The UPSC civil services exam is one of the most competitive exams conducted in India. It is attempted by lakhs of candidates every year. However, only a fraction of those come out with flying colours in the end. Clearing this exam gives an entry into the prestigious civil services of the country. As soon as the IAS results are announced, the UPSC toppers gain limelight in the country.The IAS toppers serve as an inspiration to thousands of young people who aspire to clear the Civil Services Exam.

TIPS BY SACHIN GUPTA

ABOUT SACHIN GUPTA

  • Sachin Gupta secured AIR 3 in UPSC CSE 2017 in his Third attempt.
  • He came from Sirsa, Haryana.
  • He has secured AIR 575 in UPSC CSE 2016 and was selected in Indian Corporate Law Services (ICLS).
  • He did his schooling from DAV Centenary School, Sirsa.
  • He did his B.E in Mechanical Engineering from Thapar University, Patiala.

TIPS FOR PRELIMS BY SACHIN GUPTA

GENERAL TIPS

  • You have read the success stories of many candidates in  but Friends none of their story is useful for you if you will not forge your own strategy.Their strategy will help you in understanding those things which they learned from their experiences. But above all, if you will not take steps then you will be at the same place where you were before.
  • Try to understand your strengths and weaknesses. You have to understand in which areas you are lagging. For example: If you are not able to write proper answers then work on answer writing. If you are weak in your optional then work on it.
  • Let’s understand this more deeply. Sachin Gupta was not scoring well in his optionals so he chose a different optional subject next year. He found himself lagging in GS so he joined a test series.
  • Throughout your preparation hard work is the most important thing which will help you in clearing this exam. There will be phases in your life where you will feel like giving up. In those time your goal and your hard work will inspire you.
  • All the candidatesshould have Self-Believe in themselves and their capabilities. If you do not believe in your abilities then you cannot clear this exam. If you feel demotivated then talk with your parents and well wishers. They will support and inspire you.

STRATEGY FOR PRELIMS

I hope that your preparation for prelims will be going on in full swing and you might be going through the feeling of fear and lack of confidence. So before writing the strategy that I followed for Prelims , I would like to talk about some Do’s & Don’t for those who are giving prelims within a month on 3rd of June, this year.

  • Don’t change your own strategy: As result is declared recently , many of us successful candidates would be writing their own strategies, don’t get swayed in last one month, this is not the time to change anything that you followed till now. For last 1 month try to restrict yourself to the resources and follow the simple mantra "Revise Revise and Revise”
  • Previous year UPSC Papers:This is the only thing that i would suggest if any of the aspirants haven’t solved them yet, do it . It will not only help you in understanding areas on which one needs to focus more in last one month but also it will improve elimination as well as help you in time management in the examination hall.
  • Time Management in last one month: About 4 weeks are left in prelims examination on 3rd of June. Just try to make a weekly schedule for next 3 weeks and divide them into daily targets. It will help you in two ways, firstly you will remain calm and confident that everything will be covered by the end of 3 weeks and secondly it increases your efficiency on daily basis. This is something that I realized, after doing mistakes in last 3 prelims but follow it only if you feel its right for you based upon your own strength and weakness.
  • Health: Just take care of your health in last one month as it’s the most crucial time and you may save 10-20 mins or an hour at max by neglecting diet or exercise but if God forbid one gets sick, it can take away 3-4 days straight.
  • During Examination: When you enter the examination hall, just say yourself you are the best, I will definitely clear this. Believe me it works, it gives a sense of confidence and reduce performance pressure. Further , fill all your particulars with extra caution . It might happen you might mark one or two questions wrong mistakenly even after knowing it ( It happened with me twice). Don’t panic and just try to focus on rest of the questions. Don’t let one mistake spoil your entire paper.

Source - Various Internet Sources