The Union Public Service Commission is all set to commence the upcoming Civil Services examination. The prelims is scheduled to be held on October 10, 2021, while the mains shall tentatively be conducted from January 7, 2022, onwards. With just a little more than three months remaining for UPSC prelims, candidates must now focus on revision and smart strategies to ace the IAS examination. The vacancies released to join the Indian bureaucrats are way less in comparison to the number of applicants applying each year for the exam.
The syllabus for the exam is comprehensive and dedicated preparation, hard work and planned strategy can help candidates crack the examination. Those looking for the detailed UPSC Syllabus for the prelims and mains examination can visit the linked article and check the subject-wise list of topics included in the final paper.
Discussed further below are the key strategic tips that will help candidates boost their scores in the upcoming IAS examination.
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Tips to Prepare for IAS Exam in 3 Months
A few months before the commencement of the examination cannot be spent on picking up new topics and prepping for them, this time must be dedicated for revision and strategic implementation of past trend analysis in your preparation. Refer to the tips below to excel in the examination:
Set a Schedule
A 100-day plan of action can be set by candidates wherein revision time is divided based on priority and weightage of subjects in the paper. Based on the notes created during the preparation, revision can be done during these 3 months
Analyse the Previous Year Trends
A general idea of how the paper is structured and what are the types of questions asked can be figured out by analyzing the past trends. This will also help one apprehend how the qualifying marks have increased or decreased over the years and which topics hold more importance from the examination perspective
Focus on Current Affairs
Keep yourself updated with the recent developments in the country and across the world. Current Affairs constitute a major part of the question paper and to score more and increase your overall marks in the final examination, being current affairs prepared is highly recommended. This must also be known that current affairs questions can either be asked directly or in an indirect format wherein related facts about the new can be asked in the paper. So, candidates must be prepared accordingly.
Practise Mock Tests
The more one practises, the more he/she shall get confident about their preparation. Free online IAS Mock test series are easily available for candidate’s reference which are set based on the latest exam pattern and syllabus and the best way of practising and revising the entire syllabus at once
Do Not Start Something New
These 3 months before the commencement of the examination must not be spent on picking up a new topic and preparing for the same. This will only create chaos in the candidate’s mind and fluster them which may cause stress and anxiety and affect the candidate’s final performance
Revision is the Key
Revise as much as possible. With the syllabus being comprehensive, it is most likely that a few things learnt in the past may fade out. Thus, one must ensure that they make proper and systematic notes during the preparation time which will also simplify their revision process
Emphasize on common topics
There are certain topics from different subjects from which questions are more likely to be asked. These can be sorted out by analysing the previous year papers. Reviewing these trends can be extremely helpful for candidates as extra focus on such topics can help increase the overall scores as well. With the competition increasing each year, these smart strategic tips come in as a boost for the aspirants looking forward to applying for the upcoming recruitments
Attempt Previous Year Question Papers
This is one of the easiest ways to comprehend your level of preparation and judge your own performance. Also, the standard of examination can easily be analysed by solving previous year papers. They are easily available on the official UPSC website, various online portals and compiled into a book
Aspirants who skipped a chance to apply this year and are awaiting the notification released for 2022 can visit the UPSC page and get all the relevant data about the recruitment process, eligibility, exam pattern, scheme of selection, salary, etc. and accordingly start their preparation.
Hopefully, the tips discussed above will help candidates strategise their plan for the coming months to ace the civil services examination and crack one of the highest grade exams conducted in the country.
