Role of PYQs in Mains (1/n)
PYQs are
extremely important in UPSC CSE preparation in
both Prelims and Mains. They give an idea about
how questions are framed and what are
UPSC’s favorites. Solving PYQs is a
great way to increase your scores.
Most students(including me) have ignored PYQs initially, only to realize their significance in the later attempts. You can avoid this mistake by making PYQs a cornerstone of your Mains preparation.
I feel that for Mains, PYQs are important for the following reasons :
1. Unlike Prelims,
Mains syllabus is very specific. It gives a detailed mention of topics that are likely to be asked for Mains.
Mains syllabus supplemented with the PYQs will help you help you prioritize the topics that you need to study for Mains.
2.
Things to be covered for Mains are vast. The content is enormous. Students don’t realize this until they write Mains.
Before clearing Prelims, our approach is largely Prelims-oriented. As we start preparation for Mains, we tend to get lost in the
ocean of content. That is when PYQs come to our rescue as they tell us how far we need to go.
3.
The Rate of Repetition is very high in Mains. Many questions that have been asked previously have been
repeated verbatim in subsequent years.If you have prepared those questions well, it gives you an
extra advantage.
4. Even the
Current Affairs questions that are sometimes asked in the exam could be solved if you have followed the syllabus well and covered PYQs related to it.
5. For
Answer Writing Practice, there’s nothing better than PYQs.
The mock tests provided by various coachings are at times an overkill and even trivial. The questions set by coachings are often from their own textbooks, classroom material, etc. Moreover, they tend to focus too much on current affairs. PYQs here come to our rescue as they help us limit ourselves to the topics that are actually relevant.
6.
Notemaking for Mains is a somewhat complicated task if you don’t know where to stop. Initially, you may want to put everything you read in your notes. This leads to very bulky and useless notes that you are never going to refer to in the future.
7. PYQs help in
Predicting Topics that might be asked in the upcoming exam. Based on previous trends, you can give a special priority to the topics that you think are relevant. For example, I felt that questions on
Chola architecture in GS1, on
CAG and on Elections in GS2, were important for 2024 based on some trends, and UPSC did ask these questions in Mains 2024.
8.
For Optional, nothing else is as important as PYQs are. 70-80% of the Optional Paper of most subjects is often repeated or is similar to what has been asked previously. If you have done PYQs well, it will reward you with a decent score to help you secure a rank.
My Suggestion :
Keep a printout of Mains syllabus and PYQs on your desk. Before studying any topic, just go through the related PYQs and assess whether the way you are preparing would help you in answering those questions.
👉
If you are struggling with either Prelims or Mains, you can DM me @prashantgupta23
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