Public Administration

1. Public Administration is combination of Management and Political Science. Hen

ce, it cannot be combined with any of these subjects.
2. This subject can be studied by any candidate who is willing to do hard work.
Also, Paper II of this subject has relevance in the Indian Polity portion of Gen
eral Studies. Because of these reasons, this subject is very popular among a por
tion of the candidates.
3. Another advantage of this subject is that it does not have a difficult termin
ology or glossary. So, anybody who reads this subject from any random chapter ma
y find no difficulty in understanding any portion. Also, the candidates would no
t be in a position to memorise the concepts and definitions. But do not think th
is is a very easy subject. It is one of the toughest subjects in social science
stream.
4. This subject does not contain boring facts and figures. This may make some ca
ndidates comfortable who finds the other optional full of facts and figures. So,
this subject may go well with subjects like Geography and Economics.
5. Like many other social subjects, Public Administration also has a contemporar
y nature. Many questions figure in the exam from the areas related to current de
velopments. The Right to Information Act and Panchayati Raj Act are only some of
the areas that are having a relevance to this subject. Similarly, in view of th
e waves made by NREGA, never be surprised of a question relating to various deve
lopmental schemes undertaken by the Central Government and their management.
6. The nature of questions in this subject gives you an opportunity to analyse v
arious administrative issues in the light of contemporary social issues. It give
s you scope for innovation and creativity. Thus, it really tests your intellectu
al ability.
7. Public Administration also has a theoretical aspect and an applied aspect, li
ke many other social sciences. Thus, this subject is related to other social sub
jects like economics, political science, sociology, etc.
8. To keep the preparation on the right track at every stage, it is necessary to
refer to the previous years question papers often. This would keep you aware of
the nature of questions also. Practice writing model answers and get them evalua
ted by some teachers or professors.
9. If you can get a book of solved question papers, first read the question and
write an answer yourself, without going through the model answer given there. Af
ter finishing this, compare your answer with the model answer given in the book
& determine where you are lacking. Analyse your strengths and weaknesses. Build
up on your strengths and try to overcome your weaknesses.
10. Develop the habit of finding a hidden question in everything you read from t
he text books. This would help you avoid un-expected short questions. Also, arra
nge model answers in your mind. This would save your valuable time in planning t
he answer in the exam hall.
11. Take short notes during your reading. Develop these notes by adding new info
rmation you get during additional reading. Also, find enough time to read the no
tes you have once made. Otherwise, it would be a waste of time and energy.
12. During preparation, adopt a comprehensive as well as selective approach.
13. Try to gather as much information as you can, from the selected topics. But
during exam, write the relevant points only, from within the limits of the quest
ion.
14. The question paper contains 8 questions; 4 each from Section A and Section B
, as per the syllabus. Out of these five questions are to be answered. Each ques
tion carries 60 marks. Question 1 and 5 (the first questions of both the Section
s) are compulsory. Thus, three questions are to be answered from the remaining f
ive questions. At least one question from these should be from a different secti
on.
1. In the compulsory questions also, there are options. They would comprise of 4
short questions which should be answered in about 200 words. Out of these, only
three should be attempted. Each short question (sub-question) carries 20 marks
and thus, there are 60 marks for the question.
2. The other questions require detailed essay type answers. An ideal answer may
be about 550-600 words long (approximately 6 pages).
3. The questions in this paper falls in to three categories;
i. Commentary type questions: As stated, there are four parts to each compulsory
question (Question No. 1 & 5). These may be in the form of a statement or view
point. You may be asked to offer your comments. Sometimes, the other questions m
ay also have two parts; (a) and (b). These may also require you to comment on ce
rtain statements. Do not be bewildered by the nature of such tough statements. W
ith a little bit oriented practice, you can score good marks in this type of que
stions. Pay more attention to the statements of famous authors and management/co
nstitutional experts quoted in the text books/guides. If you can write the name
of the author, the book and the context in which the quoted sentence has been wr
itten, you are sure to get a very impressive score. For this purpose, gather a l
ittle information about main theoreticians and writers who contributed to the de
velopment of Public Administration as a noble discipline. Remember the area in w
hich they specified, and the main books through which they presented their theor
ies. If an author has more than one famous book to his/her credit, get a fair id
ea of the general contents of each book. Get the maximum advantage of internet f
or this purpose. If you can gather famous quotations on this subject and collect
the related information in note book or file in your computer, it would be a gr
eat idea, which would help you go miles ahead.
