3 Useful Habits To Develop When Preparing For UPSC

Ever wondered how people get selected into India’s most prestigious jobs - the IAS, IPS, IFS etc? Well, only the crème de la crème clears the exams and gets posted here. It also happens to be one of India’s toughest exam, besides the IIT JEE’s. As a result, the UPSC age limit has been raised to 32 (for General candidates) and a maximum of 37 (for SC/ST candidates). It takes years of preparation, dedication and commitment to clear the exam. But working hard doesn’t mean you are working smart. There are tips and tricks which makes your UPSC preparation much more manageable. Here are 3 useful habits that you need to develop if you are preparing for UPSC:

Chunks of Knowledge

We already know that the syllabus for UPSC is massive. But the sheer magnitude of content to study can overwhelm potential candidates. An efficient UPSC preparation strategy is to break down information into customization chucks. This process is called Information-Chunking. It involves comprehending information in the form of small chunks. This process is highly efficient as it relieves cognitive load and makes it easier for the candidate to recollect information. The candidate can easily identify patterns and trends in the “chunked” content and therefore, it becomes easy to comprehend vast amounts of information. How you chunk information depends entirely on your preference.

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Creating a Routine

Create a study routine and stick to it. Don’t change or alter its duration. Everyone has their own time when it comes to studying. This can be due to personal commitments or other factors that affect the learning process. You see, when studying for longs hours, the body takes a toll and the mind’s mental efficiency reduces. This is unavoidable but quite vital for UPSC preparation. But when you stick to your routine, the body gets adjusted and it adapts itself around this hinderance eventually. Research has shown that it takes roughly 66 days to form a habit. So, sitting to study for 10 or 12 hours a day might not seem tedious if you can manage to form a habit out of it.

Setting Goals

Your ultimate goal is to clear the UPSC. But to reach that goal, you need to set small, specific goals that are measurable. To start off, set goals that you want to achieve within the span of a single day. And then, set goals for the week. For instance, you could dedicate yourself to one concept for an hour or two, then move on to another one as you finish. The benefit of this strategy is that if monotony occurs, the next target might switch things up, which is enough for you to regain interest towards the preparation process. To sum up, this UPSC preparation strategy helps you set specific, time-bound and realistic goals that bring you one step closer to your ultimate goal. Furthermore, this can help you organize information and review them later on. And it can help you compare the number of hours you dedicate for the competitive exams.

In conclusion, these are the 3 Useful Habits To Develop When Preparing For UPSC. Developing these 3 habits will give you an edge over the other candidates and grant you a higher probability of clearing the exam.