International Relations For UPSC CSE- Preparation Analysis
International Relations is an important topic for UPSC CSE. It includes foreign policies of states, their relations with each other, with international organizations, their foreign trade practices, issues of environmental security, international cooperation, dispute settlement mechanisms, economic sanctions, the increasing role of NGOs, the role of international courts, etc. It is a current affairs-based topic and standard questions are asked mainly in General studies paper-2 of worth 50-80 marks. Being a current affairs-based subject it is of high importance for UPSC civil services examination. International relations is a segment of GS paper-2, as the whole paper is based on Polity and Governance. You need to have a strong command over this subject as the questions are also asked in the Prelims section in the form of current affairs and it is very important to understand the " Current events of national and international importance ".
Topic-wise syllabus of International relations for UPSC Mains is tabulated below:
India & Neighbouring Countries
India – Nepal Relations
India and Bhutan
Indo-Afghan Bilateral Relations
India-Bangladesh Relations
India-Maldives Relations
India-Sri Lanka Relations
India-Myanmar Relations
Indo-Pak Relations
Indo-China Relations
South China Sea Dispute
Security Challenges in the Indian Ocean Region
India & Asian Nation Relations
CIS Countries of Central Asia
India-Mongolia
India – UAE Relations
India – IRAN
India – ISRAEL
India – Saudi Arabia
Asia-Pacific Region
India-South East Asia
Indo-Japan Bilateral Relationship
India – South Korea
India-Vietnam
India & Other Nations & Organizations
India and Africa
Indo-Australia Relationship
Indo-France
Indo-Germany
Indo-UK
India-USA Relations
The World Trade Organization
International Monetary Fund
Nuclear Security Summit
BRICS
BIMSTEC
IBSA
SAARC
Relevance of Non-Alignment in present India
India-ASEAN Economic Cooperation
IR is a section that is a mixture of both static and dynamic questions. However, most of the questions asked from the subject are based on current affairs and various political scenarios. Around 50-80 marks questions are asked every year. We will look into this in the trend section further. It is very important to keep track of the current International developments, trends, issues, and how various International events are affecting India.
Here are 5 strategies you can follow to prepare IR for UPSC Mains:
1. Mind-mapping the whole UPSC Syllabus ( 3R technique)
It is very important for an aspirant to follow the 3R technique to build a proper mind-map so that it will be easy for them to move on the right path. 3R techniques i.e Read, Recognize and React.
Reading and understanding the whole UPSC CSE syllabus is of utmost importance for an aspirant. It gives you the core idea and intention of the topics. After that, recognizing the similar topics which come both in Prelims and Mains, complex areas, easy areas and the areas which are favorite of UPSC should be done judiciously. Recognizing and understanding the structure will lead you to take the next step i.e React. Reacting or taking a step is something that will cover your entire syllabus ultimately. Without any action, there is no use in reading and recognizing the stuff.
2. Make concise notes
Unlike other subjects, there is no particular book to prepare for International relations. You can find books based on the topic but the real problem is that a lot of questions asked in the exam are from the dynamic area. Dynamic-area means that questions are not direct but come from the current affairs section. Therefore, referring to different sorts of books, newspapers, editorials, magazines, and websites of External affairs is the only solution. There are some prescribed books also available in the market that will definitely help you in solving the Prelims part and the static part for Mains answer writing. However, to prepare for the dynamic part, you have to research a lot.
3. Revise to retain
It is a fact that UPSC CSE Syllabus is as vast as the sea. Retaining everything is not possible. What is possible is a proper and dedicated revision. Remembering a lot of country matters and diplomatic decisions is not an amateur's job. You have to upgrade yourself day by day. Revision is the only way to do this. Keep revising your own short and large notes to retain every possible information that is necessary for Mains answer writing.
4. Practice answer writing to understand more
Mains answer writing needs practice as it demands an opinionated answer from the aspirant. Your answer must contain facts along with your personal opinions on the matter without being emotional. Opinions reflect your understanding of the matter and the more you understand, the more you become a deserving candidate. To sharpen your opinions and your answer writing skills it is very important to practice more and more. It's a common saying that "Practice makes a man perfect". Without practice, it will be a huge mess for you to write on paper at the time of the final examination.
5. Solve PYQs
The most important part is to prepare yourself for the expected questions. The only way to do this is by solving the previous year's questions. PYQs not just prepare you for the expected but for the unexpected also. It shows you the type of questions asked, most favored topics and the trend UPSC follows while asking questions.
Marks worth of questions asked from International Relations in the various years in UPSC Mains:
2018
80 marks
2019
75 marks
2020
55 marks
Questions from non-neighbors and various International organizations are asked every year. In 2018, questions worth 25 marks were asked from the section non-neighbors, and 40 marks were awarded for questions from the section of International organizations. Next year in 2019, 50 marks were awarded for both sections.
Prelims
Mains
You can build a strong command over this subject with the help of Examarly. As Prelims questions are basically based in the form of current affairs. This platform will help you to cover the current affairs properly by letting you know what to cover from "The Hindu" newspaper and "Indian Express" newspaper. Besides this, you will get the daily quiz to tests your knowledge on the grounds of current events.
Alternatively, strengthen your command over this subject by solving the quizzes and staying updated with current happenings across the nation with a single click. What are you waiting for? Make Examarly your mentor to ace your UPSC Preparation.
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Compounding your efforts will make you more successful than others. Self-assessment helps in clearing UPSC with flying colors.
There's no better way to prepare for the UPSC CSE than using a test-based preparation strategy for UPSC CSE. Keep your skills sharp with the test-based approach. Read it further to learn the importance of test-based preparation for UPSC 2022.
