UPSC: More weight to general studies, aptitude skills

NEW DELHI: Ushering a major change in the country's premier civil services examination, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) on Tuesday notified the test for this year giving more weight to general studies and aptitude skills. It also introduced an English language paper, whose marks will count in final selection of aspirants for elite services like IAS, IFS, IPS, IRS and other prestigious central jobs. The general studies papers will — for the first time — also have components testing aspirants on "ethics, integrity and aptitude". "This paper will include questions to test the candidates' attitude and approach to issues relating to integrity, probity in public life and his problem solving approach to various issues and conflicts faced by him in dealing with society," said the Commission. This new paper having 250 marks will use the case study approach to determine ethics, integrity and aptitude of candidates. The new pattern will also spare candidates of compulsorily qualifying other language papers like Hindi or any of the VIII Schedule language. Earlier, candidates had to qualify in English and other language paper whose marks were, however, not counted for short-listing the aspirants. As per the notification, the preliminary exam this year will be held on May 26. Candidates will be able to file their online application till April 4. The CSE has three stages — preliminary, main and personality test (interview). The changes, brought in by the Commission on Tuesday for CSE 2013 onwards, will be only meant for the main examination. Unlike the previous pattern of the exam, which often favoured aspirants with subject knowledge, the UPSC has now introduced four general studies papers of 250 marks each instead of two such papers of 300 marks each. The general studies papers will carry 1,000 marks from CSE, 2013. Besides, there will be two optional papers of 250 marks each instead of four papers of 300 marks each earlier. The weightage of the optional papers (subjects) will also be reduced from 1,200 to 500 marks. Total marks for the main exam will be 1,800. Besides, personality test carries 275 marks. The UPSC, which had changed the preliminary exam pattern in 2011 infusing elements of aptitude test, had last time brought a minor change in the main exam pattern in 1993 when it introduced an additional paper of essay of 200 marks. Under the new pattern, the Commission continued with the essay paper having 200 marks, but it also introduced an additional English language paper worth 100 marks. The English language paper will test aspirants in their comprehensive and writing ability - in tune with the demand of modern-day administration, where English has become a mainstay of official communication across the country. Officials feel that the unlike the earlier pattern which used to short-list candidates more on the basis of their score in specified subjects instead of their knowledge in general studies, the new pattern will focus more on testing candidates in their administrative and managerial potential and awareness of the country's socio-economic system. There will be no change in the pattern of preliminary exam. The new pattern will also reverse the trend in overall selection process. The earlier pattern used to help candidates who used to opt for high-scoring engineering or science subjects and mathematics. It was felt that getting high scores in science\engineering\medicines papers was easier than obtaining good marks in humanities and language papers and therefore the old system used to test aspirants unfairly. TOI