UNION PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION
Subject: Changes in syllabus and pattern of the Preliminary Examination from
2011 in the scheme of Civil Services Examination
As per the decision of Government of India, there shall be change in the syllabus and pattern of the Preliminary Examination from 2011 in the scheme of the Civil Services Examination.
The Preliminary Examination shall now comprise of two compulsory Papers of 200
marks each and of two hours duration each. Detailed below is the new syllabus and
pattern of the Preliminary Examination, which is brought to the notice of the
prospective candidates intending to appear at the Civil Services Examination (CSE) in
2011 onwards:
Paper I - (200 marks) Duration: Two hours
• Current events of national and international importance
• History of India and Indian National Movement
• Indian and World Geography - Physical, Social, Economic geography
of India and the World.
• Indian Polity and Governance – Constitution, Political System,
Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues, etc.
• Economic and Social Development – Sustainable Development,
Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives, etc.
• General issues on Environmental ecology, Bio-diversity and Climate
Change - that do not require subject specialization
• General Science.
Paper II- (200 marks) Duration: Two hours
• Comprehension
• Interpersonal skills including communication skills;
• Logical reasoning and analytical ability
• Decision making and problem solving
• General mental ability
• Basic numeracy (numbers and their relations, orders of magnitude
etc.) (Class X level), Data interpretation (charts, graphs, tables, data
sufficiency etc. -Class X level)
• English Language Comprehension skills (Class X level).
Questions relating to English Language Comprehension skills of Class X level
(last item in the Syllabus of Paper-II) will be tested through passages from
English language only without providing Hindi translation thereof in the question
paper.
The questions will be of multiple choice, objective type.
Friday, November 12, 2010
Friday, August 6, 2010
>> No syllabus in place for new UPSC exam
Four months after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh approved the Union Public Service Commission's proposal to overhaul the Civil Services Examination from 2011, the government is yet to finalise details of the new examination. The PM’s approval came nearly a decade after the YK Alagh panel on examination reforms submitted its report.
The preliminary examination consists of two papers: The first on general studies that is common to all, while for the second, candidates choose a subject from a list of 23 subjects.
The UPSC intends to replace the second with an aptitude test to grade the cognitive skills of aspirants.
The preliminary examination consists of two papers: The first on general studies that is common to all, while for the second, candidates choose a subject from a list of 23 subjects.
The UPSC intends to replace the second with an aptitude test to grade the cognitive skills of aspirants.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
>> Civil Services Exams heading for crucial changes - UPSC Head
Chairman of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), Prof. D.P. Agrawal has said that there is an urgent need for important changes in the method of recruitment to the higher Civil Services.
In his address during the inaugural UPSC Foundation Day Lecture Series, Prof. Agrawal said that UPSC has recommended to the Government that a Civil Services Aptitude Test replace the existing Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination.
As per the Commission's recommendation, there will be two objective type papers common to all candidates.
The emphasis will be on testing the aptitude of the candidate for the demanding life in the civil service as well as on the ethical and moral dimensions of decision making.
The Chairman said that the proposed scheme will have the advantages of testing a candidate's decision making skills and aptitude for civil services, and providing a level playing field and equity, since all candidates will have to attempt common papers.
Agrawal also felt that a reduction in the number of attempts allowed at the Civil Services Examination to the candidates from rural background is called for.
The Chairman further said that there is a need to ensure that the performance of officers selected through the Civil Services Exam is tracked, particularly during the initial, formative years.
"The Commission may also be kept apprised of the feedback so that this can be factored into the selection process for future entrants. UPSC receives over a million applications for all the 14 regular examinations and other recruitment it conducts every year. The Commission also is contemplating moving to examination through computers, once this step is approved by the Government", he added.
Agrawal also detailed the activities of the UPSC which have gone up substantially ever since the Commission was setup 83 years ago.
The UPSC Foundation Day Lecture Series on Governance got underway with a speech by President of India, Pratibha Patil. The theme for the inaugural lecture was 'Governance and Public Service'.
In her address, the President said that public service needs to meet the challenges of the 21st century as there is a repositioning of the whole concept of good governance.
Advocating a people-centric administration with local institutions playing a lead role, she emphasized cooperation and coordination among all levels of administration.
Patil said that public servants must have firm moorings to moral values and principles and exhorted them to introspect on how they can reflect these values in their functioning. She emphasized on building a caring administration.
The Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Prithviraj Chavan, in his address said, civil service must reinvent itself to meet the public expectation in the changing times.
"It should strive to become more professional by acquiring newer skills and a mindset of accepting change. The Government and UPSC are in a dialogue on reforms in several areas of public service and this should result in far-reaching reforms", he said.
In his address during the inaugural UPSC Foundation Day Lecture Series, Prof. Agrawal said that UPSC has recommended to the Government that a Civil Services Aptitude Test replace the existing Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination.
As per the Commission's recommendation, there will be two objective type papers common to all candidates.
The emphasis will be on testing the aptitude of the candidate for the demanding life in the civil service as well as on the ethical and moral dimensions of decision making.
The Chairman said that the proposed scheme will have the advantages of testing a candidate's decision making skills and aptitude for civil services, and providing a level playing field and equity, since all candidates will have to attempt common papers.
Agrawal also felt that a reduction in the number of attempts allowed at the Civil Services Examination to the candidates from rural background is called for.
The Chairman further said that there is a need to ensure that the performance of officers selected through the Civil Services Exam is tracked, particularly during the initial, formative years.
"The Commission may also be kept apprised of the feedback so that this can be factored into the selection process for future entrants. UPSC receives over a million applications for all the 14 regular examinations and other recruitment it conducts every year. The Commission also is contemplating moving to examination through computers, once this step is approved by the Government", he added.
Agrawal also detailed the activities of the UPSC which have gone up substantially ever since the Commission was setup 83 years ago.
The UPSC Foundation Day Lecture Series on Governance got underway with a speech by President of India, Pratibha Patil. The theme for the inaugural lecture was 'Governance and Public Service'.
In her address, the President said that public service needs to meet the challenges of the 21st century as there is a repositioning of the whole concept of good governance.
Advocating a people-centric administration with local institutions playing a lead role, she emphasized cooperation and coordination among all levels of administration.
Patil said that public servants must have firm moorings to moral values and principles and exhorted them to introspect on how they can reflect these values in their functioning. She emphasized on building a caring administration.
The Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Prithviraj Chavan, in his address said, civil service must reinvent itself to meet the public expectation in the changing times.
"It should strive to become more professional by acquiring newer skills and a mindset of accepting change. The Government and UPSC are in a dialogue on reforms in several areas of public service and this should result in far-reaching reforms", he said.
>> Faesal becomes first Kashmiri to top UPSC examinations
Shah Faesal
SRINAGAR: It was a battle against all odds for 26-year-old Shah Faesal after his father was killed by militants in 2001, but this student of medicine overcame the trauma to become the first Kashmiri to top the Civil Service examinations.
Celebrations erupted in his native Sogam in the Lolab valley as the news reached the residents. Faesal's mother Mubeena, a school teacher, ensured that her children were able to continue their education after their father Ghulam Rasool Shah, also a teacher, was killed by militants in Kupwara in 2001.
Faesal, an MBBS degree-holder who topped the prestigious examination in his maiden attempt, said it was a dream come true and a proud moment for his family. “My father was a great inspiration. He was a great teacher. I gathered courage, and ultimately it is the efforts I put in that paid results,” Faesal, who is in Delhi, told PTI.
His brother Shahnawaz Shah is also a doctor. Faesal studied in the high school at Sogam and the Bisco Higher Secondary School, Srinagar. He got his medical degree from the Government Medical College, Srinagar.
Faesal topped the list of 875 candidates, who qualified in the Civil Service Examinations, 2009. — PTI
SRINAGAR: It was a battle against all odds for 26-year-old Shah Faesal after his father was killed by militants in 2001, but this student of medicine overcame the trauma to become the first Kashmiri to top the Civil Service examinations.
Celebrations erupted in his native Sogam in the Lolab valley as the news reached the residents. Faesal's mother Mubeena, a school teacher, ensured that her children were able to continue their education after their father Ghulam Rasool Shah, also a teacher, was killed by militants in Kupwara in 2001.
Faesal, an MBBS degree-holder who topped the prestigious examination in his maiden attempt, said it was a dream come true and a proud moment for his family. “My father was a great inspiration. He was a great teacher. I gathered courage, and ultimately it is the efforts I put in that paid results,” Faesal, who is in Delhi, told PTI.
His brother Shahnawaz Shah is also a doctor. Faesal studied in the high school at Sogam and the Bisco Higher Secondary School, Srinagar. He got his medical degree from the Government Medical College, Srinagar.
Faesal topped the list of 875 candidates, who qualified in the Civil Service Examinations, 2009. — PTI
Thursday, April 1, 2010
UPSC increases Civil services intake
Home minister P Chidambaram had in November last year announced the decision to increase the annual batch size of IPS officers from 130 to 150.
THE UNION Public Service Commission (UPSC) has substantially increased the total intake into the Civil Services from 580 in 2009 to 965 in 2010 -- an increase of 385 seats.
The decision to increase the intake of IPS officers was taken on the basis of the recommendation of a one-man committee headed by retired IPS officer Kamal Kumar. The report, submitted on October 15 last year, confirmed the home ministry's earlier concerns that there was grave neglect in determining the number of candidates to be recruited to IPS in the CSE during the four-year period 1999-2002.
According to a recent UPSC release, the decision on increased intake was announced by Commission through its notification for the Civil services examination-2010. In fact, home minister P Chidambaram had in November last year announced the decision to increase the annual batch size of IPS officers from 130 to 150 even the batch of 2009 - which has just taken its CSE (Main) - will see a few more IPS officers when the final result is announced sometime in May. In 2008, UPSC had taken 791 candidates, including 120 in IAS, 26 in IFS and 130 in IPS.
Since the UPSC notification clearly says that the number of vacancies is liable to alteration. The total vacancies (965) to be filled through the 2010 Civil Services Examination (CSE) will be meant for all 24 services, including IAS, IFS, IPS, IRS and others, the police services will see a major jump in intake. The police services include IPS and Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar, and Puducherry services.
THE UNION Public Service Commission (UPSC) has substantially increased the total intake into the Civil Services from 580 in 2009 to 965 in 2010 -- an increase of 385 seats.
The decision to increase the intake of IPS officers was taken on the basis of the recommendation of a one-man committee headed by retired IPS officer Kamal Kumar. The report, submitted on October 15 last year, confirmed the home ministry's earlier concerns that there was grave neglect in determining the number of candidates to be recruited to IPS in the CSE during the four-year period 1999-2002.
According to a recent UPSC release, the decision on increased intake was announced by Commission through its notification for the Civil services examination-2010. In fact, home minister P Chidambaram had in November last year announced the decision to increase the annual batch size of IPS officers from 130 to 150 even the batch of 2009 - which has just taken its CSE (Main) - will see a few more IPS officers when the final result is announced sometime in May. In 2008, UPSC had taken 791 candidates, including 120 in IAS, 26 in IFS and 130 in IPS.
Since the UPSC notification clearly says that the number of vacancies is liable to alteration. The total vacancies (965) to be filled through the 2010 Civil Services Examination (CSE) will be meant for all 24 services, including IAS, IFS, IPS, IRS and others, the police services will see a major jump in intake. The police services include IPS and Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar, and Puducherry services.
UPSC wants babus with aptitude, not attitude
New Delhi: The babus are known for their attitude, but the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) now wants a bureaucracy with aptitude. And to bring this change, the UPSC has recommended an overhaul in the format of the civil services examination.
Among the changes proposed to the government are replacing the preliminaries with an aptitude test comprisingtwo common papers and reducing the number of attempts allowed to a candidate.
The commission has also proposed that the promotion of officers from state services to the all-India level should not be based solely on the assessment of annual confidential reports, but should also involve a competitive examination and an interview.
The civil services examination is an all-India level screening to recruit officers for administrative (IAS), police (IPS), foreign (IFS) and allied services. The commission receives over 10 lakh applications for 14 regular examinations and other recruitment tests it conducts every year. Of these, about 5,000 officers are selected after a rigorous process of screening, testing and personal interviews.
The UPSC believes fewer attempts will remove the premium on cramming, or learning by rote. At present, the maximum number of attempts allowed to a general candidate is four. While the aspirants from other backward classes are allowed seven attempts, there is no such restriction for SC/ST aspirants.
The age limit is 21-30 years, with graduation as the minimum qualification required.
As of now, the preliminary examination has two papers -- general studies carrying 150 marks and an optional paper (selected from a list of 23 subjects) carrying 300 marks.
The UPSC wants to replace this pattern with an aptitude test having two objective-type papers common to all candidates. In its recommendations sent to the ministry of personnel, public grievances and pensions, the UPSC has said that these changes will not only test candidates' decision-making skills and aptitude for civil services, but also provide a level-playing field through common papers.
