As the mains examination of UPSC Civil Services Examination2021 began on January 7, it also started much discussion on social media regarding the questions in the essay paper on the very first day. As soon as the paper was out, Twitterati immediately reacted, expressing surprise. Many IAS and IPS officers shared the question paper on Twitter while expressing reservations.
What surprised most people was that most of the topics for essay were philosophy-based. Mr. Awanish Sharan, a 2009-batch Chhattisgarh cadre IAS officer, tweeted the question paper and wrote, “Looking at the main exam essay paper, the feeling of ‘Jagat Mithya Hai’ and ‘Aham Brahmasmi’ is coming.” On the other hand, Mr. Prem Prakash Meena, a 2018-batch IAS officer of UP cadre, tweeted, “Who made this Devdas type paper? Who is the paper maker and what was he thinking while making this?”
2018-batch Maharashtra cadre IPS officer Mr. Archit Chandak tweeted, “Jokes apart, this makes little sense. One section should have philo orientation. But maybe this is too much? Exam is for recruiting officers for public service, not to become jagat gurus. Most people in India are still dealing with real ground issues, not rooted in philosophy.” Mr. Sukirti Madhav Mishra, a 2015-batch IPS officer of UP cadre, tweeted: “Such deep thought-provoking topics. UPSC Essay paper this year.”
Indian Masterminds interacted with IAS officer Awanish Sharan and coaching institutes owners to get their reactions on the question paper that has raised so many eyebrows.
TIME TO STUDY DIFFERENTLY
IAS officer Awanish Sharan told Indian Masterminds that UPSC aspirants will now have to study differently. “The paper which appeared for the main examination this time is very different. What always happened was that in the essay paper, some topics were related to current affairs, contemporary subjects, economy, social issues and environment, etc. But this time, all the topics are superficial as well as very imaginative. So, you will not be able to write just about anything with whatever preparation you have already done. It will have to be written only after thinking and analyzing the question/topic deeply. Students of philosophy had an edge over others.”
He advised UPSC aspirants that so far, they had been studying in the traditional syllabus, but now, they should prepare in such a way that they can write answers in the examination hall with some quick thinking in the hall itself. “While studying a subject, imagine what other questions can be asked other than the conventional ones and prepare accordingly. Understand that the ready-made formula will not help you to answer out-of-the-box questions. Every year, UPSC is making changes – changing its syllabus, updating itself, and surprising everyone. This time,the prelims paper was also different.”
COACHING INSTITUTES DIFFER
However, the teachers who run coaching institutions have a completely different opinion. Talking to Indian Masterminds, Lalit Sharma, an IIT Delhi alumnus who runs Jigyasa IAS Coaching in Delhi, said that the purpose of the Mains exam is to judge your analytical skills and so the essay paper was in line with that. “How much can you align your thoughts about a topic. How is your brain storming? All this is seen and accordingly the papers of GS and essay are made. Therefore, if we say that all the topics of the essay have come from one optional subject like Sociology and Philosophy, then it will probably not be right. Because the marking pattern of UPSC is not the same.”
He added that the theme and pattern of the essay and the optional are completely different. Therefore, if someone has an optional of that subject, he will not get much benefit because the essay is completely open writing. He also pointed out that if someone writes an essay on the lines of an optional subject, he is not likely to get better marks.
“We also read the answers as a mentor and if it seems that the optional subject is reflecting in the essay writing of the student, then good marks are not given. That’s why subjectivity is kept there, so that the objective of the exam can be fulfilled. Numbers are not given only on content, objectivity is also important. There was one question related to technology. Now, someone can write its answer philosophically and someone else can write it according to technology.”
Ashok Singh, an alumnus of IIT Delhi who is the founder of Meridian Coaching in Delhi, told Indian Masterminds: “I slightly disagree with this talk that the entire paper was from the subject of Philosophy. It’s not like this. The paper had questions from many other subjects as well. Yes, it can be said that the paper was a bit reflective of Philosophy. It seems to me that UPSC has tried this time to test the thinking ability of the candidates and also to see how they can express their answers. I consider it a very good positive change.”
THE WAY FORWARD
On whether the students should prepare slightly differently now and how the coaching institutes can help, Mr. Sharma said, “One special aspect of the examination is that when a paper starts coming according to the trend, then the coaching institutes understand it. Preparations also start in the same way. That’s why people who do coaching has an extra edge. However, this is not right because in an egalitarian society, everyone should have equal opportunities. If someone has less resources and more talent, but is not able to do coaching due to some reasons, then his chances are very less. And this is not good for a better society anywhere.”
He also said this pattern will expose the real talent and increase the chances of getting the officer UPSC wants. “This exam is very dynamic and if someone isdynamic too, he will always think one step ahead. The job of coaching is not just to help the students memorize the content. Rather it is to develop skills. As a mentor, it is our job to inculcate in our students the skills that a leader and officer need. For civil servants, two skills are needed the most – analytical skills and critical thinking. So, when coaching institutes and mentors will give more emphasis on teaching these skills, then no one will ever complain that the paper was out of syllabus.”
Mr. Singh said that the onus is now on the students to bring in changes in their methods of preparation. “Students have to change the way of reading a little bit. You have to increase your thinking ability. Instead of just relying on the books and articles related to the syllabus, you have to read something different too.”
