Things to Remember in UPSC Prelims 2021- Five Elimination Techniques

UPSC Prelims 2021- Things to Remember in UPSC Prelims 2021

UPSC Prelims 2021 is scheduled to be conducted on 10^th October 2021. Aspirants are gearing up for the final phase of the Prelims exam. This is the first and often the most important stage in the entire preparation of the UPSC Civil Services Examination.

In this context, we are going to discuss five key elimination techniques which an aspirant can use in the examination hall to avoid negative marking and maximize the chances of qualifying for the prelims examination.

Things to Remember in UPSC Prelims 2021- Five Elimination Techniques

1. Eliminating from the Options

• • The first step in arriving at the right option in the preliminary exam is identifying the one sure shot correct or incorrect statement from the given statements.
  • This method applies to multi-statement questions.
  • Once you have identified the correct/incorrect statement/s, then try to look for options that exclude/include that statement (as per the demand of the question).
  • By applying this method, you are often left with only one option, which is often the right option.

2. 50-50 Rule:

• • This method should be used by aspirants when s/he has arrived at two options after elimination.
  • So, in this case, the chances of getting the right option are 50-50. In this scenario, an aspirant must attempt the question by choosing one of the two options.

3. Extreme statements:

• • Aspirants should use this method to eliminate one of the options/statements from the given question.
  • After eliminating this statement, aspirants could often arrive at the right option.
  • Caution: This method should only be used when
    • Aspirants have already exploited other methods of elimination.
    • The question is from the social sector. For example, if a statement says that ‘X scheme would eliminate hunger from India. This statement would be false.

4. Application-based questions from Science and Technology

• • When a question is asked about the application areas of a particular technology, often all options are right.
  • This is because new emerging technologies can be used in any sphere, if not today, but maybe in the future.
  • Due to this reason, UPSC often put only those application areas which already have been explored for that particular technology.

5. Trend based questions 

• • The economic questions which often ask for trends, especially for a decade, are often wrong statements.
  • This is because economic indicators often do not follow any particular trajectory over a decade or more.
  • For example, the rate of GDP growth may not always be positive for a decade or more for India.
  • Caution: UPSC may provide for exceptions to the trend in the statement itself. In that scenario, you must make an informed and intelligent choice based on your knowledge and not pure guess.

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