All the aspirants of the Civil Services Exam, conducted by the Union Public Service Commission, know the significance of the Indian Polity. The subject of Indian Polity and Constitution has dominated all three phases of the IAS exam, whether Prelims, Mains or Interview. Aside from knowing the Indian Constitution, applicants who want to compete in the Civil Services Exam must understand the fundamentals of our political system. The relevance of the subject is carried over even after one enters the service.
The UPSC CSE is conducted every year with Prelims in June, Mains in September and the Interviews in the month of February/March. The UPSC Admit Card is released a few weeks before the date of the exam on the official website of the UPSC. Aspirants who want to qualify for the exam must follow a strategy suitable to their needs.
In the given article, some tips to study Polity for all the stages of the exam, the important sources and some essential topics which are asked every year in the exam are given. All the aspirants can read through the article and use it to their advantage as suitable to their needs.
Tips to Study Polity for UPSC Exam
Polity is one of the easier subjects in the UPSC Syllabus to excel in because of its factual and brief syllabus. Indian Polity questions in the Prelims contain both static and dynamic aspects; hence a suitable plan for preparing for the subject is required. Given below are some simple yet effective tips to efficiently prepare for the exam:
- Build a strong foundation with NCERTs: With NCERT textbooks for Classes IX, X, and XI, it is simple to strengthen fundamental concepts and comprehend Indian politics as these are interesting to read because of their simplicity.
- Read fundamental books: After building concepts, the next step is to go through the basic books.To have a thorough knowledge of the subject, read foundational texts, such as Indian Polity by M. Laxmikanth and Introduction to Indian Constitution by D.D. Basu.
- Read newspaper: Newspapers like The Hindu and The Indian Express are great sources of current affairs about the Indian Constitution, as well as the national and international political systems. Since a lot of questions are asked about the recently announced schemes, make short notes on important topics that can help to supplement answers for UPSC Mains.
- Taking mock tests: To efficiently study for and score higher in Indian Polity, schedule at least two mock examinations per week in the early stages of preparation and one mock test per day as the exam approaches. Mock tests help to understand the weaknesses and strengths of aspirants.
- Solve previous year’s questions: This will give all aspirants a good understanding of the types of questions asked in former years. It will also assist aspirants in efficient revising.
- Regular revisions: Polity questions in Prelims can be tough since all alternatives appear similar at first glance, which can lead to misunderstanding and ambiguity. Regular reviews and MCQ practice can assist in strengthening the fundamentals and increase confidence in the subject.
Sources of Polity for UPSC Exam
Since questions from Polity asked in the exams are from both static as well as dynamic topics, the following sources are considered helpful for the exam:
- Class IX NCERT textbook – Democratic Politics-I
- Class X NCERT textbook – Democratic Politics-II
- Class XI NCERT textbook – Indian Constitution at Work
- Indian Polity – M. Laxmikanth
- Introduction to the Constitution of India – D.D. Basu
- India Year Book
Important Topics of Polity for UPSC Exam
There are a few topics which are always asked in the UPSC Exam from the Polity Section. It is important to prepare such topics well in order to go ahead of the competitors. A list of such topics is given below:
- Preamble
- Schedules
- Constitution of India
- Citizenship
- Fundamental Rights (FR)
- Fundamental Duties (FD)
- Directive Principles of State Policy (DPSP)
- Union
- Parliament
- Judiciary
- State Government- State Executive
- State Legislature
- Administration of Union Territories (UT)
- Administration of Special Areas
- Emergency Provisions
- State-Centre and Interstate Relations
- Panchayati Raj and Municipalities
- Constitution Bodies
- Non-Constitutional Bodies
- Tribunals
Special Provisions for SCs, STs, Backward Classes, Minorities and Anglo-Indians
The aspirants must prepare the above-mentioned topics carefully and follow the limited sources in order to prepare well for the IAS exams. Candidates can download UPSC Previous Year Question Papers from the official website of UPSC to understand the pattern of the exam and the type of questions asked.
If thoroughly revised, one may expect a number of straightforward questions and get most of the answers correct in the UPSC Prelims Polity section. With a comprehensive understanding and a proper strategy for Indian Polity, it is extremely simple to ace Polity in the UPSC Exam.
