It is never bad to follow certain IAS Preparation Tips to prepare for UPSC Examination. IAS Exam is conducted in two successive stages – UPSC Prelims which is Objective type in nature and UPSC Mains which is subjective and objective in nature. UPSC sets certain syllabus of UPSC Prelims. A candidate can prepare properly by following IAS Preparation Tips related to the IAS Exam.
A candidate can study the important topics mentioned in the IAS Exam Syllabus and continue his/her preparation in the direction. There are two sets of paper in UPSC Prelims i.e. Paper I and Paper II. UPSC Prelims is taken for the selection of candidates for IAS Mains that comprises of written exam and Interview for the final selection of candidates for the various posts.
IAS/IPS aspirants have numerous queries in their mind regarding exam eligibility, exam dates etc. Many are not sure if coaching is essential or not. Their worries are not unfounded.
Don’t be misguided!
Misguidance can cost any aspirant a lot of time and money. Many coaching institutes are unsure how to properly guide aspirants as per the latest requirements of UPSC. There are coaching institutes which charge hefty fees but provide poor service and low-quality study materials.
You need to adapt to the changing requirements of UPSC!
Whether you are a beginner in the arena of UPSC Civil Services Exam preparation or an experienced candidate, knowledge about the changing requirements of the UPSC is essential for success. This post covers the necessary things you should note before you begin IAS preparation or coaching.
IAS Books:
It is very much important for a candidate who appears for IAS to choose the right and useful IAS Preparation books. It is not important to study a large number of useless books but to read a few but actually useful books that cover all the topics effectively of IAS Syllabus. The candidates must practice various IAS Questions given under different sections to prepare for IAS Exam.
IAS Exam is believed to be a very tough government examination in India. Furthermore, UPSC Prelims is considered as the toughest stage in the whole process of an IAS Recruitment. Around 97% of total candidates appearing for the IAS Exam fail to qualify the first stage of IAS Selection Process i.e. IAS Prelims Exam.
Reasons being a few vacancies are there and another main reason for such poor result is that student lacks the right approach while preparing for the IAS exam. But, if a candidate is serious enough, embraces the right strategies, guidance and study material that even self-study is enough to get through Prelims of IAS. Given below are some major IAS Preparation Tips which a candidate can follow to score high in IAS Exam:
1. Mock Test Papers or IAS Question Papers
Mock Papers are an essential part of regular preparations of successful candidates. This is one area which tells apart successful candidates from those who fail to crack UPSC Prelims. By revising the attempted tests you get a chance to identify your mistakes. Writing mock tests not only helps you to revise your IAS Syllabus but also helps to increase your speed to solve the exam in time. There is always a crunch of time in IAS Exam, one has to be very fast in solving questions. Mock test papers help in increasing the speed of mind to make calculations.
2. Right Choice of IAS books
It is of utmost importance to pick up only recommended books and right study material for IAS Preparation. NCERT books are always highly suggested and are considered as a must-read by experts as well as successful candidates, as they clear up doubts at a fundamental level and help candidates in scoring higher scores at both stages i.e. IAS Prelims and IAS Mains.
Although there are the number of books available for IAS in the market but one needs to select only the best out of them and should prepare for only a few best ones.
3. GS Paper 1 is the key: Deep study of every subject
Till 2014, scoring high in GS Paper 2 was the easiest way to clear UPSC Prelims. Putting less effort as compared to GS Paper I, aspirants used to score high and cleared prelims. But, with changes in the IAS Exam Pattern in 2016 this strategy don’t work anymore. On the basic level, covering every subject of IAS Prelims Exam is the best approach to clear Prelims test. It's not recommended to give priority to any particular book or area thinking that questions will come from that source. Likewise, one must not miss the easy questions from traditional subjects like Polity, History, Geography, History and Economics. Current affairs are also important to prepare as they are definitely asked, other than that latest schemes and bills launched by the government are also valuable.
4. IAS Prelims cum IAS Mains Approach
Even though the type of questions asked in UPSC Prelims and Mains are different, but there are also many areas where one can find some kind of similarity in the questions. For GS Paper I, an ideal strategy suggests covering GS Mains and Prelims syllabus in detail first that gives the concept clarity about all major topics. Good knowledge of overlapping and non-overlapping areas in the IAS Syllabus of General Studies for Prelims and Mains certainly fetches you more score than others.
5. Mental Peace is the key
All your efforts and hard work go in vain if you lose your cool on the doom day. It's very much important to read IAS questions carefully and make sure that you do not make silly mistakes. And that can only happen if you are in a relaxed state of mind, otherwise, you gets confused and selects the wrong answer and even takes more time in solving a question then what is actually needed. So, all you need is to keep your calm and stay confident.
6.Time Management
All you need to do is to manage your time in a way that you can easily cover your decided syllabus and gets proper rest and sleep at the same time. Distribute available time according to the sections you have to cover. One must note that you do not need books or notes on bulk to completely go through but only a limited no. of good books and a deep study of that study material. It is very must important for a student to get proper rest and sleep. Your mind needs break and rest to work on full force again.
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