Best ways to start preparing for UPSC Exam

UPSC Prelims Exam is scheduled to be conducted on 18th June 2017. So aspiring candidates need to jump-start their UPSC Preparation without further thinking. The exam is held in 3 stages i.e. preliminary, mains and interview. The syllabus for UPSC is very vast and candidates may be very good in the optional subjects that they have chosen for the mains exam but clearing the prelims can be a challenging task for them.

Looking at the vast syllabus of the exam candidates can fell a little uneasy on how to cover the entire syllabus on time. Here are some strategies for the UPSC aspirants on how to approach the exam.

UPSC Syllabus

The first and the most important thing before preparing for UPSC is to be well versed with the syllabus. It will be easier for candidates who are well accustomed with the UPSC Syllabus and they can prepare in a systematic way. Candidates will find vast resource and information while preparing for the exam so knowing the exam syllabus can be very useful for them.

Depending on reading speed and retention capacity, candidates should gauge the full syllabus and time that would require covering each topic. Dividing the topics among the number of days the aspirants have can also be a very useful strategy for them. Candidates should make sure that their daily target set for them are ambitious as well as realistic. This will give the candidates confidence which can help them by boosting their preparation.

 Current Affairs

Current Affairs has always been one of the most important topics in UPSC Exam. Looking at the previous year's question papers of UPSC Exam candidates can see that neglecting current affairs section can be a huge mistake for them. Aspirants should make it a habit to read newspapers and magazines for two to three hours on a daily basis. Newspapers like ‘The Hindu’, ‘The Indian Express’ etc. can be followed. Candidates should not spend hours reading the entire newspaper and the news that are not relevant to UPSC preparation. Watching good news channel is also be a very useful strategy to prepare for the exam. But aspirants should not waste time and make optimum use of the time they have in their hand.

Reference Books

Instead of reading from too many books aspirants should have a good selective book which they will follow throughout. Candidates should ideally be able to revise all the important topics at least three times before the day of UPSC Exam. The basics of all candidates should be cleared and this can be done by reading NCERTs. Candidates should make proper notes of important topics while going through the NCERTs. These notes can be later used for revision and once candidates clear all their concepts they can move to advanced level books. Candidates should not waste time on reading all the topics. They should analyze the syllabus, exam pattern and previous year’s question and understand that from which topic questions come regularly in the exam. Candidates should avoid lengthy books with too many details as it will consume a lot of time and candidates will not be able to cover the whole syllabus on time.

Group Study

Studying with the right set of friends can give candidates confidence and positive energy to prepare for the exam. Group study for the exam can also be very useful for the candidates as they can aid their preparation with healthy debates and discussions. Candidates should detach themselves from any other person who tries to discourage them. Aspirants should have faith in themselves and prepare hard as it is the only way to excel in the exam.

Candidates preparing for UPSC Exam 2017 should not waste any more time and start preparing hard for the examination. The above-mentioned points should be followed by aspiring candidates who want to crack the exam. Candidates should analyze the syllabus and exam pattern and should focus more on the sections they are weak in. This can be done by practicing mock papers and the previous year’s question papers. Candidates should always be confident and practice hard and they can surely excel in the examination.

About the author:

With a degree in Engineering, Shankha Samanta is a content writer by profession. He is a vehement reader apart from writing and blogging along with part-time teaching. He is presently exploring all about the digital education with Byju’s-the Learning App.

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Subject Wise Preparation Tricks for IAS Exam

How to Prepare for IAS exam? 

Preparation of General Studies

IAS Exam General Studies comprises a vast ocean of subjects and this paper needs to be mastered in order to reach the Mains examination. Since the official syllabus does not give much detail of the topics to be studied under each subject it is expected to gain knowledge of them that should be slightly below the graduation level but definitely above the high school level.

There are 100 questions to be answered in two hours, each question carries two marks. It means there will be around 80 seconds to answer each question. So speed and accuracy are essential to tackle this examination. While the correct answer will fetch 2 marks, a wrong answer means a loss of 0.66 marks.

The 100 questions can be broadly divided into three categories:

1. Multiple Choice Questions – single response correct
2. Multiple Choice Questions – multiple response correct
3. Multiple Choice Questions – Matching type

History/Indian Culture

A considerable share of the total questions asked in General Studies for IAS, comes from Indian History.

