UPSC Civil Services Exam New Syllabus (2013) – Analysis

UPSC Civil Services Exam new Syllabus (2013) has produced mixed response from the candidates, though the majority is definitely welcoming the change. The winners and losers of the latest pattern can be realized completely only a couple of years later, but a quick look gives many interesting insights.

Civil Services Latest Pattern Highlights

1. General Studies weightage doubled – The biggest change! (Good news for generalists, bad news for specialists!)
2. Optional Subjects halved. ( Worry time for specialists!)

Weightage of Subjects : Distribution of Marks : Revised IAS Mains Exam Syllabus

Update (March 24, 2013) : Government reverted changes made to the literature optional and the essay paper, due to protests in the Parliament. As per the latest news, the essay paper will be of 250 marks, with no English comprehension.

What’s new : Summary of the analysis of the changed UPSC pattern:

• Time for an additional optional is saved.
• The saved time plus some additional effort needs to be invested in General Studies! General Studies  has already become more general awareness oriented, and this requires extensive reading – particularly newspapers and magazines.
• IAS coaching will lose it’s importance unless the coaching institutes adapt well enough to the change.
• Ethics and Integrity paper is a welcome initiative, but the clarity of questions is not available as of now.
• A welcome move to club IFS with Civil Services Exam – at the preliminary stage.
• Specialists who are unaware about their surroundings can now pack their bags and look for some other exam.
• There may be overlap of syllabus and hence advantage for those who take optionals like History, Pub Ad, Sociology, Geography etc – but the case was more or less same before too.
• Effective presentation and clarity of thinking is the key now.

Good Luck from ClearIAS.com!