Hyderabad: Thousands of budding Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officers, among others, took a step closer to their dreams and aspirations by appearing for the civil services preliminary examination, conducted by Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), across India, including Telangana, on Sunday. It marks the culmination of intense preparation and burning of midnight oil by thousands of candidates.
In Hyderabad, the atmosphere was a mix of hope and anxiety as aspirants arrived at their respective centres.
Among them was Ravi Kumar, who found the General Studies section particularly challenging. Speaking to DC, he said, "This year's prelims required a deep understanding of current affairs and analytical skills. It was tough but fair."
The distribution of questions included 20 from current affairs, 21 from Indian polity and governance, and 18 from Indian and world geography, among others.
In a notable incident highlighting the spirit of community and support, an aspirant stuck in traffic received timely assistance from constable Suresh in Rajendranagar. Suresh's swift action helped the candidate reach the examination centre in time.
Despite the high number of aspirants, the process was mostly smooth, and the candidates appeared relieved and satisfied with the balanced question papers.
One aspirant Suguna P.K. said, "The compilation of questions was well-balanced and duly addressed previous criticisms about the unpredictability of the prelims. Paper II was easy."
A Civils coach said that students were upbeat about the questions and standards. "The cutoff is bound to go up compared to the previous year," he said.
However, not all feedback was positive. Several students complained about the strict entry process, noting that no one was allowed even a minute after the deadline. In some centres, there were grievances about lack of basic amenities and denial of permission to take water bottles inside the examination halls.
"I know water is allowed inside Delhi centres, then why not here? Who is to say that these things don't affect a candidate's result," questioned another aspirant.
"At our centre, there was no place to keep bags, which they are mandated to provide," said another.
Incidentally, the exam was originally scheduled for May 26 but was postponed to June 16.
With 1,056 notified vacancies, higher than previous years, the stakes are even higher for the aspirants, this time around.
The results of the preliminary examination are expected to be announced by July 1.
