Everyone has a strategy of doing things, as the background and understanding are different and unique to an individual. But one thing is common in all the aspirants and the toppers eventually, that is they remained consistent, no matter what, throughout their preparation and had a strong faith in themselves. Also, the sources that they refer to be it for current affairs or static portion of the UPSC syllabus.
If the direction is not right, it may take years to crack this exam. Through the Gradeup platform, we wish to give you some preparation tips and also assist in preparing for UPSC CSE 2020 Preliminary Examination.
Before that, the different stages of the UPSC CSE preparation must be understood well by the aspirant. So, the UPSC preparation can be ensured towards excelling in this examination. The goal is to make this attempt to count fruitfully. The details concerning the same can be checked here:
How to Start UPSC CSE (IAS) Preparation: A Beginner's Guide! : UPSC & State Services
“When to start the preparation?”, “How to start?” etc.
Concise list of the books to be read:
- Ancient-Medieval: Lucent book & civil services chronicle 30 pages notes. Click here for document.
- Art-Culture: Nitin Singhania notes and TN board book.
- Modern India: Bipin Chandra 78 pages notes. Click here for document. Lucent 40 pages. Tables given in Spectrum.
- Post Independence: Pol Science NCERT notes. Click here for document.
- World History: Sparknotes website & Arjun Dev NCERT notes. Click here for document.
- World Geography: NCERT 9-10-11-12, G C Leong & Optional notes uploaded.
- India Geography: NCERT 9-10-11-12, Vajiram Yellow Book & Optional notes.
- Map work: Prem Patel.
- Indian Society: IGNOU Material. Topic wise Doc and PDF files uploaded. Click here for document.
- Environment: Shankar.
- Economy: Sriram.
- Polity: Laxmikant.
- IR: Rajiv Sikri, only if you have no knowledge of historical aspects of IR.
- Science: Current.
- Ethics: Any, but only 1 book. UPSC 2019 Ethics Paper Detailed Question Sources And Answer Content
- Current: Hindu + Vision monthly + Insights compilations.
Notes of which books to be made:
- Make notes of books mentioned in point number 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 12 and 15.
- Make keywords list for books mentioned in point number 10, 11, 13 and 15.
How to read and make notes of books like Spectrum, Laxmikant, Shankar, NCERTs etc:
- Read book 1–2 times and resist marking anything. Marking and note making shall be done only during 2nd or 3rd reading. If you mark during the 1st read, you will end up marking almost everything.
- Try reducing the content to 1/4 or 1/5 size. i.e. 80-100 page notes if book size is 400 pages.
- Note down prelims specific facts with different colour pen to separate them from Mains specific info. This way, tou can have both prelims and mains notes at one place.
- Keep a target of reading and making notes of X no. of pages/day to keep this exercise short and productive. 'X' depends on your reading speed, grasping power, writing speed and sitting hours.
- Use bullets and number format for note making rather than paragraphs. This will come handy for Mains answers which are to be written in points or bullets rather than paragraphs.
- After making notes, read and revise from your notes only. You can keep aside amd totally forget the book!
Important Highlights:
• Time period: Be aware of the time period that this exam requires. The exam cycle itself is very time-consuming, i.e. a minimum of one year is necessary to get through all the stages: Prelim, Main, and Interview. So, from starting the preparation to the exam cycle up to the time, one goes to the academy takes around two years.
• Determination: Everyone knows that the success rate of the exam is very less, i.e. 0.1%. So, a ruthless determination is required to crack the exam.
• No space for mistake: There is no space for committing mistakes either in strategy or in the preparation, as that might cost you a precious year, which could be utilized productively.
• Mental Endurance: Keep in mind this is a competitive examination and not like any certificate or degree examination, wherein a minimum score if achieved, then declared qualified. Resilience is the key; without that, you cannot excel in all the stages.
If you have all these aspects, no one can stop you from achieving your dream destination- becoming a civil servant. For effective revision, you can also check the link mentioned below if willing to appear UPSC CSE 2020 Preparation.
Join UPSC IAS Online Courses (Hindi/English)
Due to vast syllabus, many times aspirant find it overwhelming to cover it efficiently. At Gradeup, our expert faculties will guide and navigate through the syllabus in less time with proper revision and test series.
Sometimes having to do all that studying and catching up with reading from previous weeks feels like a drag.
It can be overwhelming because together with the studying can come a wave of questions where you doubt yourself on a personal level with thoughts such as:
'Do I even understand these readings?'… 'Am I going to be able to write something interesting and relevant?'… 'Am I going to do the right thing?'… 'Am I good enough to do this?'… 'Others seem to be more on top of things than I am'… 'What if I do badly?'
These thoughts are subtle but can lead to difficult feelings that interfere with motivation. So to generate that motivation you could try some of the following:
1. Acknowledge your resistance and difficult feelings with motivation
It may be helpful to write these feelings or thoughts down and then leave these on the side so you can then study.
2. Do not run away
Avoiding work can make you feel deflated. This is emotionally more draining than having to go through the frustration of reading for your paper.
3. Do not blame yourself for procrastinating now and then
Try to become aware of the habit and gently make yourself to go back to the task sooner rather than later.
4. Try to understand your studying style better
What will make it easier for you to work? We are all prone to pleasant experiences and it is natural that we tend to avoid uncomfortable, dry chores and duties. So try to make your study experience as interesting as possible.
5. Don't question your abilities
Don't put yourself down by comparing yourself to others.
You can also take inspiration from other topper's.
6. Visualise yourself starting
Make yourself sit down and work even if this is for just 20 minutes. See starting as a parallel process like a plane on a runway. You may start slow but you will still take off!
7. Focus on the task at hand
Prioritise the most important tasks and avoid multitasking.
8. Communicate to others any difficulties and/or what you intend to do
This can help you engage with the process and identify the important tasks. Communication / externalisation can help you to commit with immediate goals and you could also find out others points of view and tips.
9. Take a time limited approach in which you schedule your tasks
Ask yourself 'how much can I achieve in the next 2 hours?' instead of 'Can I complete all tasks?' In this way you do not get as easily overwhelmed by the volume of study you need to do.
10. Remember that studying can be challenging and take you out of your comfort zone
Think about the hiking of Mountain Kilimanjaro; it is not easy and can even be uncomfortable but the pleasure comes when you begin to see the view from height, feel the fresh air and when you reach the destination you get a sense of achievement and satisfaction.
Focus on the outcome and not the struggle to get there!
If you need any Kind of Notea for your study please visit at the link Download Here
Think Positive, Do best and Move Fast.🏃🏃🏃
Congratulations that you thought about it and decided to take up this examination! It is going to be an insightful journey. Now, coming to how to begin the preparation for UPSC, follow these steps:
Step Zero: Know about the exam
It is extremely important to know about the exam inside out. Go through the exam syllabus, acquaint yourself with the UPSC exam pattern, the detailed syllabus for every subject. You’ll get the brief outline of Prelims is the syllabus notification, but for the detailed topics, take the help of Mains syllabus as well as the micro-topics list. Just search UPSC syllabus Microsyllabus on Google and you’ll get a handful of websites. Otherwise, DM or email me, I’ll share the same with you!
Step One: Depth Analysis
Then, you should know about the depth to which each topic must be prepared. Do you need to know all the information or you just have to have a surface understanding of the topic! Secondly, you should know from which topics static questions are asked and which topics are relevant from the current affairs point of view. For that, glance through the PYQs, and you’ll get a clear understanding of these areas. Need a shortcut? These days, many coaching institutes are conducting free webinars on various topics, for eg, Career Launcher recently did a webinar on Environment where the educator discussed all the topics that are important from that area and how to prepare it efficiently. It was both free and insightful! Similarly, other test-prep must also be doing, do some groundwork, and prepare what to study from where for the dynamic syllabus. (For static, there are NCERTs and standard books, no alternative to that)
Step Two: NCERTs and Standard Books
Read the NCERTs of standard subjects as well as standard books in a systematic way! Really, there is no shortcut to that. However, once you’ve read them, revise them through NCERT compilations (Vision or Career Launcher). Add the extra pointers, and it will be your complete resource for NCERT revision! Coming to the standard books, try and make extra notes in the books itself. Write additional pointers in the space provided or use sticky notes at your perusal to do that!
Step Three: Current Affairs Preparation
The three most important resources for current affairs is daily newspapers (along with editorials), India Year Book, and PIB. Prepare them wisely, make additional notes in a separate register. Use Evernote and google docs to prepare e-notes! I’m in favor of e-notes because they save a lot of time, so if you utilize the time in revising the e-notes, then it’s fine, but if you’re just maintaining notes and never coming back to them, then hand-written notes is your way out! At least, the one time you write, you will absorb information! So, up to you, handwritten notes, or e-notes, according to your preference!
Step Four: Answer-writing Practice
Answer-writing is important, but not from the start. If you’ve to appear for the exam in 2022, then give this one year in enhancing your knowledge and start the answer-writing practice next year. Get it evaluated from your mentors. Use the notes prepared from the editorial section to write answers. Try to add extra information and diagrams to enrich your answers and make them stand out. Refer to the toppers’ copy of the answer to have an idea of how to frame your answers!
Step Five: REVISION
If you ask me the most important aspect of UPSC preparation, I’d say its revision! If you want to qualify for the exam, you NEED to revise the topics for concept retention. It’s easy to read 10 books on one subject, but it would not be worthwhile if you don't remember important points. Hence, prefer minimum sources for your preparation and revise it as many times as you can!
For serious aspirant for the UPSC exam. In June 2016, I decided to start the preparation. But in August 2016, I had to go through a personal crisis. It brought me to the level of using anti-depressants, and anger management. There was some family problem and I got depression. These circumstances went on till January 2017 and finally I had it under control. By this time, I had decided to focus only on my career and plans for the next year 2018 and make my dream come true. This crisis gave me a clear sense of purpose.
- The killing of time is the first thing to be avoided
- daydreaming of clearing exams without preparation is the second one.
- don’t get confused with so many Study materials for your preparation.
- Avoid daily discussions of your weakness, try to boost yourself with your hard work
- avoid depressing thoughts
- don’t take undue pressure of result, just be determined for preparation.
- set your goal, decide your syllabus by segregating important and non-important parts of your syllabus.
- Do not rely only on hard work, Along with hard work smart work is the key to success
- stay motivated….
Lets talk about the distractions you have mentioned one by one.
Laptop - When prelims was very near, I watched many videos in one go, say for 4–5 hours, to get the gist of a topic.
I watched 5 movies a night before my exam in one go.
So , it is upto you to call it a boon or a bane .
Mobile- Sometimes during my preparation my mom used to call me and tell me not to worry .Those words by my mom always used to relax me.
But there are many aspirants chatting about useless matters with their friends on whatsapp.
Is it a boon or a bane ?
Internet- I sat at 10 am , practiced answer writing, read current affairs material and switched off the internet at 1 pm.
But there are aspirants who use youtube endlessly for hours listening to songs or watching short films.
Is it a boon or a bane ?
Remember, the problem is not in the things that you call distractions , it is in us . We are the ones who get distracted by these things .
Now, how to put a check to these distractions?
- While studying on the internet , keep Facebook tab open just to check it for a minute after every 15 minutes of studying. It will keep your mind fresh. However, it has two disadvantages. First, its hard to come back to main tab just after a minute. Second, checking pictures of your friends on honeymoon, travelling, celebrating festivals etc might hurt you.Overcoming the first problem is a dependent on your willpower. . For the second problem, don't get hurt and remember that it was your decision and not someone else’s and so you must be happy with it. Further, no event is as happy as it looks on Internet.
- Delete unimportant items on your laptop and mobile.
- Allot time for Internet, calling family and friends everyday. Even if it is studying over Internet, it has to fall in some time. You cant just sit on Internet the whole day in the name of studies.
- Award yourself. Like ‘if I will be able to complete 2 chapters, I will use whatsapp for 10 minutes’ or ‘ if I will save 20 minutes and complete these 50 pages in 80 minutes, I will watch a 20 minutes friends episode’.
- Avoid going into Internet debates. Avoid commenting on every single picture or status you see. There are many people who comment about various issues without knowing the anything about the topic and then we get into explaining them and the cycle will keep on going. Totally worthless.
- Try to use mobile for reading the notes which you have made online or for reading current affairs while outside.
- Make a list of the things what you are missing out. Like chatting with girls/boys, watching movies, reading books, watching videos on YouTube, Instagram or Facebook. Now, make it a kind of secondary motivation to clear the exam. Clear the exam soon and them complete the list. I was interested in reading some books so I made a list and it worked as a motivation. After the Mains exam was over , I read some of those books in the next one month.
So the crux is use all these things judiciously. Its upto you to decide how you use them. Toppers are not from Mars and they don't abandon these things. They just make better use out of it.
Preparing notes is an essential part of UPSC Preparation. A simple comprehensive notes helps one to score high marks and top in the exams. Do not borrow any body’s notes.
Some students think that by reading the toppers notes, they would also top the exam. But this is not correct. Each one should have his own personalised notes prepared for himself.
- Even before reading any book or making notes, have a glimpse of the previous year question papers (Both Preliminary and Mains), to have a understanding of the important topics.
- While reading a NCERT, do not prepare notes in the first reading itself . Because, everything will be important and you will end up rewriting the whole book in the name of notes making.
- While reading, try to underline in the book itself those points or any data you feel is difficult to remember. Also do not underline the whole book.
- After reading the book at least two times, you may write down those key points, terms, data etc in a sheet of paper. keep extra spaces in the paper, so that you may add additional points later.
- Keep one book as a base for preparing the notes. For example while preparing modern Indian history, you may keep the 12std NCERT by Bipan Chandra as a base material and prepare notes. You may later add content from other books for the same topics.
- You should constantly update your notes. There is nothing called a perfect full fledged notes. All notes are subjected to updations.
- Most of the Toppers prepare second layer of notes out of the first layer of notes prepared by them. If you have time, you may do that too.
You may also watch my video on youtube on ‘Learn to read NCERT Effectively’ by M.A. Sadik.
UPSC Exams are completely different from all other exams of your school/college. I would say they are also different from rest of the competitive exams due to its elaborate syllabus and long duration of preparation phase. So, its natural that a Upsc aspirant is subjected to huge exam pressure.
Below, I'm suggesting some ways to handle UPSC Exam pressure.
- First you should accept the fact that UPSC Exam is going to lead to pressure not only to you, but every sincer candidate preparing for it.
- Secondly, just by constantly thinking about pressure alone is not going to relive you from it.
- Begin by completing small things which would gradually relive you from pressure and give you happiness.
- Stat planning and preparing for your exam as early as possible, if you start your preparation you will end up having more pressure.
