UPSC Civil Services Exam: Admit Cards Are Out With COVID-19 Guidelines; Here Are Some Last Minute Tips

The admit cards are out for the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) preliminary civil services exam. The aspirants can check their admit cards at the UPSC website: https://upsconline.nic.in/eadmitcard/index.php.

The exam was postponed to 4 October from the earlier date of 31 May due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The JEE Main and NEET entrance examinations scheduled in September had drawn students and opposition parties to protest. They demanded the exams to be rescheduled again, given the high number of new cases. The issue reached Supreme Court which rejected the plea to postpone the entrance examinations.

Today, JEE Main has begun across India with Covid-19 precautions.

The UPSC has also included some guidelines regarding the COVID-19 pandemic that the candidates must follow:

• Wearing of mask/face cover is mandatory for all candidates. Candidates without mask/face cover will not be allowed entry into the Venue.
  
• Candidates will have to remove their masks for verification, whenever required by the Examination functionaries
  
• Candidate may carry his/her own hand sanitizer (small size) in transparent bottle
  
• Candidates to follow COVID 19 norms of ‘social distancing’ as well as ‘personal hygiene’ inside the Examination Halls/Rooms as well as in the premises of the Venue.

Some Last Minute Tips

India saw around 80,000 new cases of COVID-19 yesterday. The pandemic continues to be a threat. This means the candidates need to be extremely cautious regarding their health. It is best to stay inside the house, follow social distancing as much as possible, and eat healthy.

This year candidates have gotten extra time before the prelims. Now, only one month remains to the examination. This is the time to thoroughly revise the already prepared material, and not start any new material. Candidates can also take a break from the Mains preparation and focus solely on the prelims for the next 30 days.

This should be coupled with paper-solving. Solving a large number of questions not only prepares a candidate for the actual examination, but also informs a candidate about her weak areas that need a thorough revision. Priority should be given to topics and subjects that are more likely to be asked in the examination.