Civil Services is the most sought after career option among the youth in India owing to the prestige, job satisfaction, personality development that the experience of being on the job provides. The UPSC Civil Services Examination is conducted by the Union Public Services Commission annually for the recruitment of candidates to All India and Central Services. Though the examination is considered as the “Mother of All the Examinations”, it is not a difficult task to clear it in one single attempt. A solid preparation strategy and consistency can sail you through the examination without much difficulty. Here are a few tips for the beginners to clear the examination in one single attempt.
Understand the Requirements and Syllabus of the Examination:
In order to take up the Civil Services Examination, a candidate must fulfil certain criterion specified by the commission. Before one starts preparing for the examination, it is essential to go through the eligibility criterion, number of attempts one is entitled to etc. An aspirant must go through the IAS Exam Syllabus thoroughly and understand it. Knowing the syllabus well will help in aligning the preparation well within the framework of the syllabus consequently saving time.
Read a Newspaper on a daily basis:
Newspaper is the bible for UPSC preparation. As clichéd as it may sound, one must and should follow at least one newspaper religiously in order to clear the examination in the first attempt. While it is important to read the newspaper, it is also essential to know what to read and what not to read from the newspaper. This comes with practice and with the thorough knowledge of the syllabus. Making short notes from the newspaper will come handy at the time of revision.
Design a solid preparation strategy:
Geography, Polity, Economy and History are the four core subjects in the UPSC exam preparation and are a part of both the prelims and mains syllabus. The aspirants must aim to cover these subjects initially and then move on to covering other topics such as Environment and Ecology, Science and Technology, Internal Security etc. For this, one must break down the syllabus, divide the topics and prepare a timeline for completion of the syllabus. A solid preparation strategy will help in achieving the targets in a time bound manner.
Practice Answer Writing:
One must integrate the prelims and mains examination preparation, as many topics are found to overlapping in the syllabi and it is not possible to cover the mains syllabus after declaration of the prelims result. Answer writing practice makes or breaks your ability to secure a rank in the examination. Mains exam is all about addressing the demand of the question in a simple and concise manner within the given time limit. Therefore it is imperative that the candidate begins answer writing practice the day he/she starts IAS preparation.
Use the internet judiciously:
In the era where the answer to any question is just one click away, it is natural for the aspirants to spend a lot of time on the internet. It is important to not waste hours of time online, researching on a single topic. Select a few websites that offer material for UPSC preparation and follow them regularly. Following too many blogs, websites, and channels will impede your preparation than serving good.
In addition to following the above mentioned tips, an aspirant must be determined, dedicated and consistent with the preparation. In such an examination where the pass percentage is very low, and the number of competitors multiply each year, it is necessary to stay true to the preparation and have faith in oneself. Nothing is impossible, not even cracking the UPSC Exam in the first attempt. Start now, where you are, with what you have, with all the fear and faith. Now is the time!
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