The UPSC Civil Services Exam is considered one of the most prestigious competitive exams in India. It is attempted by a large number of candidates across the country annually. However, only a few candidates are able to fulfill their civil services ambitions. The UPSC IAS exam is the toughest competitive exam because of its lengthy syllabus and unpredictable nature. Cracking the UPSC exam is not a very easy task. Candidates are required to make a rock-solid preparation plan to clear the cut-off marks of all the selection stages with flying colors. They should check the UPSC Exam Pattern and Syllabus before starting the preparation. Along with this, they should also follow certain strategies shared below to clear the UPSC Civil services exam in one go.
Understand the Syllabus and Exam Pattern
Understand the UPSC Syllabus thoroughly and pace your exam preparation accordingly. The Union Public Service Commission has shared the syllabus for the Prelims and Mains exam in a detailed manner. Following the UPSC GS 2 Syllabus will help candidates in focusing on the topics/chapters important from the exam perspective. Check the latest UPSC Exam Pattern to get an insight into the examination format and the overall marking scheme of every stage of the selection process.
Reading Newspaper/Current Affairs for UPSC Exam
The newspapers are the most important factor in the IAS exam preparation. If you skip reading the newspaper daily or don’t memorize current affairs, then there is less possibility of clearing the exam. Most of the questions asked in prelims and mains civil services exam are based on current affairs. Hence, candidates should note down all the relevant events from the daily newspaper and revise them frequently. Along with the newspapers, candidates can also refer to the youtube channels and current affairs weekly and monthly PDF capsules for better preparation.
Read NCERTs Book
Read NCERTs textbooks from class 6 to class 12 to understand the concepts behind the theory in simple language. These books provide valuable information and accurate facts about the topics important for the exam. So, NCERTs are one of the best sources to begin the UPSC preparation. Candidates can also download the NCERTs book from its official website. Along with the NCERTs Textbooks, one should also follow standard books for each subject to strengthen their IAS preparation.
Solving Previous Year Question Papers
UPSC Civil Services Previous Year Question Papers is one of the most authentic sources of preparation as the candidates will be able to understand the difficulty level and the types of questions asked in the exam. Candidates will be able to judge the increase and decrease in exam trends easily. The most important thing is that the candidates will get to know the areas from which most of the questions are asked in the exam every year. Lastly, they will be able to self-assess their preparation level and move ahead accordingly.
Join Mock Test Series
Candidates should enroll in the mock test series to assess their preparation level and track their progress. Self-assessments are very important in the UPSC Civil Services preparation. By doing this, the aspirants will recognize and learn from their mistakes, prepare an effective approach to be followed in the further preparation journey and discover strong and weak spots for better preparation.
Revision
If you are willing to appear in the UPSC exam, then revision is very important for better results. Since the UPS Civil Services Syllabus is vast and tricky, it is not common to forget topics that you have covered earlier. Thus, revise all the topics once or twice every week to avoid forgetting things on the examination day.