JKPSC Mains Exam Preparation Strategy
Paper I: English (Qualifying)
This paper tests basic proficiency in English language through questions on English Grammar,
comprehension, and essay writing.
- Practice writing essays on diverse topics related to social issues, current affairs,
economy, environment, or general philosophical ideas.
- Practice reading long passages within a short time to improve comprehension.
- Study English Grammar topics like like tenses, subject-verb agreement, prepositions,
articles, sentence structure, etc. from English Grammar books.
- Solve Previous year papers.
- Sources: Wren & Martin’s High School English Grammar and Composition,
Word Power Made Easy by Norman Lewis, R.S. Aggarwal’s Objective General English.
Paper II: Essay
- To prepare for Essay paper, first build a strong knowledge base using static sources, Newspapers,
government reports etc.
- Practice writing essays on diverse topics related to Political, economical, environmental and social
issues and general philosophical ideas.
- Practice essays asked in Past years papers.
Key elements required to write a good quality essay
- Clarity of topic
- Fresh perspective rather than just common ideas
- Simple language
- Smooth flow of ideas
- Balanced views ( Both positive and negative aspects of a topic should be touched but the overall
approach to the topic should be optimistic)
- Use of Quotes and Anecdotes
Paper III: General studies-I
This paper covers Indian Heritage and Culture, History and Geography and Society.
Indian Heritage and Culture
- Cover Art forms (dances, music, and other visual arts), Architecture (temples, monuments etc. )
and Literature of Ancient, Medieval and Modern period to answer questions like "Discuss
the major contributions of the Gupta Empire in the fields of art, architecture, and
literature."
- Place emphasis on the Heritage and culture of the Jammu and Kashmir to attempt questions
like "Describe the role of folk dances in preserving cultural heritage in India. Discuss
with examples from Jammu and Kashmir."
- Sources: NCERT Class XI Fine Arts Textbooks, Nitin Singhania's Indian Art and
Culture.
History
- In Ancient and Medieval India, cover major dynasties, rulers, and socio-political structures.
- In Modern India, focus on the freedom movement, colonial impact, and key events and personalities.
Prepare for the causes, significance and impact of the key events during the India’s freedom
struggle. For example, a question asked in JKPSC Mains - "Analyze the impact of the
Non-Cooperation Movement on India’s freedom struggle. What were its limitations and
achievements?"
- Study the integration of princely states, regional reorganization, and major political events after
independence.
- Connect past events with their implications on modern-day India to add depth to answers.
- Sources: Ancient India by R.S. Sharma, Medieval India by Satish Chandra and
Spectrum's A Brief History of Modern India.
Geography
- Prioritise important physical geography topics like climate, rivers, mountain systems, and
plate tectonics.
- In Economic Geography, cover India's resources, industries, and agricultural practices.
- Pay attention to the Geographical features around Jammu and Kashmir region to tackle questions asked
in respect to Jammu and Kashmir. For example, "Discuss the significance of the Indus River
system in the socio-economic development of Jammu and Kashmir." and "Examine
the challenges posed by climate change to the Western Himalayas. How does it affect local
communities?"
- Sources: NCERT Geography (Class XI and XII), G.C.
Leong’s “Certificate Physical and Human Geography”, Majid Husain’s
Indian and World Geography, Atlas
Society
- Make notes on Salient Features of Indian Society - Diversity, regionalism, communalism,
secularism, etc.
- Cover social issues such as poverty, urbanization, gender inequality, and rural development etc.
- Develop an understanding of social structures and their evolving nature. Link issues like poverty
and gender disparity to government schemes and global events for a holistic answer.
- Sources: NCERT XI-XII Sociology textbooks, Current affairs and Newspapers
editorials for critical analysis of social issues.
Paper IV: General studies II
This paper covers Polity, Governance, Social Justice, and International Relations.