- Have a comprehensive plan for the exam. Make the preparation holistic knowing your strength and weakness.
- Practise more mock tests before you appear for your final exam. Practise makes a man prefect.
- Revise as many times as possible. The more you revise the less, your pressure will be.
- Keep some time for exercise, meditation and relaxation. It increases your efficiency.
- The less you sleep, the more your pressure you will have and the more pressure you have, you will end up sleeping less. so solve the vicious cycle by starting to sleep adequately.( 7–8 hours a day).
- Also remember a golden truth. Some pressure is always necessary to bring the best out of you. So do not worry.
Let us know some basic facts about UPSC,
1. Union Public Service Commission is a constitutional body, with the main objective of conducting the examination for recruitment of civil servants associated with the union of India.
2. The UPSC conducts many examinations like, Civil Services Exam (CSE), Indian Engineering Services (IES), Indian Forest Service (IFoS), Combined Defence Service (CDS), Combined Medical Services Exam (CMSE), National Defence Service (NDA), Central Armed Police Force (CAPF), etc
3. The word Civil Services is normally referred to the exam, the UPSC conducts for the recruitment of posts like IAS, IFS,IPS,IRS etc..
4. The Civil Service Exam is one common exam for about 24 services, which include posts like IAS,IFS,IPS,IRS, and some group A, and Group B Services.
5. The UPSC is a Autonomous body with its headquarters at New Delhi. It has complete control over setting of the question paper, evaluation of answer sheets, deciding the cut off marks, conducting the interview and declaration of merit list.
6. The UPSC conducts interview for all the posts at its headquarters in New Delhi Only.
7. A interview board consists of members who are drawn from different walks of life, like Civil Servants, Defence Officers, Academicians, Environmentalists etc.
8. Politicians and Religious heads do not find a place in the interview board either as Member or Chairman.
9. The first women chairperson of UPSC was Smt Rose Millian Bathew (1992–96).
10. In recent years, the longest serving member and chairman of UPSC was Prof. D.P. Agarwal, 11 years (Member from 2003-2008 and Chairman from 2008–2014). He was instrumental in introducing the CSAT paper in the Civil Services Preliminary Exam and changes in Mains General studies syllabus. He also introduced online application process.
There are some habits which will be helpful for the entire life.
- Wake up around 4:30 am (Believe me, you will be relaxed and energetic for the whole day plus you can see the environment like you have never seen before - the sun rising)
- Use ”21/90 formula” (work 21 days forcefully and it will become your habit in the next 90 days for the entire life)
- Read/write/study for at least 3 hours a day no matter whether you're busy or relaxing. Read whenever you get a chance.
- Drink more water, consume home cooked meals, and avoid outside foods. Strictly avoid sweets and tea.
- Set your goals and work for it.
- Avoid social media sites like Facebook Instagram and use this time for creativity.
- Turn off your phone 2 hours before sleeping.
- Dress up well and love yourself.
- Don't use socialmedia.
- Don’t wake up accidentally, Wake up with a purpose!
- Uninstall all social media: Facebook, Insta, Tiktok everything.
Understand this, it’s a trap. - Never fake maturity / depression on Social Media.
- Chasing opposite sex is purely a waste of time.
- Never waste time. A second less does not make an hour. Time is everything, everything is time.
- College degree is a must. Complete your education. Don’t drop out of college unless you have enough calculated risks.
- Read the book “Think and Grow Rich”.
- Adopt the Carnegie Philosophy of life — Learn, Earn, Donate.
- Start doing the things that scares you and excites you both at the same time.
- Be stubborn with your priorities. Learn to say, No!
- Understand the difference between “taking rest” and “wasting time”.
- Pornography is just an illusion.
- Gratification is everything. Instant pleasures like junk food, porn, sleep etc. are nothing but long time sufferings.
- Distinguish Reel life & Real life.
- Don’t compare yourself with others.
- Respect each and everyone. A Rickshaw driver is no less dignified than a person in a Lamborghini.
- Disability? Your disability is only a small part of yourself! You can do wonders!
- Don’t watch too much motivational videos on YouTube. The more you watch, the less you accomplish. A video once a month is enough.
- Start networking. Your network is your net worth.
- Don’t waste your youth. Start working! Remember the age of career — (18–26) years.
- Every night, someone thinks about you before they go to sleep.
- At least fifteen people in this world love you.
- The only reason someone would ever hate you is that they want to be just like you
- There are at least two people in this world that would die for you.
- You mean the world to someone.
- Someone that you don't even know exist & love you.
- When you make the biggest mistake ever, something good comes from it.
- When you think the world has turned its back on you, take a look.
- Always remember the compliments you've received.
- Forget the rude remarks.
- Life is a way more interesting than you think. There are several problems an aspirant faces which are swept under the carpet. Here are a few major ones:
- Mental stress: of late, this issue has started gaining some traction but still it is not sufficiently addressed as UPSC aspirants are expected to be “mature adults” to deal with these problems. Another added trigger could be loss of a relationship due to the dragging nature of preparation and unsuccessful attempts.
- Social Isolation which creates Insanity like situation especially for those living in high stressful environments like Delhi's ORN.
- The feeling of “where am I wrong" due to luck factor involved. A feeling of envy is natural too when aspirants see their peers clear especially when s/he, by their own admission, “didn't study much”.
- Dependence on parents for money is another burden on aspirants. For boys, it's bad due to expectation of earning from them. For girls, it's worse as the support dries up pretty fast and they're expected to marry after initial failures. This exam spares no one.
- Physical health deterioration and cardiovascular problems it is leading to. Lifestyle problems are common across UPSC aspirants. With more material pouring in the market everyday, there seems to be no end of “what's to be read” adding to physical stress.
- Role of Money in the process of preparation as aspirants from affluent backgrounds are flooding coaching industry leaving little space for lower middle class and lower class backgrounds. With primary focus on English medium in the entire exam, it's totally unfair to Rural background aspirants.
- No one is holding coaching centres accountable for unfair practices. They ask for any amount of money with no quality check. With bourgeoning of institutes, this problem is likely to deepen. Attitude of coaching centres has hardedned too. They no longer treat students as students but as ATM machines. No ethics on part of a lot of such institutes. Sadly, everyone has felt that at least once during their preparation.
Its important to not get completely isolated. Social media may be avoided but Keep a channel of communication open with at least 2–3 people preparing for UPSC and outside too. It's important that everyone has got someone who understands them so that one is never alone in their arduous journey.
More or Less:
- Less material more revision.
- Less planning more execution.
- Less dreams of LBSNAA more of prelims exam hall.
- Less judgements more understanding.
What to focus on-
- Focus on polity, economy, environment, modern history and s&t for prelims.
- Focus on essay, ethics and optionals for mains.
- Focus on honesty, humility and clarity for interview.
- Counting chickens before they hatch - Planning extravagant reforms for the country which they will implement on becoming a civil servant. But they do not spend time on reforming their lifestyle to suit the preparation.
- Showing off. Announcing to the whole world that they are preparing for UPSC. As if preparation itself is a career that has some monthly stipend!
- Focussing more on taking revenge from people by becoming a ‘Sarkaari Babu’, and less on GS, Optional and Essay.
- Pretending to live the hard life very forcefully. Shabby hair, poor lifestyle, junk food, etc. Just to impress upon the world and himself/herself that the ‘UPSC life is going on’. This is a serious waste of time.
- Using too many gadgets, and devoting too much time to fancy ‘online studies’. They try OneNote, Evernote, Macbook, iPad, iPhone, and whatnot. They download every app available that has something to do with UPSC. Needless to say, too many cooks spoil the broth.
- Devoting time and attention to find out answers to questions like - ‘Will I clear UPSC if I am an average student?’, “Is UPSC very tough?”, “Will my graduation marks affect performance in Interview?”, etc.
- Putting hours and days into discussions in online forums. Apparently, the “goal” is to become a knowledgable and popular person on some platform. I have seen people spend entire days on such platforms, and then say ‘UPSC does not reward hard work’ when the results come out.
- Buying every test series, coaching material, books, pens, notebooks, and anything that is mentioned in any of the numerous toppers interviews. Some even go to the extent of buying shirts, trousers and bedsheets of the same colour/material as used by toppers.
I applaud your courage for admitting your feelings. It is not always easy to do.
These feelings are completely normal. But Instead of just telling you to ‘’cheer up”, I want to suggest some PRACTICAL EXERCISES which were used by Ancient Greeks called the STOICS which are ideal for UPSC preparation, and which helped me a lot.
1. AMOR FATI (LOVE YOUR FATE) - Try to focus on what you can control. Like the reading and the small goals in front of you. Finish reading that chapter. Finish making that list. Finish solving that question paper. Focus on the small goals in front of you which you can control. You cant change what happens in life, including the results of the Civil Services Examination, but you can control what you do today. Accept, embrace and LOVE the future that is coming towards you, without getting too attached to it. Practice Non resistance on future things and practice control over the present moment. Since you cannot control the future, just become friends with it . Don’t try to fight an outcome which has not happened yet.
2. CELEBRATE SMALL VICTORIES- When you do these small goals , feel proud of yourself. Know that you are already in the top 99% of people, by preparing for the Civil Services Exam. Most people never even gather enough courage to begin with. So when you finish that chapter you have been postponing to do, treat yourself. A pizza or perhaps a Movie- whatever makes you feel like you're having insane amounts of fun. Then get back to work and look forward to the next treat.
3. EMBRACE THE SUCK- Know that these feelings of depression and anxiety are symptoms of the fact that you are on the right track. There is always discomfort and uneasiness while doing big things. That is what makes them worth the effort. If the Civil Services Exam was not something you though was a big deal, you would not be bothered by these thoughts. These negative feelings are symptoms are a clear indication that you expect a lot from yourself and you have pushed yourself out of your comfort zone, which is amazing! Growth and success comes outside the comfort zone but it is not a comfortable and relaxing journey. So, If you are struggling, you are already on your way to success.
4. WHAT WOULD YOUR IDOL DO? Choose anyone who you respect highly and try to imagine what they would do in your situation. Try to imagine how they would keep their composure and fight away that self-doubt. Write down what would they say to themselves that would be- both true and uplifting.
5. COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS- How much would you want the things you have if you didn’t have them? For example, write down three things you’re grateful for.
- Don’t compare yourself to others.
- Appreciate the things you already have.
- Be grateful but Don’t get too attached to these things you’re grateful for.[1]
I hope this was helpful. I regularly write about these challenges in my blog Becoming IAS » Super-simplified.
Take care.
WHAT MOTIVATES YOU TO WANT BECOME IAS/IPS officer? THE ANSWER MIGHT SURPRISE YOU
Maybe you were motivated by all the amazing things you hear about being in the civil services- The power, the khaki uniform, the respect, social status, etc.
Maybe someone in your family inspired you to go down this road. Or are you driven by a desire to be “someone important”? If you clear the civil services exam, perhaps you think your parents will be prouder of you. Or that you will be more popular in your friend circle and relatives. Maybe You will appear as more attractive to others if you become an IAS officer.
No matter what your reasons are, it is crucial to expose these reasons to your own self.
What you think you know about your reasons may be wrong because we are very good at self-deception. Research suggests people are not good at self- knowledge and are often wrong about http://themelveshttps://psycnet.apa.org/record/2010-25587-001
The easiest person to fool in the world is yourself.
I think that there are right reasons and wrong motivations for choosing a career in the Civil Services, or for that matter any job in the world.
While none of these reasons speak for any ethical or moral judgments about anyone, they can be useful as good indicators or predictors of future happiness and job satisfaction.
I can confirm this from my own experiences, and research seems to support it. 11. Job Satisfaction
The Right reasons are reasons which are likely to lead to job satisfaction and success. Your productivity and efficiency are also expected to be higher, which is good for both you and the organization you are part of. Your professional life, generally speaking, will be smoother and more enjoyable.
WRONG MOTIVATIONS- You are doing it because of Others
This means that you are doing this while not really thinking for yourself but about what others will think of you. Or because of the mythical popularity of the Civil Services Exam in our country where successful people TOPPERS get hero-worshiped.
Something so sought after must be worth going after, right? Not necessarily.
If the primary motivation for doing this is social, you might be a victim of FOMO or the Fear of Missing Out.
FOMO is a tendency where we want to do what ‘others’ are doing in the fear that we will miss out on our lives if we don’t do what the other ‘cool’ people are doing.
You heard about someone becoming an IAS officer, and now you keep thinking about how they will lead a better life than you. Anxiety grips you when you think you will miss out on all the salutes, power, and glory that they will surely enjoy.
You should beware of FOMO because of it as a powerful force.
Feeling FOMO is entirely normal. Everyone feels it.
While it is easy to say that you should not follow the herd, the instinct to follow the crowd is a powerful one, and not without its benefits. It is the force behind FOMO.
These social forces are ancient and immensely powerful. Humans are social animals. This means that evolution has primed our brains to be super-aware of our social situation. We are incredibly afraid of exclusion. To want to be included and popular among other people is part of our nature.
As part of our evolutionary inheritance, evolution has selected for this trait because of survival fitness benefits and not for well-being.
This drive is not necessarily ideal for bringing you happiness.
Don’t be like Sisyphus- Greek myth of Sisyphus, who was cursed by a god to do an impossible task. Push a boulder uphill on a never-ending slope.
Regardless of how hard he tried, the boulder would always rollback, and Sisyphus was left pushing the boulder for all eternity.
Sounds exhausting.This might happen to you unless you intervene.
So, what do you do?
- Know that these ‘other’ people are in our imagination. No one really cares as much as we think.
- Most importantly, don’t worry! because no one cares
- And Even if you try your hardest, they will probably never be satisfied.
- Even if they give you attention, they will soon forget about you and carry on with their lives.
- Even if they don’t forget, you can’t win them all! It is impossible to make everyone happy.
- There will always be those who don’t like you, and that’s ok.
- Thinking about what others think is a very efficient way to ruin your mental health. In fact, it is so effective that it is linked with several psychiatric disorders such as depression and anxiety. New Studies Show Just How Bad Social Media Is For Mental Health
Detailed article is at- WORST REASON FOR GIVING THE UPSC EXAM
More brutally truthful insights are on my blog BecomingIAS-Super simplified
Let me know how many people YOU think want to become IAS/IPS because of other’s expectations and FOMO?
Thanks for A2A. If I start preparing for the UPSC CSE now, I am assuming that I have already completed the following pre requisites:
- Have clearly understood what the Civil Services are and have a strong underlying motivation to join the same
- Have completely understood the whole process of the examination and seen the syllabus thouroughly
- Interacted with fellow aspirants/toppers/senior players etc. (and seen many videos) to get to know about what booklist one should follow, how to strategise the preparation and to take the call of joining a coaching or not.
