Changes are inevitable. Even the way of preparation for UPSC Civil Services Exam has also changed a lot. Initially, aspirants had only books as the resources to learn from, now there are so many types of resources available.
one of them being the internet. There are various websites which give you a good platform to learn. But, you need to be focussed while going through information on them.
You cannot be a time-waster. By time wasters, we mean the lure of irrelevant news articles and games. It is important to know which are the most useful sites for UPSC preparation.
So, to save time and improve your browsing efficiency, we bring you the top 15 best websites for IAS preparation.
1.www.byjus.com/free-ias-prep
For information for IAS exam like important dates, notifications, UPSC news, tips for IAS preparation, strategies for all the exams and subjects, video lectures, BYJU’S is the one-stop-shop.
Salient features of BYJU’S Free IAS prep Website:
The BYJU’S website, /free-ias-prep/ section offers resources and guidance for the following:
Expert tips
Subject-wise strategies
All UPSC dates and news
More coverage of topics
Video lectures from expert faculty
Daily news analysis
Previous year question papers
UPSC syllabus
Answer writing practice
Your daily dose of a pep talk
BYJU’S Free IAS Prep is undoubtedly the best site for daily current affairs for UPSC exam.
2.www.mea.gov.in
This is the official website of the Ministry of External Affairs for reports and updates on international relations.
3.www.mha.nic.in
This is an official website of the Ministry of Home Affairs for reports and news on governance, security and polity.
4.www.lawmin.nic.in
This is an official website of the Law Ministry for polity related information which can be really helpful for aspirants.
5.www.rbi.org.in
This website is the official website of the Reserve Bank of India for economic reports and policies.
6.www.socialjustice.nic.in
Official website of the ministry of social justice for reports and news on social issues.
7.www.indiaculture.nic.in
Official website of the Ministry of Culture for updates and news on culture.
8.www.gov.in
National portal of India for all information regarding the Indian government.
9.www.planningcommission.nic.in
Official website of the Planning Commission for 12th Five Year Plan, economic reports and policies.
10.www.pib.nic.in
Official website of the Press Information Bureau for current affairs.
11.www.nasscom.org
Official website of ‘The National Association of Software and Services Companies’ in India for science and technology related news.
12.www.arc.gov.in
Official website of the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances for ARC reports on governance and ethics.
If you inculcate a habit of going through these websites, you can keep a proper track of current affairs.
UPSC 2020
UPSC 2020 – IAS Preparation
The first step for aspirants should be to go through the exam pattern and the UPSC Syllabus.
The syllabus for the IAS Exam is quite detailed and yet because of the wide range of knowledge being tested, aspirants should go through the UPSC Previous Year Question Papers to gauge the level of questions being asked in the exam.
Aspirants should think of UPSC Preparation as a marathon and not a sprint. For efficient and effective preparation, candidates should divide the reading material (UPSC Books) and revision time according to the date sheet given by the commission.
For reference, the important UPSC exam dates for the year 2020 are given in the table below:
Date of UPSC Notification February 12, 2020
Last Date for receipt of application March 03, 2020
UPSC Admit Card 3 Weeks before Prelims Exam Date
UPSC Prelims Exam Date Sunday, 4th October 2020
UPSC Prelims Result (tentative) 1st week of November
UPSC Mains Admit Card (tentative) 2nd week of December
UPSC Mains Exam Date January 8, 2021, onward
UPSC Mains Result (tentative) March 2021
IAS Interview (tentative) March – April 2021
Every year, the Union Public Service Commission releases the official notification for the Civil Services Exam.
The UPSC Notification lists the following information:
Posts and Vacancies – The number of vacancies varies each year. For UPSC 2020, the official notification stated 796 vacancies
UPSC Eligibility – Age limit, Educational Qualification and Physical Fitness
UPSC Online Application – How to Apply and Application Fee
Exam Pattern and Syllabus for Prelims and Mains
For General Category aspirants, the UPSC Age Limit is 21-32 years and maximum 6 attempts are allowed. An attempt is counted only when a candidate appears for at least one paper in the UPSC Prelims.
Aspirants who are in their last year of graduation can also take the exam but they will have to submit the proof of passing before they can appear for the Mains stage of the UPSC 2020 exam.
UPSC 2020 – IAS Prelims
The IAS Prelims pattern was last changed in 2011 when the CSAT paper was introduced.
At the time of introduction, marks in GS II or CSAT were taken into account for the preparation of the Prelims Cut Off. However, as of now, CSAT is only a qualifying paper and candidates who score 33% or more are deemed eligible for the next stage.
There is negative marking in both Prelims papers. Aspirants can get detailed information about UPSC Prelims from the linked article.
The General Studies I paper can be sub-divided into:
Current Affairs – Usually Current Affairs spanning 10-12 months prior to the date of the exam are considered as relevant but recently UPSC is increasing the weightage of questions based on important national and international events.
For Current Affairs preparation, reading newspapers like The Hindu and The Indian Express along with regular updates on Government Schemes, Policies, and important Court judgements is essential.
Aspirants can find daily current affairs at the linked article.
History – For UPSC Prelims, the History part can be further subdivided into Ancient, Medieval and Modern Indian History.
Aspirants can find the topic-wise segregation of free NCERT Notes at the linked article.
Geography – Physical Geography + Geography of India and the World
Economics – Core macroeconomic concepts + Indian Economy
Polity – Indian Government, Political Structure, Constitution and Governance
Environment and Ecology – Important national and international organisation, conventions, charters and current affairs
General Science – Class Xth level general questions
Aspirants can check the detailed IAS Prelims syllabus here.
The number of questions on each section varies each year. The subject-wise weightage of syllabus topics in Prelims papers of last five years can be found here.
The cut off for Prelims is decided based on the candidates’ marks in GS I provided they qualify the CSAT paper.
For reference, aspirants can check the UPSC Cut Off for the Civil Services Exam at the linked article.
Aspirants should follow an integrated preparation strategy for Prelims and Mains as there is significant overlap. However, the nature of preparation will differ as the Prelims comprises MCQs while the Mains is all descriptive-essay type.
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