Category Archives : Mains

Tackling the compulsory language paper in UPSC mains

Every year about 10-12 percent candidates are unable to qualify the compulsory language paper in UPSC mains. It is also called paper A in UPSC mains. This means all their hard work goes in vain as their other paper’s marks are not taken into account. Worst part is they cannot even know their marks of other papers. It is thus strongly suggested that compulsory language paper should not be taken lightly.   Structure of the paper  The type of questions asked are – 1. Essay –… Continue Reading »

Useful mnemonics for the UPSC Civil Services Examination

What are some very useful mnemonics for the UPSC civil services examination?   Mnemonics help is memorizing facts. Therefore, they might not be much useful for UPSC CSE given the nature of questions that emphasize conceptual clarity. Nevertheless, few related tricks can be used. 1. For Schemes   There is this scheme called Bharat Nirman. It has 6 components under it. Waters; Roads; Housing; Telephone; Electricity; Irrigation. I memorized it using the term WRITE H – each alphabet denoting one component. A Question can be… Continue Reading »