- Have a good peer group of 3–4 people, who are as studious and as serious as me and are willing to help each other out. The formation of a peer group can be done during subsequent days of preparation as well.
I would also like to emphasise upon the fact that it is extremely necessary to first have a monthly plan in front of ourselves (or micro/macro plans as you like). We should always have a plan pasted on the wall in front of us.
For example - This was the my revision plan, one month before the Prelims exam during my first attempt:
It is a normal plan, nothing great about it. But if you don’t have a habit of this thing, please do cultivate it. This really helps in self monitoring ourselves.
The ideal hours to study when we have just started our preparations are around 9–10 hours. The energy and enthusiasm during the beginning is unlimited, hence one should make the best use of their time.
Morning/Night study: In the later stages of my preparation, I started burning the midnight oil. But in hindsight, it affected my mind a bit during the mains examination as the exam time is 9–12, 2–5 p.m. Your brain should be as fresh as a daisy, in the morning. So, as far as possible, get up early in the morning.
A normal day for me would be:
Before breakfast:
Finish my two newspapers - The Hindu and The Indian Express and make notes out of any relevant articles if I find any. [2–2.5 hours]
Breakfast - Lunch:
Read static books enlisted for the day (NCERTs first and then the standard books, according to my plan). I didn’t have a habit of making notes of out of the book. I scribbled important points in the empty spaces on the pages of the book. [3 hours]
Lunch - Evening Snacks/Tea
Do my optional subject. Remember, Optional is the key towards success in this examination. Your optional subject should be prepared at such a level that before starting for the Prelims exam at a full throttle (4 months before Prelims), you should achieve 80–90% perfection in your optional subject. So, if you are to give the Optional papers on say, February 1 (with Prelims in June), you should have the ability to score 300+ in them. Only when you set such ambitious goals for yourself, will you differentiate yourself from the rest. [3 hours]
Evening Tea- Dinner
Optional Subject / Current Affairs booklet / Daily quizes (wise use of internet) / Magazine like Yojana (no other magazine needs to be done apart from this, in my opinion) [2 hours]
Post Dinner
Do things you need to do daily - 20 mins of Mapwork, listen to AIR news analysis (15 mins) etc. [1–1.5 hours]
You need to have your stress busters / avenues for entertainment/ hobbies for every day, but make sure you control and limit yourself from overdoing those things.
If you are not working, there is no reason that you should not study for any less than 10 hours. Also, UPSC examination is a marathon, not a sprint. So, don’t be happy about the fact that you studied for 14 hours one day and then ruined the next day. The most important thing is to be consistent in your approach, relentlessly working hard in pursuit of your goal.
In the end, I still remember and would like to reiterate the concept of basic time management for 24 hours (got famous from Bansal Classes):
S1 = Sleep = 7 hours
S2 = Shit, Shave, Shampoo, Snacks, Sports = 5 hours
S3 = Study = 12 hours
This is as simple as it gets. Always have a stopwatch with you. Not a single day passed by during the time of my upsc preparation, on which I didn’t measure the number of hours I studied. Make sure that you only measure that time when you are actually studying on the table. As soon as you get up for anything or even if you check your phone, just stop the clock.
Quality definitely matters over quantity, still a stopwatch is needed to make yourself really aware about your day and where you are wasting your time.
And do you know how you get a good and deep sleep after a long day ?
When you go to the bed, seeing this:
This might probably be the best I could study in a long time or so (usually it would be around 10 hours), hence I must have clicked this picture, before going to sleep. For some, this might still be less, for some it might be a lot. For me, it was my best. Hence, peacefully I slept!
Another day, New things to read. New learnings to gain. But, the same you. Do the same process, again.
Just be consistent, have a positive environment around yourself, be motivated enough and you will see things falling in place.
Artika Shukla became came into limelight when she secured Rank 4 in UPSC CSE 2015. This was her first attempt and she did it in a great style. But, only a few people, knows her complete strategy. In this article we will decode her strategy and try to learn from her.
- The idea of becoming an IAS officer clinged to her mind when she was doing M.D. (Pediatrics) in November 2014.
- She resigned from her course a week later and started serious preparation for Civil Services in December 2014.
- Don’t spend more than two months in Prelims preparation. It is because Prelims is a qualifying round and Mains as well as Optional preparation can be done in the rest of the time.
- Choose your Optional Subject wisely. You should be comfortable with that subject. This is because you have to read and understand it. A high score in Optional can be a Boon for you.
- Answer Writing is a crucial thing. One should practice to finish the paper within the given time. To do so, you have to increase your speed. Other thing is that you have to maintain the quality of your answers within that time. To develop both things, first try to improve your answers quality then speed.
- Answers should be in this format: Introduction – Body- Conclusion. In between, you can also fill some data, report, etc.
- Try to do your best in Mains. Because if your score is good in mains then if your interview doesn’t goes well, there will be still some chances of your selection. But Vice-versa is less possible
I am covering all the general tips she gave to UPSC Students. If you want to read her detailed Prelims, Mains strategy you can read it below.
UPSC 2015 Topper Artika Shukla Preparation Strategy, Prelims and Mains
*The Three Mistakes of a UPSC Aspirant’s Life*
There are ONLY THREE kinds of people who fail to get selected {I know after analysing my failures and after conversing with many failed as well as successful candidates}
- Chronic Procrastinators- They plan everything meticulously. Watch a couple of topper’s videos, plan out the required resources, make a time table and stick it on their walls neatly. Only to make new ones every month or every other week because they did not stick to the previous ones. They have this false sense of “kal kar lenge, arey abi to bahut time hai”, abi ek episode GOT dekh leta hun, ye last meme on UPSCmeme” (Will do it tomorrow, have plenty of time, can watch atleast one episode of GOT, just this last meme on UPSCmeme)
- Their days go on like this- wake up at whatever time they feel like, go to “chai ki tapri” have long mann ki baat with fellow aspirants, then go back to their rooms, watch a couple of youtube videos, scroll through some funny memes, write answers on Quora(that’s me), talk to their gf/bf/friend/family on phone and read a bit here and there then go to sleep. Then back to the same routine the next day. These people read newspaper for a few days then keep on postponing them for later. “Read Later” pile keeps on growing and growing into a mammoth and they then have to resort to XYZ 365 just before prelims which they clearly can’t revise at such a short span of time. As a result they are not able to get their syllabus done, solve mocks or write test papers.
- Misguided newbies- They are not even aware of the syllabus or the kind of questions that are asked. They do not have anyone to look towards for guidance only to be misguided by coaching walas.
- They feel they have to study “everything under the sun”. They waste their time in mugging up trivial facts and figures and miss out the important ones. They have other misconceptions like “UPSC CSE is the toughest exam in the world”, “One has to be a genius in order to crack it”, “Only rich people with urban backgrounds and good command over english are able to crack it.” They never learn from their mistakes and keep giving themselves these excuses after every failure or when they finally realise, it is already too late.
- Those who lack analytical skills- They plan everything well, read well and are very knowledgeable but their knowledge is pretty fragmented and isolated. They either lack depth of understanding or are unable to quickly recollect bits of memories into a cohesive answer. They fail to express their knowledge in systematic way
- For example, if they are asked about the new forces that emerged in India aftermath WW1 they won’t be able to answer only to realise later that they did know about communism, trade unionism, revolutionary, women and peasant movements that grew in 1920s. The only problem was that they could not comprehend the question properly and failed to connect the missing dots.
There is no luck/intelligence/money/previous education/background/Language involved(may be a little but not too much).
the civil services has a huge syllabus and you can’t prepare for it adequately with your 10/12 hours job.
People don’t want to quit their job because once they get financial independence, they don’t want to seek help from their parents again.
Hence, most civil servants prepare only half-heartedly, keeping their legs on two boats and thereby not reaching to their chosen destinations.
If you wish to improve the chances of your success in civil services, take the following steps.
- Make up your mind for civil services as early as possible. If you can do it at class XII level itself, choose a graduation in a good optional subject. Use the UG/PG time for preparation and you get years of edge as compared to others.
- If you go for professional course, don’t take a job if you aspire to be a civil servant.
- If your parents can support you, get financed by them for another couple of years.
- If your parents don’t finance you, go for M Tech or a PG course where you can get scholarships or live with minimum expenses.
- You can also take tuition or a part time job needing 2-3 hours of your time every day to finance your living.
- Join an online or offline good coaching and start preparing sincerely in the final year itself.
- Plan for at least 2-3 attempts, because CSE papers are subjective and your luck plays important role in selection.
- Be 100% focused on your studies leaving everything else for the preparation period.
If you follow these steps, you certainly improve your chances of success.
There may not be any guarantee for selection because less than 1% student are selected.
However, the number of sincere students are quite low and hence your chances of selection is much higher than the statistics reveal to you.
A lot of problems are faced by UPSC aspirants due to different reasons. Some of the important ones according to me are :-
- Family problems - Vito Corleone said,” Take care of home before impressing the street.” But the same home can be source of many problems. Girls face more pressure of marriage while boys face more pressure of settling down with a job. Asking your family to keep sending you money is also isn’t easy. Sometimes, it is difficult to convince the parents for your UPSC dream, sometimes you wonder about the futility of convincing them.
- Uncertainly - There is a lot of uncertainty regarding your future, your job and career. This exam is so uncertain that even after putting in your everything, you can never be sure of success. And exam cycle is so stretched out that by the time results of one stage comes, you have to start preparing for next stage leaving little room to prepare for any other exam/backup.
- Broken relationships - This is not true for all aspirants and some may say that true relationship shall withstand all odds. But the reality is that, many people have to let go off their dear ones as they can’t give them adequate time and attention.
- Health - Continuous sitting, late night studies, poor food of tiffins, and little exercise really spoils your health. If your preparation gets stretched out for 3–4 years, you would start seeing a visible change in your health.
- Depression - I wish it doesn’t happen with anybody. But sometimes it so happens that you download the pdf, press Ctrl+f, type in your name and it shows 0 out 0 matches. When you have put in your 100% and you don’t even know what went wrong, your confidence is going to plummet. But believe me, it is only going to make you stronger for larger problems in life.
These problems are a part and parcel of your preparation and an aspirant should take care of these problems as well. While you cannot completely remove them, they can be alleviated by:-
- Have a roadmap regarding your preparation. Also, keep a backup option ready.
- Do some yoga, meditation or jogging for keeping fit.
- Be stealthy. Do not let anyone know about your preparation outside close family and friends.
- Make a group of 4–5 friends who are as motivated as you are. They are your pillars of support.
- Its advisable to reduce social media usage. Because it wastes a lot of time and seeing others getting a new job or getting married, you would feel undue pressure.
UPSC preparation, much like life, is a path that is uniquely laid out for you and you must walk alone. While other’s journey may help you, you have to formulate your own path. Nothing except your grit and determination is going to help you. And at the end of it, you are surely going to become stronger and better version of yourself.
Whenever you decide to move to a new level in life, you will face problems.And these are problems, common to anyone who aspires a new life.
We all have problems to study for long hours in a day.
This is my schedule to read around 13 hours in a day.
(1) Wake up 4:45. Refresh and brush your teeth.
(2) Start at 5 am.
(3) First session 5am-6:30am
(4) Take 15 mins break and start from 6:45-8:00
(5) Take 15 mins and take bath
(6) Third session :- 8:30-9:45
(7) Leave for college library(As it is boring to stay at one place for whole day)(15 mins break)(9:45-10:00)
(8) Have breakfast and settle there(10:00 - 10:15)
(9) Fourth session (10:15:11:30)
(10)Break(11:30-11:45)
(11) Fifth session(11:45-1:30)
(12) Lunch break(1:30-2:00)
(13) Sixth session(2:00-3:30)(by this time concentration is not that high as in the morning so if somebody comes, I will chat with them happily or will call someone to gain back energy)
(14) Break and play time(3:30-4:00)
(15) Seventh session(4:00-5:30)
(16) Evening snacks(5:30-6:00)
(17) Eight session(6:00-7:30)
(18) Leave for home or take some break (7:30-7:45)
(19) Ninth session(7:45-9:00)
(20)If at home, have dinner. If at work, leave for home.
(21) Tenth session(9:30-10:30)(Take a look at what is pending or how did you do in the day and look at the problems where you got stuck)
(22)Sleep(10:30-4:45).
So this was my schedule to study around 13 hours a day.
Make Changes in this schedule according to your study pattern and lifestyle.
Most important things
- place- it is all depend on your place of study. If you read in front of tv then after some time of study your mind say you "let's play tv for 10 minutes entertainment"this 10 minutes turns into 4 - 5 hours. If you study on bed then also you go to sleep suddenly. So according to me best study place is your study room where is table and chair available without distraction.
- Distraction /disturbance - avoid mobile while studying. For this i locked my phone in drawer of table.
- Priorities- make your priorities works in morning because you have much energy in morning so it will be great if you complete most important work as early as possible
1.Finding the right path,the right guidance.
You want to do something. Your dreams are big. But you need the right path,the right guidance. Every UPSC aspirant faces the same problem. he goes to every website online, every institute he has heard of, buys every new book in the market to ensure he clears. Very few find the right path, the right mentor.
Remember how the wrong guidance to Geetha phogat in the movie, ‘ Dangal’ cost her few matche?
2. Financial support
A lot of you might have to prepare for the exam along with your job. Because you will the single earning member of your family. Or you will have too many dependents in the family. You might have to chase your passion without quitting your job.
3. Time management
College going students/working professionals/first time learners/first attempters will all have problems related to time http://management.So much syllabus and time constraint will make time management a challenge.
4.Staying Focussed
Being able to insulate yourself from your environment is vital for success. Family functions, friends’ marriages, love /break up, etc..can be different reasons for distraction.
Dhoni demonstrated this during the Champions Trophy when there was controversy over the Indian Premier League. An ability to cut through distraction and negative energy is one of the best marks of a leader in every situation.
5. Ability to handle failures
Very few students get through in first attempt. UPSC exams demand a lot of patience.Failures sometime damage the confidence of the candidate,although they are highly capable. You should build on your confidence and bounce back. The once who can bounce after failures sustain.
And when i say problems, they are obstacles which will come your way,no matter what dream you pursue.
Fight them and go ahead!
Sense of Insecurity
- Emotional - Aspirants becomes more vulnerable along with the journey..Either more sensitive or more indifferent towards human behaviour and effects get deepen with time during the journey as it test your relations in every phase of your moods.
- Financial - you are exhausting what you have and investing in uncertainty.
- Career- your friends are working abroad, your younger cousins are in better earning job, fellow mates from college or school are placed in Govt services or MNCs and announcing their increments every now and then..and you still flunked between old ncert or new ncert.
- Family- In late 20′s still dependent or trying to meet both ends, still unemployed or mentally planning to for the sake of the dream, still single or complex relationship status as neither you can commit nor breakup.
Lack of confidence
- No matters how well you have prepared scoring less than average marks even in mock test can leave you with 2 mins of mourning to entire preparation.
- A Day wasted means A night without sleep and then cycle of lowering the confidence began.
- Not able to access the clamouring study material means you start perceiving yourself lesser.
Lack of perseverance
- One hour of study and 4 hours to celebrate your 1 hour achievement.
- It takes a lot of courage to cheat for first time but later it becomes character..same goes with preparation. If you get diverted from your plan you are bound to fall in trap.
- Most of the aspirants know what is do be done..only Successful do that.
- It's not the days or hours that you have been into preparation mood that counts but the days or hours you have been actually preparing that matters.
Problem in handling appreciation or criticism
- “I used to be the topper in my academic throughout, UPSC is not a hard nut to crack for me”.
- “ My family doesn't trust my potential to crack the exam and continuously pressurising me to get a stable job first"
- “ I have a long journey of failures in past I don't deserve better “
- “ Everybody asks for my advice..I have a solution to every problem”.
Work in silence and do respect your work and yourself for better life.
Lack the art of unlearn
- Let bygones be bygones…learn from mistakes and move on.
- If you have failed in past then there must be something missing in your efforts..empty your cup of self proclamation and start working on your flaws.
- If you still left with a chance there must be a reason and a way. Tighten your belts.
Fail to take the responsibilities
The day you start taking responsibilities of your life or Exam.... you will start improving
Let's be brutally honest.
Fear - This is the biggest problem especially at the beginning stages. Ask God for a stoic spirit and a stout heart.
Unemployment - This is the greatest boon or bane.
Failure - Lets face it. No one can ever escape without getting a blow or two from the great CSE.
Negative competition - (E.g) Book buying competition, Speed-writing competition
Rumours - Abey, Sunaa kya ? Cut-off bad gaye.. Result aane waale hai... @$%#&#*@((@#&$&$&$ :(
Vajiram Vs Sriram - Yes, initially if an aspirant goes to Delhi, this is also a decision making problem.
India Year Book - No comments !
Choosing Optional - Kya loo mein ?? Yeh mere liye nahi hain ... History .... Nahi nahi geography hi sahi hai... Lekin Pub-Ad ka syllabus ithna kam hai... Par Pub-ad question paper bahooth tough hai .... Kya Karrooon ?
Neighbours - Especially during result season, "Heee :) Beta, Ab kya kar rahe ho?, Result kya huwaa? " . But there are neighbours who genuinely care.
Motivation - Some days it feels so hard, but when the desire comes into fruition it will be like it was worth the struggle.
Honestly all these problems can be overcome with the power and blessings of God and the God whom our eyes can see - our parents. Any problem can be overcome if there is the support system of the FAMILY.
The syllabus of PSIR is very vast & there are lots of thinkers (in Political Theory, Ideologies, Indian Politics, International Relations, etc. & to fetch good marks you need to quote them). Even the recommended (standard) books are very lengthy & hence should be used for “understanding purpose only”. After 1/2 reading (with syllabus + question paper trend in mind) you should switch to Shubra Ranjan's notes (they are compact & to-the-point & make relevant additions from books by writing on margins). You won't be able to understand the notes fully if you don't refer to the standard books.
1. An introduction to Poltical Theory by O. P. Gauba (Amazon.in: Buy AN INTRODUCTION TO POLITICAL THEORY 8TH EDITION REVISED Book Online at Low Prices in India)
2. Indian Govt. & Politics by B. L. Fadia (Buy Indian Government and Politics Book Online at Low Prices in India)
3. India's struggle for freedom by Bipan Chandra (already in GS)
4. Indian Polity by M. Laxmikant (already in GS)
5. Foundation of Indian Political Thought by V R Mehta (Buy Foundations of Indian Political Thought: An Interpretation: From Manu to the Present Day Book Online at Low Prices in India)
6. Politics by Andrew Heywood (Buy Politics (Palgrave Foundations Series) Book Online at Low Prices in India)
7. Global politics by Heywood (you need to read this book extremely selectively so download its pdf from net)
8. Does the Elephant Dance? by Malone (Buy Does the Elephant Dance?: Contemporary Indian Foreign Policy Book Online at Low Prices in India)
9. Western political thought by Nelson (Buy Western Political Thought: From Socrates to the Age of Ideology, 2e Book Online at Low Prices in India)
10. International Relations by Khanna (Buy International Relations Book Online at Low Prices in India)
PSIR is a dynamic subject & hence you need to follow editorials of important contemporary thinkers of Politics & International Relations.
How to start?
Start with M. Laxmikant & Modern History book of Bipan Chandra (as they are in GS syllabus as well). Then pick up O. P. Gauba (Poltical Theory). Then you can start with Indian & Western political thinkers (= this part is bit difficult but repeatedl reading will help so hang on!). IR part + Indian Foreign Policy is easy & interesting.
Last thing : online editorial reading of articles by contemporary thinkers.
P.S. it takes 5–6 months to prepare PSIR well (as in beginning it is difficult to understand the subject & how to approach it).
I would recommend that you fix daily targets of course that you would cover. For example, say that you will finish 10 chapters of Polity today. So then try and finish that. When making the plan check out all the topics/books/ reading material you have to cover. Then divide them into number of days. Say you have to cover History, Geography and International relations. And you have 15 days. So you decide how many days for each subject - 3days IR, 6 days Geography and the rest History. Then you decide how much part of that subject on any particular day that you will finish. So say you are dividing history then say 2 days for modern India and 3 days for World and 1 day extension. Then divide that I will finish 15 chapters of Modern India book on first day. And then do that. Instead of making hour-wise time table, make a syllabus wise time-table. After all, what matters is finishing the course and not showing the examiner how many hours you study!! Do not worry about the hours. Focus on finishing the syllabus of the day , no matter it takes you 3 hours, 7 hours or 12 hours!
When we make hourly time-table you tend to just waste time in staring at the same page and not really being productive. The point is to finish the course and not spend a certain number of hours looking at the book. Usually with hourly time-tables we waste a lot of time and not really manage to learn anything. At the end we say I spent so many hours studying but we don't really learn so many hour worth of the subject!
It doesn't matter how many hours you spend studying as long as you finish the course and know it well. The target is to know the subject so focus on that. And the best part is when you make a course-based time-table you won't worry that you doing other activities in your free time and you can take a break whenever you want!
You won't force yourself to keep studying even when your brain is not working because you said you would study that many hours! In this time-table you are free to study when you want and do all the other things in life! Like I would decide that I would take a break after 3 chapters so then I would quickly finish them and take my break and do something else. If you have a break in 2 hours, then you would worry about the break for 2 hours and not finish anything! Which is just a sheer waste of time!
Also please remember to make a very spacious time-table so that you actually follow it and it doesn't become a burden. Often we make such a rigid schedule that we get tired just thinking about it! Do not try to do so much in one day that it becomes impossible for it to happen. And like someone else said, make sure to do all your other activities too! It is important to be a well-rounded person and enjoy your studies . If you cut yourself off then studies will become a burden!
Civil Service is an exam which is like a wall between a UPSC Aspirant and Indian Administrative Services(IAS). Lakhs of people every year try to jump off this wall and reach their destination which is LBSNAA. But does everybody crosses the wall?
You have seen that when you pass Class 10. There comes a choice to make a decision that can shape your future. But in reality, few people make that real choice and others follow. You might be wondering, What does this mean and Why I can say that?
I have observed that many people when sees that their friends are taking science stream or finds that science stream has better job opportunities or due to society’s pressure or they believe other streams inferior to Science, they decide to opt science stream. Although, their interest lies in Arts/humanities.
Similar is the case of UPSC. Everybody who gives the Civil Services exam is not really inclined towards becoming an IAS or IPS. Let’s understand it with a trend.
Read: How To Crack UPSC Civil Services Exam Without Coaching?
Almost 10 lakh people fill the form of UPSC Civil Services. Out of which around only 5 Lakh people really go to the examination center to give the civil services exam. Out of these five lac people, only 15,000 people clear Prelims. If just look at this trend, you will understand that only 15,000 people were seriously dedicated to the Civil Services exam.
What about the 9,85,000 people? Most of these people filled the examination form just to do showoff. Showoff? What does Showoff mean?
Basically, most of these people filled the form to show others that they had filled the IAS form and they are preparing for Civil Services. So, those people who aren’t much aware of Civil Services when heard about that their friend or their relative has filled IAS form then it increases their respect among them.
But all the people don’t fill the form for this reason. There are some who fill the IAS form because they want to gain power, money, respect, bungalow, free car, and other facilities.
This is obvious because most of the Indian families aren’t rich enough to have all such facilities. So, when they get to know that Indian Administrative Services or Indian Police Services provide such facilities to its officer then it attracts the people.
Read: How to crack The UPSC Exam in First Attempt?
I saw that most of the candidates who cracks the UPSC Civil Services Exam have a strong motivation behind them. They have a reason why they are preparing for their respective services. You might be wondering what is that reason?
I can’t say that I know all the reasons and every person may have their own reasons. But they mainly enter the Civil Services journey to bring change and serve the nation. Many people want to uplift the poor from poverty, many others join to educate people and end the social discrimination present in society.
Some others want to empower women, many others want to save the environment. Their aim may be different but eventually, their overall perspective remains the same that is, serve the people, help the people, solve their grievances.
Read: 10 COMMON MISTAKES COMMITTED BY UPSC ASPIRANTS
Why You Should Join IAS?
I can’t answer this question. Because the answer lies within you. First, ask yourself why you want to join IAS? Is it due to money, power, perks or service to the nation?
Those who want to join the service for power and money. I would request them not to enter this service. They can become an Entrepreneur or can work in MNC. You can ear much more money in other activities.
If you are doing this for gaining power and exploiting the people. Then, you should keep your feet away from these services.
The All India Services aims to serve all the people of India. If you want to serve the people if you want to improve the lives of people if you want to bring positive change in our society. Then, this service is for you. You have to understand that the Civil Services Journey is not a bed of roses, it’s filled with rough turns, ups, and downs.
Only those people can successfully crack the Civil Services exam and join IAS who have a strong desire to bring some change.
Download: NCERT Books
Money cannot give you the motivation required for this exam. It’s a fake source of motivation. It can last a day or week or at last a month. But not more than that. You have to ask yourself the question again and again. If you aren’t getting answers then you can try again.
Don’t enter the journey without knowing the reason behind it. When you are preparing for IAS, your only goal should be IAS. Don’t look anywhere. Let your cause to join IAS be your motivation. You will eventually clear that wall and will reach your destination.
Month-Wise Preparation Strategy for UPSC Exam
The ambition of joining the civil services drive at least 10 lakh people every year to give the UPSC examination. Their aim is to serve as the IAS, IPS, IFS, and other reputed officers of the department. However, the journey from being an aspirant to serving as a civil officer isn’t easy.
The UPSC exam preparation requires sheer hard work and undivided attention on the part of the individuals. To crack UPSC, one needs to have a proper exam preparation strategy and a timetable to manage the vast syllabus. All aspirants should realize that it’s the elite services of the country and not a random government job.
We have prepared this article to give an overview of how to construct a month-wise strategy for UPSC preparation.
Read: 8 Tips to Improve English For UPSC Aspirants
UPSC Preparation Routine
Best time table for IAS preparation/IAS prelims preparation time table/IAS time table for preparation/How to make timetable for UPSC exam?
“PLAN YOUR WORK FOR TODAY AND EVERY DAY, THEN WORK YOUR PLAN.” – MARGARET THATCHER
A legendary musician once did say, ‘Life is what happens when you’re busy making plans’. But if you are preparing to take the UPSC civil services exam , you would understand that without a detailed plan of action, you can very well say goodbye to your IAS dreams. The sheer quantity of learning you have to do in order to cover the UPSC Syllabus mandates that you prepare a study timetable and follow it without fail. This article hopes to throw some light on how to make a timetable for UPSC preparation so that you can fix your daily routine for UPSC preparation.
First of all, let us examine why a time table to study for IAS exam is needed.
There are basically two factors that obligate the unavoidability of a schedule for your IAS exam preparation:
- The humungous UPSC syllabus.
- The fact that you should set aside at least 10-12 months if not more for your UPSC preparation.
Benefits of a time table for study for UPSC preparation:
- Having a schedule gives you a sense of direction, especially when you feel lost looking at the plethora of books and study material around you.
- It helps you cover the entire UPSC syllabus within the stipulated time frame. When you outline a work schedule at the outset, you can be sure of how much time you have in all and distribute your studies accordingly. This way, you can evenly smoothen out your IAS studies and not freak out towards the end when you near the exam date.
- It helps you beat stress. With all planned and ready, you can avoid stress. This goes a long way in your being able to perform to the best of your abilities. Also, when you are better prepared you will execute better on the D-day.
- By charting out an individual study timetable, you can have a customised approach to different subjects as per your strengths and weaknesses.
- You will be able to retain more information when you study according to a study timetable since it is not random study and your brain is better focused.
- Working according to a study time table for UPSC exam also increases your productivity. Since your studies are streamlined, confusion doesn’t prevail and your efficiency improves.
- When you study according to a schedule you will find that you get more time on your hands. Since you would have stipulated a fixed time for your studies and your breaks, you can ensure that you don’t extend your breaks and naps. You will have a time and place for everything and this will take you to your IAS goal.
- A study timetable also ensures you do your periodical assessments. This way you will know where you stand in terms of your IAS preparation levels.
What is required of you to make and follow a daily time table for UPSC preparation?
- HONESTY
First of all, you must be honest with yourselves. Achieving the IAS dream is not for the faint-hearted. The journey is a thorn-filled one and you must be ready to prick yourself to get the rose at the end of it (Tacky metaphor but you get the point). If you are willing to work hard and diligent, go and make yourself a plan and don’t rest until you check all the boxes.
- SERIOUSNESS
You must be absolutely serious about your IAS dreams and your IAS preparation. Don’t take it lightly and as a “time pass” course. You are wasting your time if you are doing so. Don’t have the attitude, ‘I will give it a shot, let’s see what happens’. Luck will not make you an IAS officer. Only your work and efforts will.
- DISCIPLINE
When you make a timetable, you are bound to follow it. Only a disciplined lifestyle will help you do it. Why is the army so efficient? It is because of their discipline and their strict adherence to time. So, if you want to crack the UPSC civil services exam, you must inculcate discipline. This will help you not only to clear the IAS exam but also in your life in the future.
