UPSC Exam preparation tips for IAS aspirants

How to Read?

How to read ( recommended approach ) 1st Reading The first time you’re reading the books, read them like a novel. Highlight the important points using a highlighter ( in case of ebook ) or a pencil ( Hard copy ). Keep a dictionary handy. If you come across any difficult word, look it up immediately. If you don’t understand a specific concept, use Google and read up about it.

Note On highlighting ( how to know what to highlight )

It’s important that you know what information to highlight and what to ignore. This can be done by analyzing previous question papers. Analyzing previous year’s question papers will help you understand the type of questions asked under each topic. For instance, if you’re studying about the various Government schemes and policies, you should focus on advantages & disadavantages of the policy, need for that policy and its approach. if you’re studying about a specific industry, your focus should be on the location of the industry, the factors affecting its location, challenges faced, opportunities and its current situation

2nd Reading

Give a gap of about 2 to 3 days after your first reading, before you begin your second reading. During your 2nd reading, ignore the unwanted details and focus on the notes you had highlighted during your 1st reading. It’s a good idea to try and recall whatever you learnt your 1st reading before revising each chapter.

3rd Reading

Not that you’re done with your second reading it’s time to summarize what you have studies. The 3rd reading should be relatively faster than the 1st and 2nd. During the 3rd reading, glance through each chapters’ Highlighted parts. Try and relate the concepts you’re studying to current affairs, and connect the dots.

Quality Vs Quantity

An IAS officer is perceived to have ample and sufficient knowledge to deal with any sorts of problems ranging from daily chores to peculiar problems. He/She should be well l versed with all possible subject matters. Hence, in light of all these, it can be concluded that an elementary level knowledge pertaining to all themes and substances should be imbibed in an IAS officer. Therefore, subject matters of secondary level should from the foundation of an IAS aspirant.

Realistically specifying, there can never be a fixed number of prescribed books. Uniformity can never be maintained at least in mentioning the number of books to be referred. Some likes to read from internet, some likes to refer upsc coaching institutes, notes, even some would like to prescribe only standard NCERT books and some may go for amalgamation of all these sources.

What all books, which all sources and how many in number solely depends upon the comfort and ease of candidates. These vary from time to time from aspirant to aspirant and from experienced to naïve candidates.

How to Read the Newspapers?

Reading the complete newspaper – In a newspaper, there are hardly 5 -6 important news on daily basis which are relevant for Civil Services aspirant. But we tend to read even non – relevant news as well. Nowadays, UPSC has shifted its orientation from static portion to dynamic in which current affairs plays major role. Direct questions from newspapers are part of prelims as well as mains. Most significant role of newspaper is evident in GS2 and GS3 of main examination Few important pints related to newspaper reading:

• News related to crimes, functions of political parties are irrelevant from civil services point of view.
• News related to Environment, Govt. Schemes, Economy, International Relations, Science and Technology are very important from civil services point of view.
• Editorial of news – paper – helps to build the view on recent affairs which is mandatory for civil services aspirant.

Sources for the Civil Services Exam

Going through the exam syllabus will give you a brief idea about the kind of resources/ study material you will need for your preparation. Keep your sources minimal and follow the best source available.

Follow Government websites like, Income Tax Department, Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of External Affairs, etc. for authentic information.

These websites are periodically updated with annual reports. Gather and analyze previous year UPSC CSE Exam question papers ( at least last 10 years )

Civil Services a Journey or a Destination?

If you measure the worth of the journey by the fact that whether you reached the destination or not, you are doing a great disservice to the journey itself. So whether you become an IAS or not, it hardly matters. But once you undertake this journey one thing is for sure, you will not be the same person again. Let us tell you why. This exam brings about a transformational change in person. It makes you aware of so many things that no other exam can. It makes you a far better person than you already are. It makes you empathetic to the plight of the downtrodden and needy millions. It makes you balanced in your outlook and approach You will always be ahead in life after preparing for this exam. You will be able to learn how our past affects our present and our future. You will become a highly intellectual person who could take about anything in highly effective manner. It changes your perspective on how you see things. You will not judge people on how they act, but will learn why they act in that manner Every side has two story. CSE will give you enough perspective to see both sides!

