Home   »   How to Start Answer Writing Practice...   »   How to Start Answer Writing Practice...

How to Start Answer Writing Practice for UPSC- Step by Step Guide for Beginners

UPSC Answer Writing Practice for Beginners

UPSC aspirants, especially those who have started their preparation, are often confused and worried about answer writing practice for the UPSC Mains examination. UPSC Aspirants are often facing the following questions regarding mains answer writing practice.

  • When is the right time to start Answer writing practice?
  • What should be the frequency of answer writing practice?
  • Shall I focus on the quality of the answers or the speed of answer writing?
  • How many questions should I practice each day?

These are some of the questions regarding answer writing practice that haunt an aspirant who has just started their preparation or aspirants who have limited answer writing practice experience. We are going to demystify various myths associated with the answer writing practice in this article, but first, we will discuss the importance of answer writing in qualifying for the UPSC Civil Services examination.

Answer Writing Practice for UPSC- Importance of Answer Writing Practice

UPSC CSE Mains is the most important phase of the whole UPSC exam for the aspirants. This is because of the following-

  • UPSC CSE prepares the final cut-off of selected candidates based on how many marks an aspirant got out of the total 2025 marks.
  • The maximum total of 2025 marks consists of 1750 marks for the UPSC CSE Mains exam and 275 marks for the Interview exam.
  • This marking pattern shows the importance of the mains examination in the final selection and getting a good rank in the final list of the selected candidates.
  • To learn more about the marking pattern of the UPSC CSE Examination, Click here.
  • In the mains exam, the art of answer writing becomes very important to fetch good marks.
  • To illustrate the importance of answer writing, suppose in each question you get 0.5 marks extra due to your good answer writing techniques.
  • Through this, you will fetch 40 more marks in GS Papers alone (10 marks on each paper). Mastering the art of answer writing will positively affect your marks in essay papers as well.
  • This is why an aspirant appearing in the UPSC mains exam either this year or next year must extensively master the art of answer writing.

Answer Writing Practice for UPSC- Guide for Beginners

  • Don’t Start Too Early: Aspirants often make the mistake of starting their answer writing practice at the start of their preparation. The problem with this approach is that aspirants at this stage of their preparation lack adequate foundational knowledge about the topic in question. This often results in a waste of time and demotivation on the part of aspirants.
  • Build Basic Knowledge First: To avoid the above mistake, aspirants must read and learn basic books to build basic knowledge about various parts of the syllabus. Continuous reading of newspapers and linking them with the static as well as other parts of the syllabus gives an aspirant multi-dimensional perspective about the topics. Only with such understanding, aspirants can write quality answers as per the demand of the UPSC Mains Exam.
  • Understanding the Demand of the Question and Structuring Your Answer: Next comes the understanding of the question. Aspirants often misinterpret the question and write what they know instead of what is demanded in the question. This creates a bad impression in the mind of the examiner. So, aspirants must start first by understanding the demand of the question and then framing their answer accordingly. Rightly structured answers will fetch you better marks as it shows to the examiner that you have a good understanding and also makes the flow of information smooth in your answers.
  • Focus on Quality First instead of Speed: Initially, aspirants must focus on writing a good answer, covering multiple dimensions, instead of writing fast and filling pages of the answer booklet. Once, you know how to write a good answer, you will automatically pick up the speed at a later stage of your preparation.
  • Write Regularly: Last but not the list, you should be regular in your mains answer writing practice to get maximum benefits. Regular here does not mean every day, rather it is your discretion to fix the answer writing practice routine/frequency as per the available time. Once you have decided on the frequency, you must be consistent in your answer writing practice for the UPSC Mains exam. This will immensely benefit you both in the Mains (in terms of answer writing and knowledge) and Prelims (in terms of knowledge) examination.

All the Best !!!

Sharing is caring!

FAQs

Q. Which website is best for UPSC answer writing?

Candidates can check the Adda247 website for comprehensive understanding of syllabus and coverage of entire UPSC portion under proper guidance and evaluation.

What is the 753 rule in UPSC preparation?

SEVEN – Candidates' should aim to answer questions within 7 minutes per question. FIVE – write 5 points in their answers related to the keyword. It would be better to break down the answer into bulleted points. THREE– Elaborate each point in 3 dimensions as per the requirements listed in the question.

How should a beginner start UPSC preparation?

Beginners should ideally get at least 10 – 12 months before the UPSC prelims exam for preparation. You can comprehensively cover the syllabus and have enough test practice only then. You should start with the common GS papers before moving on to the optional papers.

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *