Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) is conducting the most renowned exam of country – Civil Services Preliminary 2017 Examination on this Sunday June 18, 2017. Civil Services Exam also known as IAS Exam is regarded as an extremely competitive exam and the immutable pressure around clearing the exam is all the more increasing on the exam day. With the IAS prelims exam day just around the corner, so to avoid chaos at the time of examination you must first carefully read all the details mentioned on your admit Card provided by the examination authorities.
With just a day left for Civil Services 2017 prelims Exam, understand the details of what the aspirants must do and don’t and how to ace the test with confidence and secure a good score. In this article, we will enlighten you with some important points which you should keep in mind during IAS prelims exam day. It is extremely important for you to replenish and nurture yourself during the last day of the examination.
UPSC Civil Services Preliminary 2017 Examination Details
| Subject | Time | Duration | No. of Questions | Marks |
| GS Paper I | 9:30 AM – 11:30 AM | 2 hours | 100 |
200 |
| GS Paper II (CSAT) | 2:30 PM – 4:30 PM | 2 hours | 80 |
200 |
With few hours left for Civil Services preliminary Exam 2017, you should be prepared with the Exam Day Strategy. If some of the instructions are misinterpreted, confusion and panic may result on the exam day. You may tend to overlook these important instructions along with the stress of the exam, but your ignorance can make you suffer later.
To avoid last minute hustle, AfterGraduation will support IAS aspirants to know all about the instructions, the Do and Don’t to be followed, and what to carry at the test center and how to get the better score in the exam.
READ Too: 7 Preparation Tips To Crack UPSC Prelims
Do Remember
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Carry Your Admit Card
If you forget to carry your UPSC Civil Services preliminary exam admit card you might not allowed to appear in the test. This is the most important document to be taken at the time of examination. You must download your e-admit card on priority, if haven’t downloaded.
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Carry Your ID Proof
Candidates who do not have clear photographs on the e-admit card will have to bring a photo identity proof viz. Aadhar Card, Driving Licence, Passport,Voter I Card etc. and two passport size photographs one for each session for appearing in the examination with an undertaking.
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Locate your Test Centre and Reach before Time
Ensure that you know the direction and the travel time so that you can plan the day better and reach before reporting time at the right test centre on your test day.
The exam timings for IAS prelims are: Paper 1: 09.30 A.M to 11.30 A.M and Paper 2: 02.30 P.M to 04.30 P.M
Enter the Examination Hall 30 minutes before the scheduled commencement of the examination. Ensure you reach the center by 09.00 A.M since you will need to find your hall number, relieve yourself/freshen up before the paper starts. Fill in the necessary details like Roll No., Paper id etc in the answer sheet well before the start of the examination.
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Carry a Watch
Instead of asking your fellow candidates or the invigilator about the time remaining every few minutes, it’s advisable to wear a wrist watch or carry a table clock along. This will help you know exactly how much time is left and whether you need to rush through the questions or carry on at the current speed.
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Enough Sleep Before Exam Day
A good quality of sleep let your brain relax and makes your mind fresh. Waking up with a fresh mind will let you feel good about the test, remove nervousness and gives positives. Taking enough sleep before the test is a must do for every Civil Services aspirants. Keep yourself energized and hydrated.
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Relax and Stay Confident
Relaxation should be the main mantra a day before your exam day. You have worked hard enough so far and even if you have not, you cannot make it up in few hours, so the best way is to soothe your nerves by doing something that relaxes you the most. Confidence is the key to success, so do not be nervous at all.
ALSO READ: Preparation Strategy, Plan And Books For UPSC 2017 Prelims
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Carry a Black Ball Point Pen
Candidates are also advised to bring Black Ball Point Pen to the Examination Hall on the day of Examination as the candidates shall be required to fill the OMR Answer Sheets and Attendance Lists with Black Ball Point Pen only. Answers other than those made by Black Ball Point Pen would not be evaluated.
