UPSC Essentials — Experts talk with Sriram Srirangam: What did we learn from UPSC-CSE Mains 2022?

Manas: What is your general assessment in terms of similarity in pattern of UPSC-CSE Mains 2022 vis-à-vis previous years?

Sriram Srirangam: Generally, the pattern of UPSC main exams (general studies or optional papers) remains the same. Since UPSC recruits for the bureaucracy and bureaucracy is a stable institute, there are no major changes from year to year. This year, the UPSC Mains conducted in 2022, in comparison to the previous years, adheres to the same rule.

Manas: Was there any specific change you noticed in Mains 2022 which you think aspirants in future should take a note of?

Sriram Srirangam: There were a few apparent changes in the Mains 2022 exam. In the general studies paper (related to the Indian Polity and Indian constitutions), there was a significant change in the section. For the first time, there were two questions where case laws were asked related to the supreme court’s intervention in the environment and the election disputes. The last time a question about case law was asked was two years back, in relation to constitutional morality.

However, this is a trend that is building up. Even in prelims, there has been an element of law-centered questioning for 2 years (the previous year and this year). The Indian polity in the UPSC examination is tending towards law (5 per cent of the lot is about law away from the constitution), which was never the case before.

Manas: Often aspirants compare the difficulty level of various papers of Mains. Which Mains paper of 2022 do you think was easy and difficult as compared to others?

Sriram Srirangam: The level or standard of questions remains the same throughout; they are always general. There might be a few tough questions in a few papers, but the remaining are amenable to imagination because the students are already prepared. All the papers conform to expected standards, and the difficulty and ease level has been stable.

Manas: What have been some of the common challenges that students have been facing in the Mains exam, especially in this year’s mains? What are your suggestions to tackle such challenges?

Sriram Srirangam: The major difficulty is getting ready with the facts, analysis and perspective. That has always been a challenge, and it remains the same this year. Let’s take the example of Ethics. All case studies are similar to what we had seen since 2013, when the new model of the Main examination came into play. Therefore, the challenges have been the same, but now the students have become familiar with them. If anything, it’s getting a little more predictable and approachable because students know what they are against.

Such a challenge can be tackled through thorough preparation, by looking at the previous years’ papers and solving them within exam time. This practice can tilt in favour of the aspirant.

Manas: What was the weightage of the static and current part of the syllabus (roughly) in the question papers?

Sriram Srirangam: There are generally three types of questions; purely conventional, purely current and a blend of both. Referring to the question which was asked in Mains 2022, related to the Vice President of India — ex-officio chairperson of Rajya Sabha, is largely a conventional type. Now, the question related to the election of the President of India and the President of France can fall under mixed criteria. This question came because both elections took place in 2022, and the examiner played on the directly elected presidential election of France and the indirectly elected election of the Indian president.

If the first round of election does not produce any winner having a clear 50 per cent + 1 vote in the case of the French President, the top two people go into the next round, which was the focus of the question. The trigger is the current development. But as the substance is conventional, it was a blend question.

The last type is a purely current one — looking at the example from a question asked 3 to 4 years back around how to impeach the judge of the supreme court and what discretion the presiding officer of the house has in admitting or rejecting a petition for the impeachment of the supreme court judge. This is purely a current question, as the question was asked in the year when there was a petition to remove the Honourable Chief Justice of India of the time. The ratio of such questions remains the same every year.

Manas: How has newspaper reading and standard books helped students in answering better?

Sriram Srirangam: Newspapers are everything for a UPSC candidate, but they cover only so much. That is where the standard textbooks come into play, which is the base for preparation. Newspapers are for current information and facts. However, you can read brilliant newspaper articles by leaders that can give the candidate a perspective. Recently, I read an article in The Indian Express written by the Chief Election Commissioner of India. He talked about how free and fair elections are required, where voluntary voting will be promoted, and no one should be compelled to vote. This was a collectors article, which should be added to the standard books. Hence, both mediums hold equal importance in getting the required information and knowledge.

Manas: With neck-to-neck competition in Mains, who do you think will have an edge over others or what kind of answers/ answer scripts are going to stand out?

Sriram Srirangam: The aspirant who knows the difference between bureaucrats, entrepreneurs, managers, journalists or academics can develop the right language, concepts and so on. For example, when the Rupee plunged 58 paise on a single day and different analyses were made in the news, and by the people around the same, the civil service aspirant has to have a far more balanced view of it and not be sensational. Their analysis must be in line with the macroeconomic concepts and international developments. To take a clue to make an informed analysis of the situation, one could listen to the Honourable Finance Minister when she said that the Rupee is not falling, but the value of the Dollar is rising. The usual recipe for success is a lot of study and practice, endurance, and the correct writing style, which helps candidates score.

Manas: What are your suggestions for aspirants who have faced Mains this year? What should they do now?

Sriram Srirangam: The exam was over approximately a month back and the results are expected in the next few weeks. The aspirants should now concentrate on their interview with the board, starting from filling out the DAF (Detailed Application Form), which is with the interview board based on which the board asks questions. One should get clarity on various optional aspects and keep reading the newspapers. Unlike the prelims and the mains, this is a different occasion where the candidate is in front of the board.

The board consists of five eminent people who test the candidates. The candidates should be well prepared for the Q&A format in the interview without any doubt or anxiety.

Manas: What are your suggestions for aspirants preparing for future UPSC-CSEs? What should be their smart strategies for Mains?

Sriram Srirangam: A smart strategy is to go through the last 5-10 years’ papers and understand the different types of questions. Look for patterns, formulate questions and answer them. Let your friends evaluate you and vice-versa. Being honest should be the key. Work as hard as you can, but at the same time, sustainability is important.

SRIRAM SRIRANGAM RECOMMENDS

Book recommendations – Must read books by Parameswaran Iyer (CEO of NITI Ayog), Nandan Nilekani and Amitabh Kant.

Movies / Series recommendations – Panchayat on Amazon Prime and Jamtara on Netflix. Aspirants will know about how pure and elegant elections are, how they are funded and also because RBI is launching Digital Rupee (Central Bank Digital Currency — CBDC). They should be tracking the Jamtara crowd so that those who hold CBDC are secured.