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How to prepare for UPSC exams

plan well
Last Updated 26 October 2016, 18:33 IST

With the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) mains exam approaching, the stress level of the students seems to have reached it’s peak. The only mantra to crack the exam is to stay confident and study smart. With only two months in hand, many are finding themselves in a state of panic and don’t know from where to start their final preparation. Despite the topics of the prelims and the mains being somewhat similar, the students remain scared and unsure about the exam. The first UPSC mains paper is on December 3, 2016 and the last one is on December 9, 2016.

Here are some tips that can help you ensure that everything runs smoothly in your preparation.

Follow reverse strategy
When you are preparing for the exam, you must follow a reverse strategy 10 days before the exam. In this method, you start with the paper whose exam is at the end. This way, you will be able to complete your revision on time. Time management, focus and strategy are some other aspects you must concentrate on during the preparation.

*Time management: If you manage your time properly, completing the syllabus doesn’t seem like a difficult task. You must follow the SRS (Subject Revise Subject) approach, which involves switching between subjects throughout the day to maintain interest. As a result, the revision process will not become monotonous. This approach advocates that you start a subject that requires an imaginative approach like Geography, History or Environment in the first half of the day. After lunch, you must revise the subject that you studied a day before and go for a technical subject like Politics or General Science in the evening or right before you sleep.

*Right focus: If you want to crack the UPSC main exam, studying a lot isn’t the key. You must study smart and focus on the topics that are important and have maximum weightage. Before you start any topic, you must go through the previous year’s question paper and examine the types of questions that usually come. Once you know what is important, you can then divide your time accordingly. However, knowing the less important topics doesn’t mean you leave it completely. You must have a fair idea about these topics so that you aren’t completely blank about them.

*Efficient strategy: Your strategy should be done in an effective manner so that your retention power is at the maximum level. When you start reading any subject, make sure you create notes, handouts and cards that will help you in your revision later. You must understand the topics rather than simply mugging them up.

*Revision is essential: No matter how good your memory is, you must revise. Many students do not revise thinking that their memory is strong enough and the revision is not really needed. This overconfidence can lead to the lack of retention while writing the paper. You must revise the topic within a week for better retention. You must also take mock tests to get a better idea of where you stand.

The right study material
When it comes to studying for UPSC, there are a pool of books available in the market for you to use. However, studying from multiple books will only add on to the confusion. Here are some of the books that can be referred to: for Culture, one can study from The Wonder That Was India by A L Basham or from India’s Ancient Past by R S Sharma. Books like History Of Modern India and India’s Struggle For Independence, both by Bipan Chandra are extremely helpful for History. Oxford University Press’s The Oxford School Atlas will help you prepare for the map points for History and Geography. Geography of India by Majid Husain and India: A Comprehensive Geography by D R Khullar are also must-haves and are easily available.

M Lakshmikanth’s books — Governance in India and Indian Polity will help you get an in-depth understanding of Polity. For foreign policy, you can study from India and the World: Through the Eyes of Indian Diplomats by Surendra Kumar. Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude for Civil Services Examination by G Subba Rao and P N Roy Chowdhury is another book which you can refer to while preparing for the UPSC exam. For the humanities subjects, you can study from the NCERT books. In case you want to study it from the scratch, you can start with the junior classes to get a better understanding.

Interview
When it comes to cracking UPSC, the written examination is not everything. The interview is the last step of UPSC and if you crack this, you justify the hard work that you have been put for the past few months.

It is important that you remain confident throughout your interview to make a good impression. Here are a few tips that you will have to keep in mind before you go for the interview:

*Prepare well: If you are aware about what is happening around, you are most likely to do well in the interview. Read the newspapers and have your own views about the trending topics. In the interview, the interviewee can ask questions from your optional paper as well. You must be prepared to answer all the questions.

*Look confident: When you enter the room, your confidence should be the first thing that the interviewees will notice. Any sign of nervousness like looking at the watch, sweating, stammering etc will make a bad impression.

*Watch what you say: Bragging is one thing which you should never do in an interview. People often brag in an interview and go blank when their statement is cross-questioned. In case you do not know any answer, you can always admit that you do not know it. Making up an answer and getting it wrong is not the best thing to do in an interview.

*Avoid distractions: Before the interview, you must switch off your cellphone to avoid any possible distraction. You must maintain eye contact all through.
With these simple tips, you can ace the exam and come out successful.

(The author is CEO and co-founder, SuperProfs, New Delhi)

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(Published 26 October 2016, 17:09 IST)

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