There’s a reason why every mentor advises you that you need a solid UPSC study strategy; the exams are often regarded as the most difficult, strict, and prestigious in India.
Every year, about a million candidates from all around the country take the exam. However, because the number of vacancies is so small, only a small percentage of the million are able to realise their bureaucratic aspirations. This only adds to the exam’s difficulty.
The IAS tests are difficult not only because of the extensive material, but also because of their unpredictability.
In this section of the article, I am going to inform you about how to prepare for UPSC in detail.
So, the first thing you should know regarding UPSC preparation is that being a bookworm will not help you succeed. You’d need to be well-read, socially and politically savvy, and self-assured in addition to being a bookworm. You’d also need an authoritative yet appealing personality to go along with all of that.
With that in mind, let me now move on to the topic of Best UPSC Preparation Tips:
In this area, I’ve compiled a list of some of the most useful IAS preparation suggestions. Many of you may think that these suggestions are only for novices.
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:
1. Know the Exam
- 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. Prepare a TimeTable
- One thing that separates the wheat from the chaff in terms of those that will succeed in the UPSC exams and those who won’t, is a well-organized and properly thought-out daily study routine.
- When talking about how to prepare for IAS efficiently, it is of utmost importance that you set for yourself a comfortable timetable that is easy to follow. That way you’d be able to stick to it with greater sincerity and ease.
3. Know the Syllabus by Heart
- Whenever a mentor starts saying anything related to the topic of how to prepare for UPSC CSE (IAS), the first words that come out of their mouth are, “Know the syllabus by heart”. This is because the syllabus is the soul of the exam. You should know it well before you get to know the UPSC exam dates. That way you’ll have much more time for revisions.
- Knowing the syllabus thoroughly will help you prioritize the topics and subjects according to your strengths and weaknesses, and also choose the right reading materials to study from.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. Pick up your NCERTs
- 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.
7. 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.