How to start?

First of all, know the eligibility criteria of the IAS exam. The aspirant should be a Graduate in any subject. To apply the age of the applicant should be between 21 – 32, if general categories.

Find your best time of learning

Before scheduling your exam preparations, decide which time suits you for contented learning, either a day time or the peaceful night time. Additionally allot your peak timings for crispy topics, so that may increase your memorizing level and parallel saves your revising time

Decide whether, you are morning person or an evening person. If Morning, then prepare for hard and difficult subjects in the morning. Leave your upsc coaching in indore or revision activities for the evening. Give your best at that time when you feel the most productive.

At a complete stretch no one can be attentive in our planet for more than 2 hours. for every half hour, relax yourself and utilize your time resourcefully. Give yourself in between breaks. Also, if you feel that you cannot give more then try to utilize that time by either feeling refreshed or watching some informative videos. Which could help you in the exam. After making so many works to the edge of success. Have you ever know what pulls you down when everything is perfect? Probably it could be the time management. Hence decide to try time management and you can achieve your targets by knowing time management build up.

Plan first, Act later

Ask yourself : What do you need to do to achieve this? Write it down! These are your study goals. Can they be achieved? If so, what do you need to do? This may include various goal setting activities in order to achieve your study objectives. If not why not? What is stopping you? How can this be overcome? By breaking your study goals down into manageable study tasks, by setting performance goals, you will be better able to asses where you should apply your energies most

The benefits of students setting study goals and study tasks are numerous. Your study immediately becomes more productive as you know exactly what you should be doing, when you should be doing the it and how long it will take you. You will get a better return on investment than if you simply opened a book and started to study a topic. You become more productive and your study is of higher quality – it ‘s a win – win. Students who set study goals and objective are guaranteed to perform better an get better results as they can focus on the study goals they have se t themselves and action to achieve those study goals.

Students who set study goals and objective are guaranteed to perform better an get better results as they can focus on the study goals they have se t themselves and action to achieve those study goals.

Getting organised is the first step you will need to achieve exam success, so make sure you invest the time at the beginning in outlining what you need to do, and importantly, why you want to achieve it be setting goals which are achievable and manageable

Time is an Asset. Utilize it.

Time management is a significant in academics part; however most of students come to know this, only at the time when they face failures. Usually people plan about time management for their exam preparations with eagerness at beginning moment, but in most cases eventually they fail to follow their time management.

Especially in CSE, if one doesn’t knows about time management, then the chance of cracking examination is less. It’s a simple strategy of effective time utilization their tasks and that makes them to get success.

Whenever you start your exam preparation make an advance plan before a week, month and year, keeping in mind all the three stages of the exams. Although following time difficult and make you frustrated. But once you stick with it, then to your surprise, it becomes routing gradually.

Worried about how much time to give for preparation?

Better note it, CSE is tough examination to crack. Whoever, told you that this will easy was lying. It’s difficult but not impossible to crack. Students are grappled by the anxiety as to how, much time to give for studying in this examination.

Toppers and success candidates say that they studied for 16 hrs. and much more some might even say that they found the examination process very easy and thus they did not had to contribute more than 6 -7 hrs.

How much time to give for daily studying solely depends on an individual. It does not depend on the time but rather on the concentration level that you will be putting. Most students who have higher IQ might have to still retain most of the stuff, whereas some students have to work extraordinarily hard

Don’t go by the time that you friends are giving to daily preparation. Don’t over try and also don’t work under. Maximize the time that you are giving. Try to utilize the time that you are spending on the studies. like Arjun whose eyes were on the target, you should also study in the same manner. Just see how much time it requires you to fulfill your daily targets and then you can calculated how much time you need dedicate for your studies