What is the Importance of GS Paper-IV (Ethics)?

Why was it Introduced?

The need to instil an ethical awareness among civil servants has been realised for a long time, which is why the ethics paper was included to the civil services test. And what could be better than making one's ethical principles one of the criteria used to select the civil servants?

• In the modern world, public employees no longer hold themselves to the same high standards of ethics and honesty. The society has suffered greatly as a result of the declining ethical norms.
• Corruption has a negative effect on every area of administration and society. In an effort to select a new generation of civil servants who have high moral and ethical integrity, the Ethics paper was introduced.

The Structure of the Ethics Paper: Theory Weds Practice

The ethics paper has been divided into two parts-

• Theoretical Part: It anticipates that the applicant will be knowledgeable about numerous ideas and problems related to ethics, integrity, and aptitude. Therefore, a candidate must feel at ease discussing the numerous topics relating to ethics and integrity. This portion makes up about 50% of the total marks.
• Situation-based Questions/ Case Studies: This section consists of a series of hypothetical situation-based questions that the candidate must answer. It is expected of the candidate to respond to the scenario. Here, the candidate is assessed on his capacity for making decisions as well as his mental clarity and moral character.

How to Prepare?

• Case Studies: The first and most crucial method is to practice using case studies. Start by reading a number of case studies; when you do this, you'll realise that each situation calls for a particular kind of decision or response. You'll observe that the case study approach differs based on the setting.
• Practical Solutions: In situational case studies, practical solutions are more valued. While the use of the administrative mind is examined in some case studies, social awareness is more thoroughly examined in social case studies. Learn the basics of SWOT analysis, stakeholder analysis, and other topics that will help you understand case studies.
• Newspapers: Secondly, while reading newspaper, try to focus on actions of various people involved. It's all about three things - stakeholders, communication and decision making.
• Prepare Crisp Notes: The good part about this paper is that the syllabus is not too dependent on current affairs. However, you may find relevant examples to support your answers while reading the newspapers. Hence, make sure you prepare crisp notes of all the important topics that are a part of the syllabus.
• It is extremely important to be aware of the jargon of this paper. For this, you can refer to any standard book available.
• Revision: Most aspirants have a tendency to treat the paper lightly since they believe it to be simple, which prevents them from coming up with thoughtful responses. It's always a good idea to keep going through your notes and every single example you've chosen for the various areas on the curriculum. Before attempting practice questions, review your notes to ensure that you have included all the instances. You will be able to remember them for longer.
• Keep Your Resources Brief: The aim is to use as few resources as possible and concentrate solely on what is necessary. And the papers from the previous year can aid you here.
• Answer Writing: No matter which source is chosen, answer writing must also be taken into consideration. Ethics is all about communication. Only consistent writing can assist to develop it.

Personal Insights: Finally remember, more than sound theoretical understating that you gather from books, what is appreciated by the examiner is personal insight. Therefore, try to come up with your own examples, analysis and understanding.

Book List Recommendation

• Lexicon for Ethics, Integrity, and Aptitude- Chronicle Publications Private Limited
• NCERT Psychology book Class XI & XII: Syllabus-specific chapters
• Additionally, read the editorials of newspapers on the selected topics to have a strong opinion about these topics. They’ll also help you in curating mdel answers for predicted questions.