How to Prepare Ethics for UPSC Mains?

Introduced in 2013, Ethics is a part of GS Paper- 4 in UPSC Mains. It is titled Ethics, Integrity, and Aptitude. UPSC clearly mentions in its notification that it through Ethics UPSC intends to “test the candidates’ attitude and approach to issues relating to integrity, probity in public life and his problem-solving approach to various issues and conflicts faced by him in dealing with society. Questions may utilize the case study approach to determine these aspects”

Consisting of a total of 250 marks, the Ethics UPSC paper is divided into two sections (125 marks each):

• Sections A includes theoretical questions which are generally of the applied kind.

• Section B consists of case studies.

Overall, the Ethics UPSC paper is one of the easiest papers in the UPSC Mains Exam. Your pragmatic and productive approach, self-awareness, personal & professional ethics are put to test. Hence, to score well in the Ethics UPSC paper, you should be able to write your thoughts properly.  

In this article, we have discussed the Ethics UPSC syllabus, preparation strategy, and the booklist to follow for securing a great score in this paper.

Ethics UPSC Syllabus for Mains Exam

Ethics is a very subjective paper. The answers in this paper will vary from candidate to candidate. However, while preparing for this paper, it is important to know the topic-wise syllabus. It will help you in framing your answers in a better way.

Preparation Strategy for Ethics for UPSC Mains

Ethics is one of the most important portions of General Studies-IV. Hence, it must be prepared extremely well to secure a good score in this paper. It is also the most scoring of all the UPSC Mains papers, hence, must be leveraged completely. Here’s an effective preparation strategy for Ethics preparation for UPSC Mains:

• Prepare Crisp Notes: The good part about this paper is that the syllabus is not too dependent on current affairs. However, you may find relevant examples to support your answers while reading the newspapers. Hence, make sure you prepare crisp notes of all the important topics that are a part of the syllabus. it is extremely important to be aware of the jargon of this paper. For this, you can refer to any standard book available.

• Revision: Assuming that the paper is easy, most aspirants tend to take it lightly and thus are unable to frame effective answers. It is always advisable to keep revising your notes and all the examples that you’ve curated for the specific topics in the syllabus. Revise your notes especially before practicing answer-writing to include all the examples in your answers. It will allow you to retain them for a longer time.

• Previous Year Questions: Practicing answer-writing for previous year’s questions will allow you to have a fair idea of what could be asked in this exam. Thus, it will enable you to prepare draft answers for expected questions.

• Answer-writing Practice: The key to ace UPSC Mains is optimum answer-writing practice. Write model answers and get them checked by your mentors. Learn from the mistakes and try to write better answers each time! For the topics included in the Ethics paper, writing effectively plays an important role in securing good marks.

Booklist for Ethics UPSC Preparation

The resources that you must follow for preparation of Ethics for UPSC Mains Exam include:

• Ethics in Public Administration by Patrick Sheeran.

• Ethics, Integrity & Aptitude by G. Subbarao.

• NCERT Psychology book Class XI & XII: Syllabus-specific chapters

• Lexicon for Ethics, Integrity, and aptitude- Civil services chronicle.

Additionally, read the editorials in The Hindu on the selected topics to have a strong opinion about these topics. They’ll also help you in curating draft answers for predicted questions.

This paper does not require special attention for students who have studied English as a medium of instruction. However, the candidates who face problems in writing or understanding English may need to give a special focus for preparing this paper. We hope that following the strategy mentioned above, you can comfortably tackle the questions in this paper.

Also Read | How to prepare Current Affairs for UPSC?