What the Future Holds for Government Exams?

Corona virus spread and its repercussions have been the hot topic for quite a few days now everywhere. Starting from Wuhan in China, the virus has spread around the world in an unprecedented fashion. Lock downs are in effect in most parts of the world leading to all firms being closed. Due to this, many countries’ GDP is predicted to fall drastically leading to a global depression in the aftermath. This will lead to a dearth of jobs and drastic pay cuts, which have already started. To prevent losing jobs or to get one in the first place, private jobs do not seem to be a safe option anymore. Its high time you start preparing for Government Exams to secure your future.

The corona virus has taken away our liberty but has in turn given us something, ‘TIME’. Due to global lockdown, everyone has a lot of spare time and one should not waste it. If you are a graduate who is looking for a job or you think your job isn’t to secure anymore and pay cuts are inevitable, you can utilize this time and start preparing for exams like UPPSC. Government jobs apart from being secure, also come with good payments, and civil servants are also respected a lot. You might not have wanted to prepare for competitive exams in the past but changing that mindset now can be a good idea. Moreover, these exams have been postponed in the wake of the corona outbreak, so you are getting extra time for preparation as well.

Let us take a look at the eligibility and exam pattern of UPPSC. Similar exam patterns and eligibility criteria are followed by other Public Service Commission examinations.

Eligibility:

You must hold a graduation degree for appearing in it with no minimum percentage required. The age limit is that the applicant should not be less than 21 years or more than 40 years of age. Relaxation is given to candidates belonging to SC, ST, OBC, and PwD categories.

Exam Pattern:

The exam patternis similar to IAS exam with 3-stage selection process via offline mode:

1. Prelims: It comprises of two papers with paper-1 judging a candidate’s knowledge of India’s History, Geography, Polity, and General knowledge while paper-2 judges a candidate’s English, Hindi, Reasoning, and Aptitude of a candidate.
2. Main Exam: It consists of 8 papers. The main(written) exam pattern is summarized in the table below:

Paper Name	Marks
General Hindi	150
Essay	150
General Studies – I	200
General Studies – II	200
General Studies – III	200
General Studies – IV	200
Optional Subject – Paper I	200
Optional Subject – Paper II	200
Total	1500

• Interview: The interview is a personality test that tests a candidate’s general awareness, character, expression, personality, intelligence, and general suitability for the service.

Other Government Exams You Can Prepare For:

Apart from civil services (State or national level), you can prepare for other Government Exams as well. You can prepare for IBPS, Bank PO, RBI Grade-B, etc. if you want to go to the banking sector. Preparing for Railway exams can also be a good idea. Clearing TET (Teacher Eligibility Test) for applying in teaching jobs in government schools can also be another option.

Which Private Jobs are Still Safe?

Not all private jobs are going to be badly impacted by the corona pandemic. Jobs in FMCG companies like ITC, Patanjali, etc. are here to stay. Pharmaceuticals are also going to hold well in the pandemic. People working with Network service providers and social media houses will also stay safe. There might be some other sectors as well that will pull through this, but all in all, a government service seems the safest option to go with.

How to Prepare for Competition?

To prepare for competitive exams you need to start using your lockdown time judiciously. You can join online classes that prepare you for the exams and they also provide study material, so that can be a good start. You should also start solving previous year papers to get acquainted with the exam pattern. Making a timetable is a pre-requisite if you want to ace the government exams.Do not let this lockdown hold you back, rather use this free time as an opportunity to get a government job.