
- You gain an insight into what type of questions are repeated year after year. It helps
you differentiate between what portions of the IAS syllabus to focus on, which ones
to skim through and which ones to overlook.
- Your performance in IAS past year papers helps adjust the focus on your revisions.
- You develop a keen for moulded or trick questions, which are a common feature in
these exams.
- You learn the ropes of unbiased self-evaluation.
- Since the difficulty level of the exam varies from year to year, solving civil services
exam question papers gives you an idea about the full spectrum of the level of
difficulty in the exam and helps you prepare accordingly.
At KopyKitab, you can access the complete package of
UPSC IAS previous year papers.
From
IAS prelims previous year question papers PDF download to
IAS mains previous
year question papers PDF download and
CSAT previous year question papers in both
Hindi as well as English, we have got you covered. This wide assortment of previous years’
papers coupled with the right
IIAS study materials makes us your ideal partner for chasing
the biggest goal of your life.
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