Mastering S&T Through the VisionIAS 7-year PYQ Trend Analysis (S&T) Document

There cannot be a better way to begin this article than a comparison based on a startling scientific fact.  The fact is the nucleus of an atom is mysteriously powerful. It has captured the imagination of many leading physicists. Similar to the small-yet-dense nucleus, a human mind houses infinite power. And equally similarly, the prelims syllabus for Science & Technology is outwardly small but essentially dense.  

The UPSC notification, released every year, uses only two words i.e. ‘GENERAL SCIENCE’ to define the entire syllabus for Basic Science and Science & Technology. One may think Science & Technology is an insignificant subject, but an average of 12-14 questions are asked every year in the UPSC CSE Prelims. 

82 questions have been asked from the Basic Science and Science & Technology sections with respective weightages of 25 percent and 75 percent.

Why do aspirants find Science & Technology difficult?

Simply put, Science & Technology is one big challenge because of the breadth and depth of the themes on which questions are based. For example, questions from biotechnology expect aspirants to know and understand concepts beyond genes and chromosomes. Aspirants need to have a fair idea related to cutting-edge techniques like CRISPR, somatic cell nuclear transfer, etc. 

What further makes the subject challenging is the paucity of consolidated resources. In the last 7 years, nearly 33 percent of the questions asked from this section were of difficult level.

Furthermore, many of the UPSC aspirants are from non-science and non-engineering backgrounds, thus having lost touch with the subject. This certainly does not mean that all the aspirants from the science and engineering discipline can ace it. 

As one can see from the Previous Year Questions (PYQs), the topics covered range from biotechnology to information technology to astronomy and space technology. No aspirant, irrespective of his/her background, can comfortably answer all these questions without adequate knowledge and understanding.

As already-mentioned, finding reliable sources for covering the syllabus has been a challenge. Again, it can be ascribed to the dynamic nature of the subject. Let us briefly analyze the components and  sources-related aspects of S&T.

• SCIENCE: The ‘science’ component of Science & Technology is mostly related to the basics or the fundamental knowledge across the subjects of physics, chemistry and biology. This component is mostly static in nature as classical physics and chemistry have remained nearly unchanged. The only dynamic parts are space science, biomolecules and modern physics.
• TECHNOLOGY: The ‘technology’ part covers the applications of the basic principles in science. As technology is evolving hand-in-hand with new research, this part is dynamic in nature. 
• The static part can be covered from the NCERT books. As most of the fundamental concepts like cell biology, mechanics (force, gravitation), properties of electromagnetic waves, biomolecules, etc. can be easily covered from these sources.
• Please note the NCERT science books should not be read with the hope of covering the entire syllabus for the preliminary exam. NCERT books help develop a good understanding of concepts, especially so for aspirants from the non-science and non-engineering disciplines. 
• The alignment of Science & Technology with current affairs cannot be overstated thus the ‘technology’ part can be covered through newspaper-reading. Daily newspaper readers should try to stick to any one of the newspapers like The Hindu or the Indian Express (or any other standard newspaper).
• Starting from biotechnology, to any kind of cutting-edge technologies like nanotechnology, optical devices, AR/VR are all widely covered in the newspapers. In 2021 and 2022 there were questions related to vaccines and virus-proteins.

To address the particular challenges related to S&T and help aspirants strike a balance between the factual richness and analytical competence, VisionIAS has brought out its 7-year PYQ Trend Analysis Document for S&T.

The Importance of the VisionIAS 7-year PYQ Trend Analysis Document for S&T

The VisionIAS 7-year PYQ Trend Analysis Document for S&T (hereon referred to as ‘the document’) is an attempt to converge the importance of the PYQs and additional information in the form of text and illustrations to enhance knowledge and aid understanding.

All 82 questions from Basic Science and S&T have been answered in detail and supplied with exhaustive information. More importantly, the possibility and usefulness of ELIMINATION TECHNIQUE as a tool has been discussed for each question.

To put in perspective the importance of certain sections, the document has categorized questions under different topics. Apart from biotechnology (especially genetics) and information technology, one can gauge the importance of miscellaneous topics like nanotechnology or carbon fibers. The additional information section in the document will definitely lessen the time of the aspirants in gathering information related to such themes.

Themes from basic science have also been discussed in great detail. Facts related to microorganisms and diseases have been listed down and this feature indeed makes this document a one-stop solution for all their S&T-related problems faced by aspirants.

Salient Features of the Document

• Elaborate explanations
• Usefulness of Scope for Elimination
• Relevant Additional Information related to every theme
• ‘Did You Know Feature’ to make learning fun
• Vivid illustrations to aid understanding

The above-mentioned features of the document can be understood from the example below

Explanation

The explanation to the question is as follows

The explanation captures the essential facts relevant to the statements in the question. It aims to help the candidates to understand the underlying logic. Those essential facts which are related to the theme of the question but do not have any direct link with the statements have been explained under ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. 

Scope for Elimination

Apart from the explanation, the application of elimination techniques has been discussed. Although in 2023, UPSC reduced the scope for elimination,  the technique holds good as sometimes in a particular question one option contradicts the other. In such questions, the technique can be used to eliminate ‘All three’ or ‘All four’ are correct.

Additional Information

Finally, to further expand the knowledge base, ADDITIONAL INFORMATION has been provided after every question. This section will go a long way to save the time of the aspirants as all the relevant information has been provided at one place. For example, while reading about satellites, a natural curiosity arises to know and understand about the SLVs (Satellite Launch Vehicles), hence providing such information reduces the time and effort required on the part of the student.

Did You Know

A unique feature of the document is the DID YOU KNOW? section provided at the beginning of each topic. This feature is a fun way to acquire new knowledge. All the facts contained in this section are pertinent to the themes that UPSC has used over the years.

Illustrations

As can be seen below, illustration and images have been lavishly yet appropriately inserted to facilitate the understanding of difficult concepts. This feature is certainly going to make the reading experience engaging and fun

Students can make the most of this document by reading it along with their own notes and VisionIAS monthlies or Pt 365.  Finally, taking mock tests at regular intervals will aid in assessing one’s preparation level. 

Remember the human mind is as potent as the small yet energetic nucleus of an atom.

Have Faith in Yourself and Study Well!

Download the Document

https://www.visionias.in/resources/material/?id=1270&type=research_document