UPSC CIVIL SERVICES MAINS EXAMINATION 2013 PATTERN CHANGES

In a significant move, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has approved the changes in civil services exam pattern. Now, the new format will give more weightage to general studies. Implementation of these changes will affect the fate of over four lakh civil service aspirants looking to take the exam this year.

Currently, the examination has General Studies Paper I and II of 300 marks each, including Compulsory and Optional subjects. As per the new changes, both the general studies papers will have more weightage.

In an effort to make the exam even more relevant with the present day, UPSC may soon allow candidates to take the exams in languages not included in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution or in English.

An official notification, informing details of the new format, will soon be uploaded on the official website, informed an official.

The government had been keen on having an overhaul of the Civil Services exams after it introduced Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT) in 2011.

Aspirants make way into the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS) and others through the Civil Services, which is a three-tier examination scheme. The first is the preliminary exam, an objective-type exam which serves as a screening test. Those who clear this are entitled to appear for the subjective-type main examination. About one-fifth of those who take the main examination are called for a personality test.

The panel headed by former UGC chairman Arun S Nigvekar had recommended doing away with the optional subjects, and replacing these with compulsory papers.

UPSC CIVIL SERVICES MAINS EXAMINATION 2013 PATTERN CHANGES, UPSC CIVIL SERVICES MAINS EXAMINATION 2013 PATTERN CHANGES