PERSEVERANCE
Perseverance refers to your persistence to the extent of being stubborn in your determination to achieve something despite it being difficult. Have a timetable and be determined to follow it to the T.
- GOAL-SETTING
You should have goals tied to your IAS study timetable. Having concrete short and long term goals will help you in many ways to achieve your IAS aspirations. Read more.
- ENJOY THE PROCESS
Great American inventor, Thomas Edison once said, “I never did a day’s work in my life. It was all fun.” This was from a man who held 1093 U.S. patents and 2332 patents worldwide. Edison obviously enjoyed what he did and so, it didn’t seem like work. Whenever you start enjoying things, it becomes more fun and less work. Even in your UPSC preparation, enjoy the process. Enjoy the learning. Take pride in the knowledge you gain. Stop looking at studying like a chore.
- CONCENTRATION
Concentration is the key to getting anything done. Make sure you focus on the task at hand when you sit to study. You can make the best plan in the world, but if you don’t concentrate you will not succeed in your mission.
MAINTAIN YOUR HEALTH
You must maintain good physical and mental health if you want to do all that you wrote out in your study schedule. In fact, the first stepping stone to any great height is good health. Eat right, sleep well, exercise, and remain stress-free.
To get tips on how to maintain good health in order to clear the UPSC exam, click below.
BE AN EARLY RISER
It is true that each body has its own cycle and some might feel they work more at night. But according to experts, our brain functions most and is at its sharpest in the wee hours of the morning. Be an early riser if you are serious about cracking the mother of all exams in the country – the IAS exams.
We have given below a study timetable for your IAS preparation. Remember these are solely for your guidance. A final study timetable/plan/schedule has to be made by each individual tailored to his/her need. You can use our timetable for reference and tweak it suitably.
Read on for more on making a timetable for UPSC 2018 preparation.
Daily time table for IAS preparation/Best time table for UPSC preparation
Model Study Timetable for IAS Aspirants:
Time
What to do?
How & Why
5:00 AM
Wake up
Early risers stand a lot to gain!
5:00 – 6:00 AM
Morning routine, tea/green tea, Yoga/light exercise
Early morning exercise helps blood circulation, improves concentration.
6:00 – 6:15 AM
Bath
Helps you shake off the drowsiness.
6:15 – 7:45 AM
Read newspaper.
Devote some time for this as you will need to make notes.
7:45 – 8:30 AM
Breakfast (+ Reach Coaching class/college)
Have a healthy and filling breakfast (has to keep you going for the day). If you don’t have to travel, use that time for studying.
8:30 – 11:00 AM
Study Time
Start with revising what you learnt the previous day. Then, take up the topics that you feel are most tough for you since your mind is fresh and can absorb a lot.
11:00 – 11:30 AM
Break Time
Take a break to refresh and recharge.
11:30 AM – 1:30 PM
Study Time
Resume your studies.
1:30 – 2:30 PM
Lunch
Pack in a light lunch. It is better to avoid a daytime siesta.
2:30 – 5:00 PM
Study Time
Continue studies.
5:00 – 7:30 PM
Reach home + Tea/Snacks + Refresh (play/gym/chat with people)
Have your tea/coffee. Meet positive people. Play or move around. Hit the gym if you are in the habit. If you are not traveling, all the more time for you to study!
7:30 – 9:00 PM
Study Time
Your last phase of studies for the day. Make sure to take up lighter topics since you would be feeling a bit drained.
9:00 – 9:30 PM
Supper
Supper should be the lightest meal if you want to get a goodnight’s sleep.
9:30 – 10:00 PM
Watch news/discussions
Watch quality news discussions on UPSC-relevant issues.
10:00 – 10:30 PM
Unwind (no TV)
Half an hour before sleep, avoid TV. Don’t think of studies. Relax. Listen to soothing music if you like. Talk to your family or friends.
10:30 PM
Hit the bed
Get a nice sleep as you have to be up and ready for the next day!
Remember on your weekends, you will have more time on your hands. Use that time wisely. Even if you don’t study, indulge in those activities that will help you in your IAS exam one way or the other. You could play brain games or any other physical activity. You could also once a few months, catch a movie or indulge in any other harmless recreational activity, during the weekends.
For working professionals, there would of course, be major changes to the above routine. You would spent longer hours in your office. Use the above schedule as reference and create your own study timetable. In fact, as explained above, every IAS aspirant should create a customised study timetable.
How to Make Time Table for UPSC Preparation | BYJU’S
Preparation Guide
Smart study + Notes making + Daily revision = Key to success in CSE
What is ‘Smart Study’?
Many aspirants think, studying loads of book will make them able to crack IAS exam. But, “Studying too many books = waste of time = failure”
Here “Smart Study” means studying only those book/reference sources that provide adequate knowledge required according to the syllabus of IAS exam + extensive newspaper reading.
Why to “Make Notes”?
Note Making is necessary due to following reasons:
- Quick Revision.
- Improve Writing Skills.
Try to make Notes in Question-Answer format, this will make your notes comprehensive + Lucid
“Notes Making” process required for all books?
No, Notes must be prepared only from two sources:
- NCERT books (you can add some additional important information to your notes while referring other books )
- Newspaper (i.e. Current Affairs)
Why “Daily revision” is necessary?
Always remember: “Study + No revision = No study”
Revision is an important part of preparation. It should be done on daily basis (may be at the end of the day). Make your daily study schedule accordingly and implement it.
CSE Journey
CSE-’15 – Prelims – Mains – Personality Test – NOT IN FINAL LIST
CSE-’16 – Prelims – Mains – Personality Test – NOT IN FINAL LIST
CSE-’17 – Prelims – Mains – DIDN’T CLEAR MAINS
Got a gap of 4 months till CSE-’18
CSE-’18 – Prelims – Mains – Personality Test – All India Rank – 17th
What went Wrong in Previous attempt?
Every success story is a story of great failures. He believed that he is a good example for it. Let us dwell on the mistakes he did in his CSE journey:
Mistakes in MAINS: He had a lackadaisical approach towards answers writing and always felt he could ‘manage’ it in exams(which he never could). His writing speed was slow and handwriting was really bad(especially towards the end of paper). In Mains,the content and quality of last 4-5 answers in every paper was very bad due to bad time management.
Mistakes in PERSONALITY TEST : He followed the same strategy that he followed for Mains. He would only read current affairs magazines instead of forming his own opinion on various issues.
Though it may sound silly, another problem he faced was that, he was quite hesitant to speak in front of elders. This affected him in answering in front of panel members in Personality Test. He could not express himself openly and would give single sentence answers. This led to average scores in Personality test.
What went Right in this attempt?
In previous attempts, he was in the cycle of going through Prelims-mains-Personality Test and Failure. Therefore, he didn’t get time to improvise on the mistakes he committed. In third attempt when he didn’t get through Mains, he knew he had around 4 months time till next prelims and he had to make best use of it. The following conversation with his college friend was an eye opener for him.
Friend: Hey Rahul, 2 interviews and 3 mains, yet you aren’t getting into the list. What’s going wrong?
Myself: I have no idea buddy. I think I am doing everything but things are not falling into place.
Friend: okay. Let me ask you something. Tell me what is stupidity ?
Myself: !!!!!!.
Friend: Stupidity is doing the same thing again and again and expecting different result.
Somehow , this statement stuck a chord. All previous attempts, he was following the same approach and was expecting that he will succeed , which didn’t happen. As he had decided that this would be his last attempt, he thought of doing things a bit differently.
He knew that his weakness was answer writing (including handwriting). He was confident that he can manage Prelims so he took the risk of allocating only 30-35 days for Prelims.
He joined a test series(between Feb and Apr – 2018 – Core Batch Tests). Though the papers weren’t evaluated (it was a free of cost test series), discussion after writing test helped. He had also realized that his optional score in previous attempts were above average . So he did some value addition in time available to get few more marks.
Once Prelims was over, he joined Mains Test series. Slowly, he started getting good scores in tests which were evaluated on time – which boosted his confidence. Also, he tried to improve his handwriting. On those days when there was no tests, he would write 1-2 static answers from IASBaba website. This exercise enabled him to practice writing and since he wrote few questions, it didn’t consume a lot of time.
He also laid emphasis on study of NCERT books but he didn't have its hardcopy so he downloaded it from Letslearncbse website, which according to him is best website for NCERT Books.
My request to you is that if you don't have NCERT books so go and download it now and boost your preparation. Go and hurry up!
NCERT Books For Classes 6 to 12 - Free PDF Download
For optional subject, he spent very less time. He didn’t join test series nor did he do any value addition post prelims. He was confident that with improvement in writing speed, he will get additional 10-20 marks (which he subsequently got).
Once he cleared Mains exam , he again wanted to change strategy for Personality test preparation . He used to spend 75-85 days for Personality test preparation in previous attempts. This time, he travelled to different places (his hobby) and spent more time with his friends. This exercise helped him in becoming more composed. Also, as he spent less time in discussions with others aspirants, the ‘INTERVIEW HEAT’ didn’t affect him a lot.
CIVIL SERVICES EXAM-UNDERSTAND YOURSELF TO SUCCEED
CSE is not a test of our intellectual ability , but a test of one’s personality. The pressures from outside is immense. To succeed, one ought to be patient and persistent and this can be achieved if one understands oneself. For instance, spending time with friends , listening to music acted as a stress buster for him . So he made it a point to have them in his routine each day.
What I want to convey is that , each one of us has to make our own strategy based on our personality. Something(like studying in night) may work for some but may not work for others.
Some lessons he learnt which you should know:
Now , I want to share what advice he gave to UPSC aspirants
- FOR NEW CANDIDATES:When you begin preparation, give greatest importance to understand basics. Initially, you may not understand current affairs as your basics won’t be strong. I know of candidates who would discuss and debate on GST but didn’t know the difference between Direct and Indirect Tax. These candidates didn’t fare well at least for the first 3-4 months into preparation, don’t attempt answer writing. Later , you can slowly start with simple conventional questions (for eg: difference between Parliamentary and Presidential form of Government )and later , questions based on current affairs. Without any inhibition, ask lots and lots of questions. This CSE journey is going to be a challenging journey. It will have its highs and lows. People will doubt your abilities. But always have your goal motivate you. Also, this journey will enable you to make great friends. You will be amazed with the dedication and hard work which you will be putting in the time to come.
- FOR VETERANS: I can feel the pain, helplessness and frustration that is you are It is indeed tough. For me, music , spirituality, meditation, reading Swami Vivekananda literature helped. Try to identify what may help you to stay focused and positive.There should be some reasons for which you have not been able to get into the list. It may be clarity in basics, low scores in essays, answer writing or inability to express in Personality test. You need to first identify it. You may take the help of your friends, seniors or other support staff to identify it. Be open to inputs from everyone, even if coming from a person who is not doing CSE preparation. Let your ‘Seniority’ in CSE preparation not block the knowledge inflow.
- PRELIMS:Paper-1 broadly has Conventional static questions and Current Affairs questions. There is a trend wherein aspirants give lot of importance to Current affairs. But if we see Prelims paper, UPSC is asking such current affairs questions which aren’t mentioned in most of Current affairs magazines. Therefore, one should give equal importance to Static questions. As we have the books from which these static question come, we should aim to make no mistakes in static questions.Generally, when we write mock tests, we tend to look only at our marks and our relative performance. Mocks will be more effective if we analyse the mistakes committed and identify why we made mistake . Was the mistake committed due to carelessness in reading or was in due to lack of understanding etc.Generally, we tend to read those subjects in which we are already good at :). it is here that we need to really identify our weaknesses and give more importance to them.Mantra to clear Prelims:-”Concept Clarity,Limited Sources,MULTIPLE REVISIONS”.
- MAINS:Here again, identifying our mistakes is the key. For some it may be answer writing, for some it may be basics. Some may have issue with optionals and essays.Present trend in GS is that the UPSC is asking very generic questions. When such questions are asked, we tend to give generic answers leading to average marks. It is here that we need to become creative and mention interesting examples, facts, figures to get those extra 1-2 marks.Let the answer structure be as simple as possible. You may follow the below mentioned structure:
- Introduction consisting of Definition/Interesting fact/Present Context
- Main body wherein you may write in points format. If sub-questions are asked, answer them separately.
- Conclusion may be some recommendations/some emulative models etc.
- GS-4 (Ethics Paper): Let your answers be written in Indian context i.e. try to have more Indian examples, Indian thinkers etc. Also, it is recommended to give day-to-day examples for ethics answers. It will convey a message to evaluator that the aspirant has understood the question.5. PERSONALITY TESTIt took me 2 summons to UPSC Bhavan to realise that its not an Interview but Personality Test. What they are looking for is not a candidate who is perfect in facts but a honest and compassionate aspirant.The biggest issue you will face is not ‘knowledge deficit’ but concerns such as ‘lack of confidence, panic. It is better to introspect on one’s personality, one’s strengths and weaknesses than spend time mugging up facts. if one is composed in front of the panel, decent marks can be obtained.
SUPPORT SYSTEM
He thanked Pruthvi Shankar who guided him in the course of preparation. His guidance in answer writing helped him to get good marks. Also, his energy and humility was and is ever inspiring.
His friends played a great part in securing this rank. He mentioned Rajavardhan K, Praveen, Naveen Kumar, Madhu, Prateek and many more who had faith in him when he doubted myself the most.
I would like to end my answer with some Swami Vivekananda’s quotes which can guide you in your preparation.
-The greatest sin is to think that your are weak.
-Conquer yourself and the whole universe is yours.
-Arise,Awake and stop not until the goal is achieved
Wake up at 5.45 am
6am - 9am : study prelims test portion of insights on India
9 am to 12 noon : another 2 hours for study of prelims test portion of insights on India
3 pm to 4 pm : lunch (you can see news channel Rajya sabha while taking your lunch)
4pm to 6pm : time for Answer writing practice.. Now for the topic on which to write. Go to the link below Insights Secure . From here you can find everyday topic for your practice. Actually under this link when u click on any date you will get 4-5 questions. These questions are framed from articles published in PIB, INDIAN EXPRESS, THE HINDU etc. Try to give answers to atleast 3-4 questions daily in your copy.
9pm to 11pm : Study optional subject you opted for mains.
11.30 pm to 12.30 am : Read newspaper other than editorial page because that u would have covered under answer writing practice (remember 4pm to 6 pm) or alternatively, you can read current affairs, daily quiz and min maps on daily basis from below mentioned links.