Polity
- In Polity focus areas are Constitutional Framework (Basic structure,
features, amendments, fundamental rights, duties, and directive principles), Functioning
of Institutions (Structure and functioning of Parliament, state legislatures,
judiciary, and other central and state institutions and Constitutional and non-constitutional
bodies ), important Supreme Court judgments, Centre-state relations, local governance,
important Constitutional amendments etc.
- Prepare the section by interlinking one topic with another and analysing the impact of political
events on society to address questions like "Evaluate the importance of the Fundamental
Rights in safeguarding the democratic values in India. How have recent judicial pronouncements
strengthened them?"
- Sources: NCERTs Class XI and XII, Indian Polity by M. Laxmikanth.
Governance
- Prioritise key topics such as Role of institutions like CAG, Lokpal, RTI Act, in governance
and mechanisms for grievance redressal.
- Cover major government initiatives related to welfare, education, health, sanitation, etc.
For example, refer to a question asked in JKPSC mains - Analyze the concept of ‘Good
Governance’ and how it is implemented through various government initiatives in
India.
- Focus on recent initiatives of taken by Indian government and Jammu and Kashmir government for
better governance. For example, egovernance etc.
- Place special emphasis on governance at grassroots level with a focus on governance in Jammu and
Kashmir to tackle questions like - "Discuss the role of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs)
in enhancing grassroots democracy in India. Highlight specific challenges faced in Jammu and
Kashmir."
- Sources: ARC Reports especially for topics on transparency,
e-governance, and accountability, PIB for recent updates on government
programs and initiatives, Yojana and Kurukshetra Magazines for analytical
insights into government policies.
Social Justice
- To prepare for this section, cover welfare schemes run by both National and State government for
vulnerable sections, SC/ST/OBC, and minorities to address questions such as Describe the
impact of reservations on the socio-economic status of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in
India. What further reforms could be introduced?
- Focus on human rights issues related to Child rights, women empowerment, elderly, and
differently-abled.
- Cover social issues like poverty, hunger, unemployment etc and their impact on society.
- Sources: NCERT Sociology books, Social Problems in India by Ram Ahuja,
Yojana Magazine covering Social justice themes.
International affairs
- To prepare for this section of Paper, focus on India’s foreign policy, its bilateral and
multilateral relations with neighboring countries, major powers, and international organizations and
current geopolitical issues.
- Study Global organisations and regional groupings and access India’s role in these and impact
of these organisations on the country.
- The Questions are asked mainly to evaluate India’s relations with other countries or
India’s role in International organisations.
For example,
- Explain India’s role in the United Nations and its efforts toward
securing a
permanent seat in the UNSC.
- Describe India’s approach to its neighborhood policy. How do initiatives like
SAARC
and BIMSTEC reflect India’s priorities?
- Sources: India’s Foreign Policy by V.P. Dutt, Newspapers, Ministry of External
Affairs
website
Paper V: General Studies Paper III
This paper covers Economy, Environment, Science and Technology and Disaster management.
Economy
- To prepare for Economy section, focus on Economic planning and development (India's
five-year plans, NITI Aayog, sustainable development goals, and economic reforms),
Agricultural and Industrial Growth (Issues, policies, and government schemes
supporting agriculture and industries), Infrastructure sector including development
of infrastructure in sectors like power, transportation, communication, and energy and
Public finance and Budgeting (Fiscal policy, public debt, taxation etc.)
- Thoroughly prepare the challenges and solutions of issues related to Economy to tackle questions
like Discuss the major challenges faced by the Indian economy in achieving sustainable
growth. How can reforms in the labor and financial sectors address these challenges?
- Study latest Budget and Economic survey of India and Jammu and Kashmir.
- Sources: NCERT Economics Textbooks, Indian
Economy by Ramesh Singh, Economic Survey and Budget
Documents.
Science and Technology
- Keep a track on advancements in IT, space, biotechnology, and artificial intelligence.
- Prepare policies and recent advancements related to public health, defence technologies and security
related issues.
- Focus on recent advancements, government initiatives, and the implications of technology on society
and the economy.
