Types of questions and elimination approach:

1. Statement-based questions (approx. 40–50% of paper): Format: 'Which of the following statements is/are correct? (a) Only 1, (b) 1 and 2, (c) 2 and 3, (d) All'

• Strategy: If you know Statement 2 is definitely FALSE, eliminate all options containing 2 → options (c) and (d) gone → now 50/50 between (a) and (b) → attempt
• If you know Statement 1 is definitely TRUE, options not containing 1 → (c) eliminated → narrowed to 3

2. Best/Most appropriate answer questions:

• Often 2 options seem correct — look for the most complete or most UPSC-relevant answer
• Government policy questions: The answer is almost always the most recent official policy stance

3. Match-the-following / pairing questions:

• Anchor technique: If you know one correct pair definitively, eliminate all options that don't include it
• E.g., if you know Pair 1 → A, and only options (b) and (d) have 1-A, you've narrowed to 50/50

4. Pure factual (single-answer) questions:

• If totally unknown: skip in Round 1, return in Round 2 only if gut instinct exists
• Never guess when all 4 options are equally unknown — EV = 0, not worth the 0.667 risk

Expected value summary: