New syllabus of the Civil Services (Main) exam results in an overhaul of the existing scheme of the examination

Updated on: Monday, August 12, 2013

The new syllabus for the Civil Services (Main) exam has resulted in an overhaul of the existing scheme of the examination. In one of the significant changes, the weighting of General Studies (GS) is now double than the optional paper. Also, the weighting of the Essay Paper has been increased to around 15% of total marks in the scheme i.e. it is now equal to one full paper of GS or one paper of an optional subject . There are other significant changes in the existing sections of the GS as well. All these changes require a new strategy and perspective while preparing for the examination.

As far as the changes are concerned , unlike the earlier scheme of GS, the different sections have now been tagged together as per their similarities. This may seem a 'big' change but a closer analysis indicate that this is not so.

In the case of the GS Paper III for example, the old section, 'Economic Interaction of India with the outside World' has been renamed as 'Economic Development' and developed as GS Paper III but it has been 'suffixed' by 'Technology' and 'prefixed' by 'Biodiversity , Environment, Security and Disaster Management.' Many questions falling in this new 'domain' have been already asked in the last one decade. Already, the topic Indian economy has a distinct connect with 'technology and environment' as has been the case for every other economies of the world. The only change is that the world is now becoming more concerned regarding 'technology choices' it should make. Therefore , there is a pronounced emphasis on the issue with clear reference to other topics in the syllabus. This 'technology link' and its applications should be considered while writing the answers in the main examination. Other topics to which the answers should be linked include biodiversity, disaster management, wildlife security , etc. Changes made in the Essay Paper are perhaps the most significant . The weighting of the Essay Paper in the main exam has been increased from 10% to around 15%. Technically, the paper now seems to be equal to just one paper of GS or half of an optional subject but in reality, it makes a big difference.

New syllabus of the Civil Services (Main) exam results in an overhaul of the existing scheme of the examination

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