General Studies Preparation Tips for Civil Services Exam

1. Read newspapers and magazines carefully, which will expand your knowledge base and give good command and writing skill.
2. Preparation for General studies should be done hand in hand while preparing for optional papers.
3. NCERT books should be studied carefully and newspapers like The Hindu and magazines such as Frontline.
4. Trend nowadays has shifted more towards current issues, hence a thorough awareness of recent events/happenings is mandatory.
5. In the Prelims, though the General Studies carries only 150 marks, all the candidates are required to solve the same questions, hence, this paper assumes enormous importance, as anyone spoiling this paper cannot have any chance of qualifying for the Mains stage of the examination.
6. Other than the syllabus given, questions on planning, budgeting, developmental programmes, latest issues of political and constitutional importance, Panchayati Raj, electoral reforms, natural resources, culture, growth of nationalism, committees, commissions etc can be expected almost every year.
7. Emphasis is normally placed on the general aspects of the subjects, which every educated person aspiring to join the civil services is expected to know.
8. The General Studies paper needs special and thorough preparations and does not need to be over-emphasised.
9. In General Studies, other than current affairs, each and every aspect is covered in our school syllabi. Whatever one has studied upto Class XII is only asked in General Studies. The only thing which is different is that it has an application but the basic is from our school textbook only. A good, bright student who understood the basic concepts during his/her school studies will definitely be strong in General Studies too.
10. Those who would like to appear for Civil Services should have a strong base, which will make them easy to follow the subjects.
11. Exhaustive study of each subject and every aspect of the General Studies is essential.
12. An important point is efficient time management and proper planning. The time available with the candidates for preparations is limited and hence has to be intelligently utilized.

Current affairs

Current affairs part is one of the crucial pillars of the Civil Service Examination. This not only forms the important part of General studies Papers but also constitutes the basic foundation for understanding and explaining questions in other parts of the General Studies papers as well as various other papers. No answer in any subject is complete without relating it to the contemporary world. It is here in-depth knowledge of the current issues, events and trends come handy. The deep analysis and synthesis ability are must for the Civil Service Examination and thorough understanding of the current affairs is the bedrock of mastering these abilities. It is essential for the aspirants to stay up-to-date on all current issues. This will involve strategic newspaper reading, following magazine and electronic news regularly. Furthermore it will involve going through custom made material that appears in the market at the times the examination. One has to be alert and dedicated to master this very important aspect of the Civil service examination.

This article is from civilservicesanalyst.com