New Delhi: The UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2024 was held today, June 16, with the General Studies paper conducted in the morning session from 9:30 am to 11:30 am, and the CSAT paper in the afternoon from 2:30 pm to 4:00 pm. Feedback from students and experts suggests that the overall difficulty of the exam was moderate.
Exam Analysis by Subject
Science and Technology: Arun Bharadwaj, Faculty of Science and Technology at Rau’s IAS Study Circle, noted that the questions in this section ranged from easy to moderate. “The Science and Technology questions are mostly easy to moderate. Approximately 11 questions were asked, consistent with the trends of recent years. Students with a basic understanding of key areas should be able to answer accurately,” Bharadwaj said.
Economy: The Economy section predominantly featured questions from the static/core part, with a limited number of questions pertaining to current affairs. Basava Uppin, Faculty- Economy at Rau’s IAS Study Circle, observed a shift in focus within the Banking and Finance segment. “The focus has shifted from chapters on Monetary Policy to Capital Market/Money Market,” Uppin stated.
Geography: According to Indrajeet Bariar, another faculty member at Rau’s IAS Study Circle, the geography questions were easier compared to last year. “The questions have largely remained concept-based. The majority of the questions could be answered through a basic understanding of the subject,” Bariar remarked.
History: History questions were deemed moderate, with some themes being repeated from previous years. UPSC expert Gajanan Dwivedi commented on the consistency in the difficulty level compared to last year.
Siddharth Sharma, a civil service aspirant attempting the exam for the third time, found the paper moderate in difficulty due to regular practice with mock tests. “This is my third attempt for the UPSC examination and compared to last year’s prelims exam, I found this paper moderate because I was taking regular mock tests,” Sharma said.
Vacancies and Requirements
A total of 1,056 posts will be filled across various central government services and departments, including the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS), and Indian Revenue Service (IRS).
For candidates in the disabled category, 40 vacancies have been reserved. To pass the General Studies Paper-II of the Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination, a minimum of 33 percent is required.
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