rediffGURU Major Inderpaul Singh (retd) shares valuable advice for UPSC aspirants giving the exam this year.
The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has announced the date and released the admit card for the upcoming Civil Services Examination (CSE 2025).
As per UPSC's notification, the preliminary examination will be held on Sunday, May 25, followed by the main examination on August 22.
The UPSC prelims, the qualifying exam for candidates, consists of two papers -- Paper 1 (comprising general studies or GS) and Paper II (CSAT or Civil Services Aptitude Test).
This is an objective-type exam and the marks scored are not counted for the final rank. However, a cut-off is declared for GS Paper I, which varies every year.
The main exam comprises nine papers -- two qualifying papers (in English and an Indian language, which is not counted in merit) and seven merit papers (essay, GS I–IV, optional I and II), totalling 1,750 marks.
Candidates who clear the UPSC main exam are called for the interview round.
The interview is a personality test conducted by a UPSC panel for 275 marks.
The final UPSC rank is based on the combined marks of the main exam and interview round.
Major Inderpaul Singh (retd), who served in the Indian Army for eight years and currently works as a life coach, shares valuable advice for UPSC aspirants giving the exam this year.
What you must do before the UPSC exam
1. Revise as much as you can instead of taking up new areas of study. Stick to your core notes and trusted sources; avoid unnecessary last-minute additions to avoid confusion.
2. Practise sufficient timed mock tests and papers. Simulating actual exam conditions will help build speed, accuracy and confidence.
3. Previous years' papers are key. Analyse question trends, frequently asked topics and eliminate surprises. This will give you valuable insight into the UPSC exam's pattern and the difficulty level of the questions.
4. Practise mocks as per actual exam day time slots. This will condition your body and mind to stay sharp during those hours.
5. Get adequate sleep and maintain a daily exercise schedule. A healthy routine will reduce stress improve focus.
6. Light morning walks will help calm your nerves, refresh your mind and improve alertness.
What to do on exam day
1. Have a light breakfast. Eat something that is energising and easy to digest, such as fruits, nuts or toast.
2. Ensure proper custody of test essentials -- admit card, a valid photo ID card, black ball point pens. It is recommended to pack your bag the night before and double-check everything in the morning.
3. Plan your travel the day before. Scan the route map to your exam centre and calculate the approximate time to the destination. Start early so you can reach the centre ahead of time to avoid stress and delay.
4. Go through the UPSC guidelines, including the dos and don'ts, to understand the instructions.
5. Upon receiving the paper, scan it tactically and attempt known areas first. This should build your confidence and help you save time for tougher sections that you can solve later.
6. Use an 'examination strategy' for ruling out wrong option choices outright. If you are doubtful about a question, use the rule of elimination wisely to improve your odds and score better.
7. Reserve some time to check your paper before you submit it. Review marked questions, recheck the OMR (optical mark recognition) sheet entries and ensure no question is left unanswered due to oversight.
- Career-related questions? Ask rediffGURU Major Inderpaul Singh (retd) HERE.
© 2025