Comprehensive Analysis of UPSC Mains 2023 Held from September 15 to September 24, 2023
The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), responsible for conducting the UPSC Mains examination for 2023, held the examination from September 15, 2023, to September 24, 2023. According to initial expert analysis, the difficulty level of the UPSC Mains examination ranged from easy to medium, with papers generally leaning toward the easier side compared to previous years.
Key Points:
1. Difficulty Level: Overall, the papers were assessed as being of easy to medium difficulty. Candidates who had thoroughly covered standard sources and practiced effectively found the papers manageable.
2. Expected Cut-off: Although the official cutoff for UPSC Mains 2023 is pending release, based on analysis and historical trends, it is expected that the cutoff marks for the General category will likely fall in the range of 740 to 760.
3. Topics Covered: The UPSC Mains 2023 examination included several topics that have been prominently featured in recent news and discussions. These topics encompassed issues such as youth suicides, conflicts within the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), NATO expansion, Artificial Intelligence, Chandrayaan-3 landing, and more. This reflects UPSC’s approach to evaluating candidates’ awareness of current events and their capacity to connect these events to broader issues.
4. Previous Year Comparison: In comparison to previous years, the papers were generally considered to be on the easier side. The essay paper featured topics that were less abstract than in previous years. GS Paper-IV (Ethics) included shorter case studies, which alleviated time management concerns experienced in the previous year.
5. Section-wise Analysis:
- General Studies Paper I: Comprised 6 questions from History, 7 questions from Geography, and 7 questions from Indian Society.
- General Studies Paper II: Included 11 questions on Indian Polity, 5 questions on Governance and Social Justice, and 4 questions on International Relations.
- General Studies Paper III: Encompassed 8 questions on the Indian Economy, 3 questions on Science & Technology, 5 questions on Environment & Disaster Management, and 4 questions on Internal Security.
- General Studies Paper IV (Ethics): The Ethics paper contained 13 questions, each worth 10 marks, in the theoretical section, along with 6 case studies.
This detailed analysis has been provided by Mrunal Patel, Vice President of UPSC at Unacademy.
