Effective Preparation Strategy for UPSC 2020

Bhavna Veerwani

3 years ago

The dates for the much awaited exam of the year has been announced. The first phase of the Civil Services Exam commonly known as the Prelims would be conducted on October 4, 2020 and the second phase (commonly known as the Mains ) would be conducted on 21 January, 2021.

The number of candidates who appeared for the Civil Services Exam was over 8 Lakhs as per indianexpress.com out of which 12,000 qualified. It is very well known that UPSC has a syllabus which covers ‘everything that comes under the Sun’. So the aspirants are advised that they must immediately gear up their preparations to qualify for their dream job by remaining consistent and focused.

Here are some strategies which can intensify your preparation to qualify for the same.

Go through the Syllabus regularly
Set a Time Table
Stay updated!
Choosing Study Resources Wisely
Choice of Subject for the Mains
Significance of Practice and Revision
Proper Sleep and Proper Diet
Recreation is Important

Go through the Syllabus regularly

You must go through the syllabus again and again so that you don’t miss out important topics. Keeping a hard copy of the same handy, would make it convenient for you to enhance your study plan.
You can keep marking topics which are covered and also highlight very important topics on the hard copy itself.
You can also mention the number of times you have gone through a particular topic to elevate. Seeing that you have revised the topics thoroughly, multiple times would elevate your confidence, which is very crucial before attempting the exam.

Set a Time Table

Making a study plan and allotting time to every subject is very important to qualify for the UPSC exam. Before making the same, you should first analyse your strong and weak subjects and allot time accordingly. Following the timetable with ‘discipline’ is the first step to become an officer.

Stay updated!

Briefing yourself with current affairs is a necessity. You cannot overlook the significance of it in both the phases of the Civil Services Exam. The question in the exam paper might be asked, let’s say from the history syllabus dealing with a past event but the possibility of it having significance in the present would be high.
Reading newspapers on a daily basis is the key to staying updated. Not only would you work on your current affairs but you will also come across several opinions on popular issues, which would help you write descriptive answers for the mains.

Choosing Study Resources Wisely

The syllabus for the UPSC exam is vast. Students must do proper research before investing in books. With the aid of the internet this task has become a lot easier than before.
Do not miss reading NCERTs as they are in accordance with the syllabus of UPSC.
Important magazines like Yojana, Kurukshetra and Economic and Political Weekly (EPW) are reliable sources of information.
Television Programmes featured on the Rajya Sabha like ‘Samvidhan’ are also full of information.
After collecting the best study material, you must stick and follow the material till the end. Studying from different books may also lead to confusion and you might land yourself in a state of panic at the end.

Choice of Subject for the Mains

Your preparation should be such that you sail through the first phase, that is the Prelims, and prepare yourself for the Mains.
For Mains you should be very careful because by choosing a subject of your interest and academic background you can completely turn the game in your favour. The questions in the second phase are such which require a thorough understanding of topics. Making the right choice can be a very fruitful decision.

Significance of Practice and Revision

Aspirants preparing for competitive exams are very well aware of the significance of multiple and frequent revision of every topic.
The best way is to read and understand a topic ‘at least three times’
You also need to understand that solving previous years question papers and model test papers is the best way to prepare a topic thoroughly. By doing so, you realise, what pattern is followed every year, how the questions are based on current affairs, how repetitive a topic asked in the paper is and many other queries get resolved.
Discussing your topics with friends is yet another way to retain things. The more you talk about a topic the, the longer it stays with the mind.

Proper Sleep and Proper diet

For the optimum use of the brain, proper sleep and proper diet are essential. Being in good health is the best thing you can do to yourself, to qualify for any exam. It is rightly said, “It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of silver and gold.”- Mahatma Gandhi.

Recreation is Important

Yes, it is! By engaging in other activities like meeting up with friends, going for movies, gymning, listening to music are like tonics to the brain. You should take out time and entertain yourself so that your brain is charged up again for the other round of hard work. Though, the time allotted to extra activities should be limited.

A Last Piece of Advise

Explore and Explore! If you will study just for the sake of qualifying the exam, the whole process would seem monotonous and exhausting. Try and develop interest in the subjects you study. The internet is there to answer all your queries. Make the best use of it.