Civil Services General Studies Paper-2 Analysis
Civil Services General Studies Paper-2 is a complex exam due to its integrated, closely knit and current oriented syllabus. There are very simple and straightforward conclusions which can be drawn from the paper. The points may sound cliched, monotonous and repetitive but they are secret to crack this exam.
The most significant ones are as;
- Syllabus should never be taken be lightly. Each word mentioned in the syllabus should be examined carefully and whole study shall revolve around it. For instance, the first question regarding the ‘Constitution of India’, tries to know an aspirant’s basic understanding of the topics as, Balance of Power, Doctrine of Checks and balances, Parliamentary and Presidential form of government which are part of Indian Constitution.
- After exhausting every inch of syllabus, second step is of integrating the basic or static part with current affairs section. Let us have a glimpse of such question, “The Central Administrative Tribunal which was established for redressal of grievances and complaints by or against central government employees nowadays is exercising its powers as an independent judicial authority.” Explain. One must know about the Central Administrative Tribunal’ as it is a static part, but the question is how it is working these days which is current affairs.Therefore, current affairs is going to be soul of the complete preparation. Year on year the focus is shifting on ‘thought-provoking’ questions from simple know-how ones.
- Questions related to social development indicators demanded analytical solutions to the perpetual challenges which have marred the development of Indian society. The crucial topics like poverty, hunger, growth versus development are discussed perhaps in every living room. But UPSC is not trying to know the level of knowledge a candidate has but the aptitude with which he or she will act on those fronts after becoming a Civil Servant.
- International Relations related questions could not be answered without being regular with newspaper. Newspaper reading seems to be a time-consuming task, but it is the demand of the paper to write solutions to the present or upcoming threats or precarious situations where India’s involvement will be significant. And articles written in The Hindu or in The Indian Express tend to provide content for such questions.
Overall, this paper was a complete checklist which tried to know every tier of the preparation, from simple constitution related part to complex section involving both static and current affairs with some doctrines integrated with it. So, while preparing for Civil Services aspirants must shred the bigoted ways of learning rather adoption of new, adoptive and dynamic approach towards the preparation will yield greater outcome. Learn to demystify what UPSC wants, the results will follow seamlessly.
All the Best!
Sherry A Singh
Senior Editor- Acquisition Test Prep
Check General Studies Paper 1 Ananlysis