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Attempt General studies Question paper smartly
The basic tip for the examination hall is that one should first read all the questions carefully and thoroughly before selecting the correct answer. If a question cannot be answered immediately, one should move to the next question. After going through the whole question paper and answering all the questions, one may get back to unanswered questions.
In first reading if you are sure that 40-45 questions are quite easy, attempt those first. But to increase your attempts, you can try your luck by attempting those in which you are 50% sure. The number of question you attempt must not be less than 70.
Follow a three-step approach to solve the paper. In round one, solve questions you are absolutely sure of. In round two solve questions which you are reasonably certain of. In round three take your time, dig into your memory and make educated guesses if you can narrow it down to two options. But do not resort to blind guessing under any circumstances.
Remember Don’t
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Last Minute Preparations
If you have not prepared for any topic so far, do not even try to start it just before few hours for the test. Neither would you be able to grasp it nor would you be able to revise your already prepared topics properly. It is alright to leave out few topics. It will only create confusion and panic at the last moment.
Research has also shown that studying a day before the exam crowds your short term memory resulting in interference to your long term memory. In simpler terms, you forgets what you have learned and saved in your brain and resulting in bad decision-making skills. Avoid starting any news topic or revising; just keep your mind off studies for a while.
READ ALSO: A Good UPSC Exam Score Could Land A Private Job Too
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Carry Any Certificates or Documents
Carrying any document besides admit card and identity proof is inadmissible. You are not permitted to carry any documents or even blank papers to the test.
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Carry Bags, Purses or Phone
No bags, wallet/purse or mobile phones are allowed inside the test centre, you will be asked to keep the bags outside the examination premises.
Mobile Phones, Calculators, IT Gadgets and any other Communication device such as Bluetooth etc. are not allowed inside the premises where the examination is being conducted. Any Infringements of these instructions shall entail disciplinary action including ban from future examinations.
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Loose Confidence, Focus
You have prepared hard and hard work always pays. Stay strong and determined about your Preparation Strategy. If you lose confidence and focus, your productivity gets affected. Be confident, let your mind relax and focus on the test.
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Do Not Attempt All of the Questions
Each question in the Prelims carries one mark for every right answer and minus (-) 0.33 marks for every wrong one. So, attempting all of the questions blindly is not considered to be wise. The ratio of the cut off list for IAS prelims is approximately around 51-52%. Hence, you should not worry about the number of attempted questions. Focus more on smart work and ensure time management.
READ Too: 7 Mistakes Prevents To Crack UPSC Exam
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Do not Overlook Questions
Do not overlook a question without even reading it just because it’s from a topic you have not prepared for. You may get an easy question which would easily get solved by applying simple logic. Similarly a tough looking question may actually be a simple one. You may go for some logical guesses, but do not make a totally wild guess.
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Dont’ Panic
Don’t panic if you are not able to solve a few questions on the trot or find any section exceedingly difficult. You will always find easier questions to solve later. There will be a good number of easy questions, some of them might be extremely easy. Not all questions will be tough.
But still many people get the easier one’s incorrect. Why? Because they keep on overthinking or get surprised with UPSC asking such an easy question. They go on looking for a trick in the question, when there isn’t any. Stop looking for such tricks and follow your instinct.
You have been preparing for Civil Services Exam since many months now. You must have tried various exam strategies, made your basics clear, have had a time management strategy, and given quite a lot of Mock Tests to ace the test. But a small mistake on the exam day can make all the months’ hard work a waste.
!! AfterGraduation wishes Civil Services Preliminary 2017 Exam Aspirants a very Best Luck !!
We hope this article provides you will all the useful information regarding the do’s and don’ts for IAS prelims exam day 2017. Please post your experience about the Civil Services Preliminary exam, paper pattern, Questions details on our AfterGraduation forum to be discussed, it would be helpful for Civil Services 2018 Aspirants.
