| Dear Aspirants, Last week’s UPSC CSE Prelims sparked one big debate: Did UPSC finally go kind—or stick to its reputation as a silent killer? History and Art & Culture felt like a rare comfort — straightforward and scoring. Polity brought familiar topics with unfamiliar twists. Economy leaned on formulas and fiscal intuition. Science & Tech balanced basics with brain-benders. IR questions were few but friendly. Miscellaneous dipped into sports and other not so usual topics. Geography and Environment returned as the heavyweight combo. But the real wildcard? CSAT 2025 — more eliminator than qualifier. Once again, UPSC blurred the lines and raised the stakes. We discussed all of this last week in detail, along with our other must-reads. Here's everything that we covered last week for you: - UPSC Prelims 2025 Analysis: Which areas in this year’s Prelims paper were easy, moderate, and difficult? What’s the cut-off dilemma this year? The official answer key won’t be out until next year—as per past trends—and when it does arrive, it may have a surprise or two in store. Manas Srivastava analyses the UPSC Civil Services Prelims exam, conducted on May 25. (Click here)
- New! UPSC Essentials Magazine (May 2025 Issue): Our Cover Story for this month’s UPSC Essentials Magazine, ‘Trump’s First 100 Days’, takes a deep dive into global developments with far-reaching implications. It not only informs you of key international events but also helps you hone the very skill of connecting the dots that the exam demands. Click here to read the May 2025 issue of the UPSC Essentials monthly magazine. (Only for IE UPSC Subscribers)
- Issue at a Glance: From Caste to its Census -- With the Centre giving the nod to include caste data in the upcoming population census, the long-standing debate over a caste census has once again taken centre stage. Here’s a comprehensive look at what it means and how aspirants should approach it for their exams by Roshni Yadav. (Click here)
- The world this week: US court rulings on Trump’s tariffs give India some breathing space; Pak’s pivot to crypto raises concerns over possible misuse of the digital currency to fund terror; foreign students face uncertainty amid crackdowns on US varsities; Gaza’s entire population faces catastrophic hunger as Hamas reviews US proposal for a 60-day ceasefire; Trump says he told Israel to hold off on any strike against Iran, and Russia, Ukraine to hold second direct peace talks – here’s a roundup of key global news from this week by Ashiya Parveen. (Click here)
- UPSC Prelims 2025 CSAT Analysis: Why was this one of the toughest CSAT papers in recent years? Our expert, Mudit Gupta explains. (Click here)
- UPSC Current Affairs Pointers of the past week: Hoyle-Narlikar theory, International Booker Prize 2025, Asiatic lions, Field Marshal, Shirui Lily festival, and more — Here are some must-read current affairs tidbits for your prelims and mains preparation, curated by Khushboo Kumari, that you shouldn't miss for UPSC, state PSCs, and other competitive examinations. You can also test your knowledge by solving the MCQs. (Click here)
-
What can the early feminist movement tell us about today’s gender inequality? What is India’s stance on methane emissions, potent greenhouse gas? How does Buddhism show the path to Nirvana? What is NITI Aayog’s role in fostering the spirit of 'strong states, strong nation'? How does e-governance advance the goal of Viksit Bharat? In last week's UPSC Special articles find answer to these questions written by subject experts. (Click here) - Brush up your current affairs knowledge and consolidate your UPSC CSE Prelims preparation with this week's top 15 questions in our UPSC Weekly Current Affairs Quiz curated by Manas Srivastava and Nitendra Pal Singh. (Click here)
- Check out our daily subject-wise quizzes by Manas Srivastava and Nitendra Pal Singh. (Click here)
- Practice Mains Answer writing by following our thought process. Nitendra Pal Singh continues to provide clues from the news for your Mains answer writing. (Click here)
UPSC Key: Exclusive for Subscribers Attention!UPSC Key is all 7 days a week. Have you considered how this week's top headlines can be relevant for your exams? You can learn more through our UPSC Key by Priya Kumari Shukla. Click here to check it out! Aspirants, let’s return to where it all began. When the GS paper feels brutal and CSAT barely qualifies as “qualifying,” predicting the cut-off becomes less science, more gamble. To spice things up, UPSC will—as always—graciously drop the official answer key... sometime next year, long after everyone’s either moved on or grown a few grey hairs. By then, a few questions might be dropped, and the cut-off will arrive just in time to be irrelevant—except for those lucky few finally clearing the exam. On May 21, 2025, UPSC released the CSE 2024 prelims answer keys. Three questions were dropped from each GS Paper 1 set (A, B, C, D); none from CSAT (Paper 2). Still, the buzz is loud: cut-offs might drop, thanks to that curveball CSAT. But how low? Or will it be almost the same as last year? No one really knows. And by the time we do, it’ll be too late to complain—or care. So, what now? Take a breather. Stretch your legs. Eat something that isn’t instant noodles. Then? Get back to prep mode. Because if there’s one thing UPSC loves more than surprises, it’s keeping everyone guessing. Feel free to write to me at manas.srivastava@indianexpress.com with suggestions or queries. Think Smart Work Hard Conquer Your Goal! Until next week, Manas Srivastava |
No comments:
Post a Comment