General Studies Notes for UPSC are extremely important for the candidates who are appearing for the UPSC examination for the first time. The UPSC Notes for General Studies will help the candidates in preparing for the examination. The UPSC IAS Exam is conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) to recruit candidates for top government services like IAS, IPS, IFS, etc. There are three stages that are included in the UPSC i.e., Preliminary Examination, Main Examination, and the last step i.e., Interview round. To qualify for the examination, it is important for the candidates to prepare UPSC general studies notes.

This article is curated by our UPSC CSE Coaching team and here we will discuss some expert tips to help prepare notes of UPSC general studies which will enable the candidates in increasing their chances of qualifying for the post.

UPSC IAS Exam: Key Aspects of General Studies Notes

It is very difficult to crack any civil service or defence service exam. Still, with the help of general studies notes, hard work and strategy, candidates can improve their chances of qualifying for the examination. The candidates should make sure that they are mentally prepared to study well and have their UPSC general studies notes ready to take the exam preparation to the desired level.

Download General Studies Notes for UPSC in PDF here

Here are some of the important aspects of general studies notes for UPSC, which you must be aware of:

1.) Notes Must Be Prepared As Per The UPSC General Studies Exam Pattern

To prepare notes of UPSC general studies, it is important for the candidates to make sure that they understand the UPSC Exam Pattern for general studies thoroughly. The candidates must know all the details about these topics that are included in the UPSC Exam syllabus so that they can prioritize the topics in the notes accordingly.

The UPSC Exam Pattern is categorized into three stages i.e., the Preliminary Examination, Main Examination, and the Interview round. The candidates must appear for two papers in general studies, Paper I: General Studies and Paper II: GS (CSAT).

The candidates who will qualify for the UPSC Preliminary Examination will be shortlisted for the Mains Examination. Given below is the exam pattern that the candidates can refer to prepare the general studies notes for UPSC.

UPSC Preliminary Exam Pattern

UPSC Mains Exam Pattern

2.) Notes Should Incorporate Suggestions From Experts

To access the most well-rounded UPSC study notes, Testbook is the best online platform. Here you can access and download general studies notes for UPSC PDF which have been curated by experts. Referring to these notes can help the candidates in understanding the different topics and help in preparing thoroughly for the examination.

3.) Notes Must Cover The Important Topics In The Syllabus

The UPSC General Studies syllabus must be covered completely by the notes of UPSC general studies to help maximize the scores in the examination. The syllabus will enable the candidates to understand which subjects are included in the syllabus and then prepare for it accordingly.

Given below are the most important topics in the UPSC General Studies Syllabus:

4.) Notes Should Emphasize On Candidates’ Weaker Topics

• The candidates are advised that they should research well before preparing the general studies notes for UPSC so that it will help them in studying all the topics that are included in the syllabus.
• Researching well will help in understanding all the important topics that can be asked in the examination.
• The candidates should also consider their weaker topics and prepare the notes accordingly.

5.) Notes Should Be Comprehensive

• After preparing the general studies notes for UPSC, the candidates should go through the notes to make sure that nothing important has been left out.
• UPSC exams are extremely competitive, and the exam preparedness of the candidates must be at the optimal level.
• The study notes play an important part in this process; hence they should be detailed and comprehensive to ensure that the candidates are prepared to take on any type of questions being asked in the exam.

6.) Notes Must Build Upon The Information In Books

The important point that the candidates should keep in mind while preparing the general studies notes for UPSC is that the UPSC ESE general studies notes must build upon the information present in the books. Given below is the list of a few UPSC books suggested by the experts. This will help the candidates in preparing their own study notes:

UPSC General Studies Cut Off

The experts advise the candidates to refer to the UPSC Cut Off marks for the previous year along with the expected cut-off shared by the experts. Candidates can use the cut-off marks as a reference point to ascertain their level of preparedness after attempting the mock tests.

UPSC Previous Year General Studies Question Paper 

Candidates are advised to attempt UPSC previous years question papers and mock tests to help them prepare for the examination. Candidates will therefore be able to attempt such questions in a better manner in the examination. Attempting these tests will be very helpful for the candidates in preparing for the UPSC exam.

If you are looking to improve your preparedness for the UPSC General Studies topics, then you must access the best study notes curated by experts. Download the Testbook App now and access the best learning resources to improve your exam preparedness.