The Union Public Service Commission is all set to conduct the main stage exam of Indian Administrative Service (IAS) 2020 recruitment in January 2021. The descriptive type exam is scheduled to be conducted on January 08, 09, 10, 16 & 17, 2021 in centres across the country. UPSC has also released the admit card for the IAS 2020 Main exam at the official website i.e. upsc.gov.in. Candidates who qualified the Prelims held earlier and submitted the Detailed Application Form for the Mains can download the admit card by logging in to the website. The link to download the IAS (Main) 2020 admit card is to remain active till January 17, 2021 only.
UPSC conducts the IAS or Civil Services exam in two stages i.e. the Prelims and Mains. The Preliminary stage exam of IAS 2020 was conducted on October 04, 2020 and the Commission released the results indicating the qualifiers who are eligible to appear in the Main stage exam. The admit cards for the Main exam can be downloaded by visiting the official website and clicking on the direct link available under the “What’s New” section.
Candidates who filled up and submitted the Detailed Application Form to appear in the Main exam can download the admit card by logging in to the website through the direct link using Registration ID/Roll Number and Date of Birth as recorded with the UPSC. After logging in, candidates can check the soft copy of the admit card available online and download it to generate print outs. It is mandatory to carry the print out of the downloaded admit card to the designated exam centre failing which, no one is allowed to enter the exam hall.
UPSC has also issued some exam instructions available from the admit card download link. Besides, the admit card, it is also mandatory to carry a print out of these important instructions to the exam centre of IAS (Main) 2020 exam. Candidates are also advised to carry a valid photo identity proof to the exam centre for verification of identity.
It must be noted that entrance to the exam centre closes 10 minutes before the commencement of the exam. Candidates have to enter the exam hall at least 30 minutes before the exam commences in each session. One must carry their own ballpoint pen and refrain from carrying any banned items including mobile phones, programmable calculators and other valuable items to the exam centre. All candidates have to adhere to COVID-19 safety guidelines by wearing a mask and carrying hand sanitizer to the exam centre.
Unline the Prelims, the IAS (Main) exam consist of a descriptive type paper carrying a total of 1750 marks. Practising writing is crucial for time management in the Civil Services (Main) exam. It is advised that candidates take short notes of important dates, facts and figures from subjects like History, Geography etc. to be able to recall them readily in the exam hall.
With less than a month remaining for the exam to commence, candidates must also indulge in final revisions. Go through previous year papers (or solved papers/mock tests) and check the type of questions that are expected in this exam. Last but not the least, refer to Youtube videos of IAS toppers to see what approach they took to answer descriptive questions so that they can attract full marks.