INSIGHTS Daily Current Affairs
INSIGHTS CURRENT AFFAIRS QUESTIONS
Note 1 : you will be free on Saturday and Sunday from 4pm to 6 pm as Insights on India doesn't post questions for answer writing practice on these days. So on these days you can give your time to finish your incomplete work or to write an essay. For the essay you can take your topic from here INSIGHTS
Note 2: if you have any query than read this article
syllabus that I need to divide a day into three parts:
- Current affairs
- GS
3.Geography (optional)
Time table before the mains:
I used to wake up around 6.00 AM
And start studying
6:30 -8:30 Newspaper
9:30- 11:00 Geography (Reading) I would divide the syllabus for every week and try to finish in time. In this time I would read and prepare notes of optional.
12:00–2.00 Geography Reading if syllabus was yet to be completed or writing previous years answers for the part I was done reading.
2:00- 4.00 Lunch and Sleep
4:00- 6.00 General studies . Any of the four which I would have decided for every week. This division was mainly done according to the test series.
7:00- 9.00 Again GS, Answer writing of insightsonindia or iasbaba.
9:00 -9:30 AIR news and analysis.
After 9:30 Time table was flexible and I would listen to Rajya Sabha Big Picture or I would read Yojana. Finish the daily defined syllabus.
If daily syllabus was completed I would talk to friends and family. Or go out for walk , listen to songs.
I would sleep at around 11:30 to 12:00.
Wait, don't worry ….. This is not the time table for whole of the year. This was for 2 months before the Mains exam. In all three of my attempts I was on complete leave for 2 months before the exam and could follow it.
For other part of the year I literally wasted time(except for the first attempt). Time table would also be hectic one month before the prelims too. But here I didn't divide it into some particular schedule. It was more random though I would study for 8–10 hours a day.
And then another little seriousness would come before the interview. I have always got not more than 20 days for result declaration and my interview date. So I would prepare in those days only. Though I feel this was the mistake , we should not leave the touch on reading after mains. Even then I repeated it for all three attempts.
Again after interview I would relax till results and did all those things like traveling, watching movies etc which I was not able to do before mains.
After result the same circle would continue, as you can come out of the loop either if UPSC accepts you or you are finished with your attempts. Those who can come out other than this reason needs a salute.
All the best. Let UPSC's acceptance become reason for coming out of this loop. Make a time table and adhere to it.
- Begin your day with the newspaper. Assign 1.5 hours to newspaper reading.
- Try to wake up at a comfortable time. If you’re an early riser , make your plan that ways but if you cant wake up that early, than stick to a definite time of the day everyday. Do not compromise on your sleep , otherwise you would not be able to sustain it.
- Fix the time of the day when you would take breaks. Like lunch, tea, dinner, some free time in the evening. Plan in such a way that you keep taking small breaks after every 2 hours or so.
- Take one long break in the evening when you have studied enough. This will help you energize yourself.
- Try and keep one day of the week as a cheat day when you don’t study as much and can allow yourself for sometime outside of your study routine. Don’t waste the entire day , but a 3–4 hour outing would be good. This could serve as that one day of the week for which you would be studying hard for the rest of the days.
- Included 8 hours of sleep, your brain needs adequate rest to process all the information that you would feed in everyday.
keeping these in mind I had prepared my timetable of my own.
- I would wake up at 9 AM. sit straight on the study table without wasting much time and start reading the newspaper. Meanwhile I would take a cup of tea.
- Finish the newspaper by 10.30–11 am and then scan through the books and subjects I would read for the day.
- Take breakfast while on the table itself. Start studying some subject till 1.
- Take lunch break for around 30–45 mins. I would watch news or rajya sabha TV during my lunch time.
- Come back and start studying again by 2. continue till 4–4.30 pm. Then go and make my own tea. Sip some tea and come back again by 5.
- study till 6.30–7 pm
- take a break for dinner and some physical exercise.
- get back to books by 9pm.
- study till 12–12.30 am.
- Then close the books, watch something on the internet for sometime and sleep.
Contents
Since UPSC is one of the toughest exams to crack, the daily routine cycle becomes imperative for the aspirants. In experts’ words, this cycle needs to stay intact for at least a period of 12 months before the exam. This time period is important to cover the whole vast syllabus of UPSC exams.
However, it should be observed that every finger is not of the same size. While some candidates due to their prosperous academic background excel, some strive rigorously due to their weaknesses. But, every UPSC candidate should understand that it’s the hours of burning the midnight lamp that will decide their fate.
As the syllabus is known for each year, aspirants should be thorough with the syllabus of classes 6th to 12th. This will not only save time but will also prevent the extra drudgery of studying a new thing all over.
On average, a candidate requires to put in at least 8 hours every day to cover the UPSC syllabus. While this may work for some candidates, surely, it isn’t for every other candidate.
Read: 10 Things To Avoid In An IAS INTERVIEW Round
Month-Wise UPSC Preparation Strategy
The exam cycle of UPSC usually starts in the month of June every year. Every aspirant is clearly aware of the timetable for the Prelims and the Mains in advance. Now, the final target is to have a study approach that will put down all the milestones one by one.
It has been observed that the UPSC syllabus of Prelims and the Mains are similar to one another. It’s just the nature of exams that holds a different outlook. The experts’ say that 80% of the Mains syllabus is buckled up in the Prelims Preparation. Therefore, instead of having a different strategy for both the phases, here is a combination of both strategies to reach the destination. Going month-wise, we have listed below the subject-coverings for every month starting from June till May of next year.
June to October:
During this period, the aspirants should focus on the optional subject of their choice. This is very important as it holds an important position in the overall marking. Additionally, candidates should concentrate on the syllabus of General Papers of both Prelims and the Mains.
For this purpose, designing a proper weekly timetable to include every subject can help.
Read: Why I Should Join IAS?
October to December:
Practice the statistics part of the Prelims and the Mains on a daily basis. Side by side, indulge in daily revision to memorize the past covered syllabus.
January & February:
The aspirants should practice the answer by writing regularly. But, to form a UPSC preparation strategy, we will advise going for this in the month of January and February. This is to focus more on the exams as they come closer.
During these months, the aspirants should completely devote their time to Mains Optional subject practice.
Read: 10 Most common doubts among UPSC Aspirants
March to May:
Now, the UPSC Prelims are approaching. This time should be considerately given towards the Prelims preparation. Instead of indulging in new study materials, revive the past academics to fulfill the revision requirements. Focus on the revision of both Paper 1 and the CSAT.
We have collectively given the above guidelines for the full-time UPSC students. It should be understood that every person has his/her own way of managing things out. Therefore, the above is just a sample rather than a predetermined standard for a timetable.
There are many aspirants who take up UPSC alongside employment. For them, a different schedule will help, which will be based upon their daily routine and priorities.
Download: NCERT Books
Summing up, we sincerely hope, the readers will be able to understand what’s best for them. Thus, they will form a monthly strategy that will save their time and last minute nervous breakdowns.
A short storyconquer the mind of every UPSC aspirant. The aspirants, to understand the distinction between reality and myths should dive deeper and educate themselves. This won’t only help them in studying better but it will also save the enormity of time.
Read: 10 Things To Avoid In An IAS INTERVIEW Round
7 Civil Service Exams’ Myths and the Realities are:-
#1 The UPSC is the toughest brick for a mediocre
This is the most basic doubt that prevails inside the mind of every average student. In brief, this is one of the biggest lies is. Any student whether a topper or a backbencher can easily clear the UPSC exam with the correct strategy and technique.
Everybody is familiar with the preparation cycle for UPSC. It is something that takes time and a wide view to look into the vast IAS syllabus. But, this is the case for every big dream, an aspirant strives to achieve.
Truth be told, it’s easy and tackling for every determined student out there.
Read: An Insight Into The Bharat Darshan Tour
#2 Only 15-20 hours can show the results
A common phrase says, ‘every finger is of different size’. Understand the deeper meaning of this. Every aspirant has his/her own way and method of studying. For some, memorizing is the easier path, while for some, it’s the understanding that stands them out.
Similarly, going by the traditional approach, many students believe that it is mandatory to study for 15-18 hours every day. But, the experts suggest going for an 8-hour study cycle. This is tried and tested and gives results if done with efficiency and will power.
Read: 7 Must-Have Qualities to become an IAS Officer
#3 The toppers are the knowledge storehouses
Well, in our words, they are mere humans who were determined and focused on their dream. It is a common notion that every IAS topper study everything and that is how they clear the exam. But, the toppers themselves say that it is not possible to taste every drop of knowledge out there. The IAS syllabus is vast and widening. Moreover, there are topics and sub-topics that keep changing every year.
The experts suggest going for the standard books and materials to get a general understanding of the concepts. The council clearly states that it doesn’t need the masters but the jacks who know everything in a reasonable quantity.
Read: 5 Reasons To Not Join Civil Services
#4 The power of Professional Coaching classes
This does not have any truth in it. Every individual is different in himself. Some may need the help of experts to proceed, while some steer themselves with self-studies.
With advancements in technology, every student can get access to online classes and notes for study purposes. This directly eliminates the use of any coaching class. There have been cases where the toppers clearly implied the power of timely self-study over expensive institutional classes.
Read: Best Degree Course for UPSC Preparation
#5 Only English speakers can crack the UPSC interview
One of the most crucial doubts that discouraged many aspirants in this race. Many Hindi Medium and regional language speakers face this misconception.
History is a witness to the truth underlying this false statement. Many aspirants cleared the Interview round with flying colors in their mother tongues. Moreover, it’s not the test of language but the general ideas and principles in the Interview round.
Read: IPS Ajit Doval: James Bond of the Nation
#6 IAS- The most prestigious governmental position in India
When it comes to the salary and other perks received by the IAS officers, this surely isn’t the best position to have such a talk. Not only the work responsibility is high, but there is also hardly any time for a personal life. In comparison, there are many private jobs that avail of the remunerative benefits on a higher level.
Many a time, the IAS officers have to transfer to various rural and semi-urban areas. This can be far away from their expectations to serve on duty. Though there are recognition and respect, it’s the IAS officers experiencing the ultimate wrath on duty.
Read: How to Start IAS Exam Preparation At Home?
#7 The Civil services positions are fundamentally secure
Like any other governmental position, IAS officers too can be removed from their duties. Individuals believe them to be immune against all mishappenings and negative practices. However, there are certain cases every year that involve the removal of IAS/IPS officers due to their practices.
In fact, last to last year, one of the IAS officers posted in the state of Kerala was removed because of a drunk-driving murder case. Aspirants need to realize that even the President of India can be removed if not performing his/her duties. The Constitution of India allows it and this applies in every case.
It’s the karma that decides, not the power.
Above mentioned are some common myths that take the aspirants far away from their actual realities. We sincerely hope that we cleared most of the important suspicions in the aspirants’ minds.
Download: NCERT Books
At last, for any information regarding the UPSC exam, the students should visit the UPSC online portal. Moreover, they can approach various experts of the field for further guidance, instead, of bein
I got 52% marks in my 12th Standard as well as in Graduation. I was a below average student academically and thus after graduation, when I decided to prepare for the Civil Services, no one except my parents and one of my friend believed that I could even clear the prelims of the State PSCs. Many of the well wishers made mockery of my decision of preparing for civil services.
Let me briefly narrate the conversation with one of my distant relative when he got to know that I was preparing for Civil Services {Translated in English but it was in my mother tongue Awadhi/Hindi} :
Relative: I have heard that you are preparing for IAS. Who has advised you for that?
Me: Yes. I have decided myself, no one advised me to do that.
Relative: What was your marks in 12th Board and in BSc:
Me: 52% Each
Relative: And you think you can clear the IAS?
Me: Yes, that is why I am preparing for that.
Relative: Have you written any PCS exam yet and seen how difficult is that?
Me: No I am focusing only on the IAS/Civil Services/UPSC as of now.
Relative: Have you applied for B.Ed so that you can get a job of primary teacher?
Me: No, I am giving my full attention only to the UPSC.
Relative: Why don’t you do LLB? I advise you to do that because UPSC is not easy and you don’t know about that.
Me: I will try my level best for UPSC and if I fail to clear then only I will think about anything else.
Relative: And what will you do after your all attempts are over??
Me: I haven't decided yet but I will do farming on my parental land if I fail to do anything better.
Relative: (He got very angry) Let me tell you, clearing the UPSC/IAS is impossible for you. You can take it from me in writing. I have seen many people like you preparing for IAS in Allahabad for 10–15 years and then returning home without any job. You will not even become a primary teacher, forget about the IAS. You remember my words and you will realize it after few years of wasting your time.
If you are an average student, you have to face such situations/humiliations many times. But I always tried to gain strength from that. I knew that they were saying such things only due to my educational background and it was my success only which could change their perception. It also gave me a sense of responsibility towards my parents and my friends who despite all odds, supported my decision and always believed in me and motivated me for achieving my Goal. I had huge responsibility on my shoulders to prove them right and this I think played a crucial role in my commitment and dedication which finally led me to clear the CSE 2008 with AIR 292.
So I would suggest not to hide anything but refrain from being much social during your preparation days. Avoid social media such as Facebook, WhatsApp. Try to be in contact with the people who can motivate you. Believe in yourself and don’t let anyone else to challenge that belief.
There is nothing impossible especially not the CSE/UPSC and there are end number of examples where despite all odds many have cleared the Civil Services with their hard work, commitment and perseverance.
7 Benefits of UPSC Preparation in the Life of an Aspirant
Looking at the vast scope for opportunities, UPSC not only impacts the professional life but also the personal life of a candidate. The destination of becoming a civil servant always seems far. However, the benefits underlying the cause are received by the candidate during the journey itself.
Among the race of lakhs, only a few clear the UPSC examination. Finally, these candidates become the officers they were destined to be. What happens to the ones who didn’t clear? Ever thought about the possibility of not clearing the exam in an entire lifetime?
This is one fearful doubt that passes through the mind of every UPSC aspirant. We sincerely hope that every aspirant gets whatever he/she wants in life. But still looking at the negative side, this nightmare can arise. The students need to understand that this is nothing but a ‘blessing in disguise’ for them.
For our fellow aspirants, we have listed below some benefits of UPSC preparations that every UPSC student receives. For some, it can be in the form of a job offer. While for some, it can be a life-changing experience.
Read: 7 Must-Have Qualities to become an IAS Officer
7 benefits of UPSC preparation towards the life of an aspirant
Contents
1) The art of Reading and Writing
No-one undermines the art of reading and writing. It clearly is understood by all the UPSC aspirants. Moreover, the aspirants read a lot of books, editorials, documents, magazines, etc that enhance their knowledge. Soon this requirement of reading becomes their habit.
In order to practice more, reading is accompanied by the writing ability. These crafts are not only important for an officer but for any living human. These are some of the most important skills demanded in the corporate sector.
