• frequently asked questions

How is EFFORT IAS different from other institutes.?

Our team has always focused on providing one-stop solutions for the various phases of the UPSC Exam so that students do not have to consult several sources. When it comes to making our content, we focus on relevancy, standard and understandability.

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Ans. We have both online and offline batches. We also have a hybrid option accessible for classes.
Ans. The EFFORT IAS official website contains detailed information about the famous and experienced faculty who guide students via their passionate efforts.
Ans. Yes, EFFORT IAS allows for instalments.

Ans. The Live/Online Course can only be accessed using one device. However, if the student needs to swap a device for whatever reason, they can do so by sending an email to support@effortias.com or contact on +919667848455.

Ans. UPSC stands for Union Public Service Commission.
Ans. IAS stands for Indian Administrative Service. It is the administrative arm of the All India Services of Government of India.
Ans. The Indian Administrative Service (IAS) is a very renowned career path. The IAS officer is responsible for a variety of functions, including administrative oversight of a district/area/department, policy creation, policy execution, and the leadership of public-sector undertakings.
Ans. In compliance with government-published rules, the Civil Services Examination is held for recruitment to the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS), Indian Police Service (IPS), and other Central Services
Ans. Every year in the month of February, the Union Public Service Commission releases the exam notification for the various posts. But the UPSC schedule for each year announces the releasing date.
Ans. It is an annual recruitment process and the official notification is released once every year
Ans. Every year, the number of openings is different and is determined by the conducting body’s requirements. 1056 positions for 2024 have been made available by the Commission.

Ans . The Commission releases a calendar at the start of each year, which includes a tentative schedule for all tests. The final dates are announced alongside the official notification.

UPSC FAQ on Syllabus & Exam Pattern

Ans. There are three stages involved in the recruitment of an IAS Officer. These include:

  1. Preliminary Examination
  2. Mains Examination
  3. Personality Test/Interview
Ans. Yes, there is a negative marking in the prelims General Studies (GS) Paper I. Each incorrect answer would cost you 1/3rd of the marks allotted to that question. For prelims Paper-II, 1/3rd negative marking is applicable, also, you have to score at least 33% or 66 marks in the exam
Ans. There are two compulsory General Studies papers in the preliminary examination, each of which carries 200 marks. Each paper is of 2 hours and is objective type.
Ans. Yes, the question papers are set in both Hindi ad English (other than the literature of language papers)
Ans. The cut-off marks in each of the two Qualifying Papers i.e. English 25% and Indian Languages is at present 33%.
Ans. The prelims and mains exam is conducted offline only.
To be safe, you must complete the syllabus thoroughly. However, you can give a little more weight to economics and associated developments; subjects such as politics, ecology, modern India, and geography are always heavily weighted in the exam. Give equal weight to all of these, without fail. In unusual cases, like as CSP 2016, the weightage of current affairs was high, while the weightage of history was also high (in CSP-2019). As a result, you should take a thorough and comprehensive approach to all of the issues.
There are a total of 48 optional subjects in UPSC Mains out of which, a candidate has to choose one.

Ans. The Mains Written Examination consists of the following papers:

  • Paper A – One of the Indian Languages (300 Marks)
  • Paper B – English (300 marks)
  • Paper I – Essay (250 marks)
  • General Studies‐I – Indian Heritage and Culture, History and Geography of the World and Society (250 marks)
  • General Studies‐II – Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice and International relations (250 marks)
  • General Studies‐III – Technology, Economic Development, Bio-diversity, Environment, Security and Disaster Management (250 marks)
  • General Studies‐IV – Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude (250 marks)
  • Optional Subject – Paper 1 (250 marks)
  • Optional Subject ‐ Paper 2 (250 marks)

This brings the total marks for the mains examination to 1750. 275 marks for Personality Test are also included in this, which brings the total to 2025 marks

To answer this question, one must understand the UPSC exam pattern. The IAS exam comprises three stages, namely Prelims, Mains and Interview. Out of which, marks in Mains and Interview form the basis of Final Merit List.

To be a part of the final list of recommended candidates, usually close to 50% marks are needed in total (Mains + Interview). The GS part in Mains is diverse and comprehensive, so it becomes essential from the exam point of view to identify key areas which can fetch more marks with reasonable effort.

Broadly speaking, there are three focus areas for candidates who wish to score high marks without getting bogged down by the vast UPSC syllabus.

  • Interview (275 marks) – 20-odd minute discussion with the UPSC panel
  • Essay (250 marks) – two essay topics of 125 marks each
  • Optional (500 marks) – two papers of 250 marks each

There are many factors which combine to form the ‘best’ optional from an individual’s perspective. Before impulsively deciding on a subject, a candidate must ask herself/himself the following six questions.

  • How vast is the syllabus of the optional?
  • How much preparation time do you have?
  • Do you have prior knowledge of the subject at the graduate/PG level?
  • How much syllabus overlap is there between your optional choice and GS part in Prelims/Mains?
  • Are the study material and coaching readily available?
  • Do you have the requisite drive/interest to study the subject for UPSC exam?

Depending on the answers to the above six questions, a candidate should make an ‘individual’ choice as to the best optional for them.

The following subjects are popular among IAS aspirants from both technical and non-technical backgrounds because of the high overlap with GS or other parts of the UPSC exam:

  • Public Administration – Highly relevant, compact syllabus, paper II (Indian Administration) has a lot of overlap with polity and governance part in GS II.
  • Sociology – the study of society, lots of material which can be used in GS I, Essay and even in Ethics paper.
  • History – relevant for prelims as well as GS I.
  • Geography -relevant for prelims as well as GS I
  • Political Science – relevant for prelims as well as GS II
  • Law – relevant for prelims as well as GS II

Optional subjects like Economics, Philosophy, Anthropology, and Agriculture are also good choices.

Ans. The Interview/Personality Test is of 275 marks with no minimum qualifying marks.