Mistake to Avoid in UPSC Prelims 2021

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Preliminary Examination is scheduled to take place on 27th June 2021. Over 100 days are left before one can see how/she performs in the examination. What one can do in these 100 days is to learn what mistakes can be avoided in the examination so as to sail through it and reach the Mains stage. 

This article will enlighten you with the plausible errors that a candidate happens to make in their preliminary examination. Candidates should know that UPSC 2021 examination dates are already out. The commission had released the official calendar on 17th August 2020. The dates of the civil services examination for the year 2021 are:

1. CSE Prelims – 27th June
2. CSE Mains – 19th September onwards

Now, let’s read about the main topics that are asked in IAS Prelims.

Major Topics in IAS Prelims

The syllabus of the IAS Prelims Examination is precise but open ended. The subjects from where questions are asked in this stage of the examination are:

1. History
2. Indian Polity
3. Geography 
4. Indian Economy
5. Indian Society 
6. Environmental Ecology, Biodiversity and Climate Change
7. General Science
8. Current Affairs

The sub-topics under the above-mentioned subjects are as follows:

History	History of IndiaHistory of Indian National Movement
Geography – India and World	Physical GeographySocial Geography Economic Geography
Indian Polity	GovernanceConstitutionPolitical SystemPanchayati RajPublic PolicyRights Issues, etc.
Indian Economy	Social DevelopmentSustainable DevelopmentPovertyInclusionDemographicsSocial Sector initiatives, etc.
Environment	General Issues
General Science	Standard Topics
Current Affairs	Current events of national and international importance

Now, let’s find out those areas where aspirants often miss out and commit a mistake that might cost them in their prelims examination. 

Avoid These Mistakes in UPSC Prelims 

For better understanding, the areas where mistakes are possible are divided into two categories:

1. While Revising for Prelims
2. On the Prelims Examination Day

Let’s first read out where one can avoid mistakes during prelims preparation:

1. Syllabus – The candidates while revising exclusively for prelims, should adhere to the prelims syllabus. Subjects like World History are not asked in the Prelims exam. Hence, candidates should stick to the prelims syllabus. 
2. Test Series – Not attempting sufficient mock tests before prelims is considered to be one of those mistakes that can cost big in the exam. Also, subscribing to multiple test series and not finishing them completely too is a mistake on aspirants’ part. 
3. Specification vs. Generalization – Candidates have to remember that it is an examination that tests candidates’ general knowledge about the subjects. One does not have to go deep into any one subject to master it to score better. 

Now, let’s find out how you can avoid mistakes on the day of the exam:

1. Guesswork – Though smart guessing is one of the better approaches towards the examination, many candidates go on a spree of too much guessing to reach 80-90 questions. This could turn out to be a grave error. 
2. No planning – Candidates should always have a plan to mark their answers. For example, first those questions should be attempted which candidates are fully sure of. Next in line should be the ones where candidates have partial knowledge and last should be those which candidates don’t know. 
3. Marking wrong on OMR – Many times candidates in panic fill in wrong answers on their OMR sheet. As a matter of fact, those can’t be taken back. Hence, one can attract negative marking in case the answer is wrong. 
4. Stress management – Aspirants should always be calm while attempting this paper. Over anxiety or stress can lead to marking wrong answers even when candidates know the right ones. Hence, proper revision and good plan will always help in avoiding this mistake

Well, these were the mistakes that candidates can avoid in the upcoming prelims exam. Candidates must note that the IAS Notification contains the latest syllabus of each stage and candidates should always refer to that during their preparation.