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Preparation Strategy for the UPSC Mains 2023

UPSC Mains

IAS Exam 2023

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RACE IAS Institute is established in KAPOORTHALA (Aliganj) Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh since 2010. Due to the best exam results of this institute and to meet the special demand of the candidates, currently three branches of this institute are operating in Lucknow at Indira Nagar, Alambagh and Gomti Nagar and in Kanpur (since 2023) at Ashok Nagar, Coca Cola Crossing, G.T. Road.

What is the UPSC Mains Exam/CSE(Main)/IAS Mains?

About UPSC Mains Exam

The Union Public Service Commission conducts the examination for the recruitment of various posts for Group A and B in the Indian Government for all over India.
The Civil Services Examination is the most prestigious examination that is conducted by UPSC.
For the year 2023, the UPSC Civil Services Mains Examination will be conducted from September 15, 2023, onwards. Check out the latest updates regarding the UPSC Mains exam here on this page such as eligibility criteria, fees, exam pattern, etc. Also, the candidates can refer to the official website which is upsc.gov.in.

UPSC Mains Exam Highlights:

Full Exam Name	UPSC Civil Services Exam
Short Exam Name	UPSC CSE
Conducting Body	Union Public Service Commission
UPSC Mains Exam Date	15 September 2023 onwards
Frequency of Conduct	Once a year
Languages	English, Hindi
Mode of Application	Offline / Online
Application Fee (General)	100 Rs [Offline]
Mode of Exam	Offline
Mode of Counselling	Offline
UPSC CSE Preliminary Exam – Duration	4 Hours +1 More

How many candidates appeared for UPSC Mains 2022?

Millions of candidates apply for the UPSC EXAM yearly, but only a few clear the exam to get into their desired job.
Though the Commission opens the opportunity for only 1000 vacancies, the number of candidates who appear for the exam is increasing rapidly because of the prestige, job security, publicity, and increase in salary that comes with the posts.
The number of students who applied for the UPSC 2022 exam was 11.52 lakhs, out of which 13090 cleared the Prelims exam and qualified for Mains. Based on the final result released on 23 May 2023, the number of candidates who are recommended to join the Civil Services is 933 out of which 345 are from the General category, 99 belong to EWS, 263 from OBC, and 154 and 72 from SC and ST respectively.

How Many Students Appeared for UPSC 2023?

On 28th May 2023, approximately 13 lakh students appeared for UPSC Prelims 2023 which was held at 79 exam centers across India for a total of 1255 vacancies. Out of these, only 14624 students were able to score marks above cut off and are eligible to proceed for the Mains round.
The number of candidates applying for the Civil services examination is increasing every year, but the number of candidates selected out of the total number remains almost constant. This ascertains the difficulty level of the exam, which is why more and more aspirants are unable to crack it.

How to apply for the UPSC Mains 2023?

Once the UPSC Prelims result is declared the eligible candidates can apply for the Mains exam. The candidates can fill out the online Detailed Application Form (DAF) from the official website i.e. upsc.gov.in
While filling out the UPSC application form, the candidates need to fill the following 6 sections:

The candidates who are preparing for the UPSC Mains exam should be well versed with the UPSC MAINS EXAM Pattern. The candidates can get the study material from the official website i.e. upsc.gov.in. The UPSC Mains exam pattern 2022 will consist of 9 theory-based papers (descriptive one). Out of these 9 papers, 7 will be counted for creating merit list. The candidates will have to choose 1 optional subject for the UPSC Mains.
The maximum marks for the UPSC Mains exams are 1750 (250 marks each). All papers will be of 3-hour duration.

The UPSC Mains Exam Pattern is as follows

UPSC Mains Exam 2023: Important Dates

Events	Dates
UPSC Notification 2023 Release Date	1st February 2023
UPSC Registration Date Begins on	1st February 2023
Last Day to Apply for UPSC Exam 2023	21st February 2023
Release of UPSC Admit Card 2023	8th May 2023
Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination, 2023	28th May 2023
UPSC Prelims Answer Key 2023 [Unofficial]	28th May 2023
UPSC CSE Prelims Result 2023	12th June 2023
UPSC Mains Exam, 2023	15th to 19th September 2023

Preparation Strategy for the UPSC Mains 2023?

Here on this page, RACE IAS provides the preparation Strategy to crack UPSC Mains exam:

Set deadlines while preparing for the UPSC exam.
A planned timetable will always help you to crack the exam with good marks.
Reading newspapers will always help you out with comprehension and general awareness.
Solve the previous year’s question papers and go through the solution once you complete the tests.
Solve mock test series and then analyze your results and performance. Write down the gaps and work on them.
NCERT notes for History (Modern, Medieval, Ancient), Art and Culture, and Geography for UPSC Mains
Given that the syllabuses for the UPSC Prelims and UPSC Mains overlap, candidates should prepare for both exams at the same time.
As per UPSC, marks in the Civil Services (Main) exam are not given for superficial answers, so candidates should do answer writing practice.
An important part of IAS preparation is practicing the UPSC previous year question papers. Applicants who are preparing for the upcoming Civil Services examination can download the UPSC Previous Year Question Papers from the linked page.

Current Affairs are an important part of the UPSC Mains Exam, so aspirants should prepare Current Affairs for at least 12-15 months i.e. UPSC Mains exam in 2023 will be held from September 15, 2023 onwards, so candidates should prepare Current Affairs from June 2023 onwards.
Sources for current affairs preparation:

Study Yojana Magazine, Newspapers (The Hindu/The Indian Express), Press Information Bureau (PIB), Economic and Political Weekly (EPW) & Sansad TV
RACE IAS (Voice Over Videos) Daily Current Affairs on YOU TUBE.
RACE IAS UPSC Mains Exam. 2023 (Test Series)