It is the wide hypothesis form of the test, requiring not only knowledge of a range of topics like history, geography, culture, economic system, a system of governance, confidentiality, information technology, international affairs, ethics, and your optional subject, but also the reading and writing skills 150–250 words on contentious topics within them from different points of view, as well as the capacity to answer MCQs on them.
You must also write two pieces and focus on your optional subject, current events. When we examine each element separately, the syllabus and the questions asked seem to be reasonable. It becomes a difficult job, though, when you realize that you have to cover all of these subjects (concepts and current events). Due to the subjective nature of the mains exam, UPSC does not grant you access to your corrected answer sheets. It is difficult to tell what worked and what didn’t because of this.