The UPSC 2018 Prelims exam is going to be conducted on June 3, 2018. We, at ETEN IAS, have come up with a dedicated UPSC Prelims 2018 strategy to help you ace the exam and realize your dream of having a successful career in Civil Services.

With less than 6 months to go for the UPSC 2018 exam, it is important that you have a UPSC Prelims 2018 strategy.

UPSC Prelims 2018 Strategy: Analyzing the trend in previous UPSC exams

Let us start by taking a look at the table below.

By analyzing the number of questions per subject over the last 7 years, we’ve come up with the following conclusions:

1. 60 % of the total paper comes from History, Geography, and Current Affairs.
2. History: The number of questions from History has been consistent throughout the year.
3. Geography: There used to be more questions from Geography earlier, but in the past few years, the number has reduced.
4. Polity: There was a huge surprise for aspirants as the number of questions increased from 7 in 2016 to 21 in 2017.
5. Science: The number of questions has been consistent in the last three years but, given the unpredictability of changes in UPSC exam pattern, it’s safe to have a balance approach toward each subject
6. Current affairs: With one-fourth of questions in the paper, Current Affairs is one of the most important subjects in UPSC Prelims exam. It has been the most important section in the last three years.

Considering this, ETEN IAS has started an initiative of daily CURRENT NEWS analysis of various newspapers, pib and some other important sources which will be published on our website on daily basis.

Analyzing the last three-year pattern of current affairs, it is clear that UPSC is choosing a high number of questions from this section so it is pertinent to cover the current affairs section adequately. Also, the Mains examination is highly tilted towards current affairs, so you can’t ignore this section.

UPSC Prelims 2018 Strategy and Approach

Keeping the analysis in mind, we’ve developed a UPSC Prelims 2018 strategy. Here’s what you need to focus on while preparing for the exam:

1. Inculcate a balanced approach and give equal importance to each subject because you never know which particular subject could become the highlight of the year.
2. Cover all the aforementioned topics properly.
3. Focus on current affairs and dedicate some time every day to get updated.
4. Do not opt for rote-learning in Economics, Polity or Environment, as the questions therein require conceptual clarity.

Previously, we posted 10 tips to simplify your UPSC preparation. Subscribe to the Civils category and stay tuned for more updates.

If you have any queries, write to us in the comments below and we’ll respond to you shortly.

All the best!