"The emphasis will be on testing the aptitude of the candidate for the demanding life in the civil service as well as on the ethical and moral dimensions of decision-making," said UPSC chairman DP Agrawal.
On the proposed three-tier process for promoting officers from the state to the national level, he said it would have the "salutary effect of encouraging competition and privileging merit". "Such a system could, in time, be extended to promotions within the central services as well," Agrawal said. The commission is also contemplating holding the examination on computers.
The structure of the civil services main examination is likely to remain unchanged for the time being. There is also no move to lower the age limit keeping in mind the interests of rural candidates, many of whom complete their graduation later than their urban counterparts.
Wajahat Habibullah, former chief information commissioner and also an ex-director of the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, called the USPC's recommendations "very good". "The civil services examination should be made simpler to bring out the abilities of the candidates rather than giving higher importance to rote learning," he said.
Among the changes proposed to the government are replacing the preliminaries with an aptitude test comprisingtwo common papers and reducing the number of attempts allowed to a candidate.
The commission has also proposed that the promotion of officers from state services to the all-India level should not be based solely on the assessment of annual confidential reports, but should also involve a competitive examination and an interview.
The civil services examination is an all-India level screening to recruit officers for administrative (IAS), police (IPS), foreign (IFS) and allied services. The commission receives over 10 lakh applications for 14 regular examinations and other recruitment tests it conducts every year. Of these, about 5,000 officers are selected after a rigorous process of screening, testing and personal interviews.
The UPSC believes fewer attempts will remove the premium on cramming, or learning by rote. At present, the maximum number of attempts allowed to a general candidate is four. While the aspirants from other backward classes are allowed seven attempts, there is no such restriction for SC/ST aspirants.
The age limit is 21-30 years, with graduation as the minimum qualification required.
As of now, the preliminary examination has two papers -- general studies carrying 150 marks and an optional paper (selected from a list of 23 subjects) carrying 300 marks.
The UPSC wants to replace this pattern with an aptitude test having two objective-type papers common to all candidates. In its recommendations sent to the ministry of personnel, public grievances and pensions, the UPSC has said that these changes will not only test candidates' decision-making skills and aptitude for civil services, but also provide a level-playing field through common papers.
"The emphasis will be on testing the aptitude of the candidate for the demanding life in the civil service as well as on the ethical and moral dimensions of decision-making," said UPSC chairman DP Agrawal.
On the proposed three-tier process for promoting officers from the state to the national level, he said it would have the "salutary effect of encouraging competition and privileging merit". "Such a system could, in time, be extended to promotions within the central services as well," Agrawal said. The commission is also contemplating holding the examination on computers.
The structure of the civil services main examination is likely to remain unchanged for the time being. There is also no move to lower the age limit keeping in mind the interests of rural candidates, many of whom complete their graduation later than their urban counterparts.
Wajahat Habibullah, former chief information commissioner and also an ex-director of the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, called the USPC's recommendations "very good". "The civil services examination should be made simpler to bring out the abilities of the candidates rather than giving higher importance to rote learning," he said.
Let’s hold aptitude test in place of civil services prelims, says UPSC chief
The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has recommended to the government that the civil services exam process be changed to replace the preliminary examination with an aptitude test common to all applicants.
The justification for introducing two objective type tests instead of the preliminary examination, the subject of which is selected by the candidate, is to provide a level playing field to applicants and test their decision-making skills.
“Public service may be rightly described as a ‘calling’ rather than merely as a profession or a career. The structure and process of governance are crucially affected by the nature and quality of public officials... While sufficient guarantees of livelihood and career satisfaction need to be built in so as to attract men and women of ability and character to public services, there is simultaneously a need to ensure that ‘aptitude for service’ is also identified among the necessary qualifications for entry,” UPSC chairman D P Agrawal said at the inaugural UPSC Foundation Day lecture series here.
The justification for introducing two objective type tests instead of the preliminary examination, the subject of which is selected by the candidate, is to provide a level playing field to applicants and test their decision-making skills.
“Public service may be rightly described as a ‘calling’ rather than merely as a profession or a career. The structure and process of governance are crucially affected by the nature and quality of public officials... While sufficient guarantees of livelihood and career satisfaction need to be built in so as to attract men and women of ability and character to public services, there is simultaneously a need to ensure that ‘aptitude for service’ is also identified among the necessary qualifications for entry,” UPSC chairman D P Agrawal said at the inaugural UPSC Foundation Day lecture series here.
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