For those looking to join the prestigious Civil Services in India, a thorough understanding of the syllabus for the preliminary examination is a must.
The Civil Services Preliminary Examination consists of two papers – General Studies Paper I and General Studies Paper II (also known as CSAT). General Studies Paper I comprises questions from a variety of subjects such as History, Geography, Economy, Polity, Environment and Ecology, Science and Technology, and Current Affairs. General Studies Paper II, on the other hand, tests a candidate’s aptitude skills such as comprehension, analytical skills, logical reasoning, and decision-making.
To get ahead of the game and score well in the examination, candidates need to have a comprehensive understanding of the syllabus for both General Studies Paper I and II. Let’s take a look at the topics covered under each paper:
General Studies Paper I
1. Current events of national and international importance
2. History of India and Indian National Movement
3. Indian and World Geography – Physical, Social, Economic Geography of India and the World
4. Indian Polity and Governance – Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues, etc.
5. Economic and Social Development – Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, etc.
6. Environmental Ecology, Biodiversity, and Climate Change.
7. General Science
General Studies Paper II (CSAT)
1. Comprehension
2. Interpersonal skills including communication skills
3. Logical reasoning and analytical ability
4. Decision-making and problem-solving
5. General mental ability
6. Basic numeracy (numbers and their relations, orders of magnitude, etc.) (Class X level)
7. Data interpretation (charts, graphs, tables, data sufficiency, etc.) (Class X level)
It is imperative for candidates to go through the syllabus thoroughly to understand the weightage of marks assigned to each topic. A clear understanding of the syllabus will help candidates in their preparation, and they can utilize their time effectively by focusing on topics with high weightage.
Apart from the syllabus, candidates must also be aware of the paper pattern and marking scheme. The General Studies Paper I has 100 questions for 200 marks, and General Studies Paper II has 80 questions for 200 marks. Both papers carry a negative marking of 0.33 marks for each wrong answer
