UPSC Prelims Exam 2024 Highlights: CSE Prelims rated as moderately difficult; check analysis here

The exam were held in three stages — prelims, mains, and the personality test to select officers for Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS) Indian Police Service (IPS), and other Grade A and B posts in the central government and its departments.

“This is my third attempt for the UPSC examination and compared to last year’s prelims exam, I found this paper moderate because I was taking regular mock tests. Many of the questions were tough but I managed to tackle 92 out of 100 questions even as I considered that there would be some negative marking for a wrong answer,” says Siddharth Sharma, UPSC candidate.

Anubhav Sharma, Faculty of Polity, Rau’s IAS Study Circle said, “Upon reviewing the question paper, I observed that the Polity section comprised 15 questions. Of these, 10 were easy, 2 were of medium difficulty, and 3 were tough. Notably, 10-12 questions were drawn from the last two years. Impressively, 13 out of the 15 questions were directly covered in my classes. Although the tough questions were more challenging than last year’s, the remaining 12 followed a predictable pattern.”

Akshay Vrat, Faculty- Environment, Rau’s IAS Study Circle highlighted –

Gajanan Dwivedi, Faculty- History, Rau’s IAS Study Circle said, “The history questions are moderate compared to last year, with some repetition of themes. The weightage of art and culture is higher than modern history, similar to the previous year. Elements of current affairs are evident in the culture section, such as the question on UNESCO intangible cultural heritage.”

Indrajeet Bariar, Faculty- Geography, Rau’s IAS Study Circle said, “This year’s UPSC exam in my opinion is easier compared to last year’s. The questions have largely remained concept based. There were 14 geography questions and 11 of them were directly from class notes. Majority of the questions could be answered through a basic understanding of the subject.”

According to a candidate from Patna, the Economics section was perceived as challenging.

“The exam was simpler than last year. The Geography section was primarily application-based. For Polity, familiarity with articles and Constitutional provisions was essential. There were fewer ‘pair type’ questions and more ‘match the columns’ type questions,” says Deepanshu Singh, an educator and mentor for UPSC aspirants.

The UPSC Civil Services Prelims examination is an objective-type test where each question has four options, and candidates must choose the correct one.

In this exam, the options are often very close to the correct answer, so candidates use the elimination method to find the right answer. This technique involves systematically discarding options that are clearly incorrect, thereby increasing the likelihood of selecting the correct answer.

There were 14 questions on environment and ecology, most of which were of moderate difficulty. Except for two questions, the rest were either inspired by current affairs or covered in class notes and compass. Overall, the question paper appears easier than last year’s, largely due to significant improvements in our study material and teaching methods.

Inputs from Akshay Vrat, Faculty- Environment, Rau’s IAS Study Circle

According to an expert from Civilsdaily, “The factual questions were similar to those on state PCS exams and were quite challenging, especially those on the armed forces and environment. These topics were generally not what aspirants typically study. However, polity, economics, and geography were easy.”

“Upon reviewing the question paper, I observed that the Polity section comprised 15 questions. Of these, 10 were easy, 2 were of medium difficulty, and 3 were tough. Notably, 10-12 questions were drawn from the last two years. Impressively, 13 out of the 15 questions were directly covered in my classes. Although the tough questions were more challenging than last year’s, the remaining 12 followed a predictable pattern,” shares Anubhav Sharma, Faculty of Polity at Rau’s IAS Study Circle.

“This is my third attempt at the UPSC examination, and compared to last year’s prelims, I found this paper moderate due to regular mock tests. Many questions were challenging, but I managed to tackle 92 out of 100, keeping in mind the potential negative marking for wrong answers,” says Siddharth Sharma, a UPSC candidate.

Candidates can find the Civil Services Prelims exam question paper here.

“The factual questions were similar to those found in state PCS exams and were quite challenging. Questions on the armed forces and environment were particularly tough and generally not covered in typical aspirant study materials. However, questions on polity, economics, and geography were easier,” an expert from Civilsdaily stated.

Candidates should be aware that any omission, mistake, or discrepancy in filling out details on the OMR answer sheet, particularly regarding the roll number and test booklet series code, will result in the answer sheet being rejected.

The CSAT exam is to begin at 2:30 pm today. The General Studies Paper 1 ended at 11:30 am.

A UPSC candidate from Delhi said that the overall paper was moderate. The Polity section constituted a significant part, reported The Indian Express.

Failure to comply with any of the instructions may result in the cancellation of the candidate’s candidature, along with any other necessary actions that the Commission deems appropriate against both the candidate and the scribe. Both parties are expected to adhere to the rules of the examination, and any violations thereof will lead to corresponding actions as per the rules of the examination.

The morning session for GS paper 1 will take place from 9:30 am to 11:30 am, while the afternoon session for GS paper 2 (CSAT) is scheduled from 2:30 pm to 4:30 pm.

There will be negative markings for incorrect answers marked by a candidate in both question papers of the examination.

This year, the commission has notified a total of 1,056 vacancies for the Civil Services Examination (CSE) and 150 for the Indian Forest Service (IFoS). This is lower than last year’s 1,105 posts. In comparison, there were 712 vacancies in 2021 and 796 in 2020.

The UPSC Civil Services Prelims 2024, initially set for May 26, has been rescheduled to June 16. This change was made following the Election Commission’s announcement of the 18th Lok Sabha election schedule, which is set to take place from April to June 2024.

As the exam begins at 9 am, candidates need to bring the e-admit card (printout) along with the (original) photo identity card, whose number is mentioned in the e-admit card. The admit card is necessary in each session to secure admission to the examination hall.

Metro train services on Phase-III sections, started at 6 am on Sunday, ahead of the UPSC CSE Prelims exam. The metro typically starts at 8:00 AM on Sundays. However, the DMRC announced on Friday that this adjustment is to accommodate candidates appearing for the Civil Services (Prelim) Examination conducted by UPSC on the same day.

The UPSC Prelims examination on June 16 begins at 9 am and 2 pm with entry to the venue closing 30 minutes before the commencement of the test

UPSC CSE prelims exam begins today! The general studies paper will begin at 9:30 am followed by CSAT paper which will begin at 2:30 pm.

Please be informed that entry into the Examination Venue will close 30 minutes before the scheduled start of the examination, i.e., at 9:00 AM for the Forenoon Session and 2:00 PM for the Afternoon Session. No candidates will be permitted entry after the closure.

Please be informed that entry into the Examination Venue will close 30 minutes before the scheduled start of the examination, i.e., at 9:00 AM for the Forenoon Session and 2:00 PM for the Afternoon Session. No candidates will be permitted entry after the closure.

The exam is held in three stages — prelims, mains, and the personality test to select officers for Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS) Indian Police Service (IPS), and other Grade A and B posts in the central government and its departments.