https://indianmasterminds.com

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Understanding the Differences Between Prelims and Mains Questions Through Bloom’s Taxonomy

UPSC mentor Abhijeet Yadav, who’s an IIT Alumnus, explains the difference between Prelims and Mains questions. He shares ways to create effective strategies that can be used for preparation. He makes use of Bloom’s Taxonomy to make the candidates understand it all better.
Indian Masterminds Stories

Even though both the Preliminary and the Mains examinations of the UPSC Civil Sevices Exam test the academic knowledge and comprehensive skills of the candidates, there is still a vast difference between the two. This vast difference was strategically explained by IIT alumnus and UPSC mentor Abhijeet Yadav, who shared his thoughts regarding the same, in a Twitter thread.

He tried to explain the difference between questions asked in UPSC Prelims and UPSC Mains through the concept of Bloom’s Taxonomy, which is a set of three hierarchical models used for the classification of educational learning objectives into levels of complexity and specificity. The three lists cover the learning objectives in cognitive, affective and psychomotor domains.

REMEMBERING: UNDERSTANDING LEVELS OF KNOWLEDGE

First and foremost, Abhijeet tries to make one understand the basic knowledge of Bloom’s Taxonomy. He considers ‘REMEMBERING’ as the base level where one learns to recognise and recall facts.

In his tweet, he stated, “Understanding levels of knowledge (Bloom’s Taxonomy) with examples.

REMEMBERING

The most basic level. This is where you learn to recognise and recall facts.

Example: India is a democracy.”

UNDERSTANDING: SECOND STAGE

Considering ‘Understanding’ as the second stage during any preparation, Abhijeet asks one to go through and thoroughly understand what the facts actually mean.

He tweeted: “UNDERSTANDING

Going up a level, you understand what those facts mean.

Example: Being a democracy means Indians choose those in power.”

APPLYING: THIRD STAGE

The third stage of ‘Applying’ asks the candidates to use the facts and apply them in order to gain more knowledge. According to Abhijeet’s tweet: “APPLYING

Using the facts and concepts understood so far to gain more knowledge by applying those ideas.

Example: Indians choosing those in power must mean that there should be regular elections.”

ANALYSING: FOURTH STAGE

Analysing an idea or concept means breaking them down and studying them closely to see how they interact with each other.

With regard to the fourth stage of analysing, Abhijeet tweeted: “ANALYSING

Breaking down concepts into constituent parts and seeing how those parts interact with each other.

Example: How regularly must elections be held? What are other ways to elect people in power?”

EVALUATING: FIFTH STAGE

The next step is to evaluate and judge the value that your facts or knowledge carries.

Says Abhijeet, “EVALUATING

Judging the value of information or ideas.

Example: What is the best way to conduct elections? Is conducting simultaneous elections a good idea?”

CREATING: SIXTH STAGE

And the last and final stage is where you use and combine all the knowledge that you have gained so far into creating a unique and new idea to suit your requirements.

Tweeted Abhijeet, “CREATING

Synthesizing new knowledge by combining different parts in new ways. (this is what PhD scholars and researchers do)

Example: Working out potential solutions to streamline the perpetual election cycle in India.”

As and when a potential UPSC candidate covers all these stages of understanding how Bloom’s Taxonomy can be used as an example to understand the various stages and levels of both, Prelims and Mains examination, they may be able to plan and create a customized preparation strategy for themselves, which can bring them closer to achieving their dream.

(Abhijeet Yadav gave five years of his life to the UPSC CSE journey. He made 6 attempts, which covered 4 Mains, 2 interviews, and 2 selections, and got AIR 653 in CSE 2017 and R-List in CSE 2018. He is now a UPSC mentor and the founder of UPSCprep.com. An alumnus of IIT Delhi, he also has a YouTube channel with over 136,000 subscribers, where he helps aspirants to prepare better for UPSC exams.)


Indian Masterminds Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS
Hindustan Shipyard Limited HSL
PESB Declines to Recommend CMD for Hindustan Shipyard; Ministry May Extend Current Chief’s Tenure
IAS Ajitabh Sharma
“80% of Time Spent on Non-Core Tasks”: Rajasthan Principal Secretary Ajitabh Sharma Questions IAS Work Culture, Calls for Reform
Nitin Gadkari
India to Become Net Energy Exporter in 6-7 Years, Highlights Hydrogen and Biofuels: Union Minister Nitin Gadkari
Bank of India - BOI
Bank of India Plans to Raise Rs 20,000 Crore via Infrastructure Bonds in FY 2025-26
BEML Limited
For Operational Excellence, BEML Lays Foundation of State-of-the-Art Central Warehousing Centre in Bilaspur
rec-logo
Green Energy Boost: REC Forms New Subsidiary for 3GW Ananthapuram-II REZ Transmission Project
Bhupendra Patel CM Gujarat
CM Bhupendra Patel’s Pro-People Move: Uniform House Tax of ₹200 Annually for Rural Government-Assisted Homes in Gujarat
CM Nitish Kumar
Bihar: Gaya to Become Bihar’s Largest Industrial Township Under AKIC; ₹16,524 Cr Investment Expected
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
WhatsApp Image 2025-06-25 at 5.07
Why Has the DGCA Fined Air India Rs 5 Crore Since Privatisation?
Former Diplomat Ashok Sajjanhar
Iran Is Weakest Now, Needs a Face-Saver
WhatsApp Image 2025-06-23 at 12.39
Retired Officers Lead 7-Day Mission to Revive Betwa River with 55 Check Dams | Video Interview
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
Sanish Kumar Singh
“If you want it badly enough, you’ll find a way,” Sanish Kumar Singh AIR 8, UPSC IFS 2024 
The real interview, he says, was much more humane. “The board was conversational. The chairman opened...
Raju Wagh
When the Battlefield Became a Study Room and a Dream Took Flight
Amid IED blasts and anti-Maoist operations in Bastar, CRPF Commando Raju Wagh taught village kids, studied...
WhatsApp Image 2025-06-18 at 10.31
"I Just Wanted to Breathe Again": The Man Who Fought Death and Made It to UPSC
Struck by COVID at the peak of his UPSC prep, Devanand Telgote spent months on ECMO, unsure he'd live,...
Social Media
Shailaja Chandra
“Nanis & Dadis Have a Brain”: Former IAS Officer Shailaja Chandra Weighs in on 1970s vs 2025 Life Debate - “This Generation Has It Better”
Responding to Viral Post on Middle-Class Struggles, Ex-Bureaucrat Offers Candid Reflection on Then and...
Tigress Arrowhead
The End of an Era: A Queen Falls - Ranthambore’s Iconic Tigress Arrowhead (T-84) Passes Away at 14, Hours After Daughter’s Relocation
Ranthambore mourns the loss of one of its fiercest and most beloved tigers, Arrowhead, the granddaughter...
Screenshot 2025-06-13 194001
Wild Elephant Disrupts Riverside Picnic, Sparks Debate on Human Encroachment; IFS Parveen Kumar Shares the Video - Watch Here!
Mr. Kaswan used the viral video, which has garnered over 1.5 lakh views, to highlight the risks of human...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
Hindustan Shipyard Limited HSL
PESB Declines to Recommend CMD for Hindustan Shipyard; Ministry May Extend Current Chief’s Tenure
IAS Ajitabh Sharma
“80% of Time Spent on Non-Core Tasks”: Rajasthan Principal Secretary Ajitabh Sharma Questions IAS Work Culture, Calls for Reform
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
WhatsApp Image 2025-06-25 at 5.07
Former Diplomat Ashok Sajjanhar
WhatsApp Image 2025-06-23 at 12.39
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT