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UPSC Prelims Elimination Techniques can help aspirants to avoid making any mistakes and increase chances of selecting the right answer. Explore useful UPSC Prelims Elimination techniques.
PWOnlyIAS
May 17, 2025
UPSC Prelims Elimination Techniques: Cracking the UPSC Prelims is not just about knowledge. It’s also about strategy and useful tricks to achieve a better score. Even well-prepared aspirants often find themselves unsure about 15–20 questions. This is where Intelligent Elimination Techniques (IETs) come into play. These methods help you eliminate incorrect options and make educated guesses, increasing your chances of selecting the right answer.
Intelligent Elimination Techniques are smart strategies used to rule out wrong answer options in multiple-choice questions, especially when you’re not fully sure of the correct answer. These techniques help you narrow down the choices using logic, partial knowledge, and common sense, improving your chances of selecting the right answer without guessing blindly.
When should you use it?
Elimination techniques are logical strategies used to narrow down multiple-choice options when you are not sure about the correct answer. They rely on partial knowledge, logical reasoning, and an understanding of question patterns. By systematically ruling out unlikely options, you can improve your odds of choosing the correct one. Here are the reasons why you can refer to these techniques and tricks during the UPSC Prelims exam:
Last Minute Revision For UPSC Prelims 2025
It is not necessary that you know all the right answers. Sometimes, you may not be fully sure, but you can still arrive at the correct option by using smart tricks. These are called elimination techniques. They help you remove wrong options step by step. This improves your chances of getting the answer right, even when you’re unsure. With practice, these tricks can help you attempt more questions and avoid negative marking. Here are some simple and useful elimination methods you can follow:
Options containing absolute terms like “always,” “never,” or “only” are often incorrect. UPSC tends to frame questions with nuanced statements.
Example:
If an option states, “All members of the Rajya Sabha are elected,” it’s incorrect because some members are nominated.
When two options are direct opposites, one is likely correct. Use your knowledge to determine which aligns with known facts.
Example:
If options include “Central Bank is following an easy money policy” and “Central Bank is following a tight money policy,” and you know that increasing the bank rate tightens monetary policy, the latter is correct.
If you’ve studied thoroughly and an option seems completely unfamiliar, it’s likely incorrect. Trust your preparation.
Apply basic reasoning to assess the plausibility of statements. If an option contradicts general knowledge or logic, it’s probably wrong. Some questions don’t need deep knowledge. You can answer them with logic.
Example – UPSC CSE 2013
Example: An increase in the Bank Rate generally indicates that the (UPSC CSE 2013)
(A) The market rate of interest is likely to fall
(B) Central Bank is no longer making loans to commercial banks
(C) Central Bank is following an easy money policy
(D) Central Bank is following a tight money policy
Correct Answer: (D)
Logically, increasing rates mean loans become costlier. So, the Central Bank is tightening money.
Correct Answer: (D)
Words like “can,” “may,” or “might” suggest possibility and are often used in correct options, especially in science and technology questions.
For questions with multiple statements, evaluate each one individually. If one is clearly incorrect, eliminate options that include it.
If you’re certain statement 2 is false, eliminate all options that include it.
If you’re confident that one statement is incorrect, you can safely eliminate “All of the above” as an option.
If two options convey the same idea in different words, both are likely incorrect. UPSC rarely repeats concepts in multiple options.
The more you practice, the faster and more accurately you’ll apply them in the actual exam. Here are some ways through which you can practice elimination techniques:
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