This page is our guidance, not official information. UPSC does not publish a recommended preparation strategy. Everything below is reasoning drawn from the scheme the notification does state. Treat it as opinion.
What the scheme implies
- The written test carries the larger share of the final merit (CRT : Interview = 75 : 25), so it deserves the larger share of preparation time.
- Wrong answers cost marks (One-third of the marks assigned to that question), while unanswered questions cost nothing. Wild guessing has a negative expected value; eliminating options first does not.
- The paper runs for Two hours and carries 300 marks. The notification does not state how many questions there are, so practise pacing against the clock rather than against an assumed question count.
- The paper is set in both English and Hindi. Decide early which medium you will read questions in, and practise consistently in it.
Cover every official section
The notification lists the syllabus topics without weightings, so no section can safely be treated as low-priority. Work through all of them:
- General Knowledge
- Language Skills
- Reasoning & Quantitative Aptitude
- Educational Policies & Evaluation
- Management & Financial Administration
- Office Procedure
- Pedagogy in Education
- Digital Literacy