How to Prepare for UPSC 2022?

So, the first thing that you need to know about UPSC preparation is that it is not possible to succeed by just being a bookworm. Along with being a bookworm, you’d also need to be well-read, socially and politically aware, and also confident as a person. Along with all of that you’d also need to have an assertive yet pleasing personality.

In this section, I have listed some really effective tips pertaining to the topic of IAS preparation. Now, a lot of you might say that these tips are for beginners.

However, I am absolutely sure that they will be of immense help to you in drawing up the perfect 2022 UPSC preparation strategy. So, without further ado, here are the IAS preparation tips:

• The first thing you should know about the topic of how to prepare for IAS is that you should be absolutely sure about whether you want to go through with the journey or not. Know that you should board the IAS preparation train, only if you are ready to make the journey with utmost sincerity and seriousness right till the end.
• Before you start with your UPSC preparation, you should prepare yourself physically as well as mentally. Also, you should set goals for your study plan, and devote time to your IAS preparation accordingly.

2. IAS Current Affairs

• Throughout the years, one question that has been asked time and time again by millions of first-time UPSC aspirants is how to prepare for IAS current affairs, and the answer to that has always been the same, and still is today. Newspapers. Reading from daily newspapers has always been one of the most important aspects of the IAS exam preparation.
• Clearing your IAS exams without having gone through the newspaper dailies of at least the past one year, is next to impossible.
• This is because most questions that are asked in the IAS exams are directly or indirectly connected to the topics of current affairs.

3. Choose your Optional Wisely

• The optional subject-based papers account for 500 marks in the final tally of the UPSC IAS exam.
• Therefore, it is very important that you choose your optional subject after very careful consideration of the pros and cons pertaining to the selection of the same.

4. Pick up your NCERTs0

• Remember how important NCERT used to be for us when we were kids. Well, guess what? It’s equally, if not more, important for your UPSC IAS preparation. Talking about NCERT books, it’s the books from classes 6 – 12 that are the most important from the exam point of view.
• The NCERT books are an excellent source of all the basic concepts and theories needed to ace the GS papers.
• There have been instances in the past where the UPSC has asked questions directly from NCERT textbooks.

5. Make Notes

• Regularly Making notes of whatever you learn can work wonders in your IAS preparation.
• Considering the vastness of the UPSC syllabus, making notes will help you keep track of all portions of the syllabus that you have already gone through. Also, these notes will serve as excellent revision material once you are finished with the syllabus.
• Make sure to allocate separate notebooks or files for separate subjects. A lot of aspirants choose files as the better option out of the two. This is because it’s easier to add notes to the topic that is kept in the form of a file.

6. Practice Answer Writing

• As you might already know, the UPSC Mains papers are all descriptive in nature. This is so because, through these papers, the UPSC seeks to test you on your ability to think and critically analyse topics, and also simultaneously communicate the same in a fluid and concise manner.
• Therefore, to score well in the UPSC Mains, you’d need to have conceptual clarity about the various topics, the ability to structure your opinions, thoughts, and perception, and also the ability to write down the same in an easy-to-understand language.

7. Solve Past Year UPSC Papers & Mocks

• Solving past years’ UPSC papers is the most reliable way to get an idea about the actual difficulty level, pattern, and question types of the exam.
• Therefore, solving the past years’ papers is extremely important to gauge your strengths and weaknesses, and also to know the topics that are most important from the exam point of view.

8. Make use of Govt Resources & Relevant Magazines

• Therefore, when preparing for the UPSC IAS exam, one can also make use of the many government resources that are available, such as the government websites like the PIB, PRS, and national TV programs featured on the Rajya Sabha TV, etc.
• Through these government sources, you’ll be able to update yourselves with the latest events and topics pertaining to current affairs.
• These magazines will provide you with info on topics like governance, polity, economy, agriculture, etc.

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