Civil Services Exam: General Studies to have more weightage

01 March, 2013

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has given the green signal to the new format for the Civil Services exams, under which General Studies paper will be given more weightage. The Department of Personnel and Training will soon issue notification in this regard.

Union Public Service Commission that conducts the examination had recommended these changes. The report prepared by Prof. Arun S Nigavekar, former chairman UGC, had been first examined by the Department of Personnel and Training, and then sent for the approval of the Prime Minister.

Currently, including Compulsorily and Optional subjects, the civil services (main) examination has General Studies Paper I and II of 300 marks each. The amended rules say that both the general studies papers will have more weightage from now.

In a written reply to the Rajya Sabha the government said that he UPSC had suggested certain changes in the existing scheme of civil services (main) examination to make it more relevant with the present day, on the basis of the report of the committee.

The UPSC, which conducts civil service examination to select candidates for three All India Services namely Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS) and Indian Forest Service - besides scores of Group A services, has temporarily withhold issuance of a notification for this year's civil services examinations, which was scheduled to be put out on 02nd February 2013.