Trade Agreements — Prelims Strategy

Prelims Strategy

Focus on memorizing specific agreement names, years, and key provisions - India-UAE CEPA (2022), India-Australia ECTA (2022), RCEP withdrawal (2019). Master constitutional articles - Article 253 (implementation), Article 73 (executive power), and Trade Agreements Act 1947.

Create comparison charts for FTA vs CEPA vs ECTA differences. Practice identifying trade creation vs trade diversion scenarios. Memorize India's major trading partners under each agreement and key sectors covered.

Stay updated on current developments - recent trade statistics, new negotiations, and policy announcements. Use elimination techniques by understanding what each agreement type does NOT include. Focus on tricky concepts like rules of origin, early harvest, and negative vs positive listing.

Practice MCQs that combine trade agreements with other topics like WTO, foreign policy, and economic development.

Also build Paper II skills

Dense constitutional and IR passages mirror CSAT-style comprehension and argument evaluation—build those skills in parallel. CSAT hub.

• Valid & invalid arguments
• Syllogisms
• Critical reasoning