The exam conducting body, Union Public Service Commission, UPSC, has conducted the UPSC Mains examination for 2023 from September 15, 2023, to September 24, 2023. As per the initial analysis shared by an expert, the UPSC Mains examination, the difficulty level of the paper was easy to medium. As compared to previous years, papers were on the easier side.
1. DIFFICULTY LEVEL
Overall, the papers were of easy to medium difficulty. Papers were deemed manageable by candidates who had diligently covered the standard sources and practiced effectively.
2. EXPECTED CUT-OFF
While the official cutoff for UPSC Mains 2023 is yet to be released, based on our analysis and historical trends, the cutoff marks for the General category are likely to be in the range of 740 to 760.
3. TOPICS COVERED
Several topics that have been in the news and discussed extensively in recent times found their place in the UPSC Mains 2023 examination. These topics include suicides among the youth, conflicts within the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), NATO expansion, Artificial Intelligence, Chandrayaan-3 landing, etc. which reflect UPSC’s way of assessing candidates’ awareness of current events and their ability to connect them with broader issues.
4. PREVIOUS YEAR COMPARISON
As compared to previous years, papers were on the easier side. The essay paper had topics that were less abstract as compared to previous years. GS Paper-IV (Ethics) had shorter case studies due to which time management was not an issue, unlike last year.
5. SECTION-WISE ANALYSIS
A. General Studies Paper I: It contained 6 questions from History, 7 questions from Geography, and 7 questions from Indian Society.
B. General Studies Paper II: It contained 11 questions from Indian Polity, 5 questions from Governance and Social Justice, and 4 questions from International Relations.
C. General Studies Paper III: It contained 8 questions from the Indian Economy, 3 questions from Science & Technology, 5 questions from Environment & DM and 4 questions from Internal Security.
D. General Studies Paper IV (Ethics): The Ethics paper had 13 questions of 10 marks each in the theoretical section and 6 case studies.