The UPSC Civil Services Exam is one of the most prestigious exams in India. It is attempted by lakhs of people across the country every year. However, only a tiny fraction of them are able to fulfil their IAS ambitions. The IAS exam is not only challenging in terms of the length of its syllabus, but it is also daunting because of its highly unpredictable nature. In this article, you can get all the information you need on how to prepare for the IAS exam, and change your destiny. he All India Examination is conducted in three stages, namely, the Preliminary, Main Exam and the Interview. The following tips will help you in preparing yourself to face the Civil Services Examination with confidence.
TIPS
The last stage in the UPSC exam process is the personality test round, wherein the UPSC board would interview the candidate for assessing his/her personality and its suitability for a career in the services. This requires an all-round development of the individual apart from academic knowledge, so the UPSC exam cannot be cracked by just being a bookworm. The focus should not merely be on finishing the syllabus, but on constantly acquiring information, being aware of your surroundings, and have a insight into the latest current affairs within the country and beyond.
Know your Syllabus and Pattern of UPSC exam
- The UPSC has provided the syllabus for the Civil Services Preliminary and Main examination in an elaborate manner.
- Aspirants should understand and follow the syllabus for UPSC civil service examination. Knowing the syllabus will help you to choose relevant study materials, prioritize the subjects, etc.
- Understand the UPSC exam pattern thoroughly, and pace your IAS preparation accordingly.
Make Time table
Analyse your status long before the examination and plan your schedule accordingly. When it comes to civil services exams, last minute preparations never work. Since the civil services exams take place every year, there is always a plenty of time to plan how many days you would want to allot for certain subjects. Remember, slow and steady always wins the race. So early preparations always help than mugging up when the exams are just a month away.
- So make a well-organized daily routine.
- You should set a comfortable timetable before your preparation and stick to it.
- Making a timetable will ease your preparation and make it more streamlined. With deadlines, you would work better and complete the syllabus faster.
Keep Yourself Updated With Current Affairs
Civil services exams are there to test an aspirant's in-depth knowledge about the society he/she is lives in. It is a common myth among the candidates that they should be well aware of what is happening at the international level. Knowledge about international events is also required, but knowing one's own village, district, state and country should be considered as the foundation for one's preparation. This does help in serving one's country very well. Read more Newspaper reading tips here
Practice previous year question papers:
Past year papers should be like a radar of preparation which provides direction and orientation to your preparation. Apart from enhancing your knowledge base, past year papers help in forming your mental outlook. This increases your common sense and helps you in eliminating options. Click here to download Previous year question paper
Focus On Your Personality And Communication Skills:
Interview is one of the most important parts of the examination. It is vital for you to convey your thoughts clearly to the interviewers. Hence, concentrate on polishing your communication skills and body language. Some candidates are blessed with such skills. And some need to practice to become excellent communicators of their ideas. Candidates with no communication skills can approach those, who have already appeared for the civil services exams, to take useful tips from them.
NCERTs
The NCERT textbooks from classes six to twelve play a very significant role in IAS exam preparation.Aspirants can get basic concepts and theories from NCERT textbooks.These books provide the information very coherently. Moreover, they are reliable too as the source is the government itself. In previous years UPSC has asked questions directly from NCERT textbooks.So, NCERTs are undoubtedly the best books to begin your IAS preparation with. Get a complete list of NCERTs needed for the UPSC exam here. Apart from the NCERTs, you should also follow a few other advanced textbooks.
CSAT should be taken very seriously:
Taking it lightly can cost a big toll. The people who are completely novice to CSAT should keep it at par with General Studies. But even the aspirants who are at a comparatively advanced stage should take it seriously. At Least past years papers should not be missed.
Mock Test Series
- Self-assessment is an essential part of UPSC preparation.
- It can help civil service aspirant in realizing and learning from mistakes, shaping what approach they need to follow in continuing the preparation and identifying strengths and weaknesses.
- It is highly recommended to join mock test series, especially if you are preparing from home. This will help you to assess yourself and help you further. For mock test series, Contact here
Make notes:
As you go through the syllabus, make quick notes. This will help you in revision and better understanding of concerned topics. It is helpful to make short notes during UPSC preparation. Since the UPSC syllabus is very vast, it helps to keep track of the portions covered and also serves as a ready-reckoner for revision. You can have separate files or notebooks for separate subjects. Files are preferred by many since they help adding notes to a topic easier. This is especially helpful in the case of adding current affairs-related news to a particular topic.
Aspirants can check out the following links for tips to prepare for the upcoming Civil services Exam more comprehensively