IAS 2015 Preliminary Question Analysis (General Studies - I)

UPSC IAS Prelims 2015: Paper Analysis

 

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) conducted the Civil Services preliminary exam on August 23, this year. Almost 4.56 lakh candidates appeared for the exam. The exam was segregated into two Parts: Part I (General Studies) and Paper II (CSAT/Aptitude Test). The exam was held at 2,186 venues in 71 centres. 

Experts reviewed the paper and have come up with the following analysis:

1.There was diversity in the questions asked

Sl.No.	Subject / Area	No. of questions asked
1.	Geography-17	17
2.	Environment-6	6
3.	History-13	13
4.	Art & Culture-4	4
5.	Politics- 12	12
6.	Government Schemes-6	6
7.	Economics-10	10
8.	Science & Technology- 8	8
9.	Current Affairs- 16	16
10.	International Organisations- 8	8
Total		100

 

2.Current Affairs has gained prominence, thereby making it essential for the candidates to read newspapers

3.Focus was laid on areas such as Environment, Government Schemes & International Organisations 

4.Clarity of basic concepts in various topics should be the focus of students preparing for this exam

5.Overall the paper was not very tough for those who had done detailed and systematic preparation

For students who appeared for Civil Service Preliminary Examination (2015), General Studies Paper-I has become crucial because it is the decisive paper for selection in the Main examination, this year onward. CSAT Paper has been made of qualifying nature with minimum passing marks of 1/3rd of the total marks. 

The preliminary examination consisted of objective type (multiple choice questions) each paper of 200 marks, carrying a total of 400 marks. The question papers were set both in Hindi and English. The blind candidates are permitted extra time of 20 minutes for each paper. 

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