What Should be The Preparation Strategies to Get Started for PCS Exams?

The Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPSC) organizes a combined state and upper Subordinate Services exam every year, known as the PCS exam. The PCS exam refers to the Provincial Civil Service Exam from which the successors are recruited in the Group A and Group B service lines of the Uttar Pradesh State Government.

Like the UPSC exams, the PCS exams also have three rounds comprising Prelims, Mains, and then final interview. As the official dates for the PCS exam 2021 are out, aspirants have firmly buckled up their preparation belts. The PCS exam date for 2021 is scheduled, with Prelims all set to be conducted on June 13 across the state. The Mains are scheduled to be conducted from October 3.

In the below discussion, we will break down What should be the first step for the preparation for PCS exams and what effective resources to follow.

Important Tips to Get Started With

• Always begin your preparation with more emphasis on the state board textbooks. As the PCS exam is a state board examination, you get a gist and an upper hand for all the PCS exam syllabus topics read through state-provided books.
• Never skip any single topic considering it to be minor. There should be no exclusions.
• Always practice previous year question papers. These will help you majorly in understanding the format and deriving the most effective exam day strategies.
• Topics related to the subjects of Polity, History, and Geography should be read, keeping in mind the perspective of the state’s aspects.

The Best Resource is the Way to Go!

The best strategy to excel in the PCS examination is the best resource or the material you choose. As you start, you can not directly dive into the complex or high-level books early on. In terms of being clear with the basics first, you should choose the right sets of resources and materials. The preparation should be in the right structure from start to end. Here is the proper list of which resource you should choose for specific subjects in order to start well with your PCS Examination preparations.

For PCS Prelims

• Indian and World Geography – Start with the standard NCERT or school textbooks of physical geography and human geography from Class 6 to Class 12. This will help you have a good hold on your basics.
• Indian History and National Movement – Start with NCERT school textbooks for Ancient, Medieval, Modern history, and National Movement.
• Ecology, Environment, Climate Change, and Biodiversity – The best reference material to get started with for environmental subjects is the Book by PD Sharma. 
• National International importance and Current Affairs – Regular newspapers and magazines like The Hindu could be preferred to be updated with regular current international affairs. However, it is recommended not to pile up multiple newspapers to read every day. Just keep one or maybe two regular newspapers to follow that can keep you updated with all the current international affairs.
• Indian Polity and Governance – Best book to start with for understanding the basics of Indian Polity and Governance is the book by LaxmiKanth. 
• Indian Social and Economic Development – It is recommended to go through the NCERT school books of Class 9 – Class 12 for Indian Economics. This will clear all your basics and fundamentals related to Indian social and economic development.
• General Science – The standard school books of Class 6 – Class 12 for Science and Technology is the best for preparing your basics on General Science topics.

For the Prelims Paper – II, which is an aptitude exam, you should prepare well on English grammar, logical reasoning, and comprehension.

Some of the best books to clear your basics and practice comprehensively for aptitude questions are Quantitative Aptitude by R.S Aggarwal and Analytical Reasoning by MK Pandey. It is highly recommended to also practice the previous year’s PCS aptitude question papers, giving you an idea of the difficulty level and how the aptitude questions are asked.

For PCS Mains

• Indian History – As Mains will require a bit of extra knowledge and wide coverage of topics, Bipin Chandra’s book is perfect for guiding you through.
• Indian Polity and Governance – The book by Laxmikant is preferred for Mains as well. It is widely acclaimed to clear all your basics and cover a wide spectrum of topics related to Indian Polity and Governance.
• Indian and World Geography – The books by  G.C. Leong, Lexicon, and Maji Hussain are highly preferred for Mains Preparation.
• Indian Economy – For Mains as well, the school books by Ramesh Singh is highly preferred to have a good foundation of Indian economics and development.
• Current Affairs – Follow the same strategy regarding current affairs for Mains. Select any credible daily newspaper or daily magazine and give 30 minutes or an hour every day to stay updated with the current affairs.

Apart from these, there are also some of the other resources proclaimed and recommended by PCS toppers to stay regularly updated for PCS Mains preparation. Some include Yojana, Rajya Sabha TV, PIB Summary, State Board books, NCERT Books, Budget and Economic Survey, The Hindu, etc. 

Also, the compulsory Paper – I and Paper – II involves a major chunk of the Bengali language. So it is important to practice Bengali report writing and translations.

Final Words

The UPPSC PCS examination is a widely renowned and significant exam considered all over the nation. Passing the PCS exam can yield you reputed opportunities within the Uttar Pradesh Government authorities.

Once you fulfil your PCS exam eligibility requirements, you must prepare a roadmap of your preparation from start to end. Make smart and effective decisions regarding your preparation strategies and the knowledge resources you choose. The above list of resources for Prelims and Mains preparation will help you efficiently on beginning your PCS preparation from a good note.

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