There are multiple state-level civil services examinations which are a dream of lakhs of aspirants. Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission is one the state PSCs that conducts state civil services examination under the name, ‘Provincial Civil Services (PCS) Combined State/ Upper Subordinate Services Examination.’

Preparation for this examination demands knowledge of the PCS examination holistically. The UPPSC PCS Notification that usually is released annually in the month of April contains all the required information of the provincial civil service exam.

This article will provide you with the preparation tips and tricks that will benefit you in your PCS examination journey.

Brief of UPPSC PCS Exam Pattern

The examination pattern of the UPPSC Combined State/Upper Subordinate Services Examination aligns with the pattern of the UPSC-conducted IAS examination. There are three stages:

1. Preliminary
2. Mains, and
3. Interview

There are two papers in the first stage of the examination, and eight papers in the second stage of the examination. Just like the All-India civil services examination, the preliminary stage has general studies and CSAT papers with negative marking for each wrong answer. Similarly, there are two optional papers in the Mains examination along with other six essay-types papers.

The toughness of the examination can be realized with the fact that around 5.44 lakhs aspirants applied for 2019 PCS examination. Around 6.35 lakh aspirants applied in PCS Exam 2018 and 4.55 lakh aspirants applied in PCS 2017. With the numbers of aspirants this high; it is always important to be sure of your preparation.

Tips & Strategies for PCS Examination 2021

The current recruitment for PCS examination 2020 is taking place. Recently the PCS Prelims Examination 2020 was conducted by UPPSC on 11th October. The Mains are scheduled in January 2021. The notification for PCS 2021 will be out in April 2021. Hence, candidates who are preparing for the next year’s examination can follow the below-mentioned tips:

1. Plan ahead of your examination – Planning is of utmost importance in the competitive world today. Many aspirants start their preparation without a well-thought plan. It is usually a plan to fail. Hence, it is important to chart out your own steps towards success using a good plan of preparation.
2. The syllabus is the key for your preparation – The commission brings out a detailed syllabus covering every subject that is asked in the examination. Candidates often get misled when they don’t stick to the syllabus. Hence, it is advised to go through the PCS syllabus more than once and in fact, keep a copy of it with you all the time while studying.
3. Don’t get distracted with too many books – The state civil services examination is undoubtedly a tough examination however, the limited number of books suffice for its preparation. The competition can be cleared with less books but right books. Hence, each and every aspirant should filter down the resources first and then continue with the preparation.
4. Start with the subjects you find difficult – Many a times, out of fear of starting something new and difficult, candidates keep on revising the subjects they are comfortable with. However, it is suggested to avoid this mistake and make your weakness your strength by studying it more in the beginning of your preparation. This way, you will get enough time to clear your doubts and revise it more often.
5. Reverse learning is a technique one should get acquainted with – This is a tip to learn and unlearn things that are important for this examination using test series or previous year question papers. These help in guiding aspirants towards a pattern that is usually asked in the examination.
6. Make slots for your preparation – Study slots are immensely helpful for all the candidates. This way, one remains organized and has a disciplined way of studying. It also helps in completing syllabus systematically.

7455 candidates cleared PCS Prelims in 2019 while around 25642 and 14354 candidates cleared PCS Prelims in 2018 and 2017 respectively. Candidates should not miss UPPSC PCS Notification which will be released in April 2021 for PCS 2021 examination.