The syllabus for history can be divided into 3 parts – Ancient Indian History, Medieval Indian History and Modern Indian History.

Most of the History questions asked in IAS Preliminary Test usually come from Modern India & Art and Culture. It has been seen that Medieval Indian History & Ancient Indian History don’t constitute a major part in terms of the number of questions asked.

So if one has to prioritize the topics for Indian History, Modern India (especially the Struggle for Independence) & Art & Culture should be given preference vis-a-vis Medieval Indian History & Ancient Indian History. Having said that never leave out the low priority topics altogether. Remember, UPSC loves to give it’s aspirants surprises.

One common mistake that most IAS aspirants make while preparing history is that in search of relevant books & study materials, they end up with a multitude of resources. Having too many books & study resources for one particular subject can do more harm than good when it comes to quick revision later.

Geography

Geography is divided into two parts – Indian Geography and World Geography

It has been seen that Indian Geography is given more weightage in the Preliminary Examination. The following are the broad topics that you MUST cover before the exam.

Indian Geography

1. Physiography of India
2. River Systems of India
3. Climate
4. Mineral Wealth of India
5. Soil & Soil Types in India
6. Agriculture
7. Forests
8. Wildlife & Conservation
9. Human Geography

While you prepare for Geography of India, keep in mind that mere cramming up information would be no use. Before you take up Physical Geography of India, have a clear understanding of fundamentals of Geography first. After you are thorough with the concepts involving Geography, you are fit to proceed towards Geography of India. Here, understand each section, sub-section in great details.

For example, if you have to understand Physiography of India, look for critical pieces of information around the same. This would include Characteristics of each region, the process behind their formation, its mineral wealth, the climate of that region and why that is the way it is, Vegetation in that region and its direct/indirect relation to Climate & Human activities etc.

World Geography

The following are the broad topics that you MUST cover before the exam:

1. The Earth & the Universe
2. Land forms and their formation
3. Atmosphere
4. Wind System
5. Clouds & Precipitation
6. Hydrosphere
7. Different Types of Climate & Climatic Regions of the World

Numerous concepts and phenomena related to Physical Geography are a part of World Geography. It is extremely important to highlight here that your understanding of World Geography would make Indian Physical Geography and a few other topics like Environment very easy for you.

Polity

There is a significant number of questions that are asked from polity and over the years they have been found to be direct and ranging from Easy to Moderate on the difficulty scale.

For polity, start with topics that are of keen interest to you. One does not necessarily have to begin in the same sequence as the Table of Contents. For instance, you may start with the chapter on Fundamental Rights & Duties much before you read the Process of the making of Indian Constitution. However, as you progress you would see that there are some chapters which are best read in the form of sets.

For example, it should only be natural to read up State Government and its Functioning after you read Union Government & its functioning.

The questions asked from the polity section are both static and dynamic in nature. Both these type of questions can be related to events and issues that passed by or are being debated. Current events related to new Bills, Acts, Policies and related provisions should be persistently followed and related topics looked up in your reference books.

For example, if there is a landmark judgment passed by the Supreme Court around Freedom of Speech, it should automatically ring a bell in your head that you need to look at relevant chapters around Fundamental Rights and Judiciary in your course book.

Economy

A lot of aspirants get scared on hearing the name of economics. But there is nothing to worry. Let me clarify right in the beginning that you do not need to have prior knowledge of economics to crack the questions based on it. You will understand concepts as you keep reading. In fact, economics might become your favorite section from the syllabus.The good thing about Indian Economy is that it is one section of Civil Services Exam where you can avoid a lot of cramming.

To understand Indian Economy better, you need to have the right resources. There are no better books than NCERTs that would build your fundamental understanding of the subject.

Read the following right at the onset of your preparation:

• Principles of Macroeconomics – Std XII
• Principles of Microeconomics – Std XII
• Indian Economic Development – Std XI
• March of the Indian economy by I.C dhingra- heed publications

Having an understanding of certain important concepts of Microeconomics, e.g. Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility, Elasticity of Demands etc would certainly go a long way towards building your basics. Now you may take up any book that takes up the case of Indian Economy in detail.