Read: 8 Tips to Improve English For UPSC Aspirants
2) The plethora of Job Opportunities
The UPSC preparation opens a wide range of job opportunities for the aspirants. The students get the edge of preparation in other government exams like SSC, RBI, and other banking/insurance entrance exams.
Additionally, the UPSC Prelims polishes their ability to answer MCQ-based questions that form the base of MBA entrance exams. The students do not even have to worry about whether they will be able to clear it or not. It should be known that these exams are just a minute version of the UPSC examination.
Read: How to Start IAS Exam Preparation At Home?
3) The power of Discipline
From an IAS officer to the middle-class post-office clerk, everybody knows the power of discipline. Tackling the obstacles lying in the UPSC journey not only makes the candidate determined but also removes the habit of Procrastination.
It instills the zeal to work harder day by day and achieve the impossible. The desire to relax and living normal life diminishes completely. In order to become extraordinary, the candidate starts living extraordinarily.
Read: Top 7 Revision Tips To Crack The UPSC Exam
4) Being confident becomes Easy after preparating for UPSC
Even after cracking the Prelims and Mains, the ultimate task is to beat the Interview round. This is where the face-to-face interaction between the candidate and the interview panel happens. How to deal with this? Confidence is the only solution. After Mains, the candidates are completely into personality development. This enhances their overall confidence that demands respect and attention.
Though only a few candidates are able to clear it. The others prosper in the life to come.
Read: Transfer Rules and Posting Policies for IAS Officers
5) Good interpersonal skills
In the whole process of developing a good personality, the candidate indulges in deep spoken and written communication practices. However, this constructs a good foundation for their vocabulary.
Even if the student fails to achieve his/her target, who does not appreciate good communication skills? These enable the person to stand out and ask for whatever they wanted until now.
Read: How to crack The UPSC Exam in First Attempt?
6) The store of Knowledge
Ever believed that a UPSC candidate can teach also? Well, the preparation is the witness to what he/she does in the life to come. The preparation of Prelims and Mains requires a lot of reading and writing to understand and tackle certain situations. The candidate during this whole cycle of continuous reading and writing gains a tremendous amount of knowledge. This knowledge is pervasive relating to History, Political Science, Economics, Geography, and other branches of social and economical studies.
The candidates can easily become the masters in the said field and grow accordingly. Moreover, their patience and dedication skills would complement their teaching, knowledge-spreading years.
Read: Types Of Questions asked in UPSC Interview
7) ‘Stop’ is just a road to choose after UPSC Preparation
Once a candidate fixates his/her mind onto something, they do not stop. The UPSC candidates are full-heartedly dedicated to their cause. They understand the pros and cons of the complete wheel.
Leaving anything in between is just not them. Any candidate who had a dream of becoming an officer never failed to aspire positive in life. Being positive becomes their mindset.
Download: NCERT Books
These are some of the benefits of UPSC Preparation the candidates can avail of in their whole journey to crack the UPSC exam and becoming a civil servant. It should be understood by the students that UPSC is just not an exam but an adventurous journey altogether. Just like adventure, it is full of hardships and obstacles and the ultimate fruit of bliss at the end.
I have answered similar question several times, and repeating the same for you.You need to take it very seriously by investing at least 14 to 16 hours per day (assuming that you are not working). The following steps may be of some use in climbing the apex in your career:
1) First of all, classify the subjects (you have opted) into:
i) Analytical and tough,
ii) Analytical and easy,
iii) Descriptive and tough, and
iv) Descriptive and easy.
2) Try to prepare analytical subject followed by descriptive subject. You can also think of making notes, marking/highlighting the important portion of reading material.
3) Never mix-up analytical subject and descriptive subject (you can not learn unless your mind is concentrated). But you can mix-up (or bring in between) easy subject, when you are tired with a tough subject.
4) Every one hour, you keep changing the subject as per the second and third points (when you are reading something dull, difficult or boring.).
5) Before you start the next subject, relax for just five minutes (Which is going to enhance your understanding capacity).
6) Try to be confidant of the basic concepts.
7) Have five to six years' question papers, and have a mock test (at the weekend).
8) Then compare your answers with the right one (and keep observing the improvements or shortfalls).
9) You should never get distracted your mind despite so many diversions.
10) Your must keep "some interesting things" to change your mood and calm-down your mind. You can use the break time to watch songs and news on TV(to break the monotony).
11) You can take the help of light melodious background music (if need be).
12) Do not waste time in unnecessary chatting, criticizing some one.
13) Avoid taking junk food (or anything with preservative).
14) Cultivate the habit of 'always living in the present'.
15) Drink plenty of water (at least 2 to 3 liters per day).
16) Frequently you can have fresh fruit juice or buttermilk.
17) Practice early morning 'Yoga' and 'Pranaayaama'.
18) Always have a new way of looking at things.
19) Discuss with the knowledgeable people.
20) Avoid late night preparation (that is, never burn the mid night oil).
21) Keep a journal / track of your studying habits.
22) Accept the failures (if any), for they are going to become stepping stone for success.
23) Smile costs nothing, but rewards a lot. Therefore always keep smiling.
24) Keep remembering and thanking the 'Almighty' for whatever you have been able to accomplish for the day.
Keep going, never look back, and all the very best.
My timetable.
This is my timetable and my routine. It change according to the seasons, demands and exams.
Study” means studying only those book/reference sources that provide adequate knowledge required according to the syllabus of IAS exam + extensive newspaper reading.
Why to “Make Notes”?
Note Making is necessary due to following reasons:
- Quick Revision.
- Improve Writing Skills.
Try to make Notes in Question-Answer format, this will make your notes comprehensive + Lucid
“Notes Making” process required for all books?
No, Notes must be prepared only from two sources:
- NCERT books (you can add some additional important information to your notes while referring other books )
- Newspaper (i.e. Current Affairs)
Why “Daily revision” is necessary?
Always remember: “Study + No revision = No study”
Revision is an important part of preparation. It should be done on daily basis (may be at the end of the day). Make your daily study schedule accordingly and implement it.
Now my strategy
- Yet I had not join any classroom coaching. I am preparing for UPSC myself.
1:- Firstly I read The Hindu (newspaper) and The Indian Express (Publication) newspaper word to word. My focus is more on newspaper than on reading books. Newspaper play a very important role in my communication skills and vocabulary and making notes from it takes around 2 hours. I prepare my own notes as well, apart from CSR magazines.
2:- Secondly I focus on current affairs: For current affairs online from youtube channel Study IQ and as well as Insights on India (coaching) and Vision IAS
I stick a large India and a world map on the room wall. Whenever I read about some place, I try to find it on the map.
MY BOOK LIST which is essential for prelims and GS1 GS2 GS3 & GS4.
I focus on NCERT Books. I just read the NCERTs and other basic books with complete understanding and I give priority to History Geography Economics and Polity
Apart from NCERT, other highly recommended book and components for prelims.
*Newspaper + insightsonindia and vision ias monthly magazines.
*Environment related topics from current affairs.
Indian Polity Laxmikanth
Geography of India and World Geography by Majid Hussian Certificate Physical and Human Geography (G C Leong book)
Anicent History by RS Sharma
Medieval India by satish chandra
Modern History Spectrum by rajiv ahir
Economics Economic survey, budget and Mrunal.videos and etc
Analytical reasoning by MK pandey and verbal and non verbal reasoning by S. Aggarwal for CSAT paper 2.
*history of the world by norwan lowie
Agriculture & related topics : Mrunal + Vision Ias + Current Affairs
*The Wonder That Was India - AL Bhasham
*Indian Art and Culture - Nitin Singhania
*Oxford School Atlas - Oxford
*Ethics and aptitude by lexon
*Security – TMH book on security + Current Affairs
*Environment & Science : Mainly current affair
*Disaster Management : Current Affairs
I read almost famous books related to prelims and general studies which are essential for UPSC exam plus online website material and monthly magazines etc.
Internet and computer
4:- Fourthly I focus on internet: No longer library, classroom coaching or teachers to clarify doubts. Books might not be updated as often as websites, and hence they may not be a reliable source always. But, the internet will play a greater role…i Make online as well as written notes from internet
Practice for essay writing
5:- Essay writing is the most taken for granted area in civil services preparation. I have started to improving my essay writing skills. I think essay writing is one of the good strategies in order to enhance the English writing skill and knowledge of about any topic.
6:- december 2017 i hope i will started going through my optional as PSIR. the syllabus of PSIR is linked with GS 2. I am planning to complete whole PSIR syllabus within five months, from dec. 2017 to april 2018.
7:— after September 2017 i attempted More than 15 online tests series of vision IAS and online tyari insight mock test and previous years test series but unfortunately in every test I didn't scored more than 73 marks and even In my first test i got only 46 marks due to lack of revision and some personal cries.
But I’m continuously looking for ways to self-improve. always set goals to improve my study habits. I focused on planning, different study strategies and techniques. After trial-and-error, I found the perfect balance.
8:- now i revise all the books for prelims and interlinking of the concepts through the previous year question paper, model test papers/mock papers. And solve pratice type question.
That's my entire story of UPSC preparation. I’ve failed countless times over. In fact, at one point, you could have called me a professional failure. I was failing at everything, study, relationship .,Life in general. And I felt a sense of total and absolute defeat.
But through those failures I learned some important lessons. the way I had defined it, wasn’t everything. This forced me to take a deeper look, and do a deeper diver into who I am and why I do the things that I do. I learn to never give up, no matter what the situation. I focus on my goal and improve myself. I just chase my passion vision and my dreams may be not today may be not tomorrow but someday.
First get urself well versed with upsc syllabus.
Analyse previous years papers so that you became aware what upsc expect from future administrator.
Than complt ncerts, reading it multiple times so that ur basics will developed and you will get concept clarity which is needed . If your basics are strong than u can skip ncerts but skip at your own risk. Read from class 6–12 briefly . Plus the hindu and one monthly magzine vision \ insight .
Book list
Modern history- spectrum
Ancient history- RS sharma
Polity- laxmikant
Geography-gc Leong +Majid hussain
Ethics- lexican
Economics- ramesh singh
Sci & tech - from news paper and internet
Environment- shankar IAS
Art and culture - nitin singhania
Arc report.
Optional - choose optional wisely. If u stuck somewhere for optional ping me or for any other help and guidance .
To begin with, I must admire you for being firm in your decision to NOT join a coaching. That's the first and the very right step. Not many have this clarity. When I started preparing, I thought only coaching can save me. Fortunately in my second and last attempt, I decided to ditch the coaching way and ended up with Rank 51!
How to start-
Please do read and finish your NCERTs in the least of times. They are essential but not sufficient. They help you assess where you stand, what you lack and what needs to be done.
After NCERTs, focus on standard textbook like GC Leong, Laxmikant, Spectrum, Shankar and Nitin Singhania notes. Here is also a difficult part. Do not be lured by your other friends who are reading different difficult books. The exam is cracked not by reading too many books but by reading same book, many times.
Stage II:
Then you must develop a habit of reading newspaper daily. Either the Hindu or Indian Express. This is very important. Current affairs are 60–70% of the question paper at all the three stages- Prelims, Mains, Interview.
By now you are also expected to have finalized on your optional. Be very careful here. Optional can make or break it for you. Please don't be egoistic here- “MAin toh college topper tha maths mein, toh maths hi lunga” ( I will take Maths optional. Afterall I was the college topper). Despite my love for English, I did not have the courage to take English Literature optional because its performance ain't good.
Over the time, also practice answer writing. And do solve previous years question papers.
I have written a detailed preparation strategy in my book 71 to 51. I have given stage wise guidelines what to read and how to read. Here's more about the book- https://71to51.quora.com/71-to-51-My-new-book
Well, I appreciate your decision to not join any coaching and go for self study. It also need some courage.
We have 100’s and 1000’s of examples from the past, who have cleared the exam without coaching and by doing self study. Presently, there are thousands of aspirants who are doing self study. So, when they all can, you also can do it.
Now coming to your query, regarding preparation for UPSC, I would recommend these steps to follow. I am giving 10 points explaining, just how you need to proceed.
- Read and Complete whole NCERT’s of all the subects from class 6th to 12th, Except History.
Your have sample amount of time at your disposal .
You should use it efficiently and make the most of it .
I have answered a similar question and will be reproducing it here. Regardless of time frame the strategy more or less remains the same.
Are you really serious about the attempt.
Are you willing to give 110% ?
If yes , then First and foremost understand that you will need to really fire on all cylinders to complete the syllabus and be competent enough to clear the exam.
This should be rough time table and guidelines ,please tweak it to suit your needs.
Break the available time into months , weeks , days.
Before starting anything , do previous year question papers thoroughly . This will be very very helpful , don't discard it as useless activity. It should take around 10 days.
Try and finish all relevant NCERTS in max 20 days. Give INSIGHTS and VISION’s test based on NCERTS.
Move on to reference books . I'll give you a rough time taken to complete the books.
- Laxmikant for polity - 15 days .
- Spectrum for modern history - 10 days
- Shankarias for environment- 10 days
- Class 11th NCERTS for geography - 8 days
- Economy videos or class 12th Macroeconomic with Sriram notes - 10 days.
- Ancient and medieval you should do from MRUNAL videos and make notes out of it (you don't have time to read books and this topic has low cost benefit ratio) - 5 days
As you can see you will take approximately 2 months to complete standard reference books . Meanwhile keep reading the Hindu and please don't make notes out of it (it's too time consuming ) . Instead follow INSIGHTS dialy Current affairs , coupled with ONLY IAS analysis.
3 months would have gone in a jiffy !!!!!
Start giving full length mock tests for prelims from VISION and INSIGHTS (both complement each other pretty well).
Analyse each mock thoroughly and revise it umpteen number of times .
Neglect the revision part at your own cost because in the exam hall when you are required to analyse and recall minute details , it is the revision which would come at your rescue.
Slowly steadily start reading daily mains answer writing at one of the online website preferably INSIGHT . When you have a decent knowledge base you can start answer writing (don't spend too much time on it though!!)
After this for next 2–3 months you should keep revising the NCERTS , standard books , mock papers. Looking at this year's prelims it's clear as daylight that prelims would require full fledged preparation .
Also prepare your optional in this time , you should have completed at least one reading before PRELIMS !!
Last 2–3 months focus should be completely on prelims. Solve mocks , revise them .
Various coaching institutes would give last minute revision modules. Do them , even if they don't come in exam directly but they surely help in developing our intelligent guessing !!!
