How was your UPSC CSE Mains 2017? What are the suggestions you'd like to give to those who're appearing next year - pravinnath/upscpreparationguide GitHub Wiki

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It is futile to try and ‘predict’ what UPSC is going to ask in Mains. You should have a ‘wide base’ of knowledge, so that you are able to somehow touch upon all the questions in all the papers. Except on rare occasions, missing out on even 1 or 2 marks is not permissible in this kind of competition. The ‘dynamic’ nature of questions has gone up drastically in General Studies. You need strong command over current affairs to excel in GS.

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The boundaries between GS 1,2, and 3 have blurred to a large extent. This started in Mains 2016, and has continued in 2017. For some questions, it is difficult to understand whether they are from geography or environment or agriculture! Hence, compartmentalised preparation won’t help much. A combination of Geography and Environment is emerging as a popular source of questions for UPSC. This is because there are many unexplored issues covered in these two subjects. Clarity of basic concepts and linkages with current affairs will be useful in tackling this part. If you see GS 4 (Ethics) paper of last 5 years, there is a pattern emerging in certain questions. For topics like Conflict of Interest, Misuse of RTI, Public v Private interest, Neutrality of bureaucracy there is always some question lurking somewhere. Either a 10-marker or an elaborate case study. But the underlying themes are not changing. Use of unfair means of communication in exam hall is not going to work. There are smart people to detect and catch such malpractices!

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