General Studies Prelim Test Series
Process and Time period: We conduct “Prelim Test Series”, consisting of 14 weeks, objective type tests on GS and CSAT. It begins in the month of December and ends in April, before the Prelim exam. The “Prelim Test Series” confers multiple benefits to the candidates. It induces a sense of focus, discipline and regularity in a candidate’s preparation.
Marks: For GS – 200 marks (100 questions) and CSAT – 200 marks (80 questions).
(It is to be noted that the marks scored by the candidates in GS only are considered to qualify for the Main Exam. Marks scored in CSAT are not considered but the minimum qualifying marks in CSAT is 33% in the CSAT paper without attaining which the student cannot clear the Prelim Examination)
Relevance/Ideology behind Tests: Due to negative marking, the Civil Services Exam has become difficult to qualify. In some cases, students who have not practiced the objective questions realize in the exam hall their unpreparedness for the surprises thrown at them by the UPSC. In such a scenario, it is desirable that the candidates’ fine-tune their GS and CSAT preparations by attending as many tests as possible. It guides them to develop better understanding of the concepts, basic principles and factual aspects of the Prelim subjects.
Explanations: To provide an idea about the methodology to be adopted by the students to prepare their subjects, explanations are given in the ”Classroom Prelim Test Series” for the questions in such a manner so that the candidates understand how the topic of the question needs to be prepared/analyzed.