- Make notes on impact, challenges, government initiatives and ethical concerns related to the recent
technological advancements.
- Examples of Questions asked from this section -
- Describe the significance of artificial intelligence (AI) in enhancing the
efficiency of public services in India. What are the ethical considerations associated
with
its use?
- Evaluate the importance of biotechnology in agriculture. How does the use of genetically
modified (GM) crops affect food security and the environment in India?
- Sources: NCERT Science textbooks (Class VI to XII) to cover fundamentals,
PIB, Newspapers and Science Reporter magazine
to
study recent developments in Indian science and technology.
Environment
- Prepare key areas in Environment - Biodiversity, Climate change, Pollution, Sustainable development.
Make notes on current status of these topics, issues associated, causes of those issues, global and
national initiatives to address those issues and related challenges.
- Keep track on global agreements, conferences related to Environment and Climate change.
- Prepare short notes on key environmental policies, biodiversity hotspots, and relevant case studies.
Use examples from Jammu and Kashmir to highlight unique local biodiversity.
- In this section, questions are generally asked about important environmental issues, their causes,
challenges, impact and solutions. For example-
- What are the major causes of biodiversity loss in India? Suggest measures to
prevent
the degradation of biodiversity in ecologically sensitive regions.
- Analyze India’s commitment to combating climate change under international
agreements
like the Paris Accord. What challenges does India face in meeting these
commitments?
- Sources: NCERT XII Biology (Relevant Chapters on Ecology and
Environment), Environment by Shankar IAS, Newspapers and Down to Earth magazine
for
current affairs.
Disaster Management
- Make notes on Natural and man-made disasters, including floods, earthquakes, landslides, and
pandemics.
- Study National Disaster Management Plan, role of NDMA and SDRF, and community-based disaster
management.
- Focus on Post-Disaster Recovery: Rehabilitation and reconstruction, especially in the context of
Jammu and Kashmir.
- Some of the examples of Questions asked from this section -
- Examine the disaster vulnerability of the Himalayan region with a focus on
landslides and flash floods. What are the preventive and mitigation strategies for such
disasters?
- Discuss the role of local communities in disaster management and resilience building.
Provide examples of community-based disaster management practices in India.
- Sources: Disaster Management by NDMA to prepare for government guidelines and
policies on disaster risk reduction, Current affairs to cover recent event of
disasters and government’s response.
Paper VI: General Studies Paper IV
This paper covers Ethics, Integrity, and Aptitude. This paper assesses candidates' understanding
of ethics in public administration, integrity, aptitude for public service, and problem-solving
ability.
- Begin by understanding all the topics mentioned in the syllabus related to Ethics, Attitude,
Emotional intelligence, Ethics in Public Adminstration and Probity in governance. Make notes on
definition and examples of every topic to tackle questions like Define ethics and explain
its significance in public service. How do personal and professional ethics sometimes come into
conflict in public administration? Provide examples.
- Focus on the practical application of ethics in real life and public administration. Pay attention
to how ethical principles guide decision-making in difficult situations. For example,
Discuss how ethical considerations influence policymaking in areas like healthcare,
education, and welfare. Provide an example of an ethical issue in policymaking and how it was
addressed.
- Case studies are a critical part of this paper, requiring practical solutions to ethical dilemmas.
Practice solving case studies involving real-life ethical issues in public administration. For
example, You are a district officer, and during an inspection, you discover that a local
contractor has been using substandard materials for a government-funded housing project for the
underprivileged. What steps will you take to address the issue, considering the potential
consequences?
- Sources: Lexicon for Ethics, Integrity & Aptitude, Newspapers
to link syllabus topics with current affairs examples.
Paper VII and VIII: Optional subject papers
- There will be two objective-type papers of an optional subject chosen by the candidate.
- Choose an optional subject you are comfortable with and have either studied during graduation or are
interested in.
- Strategy for the optional paper includes -
- Understand the syllabus thoroughly.
- Use subject-specific books to cover all topics of the syllabus comprehensively.
- Use mock tests for practice.
