Does UPSC Coaching Help to Crack Any Other Exams?
Among the toughest exams in India, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) exam requires immaculate knowledge, analysis, and writing skills. A plethora of students join UPSC coaching to pass this tough exam. However, a common doubt comes to mind. Does UPSC coaching benefit students preparing for other exams?
The answer is a resounding YES! UPSC coaching helps with the preparation of many other government exams since they share subjects, syllabi, and question pattern-related similarities. So, let’s explore the utility of UPSC coaching in preparing for other competitive exams.
1. Which Other Exams Can UPSC Coaching Help With?
With UPSC coaching, the objectivity towards subjects like History, Geography, Polity, Economics, Science, Current Affairs, and Aptitude is made quite strong. These subjects are common in the syllabi of many other Government exams. Following are some of such examples in which UPSC coaching can assist:
A. State PSC (Public Service Commission) Exams
Every state in India conducts State Civil Services Exams like MPPSC, UPPSC, BPSC, RPSC, TNPSC, etc.
The syllabus for these exams is near the UPSC syllabus, especially in General Studies and Optional Subjects.
The pattern of Prelims and Mains is also inspired by the UPSC.
? Hence, if you prepare for the UPSC, you will directly prepare for the State PSC exams with just a little extra effort.
B. SSC (Staff Selection Commission) Exams
SSC conducts exams like the SSC CGL, SSC CHSL, SSC MTS, etc. These exams tend to focus on:
- General Knowledge
- English
- Reasoning
- Quantitative Aptitude
➨ UPSC coaching does focus on general knowledge and current affairs, which cover the important portions of SSC exams. However, for SSC, you might need to do extra practice for mathematics and reasoning.
C. Banking Exams (IBPS, SBI PO, RBI Grade B, etc.)
What is being examined in Banking exams?
- General Awareness
- English Language
- Quantitative Aptitude
- Reasoning
? General Awareness in Banking exams incorporates Economy and Current Affairs, but general studies for UPSC coaching may not be sufficiently useful in banking exams, which generally require stronger mathematical and reasoning skills.
D. Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) Exam
CAPF Assistant Commandant examination by the UPSC is for recruitment in the BSF, CRPF, CISF, ITBP, and SSB.
General Studies, Essay Writing, and Aptitude are all things dealt with in UPSC coaching. Any UPSC aspirant can prepare for the CAPF easily but with a little additional focus on physical fitness.
E. Railways (RRB NTPC, RRB Group D, etc.)
Railway examinations are primarily concerned with:
- General Awareness
- Reasoning
- Mathematics
? UPSC coaching is helpful for General Awareness, but for railway exams, you need to lay extra emphasis on Math and Reasoning.
F. Teaching Exams (UGC NET, CTET, etc.)
Exam for UGC NET for lectureship and CTET for teacher involves:
- General Knowledge
- Teaching Aptitude
- Subject-specific knowledge
? UPSC coaching helps with General Knowledge and Current Affairs that are useful for these exams.
2. UPSC coaching helps in other exams by:
1. Knowledge of General Studies
Very large syllabus that covers almost everything in History, Polity, Geography, Economy, and Science. This is helpful for many other governmental exams as well.
 2. Answer Writing Skills
UPSC coaching educates students about structured, well-elaborated answers, extremely useful for the descriptive papers in State PSC, CAPF, and UGC NET exams.
 3. Time Management and Strategy
The mock tests, study plans, and even strategies provided by UPSC coaching come off a lot of use for exams beyond UPSC.
 4. Current Affairs Preparation
Most of the government exams have a current affairs section. UPSC coaching takes care of current affairs inputs through newspaper reading daily, current affairs notes, and analysis which is beneficial to other exams like Banking, SSC, and State PSC.
 5. Logical and Analytical Thinking
Improvement of reasoning and analytical skills with the help of UPSC preparation are the skills that serve candidates in examinations like SSC, Banking, and CAPF.
3. What Other Preparation Would Be Required for Other Exams?
Although these are all covered in the UPSC coaching, some require further preparation:
- Math & Reasoning: Banking, SSC, and Railway examinations are strongly based on these two. You will have to dedicate more practice to these popular areas.
- English Language: Some of these examinations, like SSC CGL and Banking, will have an English Paper, which also includes Grammar, Comprehension, Vocabulary, etc.
- Physical Fitness: CAPF and some state police examinations will have physical tests to check your fitness level and will require application-based training.
4. Should You Take Coaching for UPSC After Preparing for Other Exams?
If your goal is UPSC, then coaching will automatically help in other exams. Otherwise, if your main aim is SSC, Banking, or Railways, all the preparation for the UPSC may not be required. You may:
- Self-study UPSC subjects like History, Polity, Current Affairs, etc.
- Join coaching for math and reasoning, if required.
- Prepare for general knowledge through UPSC study material.
5. Conclusion
Yes, UPSC coaching helps in cracking many other exams because of its strong focus on General Studies, Current Affairs, and Analytical Thinking. However, for Banks, SSCs, and Railways, you will require separate practice in Mathematics and Reasoning.
- If you are preparing for State PSC, CAPF, or UGC NET then UPSC coaching becomes very useful and adds an extra edge that other candidates might not have.
- Tip- if you are preparing for multiple exams, use UPSC study material for all general subjects and on the side get extra coaching/practice for exam-specific needs.
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