Strategy for UPSC : Mission IAS

First step: Learn the requirements of the UPSC Civil Services Exam!

No. You don’t need to know everything under the Sun to clear this exam. That’s the first thing to get into your head.

There is a prescribed syllabus by UPSC for the three stages of this 1-year long exam, ie Prelims, Mains and Interview. A good understanding of UPSC syllabus and exam criteria is the first step for all freshers. Also, understand the eligibility criteria.

The new pattern, which has been introduced from this year by the UPSC for civil service examinations, have 2 exams:Preliminary (Qualifying nature) and Mains followed by a Personality test. Mains has six papers – Four General Studies, One Essay and One optional paper. They altogether carry a total of 1750 Marks.Add to this 275 Marks allotted for the Personality Test. So, a total of 2025 Marks decides the fate of a candidate whether he would be in the Final List or not.

For all of the above, one must proceed in a systematic manner so as to clear in as many less attempts as possible or even in first attempt.

Prelims cum mains integrated approach is smart way to clear the civil service exams and smooth to handle.The main reason behind this is their is a lot of mains syllabus overlapping with prelims.

Following are the steps to achieve IAS when 9-11 months are left for preparation and also recommended for early birds.

1. During first month of preparation start habituating reading englsih newspaper and one local news paper, magazines like Yojana ,watching discussions on loksabha and rajya sabha tvs etc.

2.Once habitual of reading newspaper, dig deeper in to it.Try to complete reading it in maximum of 90 minutes by adopting reading of selective topics,at this stage start reading NCERT books  is recommended, which will give you clear idea of complex topics with its easily understandable content .They give basic idea and act as a foundation material .NCERT books have a lot of significance because there are people who passed upsc only with NCERT and also many standard books for IAS preparation are from NCERT.Hence master NCERT.

3.Try to master NCERT books with in 3-4 months .Then go for standard books recommended for civil services, develope analytical way of thinking which is relevant in mains answer writing .Refer all standard books with in 6-7 months of time. For standard books refer the books mentioned in bottom section of website.

Hardly 20 books are needed to crack UPSC with a rank below 10 as most of the mains syllabus overlap with prelims.

It should be noted how much you understand is relevant than how much you read.

4.At this stage you should have covered  most of  the syllabus. Refer  previous year papers and practice them ,which will help you know where you are. practice great number of mcq’s for prelims .Don’t neglect CSAT,you must practice and study for CSAT as well.Recommend you to purchase a test series and solve a paper weekly.

5.Self preparation is good and its must for exams with vast syllabus like UPSC. But  writing an effective answer is the deciding factor for selection in mains .So practice writing your answers, develop your views on subjects. select a appropriate optional subject depending on your interest and expert advice and complete preparation for optional subject with in 2 moths of time.

6.Before some days left for the prelims revise all the syllabus from previously referred sources .Do not  go for new sources at this stage. Focus on topics which you feel difficult and confusing. Practice  previous years papers for time management and rectifying mistakes.

7.You will get 4-5 months of time after prelims. use this time for smart preparation .Revise all the mains syllabus. their is a great advantage because  mains syllabus overlap with prelims syllabus. attend maximum number of mock test series for mains answer practice during this time ,because there are many intelligent aspirants who fail to give UPSC due to not attending or attending less number of mock test.

8.Coming to major riddle for those who cleared mains is the Personality test . Prepare for this only in the time left for interview after clearing mains. Questions are asked  based on your profile ,graduation background,optional subject ,general studies,your interests, why do you want to be an IAS etc.Follow your own strategies after following tips and suggestions from experts and attend mock interviews  ,which will help you to rectify mistakes.Most important thing to score well in interview is be honest and do not try to bluff the interviewer.

Hope this will help you and let you achieve your mission of being an IAS..

Good Luck, Keep working..

Stop not till you reach your goal…

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