UPSC declares results of preliminary exam, 2019; here's the road ahead for civil services aspirants

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) declared the results of the Civil Services Preliminary Examination, 2019 on 12 July. This is the first stage of a three-stage examination conducted by UPSC to select candidates for prestigious Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS), Indian Police Service (IPS) and various other central services. The three-stage exam includes: Stage 1: Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination (Objective Type) Stage 2: Civil Services (Mains) Examination (Descriptive Type) Stage 3: Personal Interview (Personality Test) The civil services exam is considered as one of the toughest exams in the world. Its first stage is called ‘Preliminary Exam’. [caption id=“attachment_3933145” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational image. upsc.gov.in[/caption] This is the qualifying exam and a candidate’s marks in the exam are not added to the final score that decides the rank of the successful aspirants. Civil Services Preliminary Examination It comprises of two papers, namely General Studies Paper I and General Studies Paper II. Both the papers are of 200 marks and are of ‘objective’ type. General Studies paper I It consists of questions that largely relate to: - Current events of national and international importance. -History of India and Indian national movement. -Indian and World Geography-Physical, social, economic geography of India and the world. -Indian Polity and Governance – Constitution, political system, panchayati raj, public policy, rights issues, etc. -Economic and Social Development – Sustainable development, poverty, inclusion, demographics, social sector initiatives, etc. -General issues on environmental ecology, biodiversity and climate change – that do not require subject specialisation. General Studies Paper II General Studies Paper II which is called ‘Civil Service Aptitude Test’ is a paper that was introduced in 2011 in place of ‘Optional’ subject (candidates till 2011 were given the option of choosing one subject of their qualification, degree or interest from a range of subjects). This is a qualifying paper and the candidate has to secure minimum 33 percent qualifying marks in this paper. Questions in General Studies Paper II largely are to test : -Interpersonal skills including communication skills -Logical reasoning and analytical ability -Decision-making and problem solving -General mental ability -Basic numeracy (numbers and their relations, orders of magnitude, etc.) (Class X level), data interpretation (charts, graphs, tables, data sufficiency etc. – Class X level) Candidates who clear this preliminary exam are qualified for the next stage of exam which is called Civil Service Mains Exam. Students who have cleared the Preliminary Exam now have to fill a Detailed Application Form (DAF). The Mains Examination will be held from 20 September, 2019. Civil Service Mains Exam Civil Service Mains Exam is the toughest, lengthiest and most important part of the civil service exam. It has two language papers –one common English language paper and another Indian language paper. The marks of these papers are not added to the final marks. The detailed structure of the Mains Exam is given below: Paper A: Compulsory Indian language; 3 hours; 300 marks (Qualifying) Paper B: English; 3 hours; 300 marks (Qualifying) Paper I: Essay; 3 hours; 250 marks Paper II: General Studies I – Indian Heritage and Culture, History and Geography of the World and Society; 3 hours; 250 marks Paper III: General Studies II – Governance, Constitution, Welfare Initiatives, Social Justice and International Relations; 3 hours; 250 marks Paper IV: General Studies III – Technology, Economic Development, Agriculture, Biodiversity, Security and Disaster Management; 3 hours; 250 marks Paper V: General Studies IV – Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude; 3 hours; 250 Paper VI: Optional Subject – Paper I; 3 hours; 250 marks Paper VII: Optional Subject – Paper II; 3 hours; 250 marks Candidates who qualify in the Civil Service Mains Exam are called for the Personality Test. And the total marks of Mains Exam and Personality Test decide the fate of the candidates.