ii. Descriptive Type Questions: These would begin or end with a tag, describe , exam
ine , elucidate , explain , etc. These would provide you an indication about the manner
in which you have to present your answers. For instance, if you are asked to des
cribe or elucidate or explain a particular theory, experiment, phenomenon or adm
inistrative measure, you have to present various aspects/points of the subject m
atter. On the other hand, if you are asked to examine a statement or phenomenon, y
our answer should contain both pros and cons. For instance, if you are asked to
examine the unitary traits in the Constitution of India, your answer should stat
e that the Indian Constitution is designed as a federal one, but it contains som
e unitary traits. Here, you have to present the federal aspects of the Constitut
ion of India in one or two brief paragraphs. After this you can switch over to t
he unitary traits of Indian Constitution. When you switch over the tune of your
answer, you may use such words as however , in spite of that , notwithstanding , Despit
his , nevertheless , etc., to keep the flow of the answer in your command. The paragr
aph may begin in this manner: Nevertheless, the Constitution of India is not stri
ctly a federal constitution in line with the US Constitution. It contains certai
n unitary provisions.
A Brilliant answer for a descriptive type question may begin or end with a short
, but apt quotation. In quotations, write the name of the author and the quoted
words without any mistakes.
iii. Analytical type questions: The answers to these questions may contain highl
y analytical type answers, duly incorporating the elements of descriptions. If y
ou can obtain a book/guide containing model answers, it would help you understan
d the method in which such questions are to be answered.
18. Go through the previous years question papers and find out the topics wherefr
om questions have been asked most frequently. Categrorise them into three or fou
r groups on the basis of the frequency of questions. The topics/chapters which c
ontributed the largest number of questions may be given the most attention. Howe
ver, never ignore the topics/chapters which fall into the second group as well a
s the topics which have contemporary relevance. This would help you have a targe
ted approach by paying more attention to the areas which really matter in the ex
am. This would also help you overcome the time constraints.
19. Read the journals of Indian Institute of Public Administration, to keep in t
ouch with the latest developments in administration theory and practice.
20. Develop the habit of forming your own ideas on various topics. This would he
lp you present your original thinking in administration. But this should not be
of the type of I shall clear all type of thinking that you see in film heroes. The
practical constraints of an administrator should be kept in kind. Proper readin
g would help you develop proper thinking.
21. In Paper II, never confine to saying as per the Indian Constitution . . Your answ
er should always be as per Article-------- of the Indian Constitution. Take a note
of the important Articles of the Indian Constitution. Also, have a fair idea of
which schedule deals with which subject. Gain authoritative knowledge of variou
s important Amendments to the Constitution, the contexts which led to such moves
and their implications. Also, gain knowledge important court orders having a be
aring on Indian Administration; e.g., Keshavanand Bahrati Vs the State of Kerala
(1973) and S.R. Bommai Vs the Union of India (1994). Knowing the background of
these cases would prevent you from committing foolish mistakes by making silly c
omments.
22. Speaking chapter-wise, the first three chapters and the last chapter in Sect
ion A of Paper I are important. Same is the case with Section B also.
23. In paper II, Chapters 2 to 6 are important (Section A). In Section B, the last
two chapters are important. Equally important are the chapters on Administrativ
e Reforms, Machinery for Planning and Control of Public Expenditure.
24. These are indications only. You are advised to apply the method said earlier
to ascertain the relative importance of various chapters and to find out, which
are the other important topics/chapters. Also, this would help you keep track o
f the changing tendencies. The intention of mentioning the important chapters is
just to remind you that nothing should be left out in these chapters.