Never Forget The Budget & Economic Survey of India:

Collect the Economic Times or Business Standard, that gets published the very next day when the Budget is discussed in the Parliament. Jot down all important policy decisions of the Government of India. The Economic Survey of India is the finest and the most comprehensive document about the state of Indian Economy. It gives you the rationale behind every policy decision, comparative analyses, Important Welfare Schemes and the road map for the future of Indian Economy.

Science & Technology

There are mostly analytical questions that show up in this section. For scoring well in Science and Technology section, you would first need to analyze the kind of questions that UPSC asks. Mostly, all of the questions from Science and Technology section are analytical/conceptual in nature. A lot of them hold relevance because of the events going on around us. So, current affairs across the world go in-sync with your conceptual knowledge. All you need here is the right approach.

I suggest you strengthen your basics first.

• Start reading from ICSE Books(Classes 7-10) and go through them. Focus on the science behind the various natural phenomenon. This would make your learning more fun as well.
• Go through previously asked questions from the Science & Technology section and understand which topics are more relevant and frequently asked.
• While you are preparing, make sure you stick to the basics only. If you don’t understand concepts well enough from ICSE books, browse the internet.
• But do not spend too much time understanding the concepts in great details. Remember, you don’t need to hold a doctorate before writing the exam. You have various other sections to cover as well. So, do NOT waste your time.

If you analyze previous years’ question papers thoroughly, you will realize that most questions were asked simply because they were in news in the last 10-12 months before the exam. Focus on what is happening in India that is relevant to the field of Science and Technology. Follow ISRO, DRDO, Ministry of Science & Technology and what they do. The best way to do that is to religiously follow Science & Technology section of The Hindu.

Thanks to Arman Sethi for such a beautiful reply on quora.

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Second Step for IAS Preparation

What should be your 2nd step to prepare for IAS exam?

Before reading this post we would suggest you read our previous post First Step to Start IAS Preparation.

Know the Exam Syllabus

Paper I Syllabus (General Studies)

1. Current Affairs: Events of national and international importance
2. History of India and Indian National Movement
3. Indian and World Geography – Physical, Social, Economic geography of India and the World.
4. Indian Polity and Governance – Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues, etc.
5. Economic and Social Development – Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives, etc.
6. General issues on Environmental Ecology, Bio-diversity and Climate Change (no subject specialization required)
7. General Science

Paper II Syllabus

1. Comprehension
2. Interpersonal skills including communication skills
3. Logical reasoning and analytical ability
4. Decision-making and problem-solving
5. General mental ability
6. Basic numeracy (numbers and their relations, orders of magnitude etc.) (Class X level), Data Interpretation (charts, graphs, tables, data sufficiency etc. – Class X level)
7. English Language Comprehension skills (Class X level).
8. Questions relating to English Language Comprehension skills of Class X level. (will be tested through passages from English language only without providing Hindi translation)

Thanks to Arman Sethi for such a beautiful reply on quora.

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First Step to Start IAS Preparation

What should be your first step to start preparation for IAS exam?

Every year lakhs of aspirants prepare and take the exam to secure a job by IAS exam, but as we all know just one or two thousand candidates were selected from them. So it is important to make a proper strategy for the exam to succeed in the exam.

Step 1: Know the Exam Pattern

The first step towards Civil Services is to familiarize yourself with the pattern of the examination.

The Civil Services Exam is conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) each year. It is conducted in 3 stages:

Stage 1: Preliminary Examination (Popularly known as CSAT)

There are two papers in Prelims exams – namely Paper I and Paper II.

Paper I tests you on General Studies and Paper II tests you on Aptitude. Qualifying Paper I lets you appear for the Mains examination. 

Paper II is only to analyze you i.e it is only of qualifying nature.The marks scored in Paper II are NOT added for the overall merit of the Civil Services Preliminary Examination.

Paper I (General Studies)

200 Marks

Duration: Two Hours

Number of Questions: 100

Paper II (Aptitude)

200 Marks

Duration: Two Hours

Number of Questions: 80

Stage 2: Main Examination (Also known as Mains)

The Main Examination will consist of written examination. The written examination will consist of 9 papers of conventional essay type i.e descriptive in nature.

Stage 3: Personal Interview

Candidates who obtain minimum qualifying marks in the Main Examination as may be fixed by the Commission at their discretion, shall be summoned by them for an interview for a Personality Test.

If you find this helpful, you can also learn the second step towards IAS preparation.

Thanks to Arman Sethi for such a beautiful reply on quora.

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