UPSC Syllabus Mains Exam for IAS 2020
The Civil Services Mains examination aims to test the academic talent and the ability of the candidate to present the answers in a clear and coherent manner. The Examination is intended to assess the overall intellectual traits and understanding of the concepts rather than merely to check their information and memory.
Aspirants become eligible for Mains only after qualifying Prelims Exam held by UPSC. If you are looking for prelims exam syllabus Click here - Upsc Prelims 2020
UPSC Syllabus for Mains PDF [Download]
UPSC syllabus pdf Prelims[Download]
How to Prepare for UPSC IAS Mains Exam 2020?
UPSC Exam Pattern (Mains) & IAS Syllabus
Paper - A Language -300 Marks Candidate can take any Modern Indian language but this paper is of qualifying nature |
Paper - B English -300 Marks This paper is of qualifying nature |
Paper - I Essay - 250 Marks Can be written in the medium or language of the candidate's choice |
Paper-II General Studies-I 250 Marks (Indian Heritage and Culture, History and Geography of the World and Society) |
Paper-III General Studies -II: 250 Marks (Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice and International relations) |
Paper-IV General Studies -III 250 Marks (Technology, Economic Development, Bio-diversity, Environment, Security and Disaster Management) |
Paper-V General Studies -IV 250 Marks (Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude) Marks carried by General Studies papers are 4X 250=1000 |
Paper-VI Optional Subject - Paper 1 -250 Marks |
Paper-VII Optional Subject - Paper II -250 Marks Candidate is allowed to take up literature as an optional subject "without the condition of having it at the graduation level." |
Sub Total (Written test) 1750 Marks Marks of English and Language will not be counted in the total tally of marks for the written exam. So the total of the Mains exam will be 1750 Marks Only. |
Interview/Personality Test - 275 marks This part of the exam comes only after the results of the mains exams are declared. Candidates can give preference of the language in which they may like to be interviewed. UPSC will make arrangement for the translators. THe marks fetched in this stage of the exam is combined with the marks obtained in the upsc mains. |
Grand Total 2025 Marks |
A candidate is allowed to use any one language from the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution or English as the medium of writing the examination. |
IAS Exam Pattern & IAS Exam Syllabus in Detail
The written Mains exam as per upsc cse syllabus consists of the following papers:
Paper A - Modern Indian language 300 Marks - Qualifying nature - Marks not counted - Passing mandatory-
(i) Comprehension of given passages.
(ii) Precis Writing
(iii) Usage and Vocabulary.
(iv) Short Essay
(v) Translation from English to the Indian language and vice-versa.
Note 1: The Papers on Indian Languages and English will be of High School level and will be of qualifying nature only. The marks obtained in these papers will not be counted for final ranking.
Note 2 : The candidates will have to answer the English and Indian Languages papers in English and the respective Indian language (except where translation is involved).
Paper B - English - 300 marks - Qualifying nature - Marks not counted- Passing mandatory
The aim of the paper is to test the candidates' ability to read and understand serious discursive prose, and to express his ideas clearly and correctly, in English and Indian Language concerned.
The pattern of questions would be broadly as follows:-
(i) Comprehension of given passages
(ii) Precis Writing
(iii) Usage and Vocabulary
(iv) Short Essay.
Paper-I
Essay - 250 Marks - To be written in the medium or language of the candidate's choice. Candidate is required to write an essay on a specific topic. The choice of subjects will be given. They are expected to keep their thoughts closely to the subject and arrange their ideas in orderly fashion and be concise. Credit will be given to effective and coherent expression.
Paper-II
General Studies-I 250 Marks (Indian Heritage and Culture, History and Geography of the World and Society)
Indian culture will cover the salient aspects of Art Forms, Literature and Architecture from ancient to modern times.
Modern Indian history from about the middle of the eighteenth century until the present- significant events, personalities, issues
The Freedom Struggle - its various stages and important contributors /contributions from different parts of the country.
Post-independence consolidation and reorganization within the country.
History of the world will include events from 18th century such as industrial revolution, world wars, redrawing of national boundaries, colonization, decolonization, political philosophies like communism, capitalism, socialism etc.- their forms and effect on the society.
Salient features of Indian Society, Diversity of India.
Role of women and women's organization, population and associated issues, poverty and developmental issues, urbanization, their problems and their remedies.
Effects of globalization on Indian society
Social empowerment, communalism, regionalism & secularism.
Salient features of world's physical geography.
Distribution of key natural resources across the world (including South Asia and the Indian sub-continent); factors responsible for the location of primary, secondary, and tertiary sector industries in various parts of the world (including India)
Important Geophysical phenomena such as earthquakes, Tsunami, Volcanic activity, cyclone etc., geographical features and their location- changes in critical geographical features (including water-bodies and ice-caps) and in flora and fauna and the effects of such changes.
Paper-III
General Studies -II: 250 Marks (Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice and International relations)
Indian Constitution- historical underpinnings, evolution, features, amendments, significant provisions and basic structure.
Functions and responsibilities of the Union and the States, issues and challenges pertaining to the federal structure, devolution of powers and finances up to local levels and challenges therein.
Separation of powers between various organs dispute redressal mechanisms and institutions.
Comparison of the Indian constitutional scheme with that of other countries
Parliament and State Legislatures - structure, functioning, conduct of business, powers & privileges and issues arising out of these.
Structure, organization and functioning of the Executive and the Judiciary Ministries and Departments of the Government; pressure groups and formal/informal associations and their role in the Polity.
Salient features of the Representation of People's Act.
Appointment to various Constitutional posts, powers, functions and responsibilities of various Constitutional Bodies.
Statutory, regulatory and various quasi-judicial bodies
Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.
Development processes and the development industry the role of NGOs, SHGs, various groups and associations, donors, charities, institutional and other stakeholders
Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States and the performance of these schemes; mechanisms, laws, institutions and bodies constituted for the protection and betterment of these vulnerable sections
Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.
Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources, issues relating to poverty and hunger.
Important aspects of governance, transparency and accountability, e-governance- applications, models, successes, limitations, and potential; citizens charters, transparency & accountability and institutional and other measures.
Role of civil services in a democracy.
India and its neighbourhood- relations.
Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India's interests
Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India's interests, Indian diaspora.
Important International institutions, agencies and fora, their structure, mandate.
Paper-IV
General Studies -III 250 Marks (Technology, Economic Development, Bio-diversity, Environment, Security and Disaster Management)
Development, Bio diversity, Environment, Security and Disaster Management.
Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization of resources, growth, development and employment.
Inclusive growth and issues arising from it.
Government Budgeting.
Major crops cropping patterns in various parts of the country, different types of irrigation and irrigation systems storage, transport and marketing of agricultural produce and issues and related constraints; e-technology in the aid of farmers
Issues related to direct and indirect farm subsidies and minimum support prices; Public Distribution System objectives, functioning, limitations, revamping; issues of buffer stocks and food security; Technology missions; economics of animal-rearing.
Food processing and related industries in India- scope and significance, location, upstream and downstream requirements, supply chain management.
Land reforms in India.
Effects of liberalization on the economy, changes in industrial policy and their effects on industrial growth.
Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways etc.
Investment models.
Science and Technology- developments and their applications and effects in everyday life Achievements of Indians in science & technology; indigenization of technology and developing new technology.
indigenization of technology and developing new technology.
Awareness in the fields of IT, Space, Computers, robotics, nano-technology, bio-technology and issues relating to intellectual property rights.
Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment
Disaster and disaster management.
Linkages between development and spread of extremism.
Role of external state and non-state actors in creating challenges to internal security.
Challenges to internal security through communication networks, role of media and social networking sites in internal security challenges, basics of cyber security; money-laundering and its prevention
Security challenges and their management in border areas; linkages of organized crime with terrorism
Various Security forces and agencies and their mandate
Paper-V
General Studies -IV 250 Marks (Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude)
This paper will include questions to test the candidates' attitude and approach to issues relating to integrity, probity in public life and his problem solving approach to various issues and conflicts faced by him in dealing with society. Questions may utilise the case study approach to determine these aspects. The following broad areas will be covered.
Ethics and Human Interface: Essence, determinants and consequences of Ethics in human actions; dimensions of ethics; ethics in private and public relationships.
Human Values - lessons from the lives and teachings of great leaders, reformers and administrators; role of family, society and educational institutions in inculcating values.
Attitude: content, structure, function; its influence and relation with thought and behaviour; moral and political attitudes; social influence and persuasion.
Aptitude and foundational values for Civil Service , integrity, impartiality and non-partisanship, objectivity, dedication to public service, empathy, tolerance and compassion towards the weaker-sections.
Emotional intelligence-concepts, and their utilities and application in administration and governance.
Contributions of moral thinkers and philosophers from India and world.
Public/Civil service values and Ethics in Public administration: Status and problems; ethical concerns and dilemmas in government and private institutions; laws, rules, regulations and conscience as sources of ethical guidance; accountability and ethical governance; strengthening of ethical and moral values in governance; ethical issues in international relations and funding; corporate governance.
Probity in Governance: Concept of public service; Philosophical basis of governance and probity; Information sharing and transparency in government, Right to Information, Codes of Ethics, Codes of Conduct, Citizen's
Charters, Work culture, Quality of service delivery, Utilization of public funds, challenges of corruption.
Paper-VI
Optional Subject - Paper I -250 Marks
Paper-VII
Optional Subject - Paper II -250 Marks
Candidates may choose any ONE optional subject from amongst the list of subjects given below.
What after the Mains exam?
Interview/Personality Test - 275 Marks
IAS Candidate can give preference of the language in which they may like to be interviewed. UPSC will make arrangement for the translators.
NOTE:
Marks obtained by the candidates for all papers EXCEPT PAPER A & B will be counted for merit ranking by the UPSC. However, the Commission will have the discretion to fix qualifying marks in any or all papers of the examination. Aspirants can log on to UPSC's official website (www.upsc.gov.in) to see the detailed notification for the 2020 upsc mains syllabus.
Note: French, German, Russian, Arabic, Persian and Pali were removed from the list of optional subjects in 2014.
IAS main question papers 2019
- General Studies Question Paper I (2019) [Download]
- General Studies Question Paper II (2019) [Download]
- General Studies Question Paper III (2019) [Download]
- General Studies Question Paper IV (2019) [Download]
IAS main question papers 2018
- General Studies Question Paper I (2018) [Download]
- General Studies Question Paper II (2018) [Download]
- General Studies Question Paper III (2018) [Download]
- General Studies Question Paper IV (2018) [Download]
IAS main question papers 2017
- General Studies Question Paper I (2017) [Download]
- General Studies Question Paper II (2017) [Download]
- General Studies Question Paper III (2017) [Download]
- General Studies Question Paper IV (2017) [Download]
IAS main question papers 2016
- General Studies Question Paper I (2016) [Download]
- General Studies Question Paper II (2016) [Download]
- General Studies Question Paper III (2016) [Download]
- General Studies Question Paper IV (2016)
View UPSC Syllabus Prelims | IAS Preparation | More on IAS Exam
1.Reading. A lot. Be it daily newspapers or a related magazine, you should develope a habit of reading a lot. This was one thing that helped me immensely. I had a lot of content to write in my GS papers, fairly good vocabulary, brevity in language. So you see, reading not only gives you content but also helps in improving your writing. Your mind also starts to think a step ahead when you have read a good deal on any topic.
2-Not comparing yourself with others. This is an Indian drawback, I would say, to compare oneself tirelessly with others without appreciating that we all are different. Just because two people chose to write the same exam doesn’t make them the same person. Your and Sharma Ji ka beta have different abilities and different weaknesses. Do NOT compare. EVER.
3-Knowing where to STOP. Since I have mentioned the above habits about reading and being inquisitive, I must add a caution that you should also know where to stop. Am aspirant should know that UPSC tests in breadth and not in depth.
4-Developing stamina. This is again not many tell aspirants about. You should know that in Mains you need to write for three hours at a stretch, twice in a day. Your body should be accustomed to such rigor else you will miss out on writing despite knowing the answer. This can be best done by practicing mocks and doing stretching exercises.
5-Becoming a morning person. This is a continuation of developing stamina. If you see, all your exams are held in the slot of 9 onwards. Being a person who burns the midnight oil and wakes up at 11 the next day will make you feel drowsy in the actual exam because they will not shuffle their timings for you. Also, once you are in LBSNAA, 5 AM morning PT is unavoidable, so why not become used to mornings rather early. You can always catch a nap in the afternoon.
Over a year-long journey of preparing for this exam, you need to prepare yourself mentally and habits help you in that regard. An act done for 21 days becomes a habit, so just do it.
.Avoid referring to different materials for one topic/subject
Another common mistake made by UPSC aspirants is that they refer to different books for the same subject. But remember, in the end, you won t be able to recall properly because of the amount of material you have tried to absorb.
It is advised to follow one standard text book for each subject and stick to that book. Revise as many time as possible. It will only do you good.
4. Preparing randomly without a study plan
Source: Byju's
Another common mistake that UPSC aspirants make is that they don t have a proper study plan. They read randomly without any proper preparation strategy which hampers their preparation.
Aspirants should develop a proper study plan like short-term study plan weekly, monthly and also long term one-year study plan. So, by way of planning their study, it helps aspirants keeping track on topics that they have covered and topics that need to be covered or revised.
5. Inclusive preparation strategy
Another common mistake made by UPSC aspirants is that they prepare for civil services exam in an isolated manner. For example, they prepare for prelims first and after prelims exam start their mains preparation. Finally, if they qualify for the interview then they start preparation for that. Aspirants must prepare comprehensively and not one by one.
6. Avoiding NCERT Text Books
Source: IAS Kracker
Many aspirants avoid reading NCERT books and refer to other text books or market material. Avoid doing that as NCERT books are a must. UPSC prelims and Mains questions are asked based on NCERT text books.
7. Not solving Previous Year Question Papers
Every year UPSC repeats few previous year questions in both prelims and at times in Mains examination also. UPSC aspirants are advised to go through at least 3 to 5 years previous question papers and if possible 10 years question paper to improve and get a very good idea about the question paper and the kind of questions asked.
8. Reading newspaper whole day
Source: Chanakya IAS Academy | UPSC Civil Services | IAS Preparation ...
Newspaper reading is an important aspect in the UPSC civil service preparation, but one should not read a newspaper for long hours. IAS preparation also has other important aspects like GS, Essay topics and optional subjects etc. So, aspirants are advised to read their daily newspaper for one hour at least. Also, stick to one newspaper only.
9. Not taking notes regularly
Students read all day and night without making any notes for their revision! It is one of the most common mistakes and a big one too that should be avoided by IAS aspirants. Candidates should develop a habit of daily note making to improve their chances of qualifying the exam and you would really need your notes during revision.
10. Avoid too much of discussion with friends
It is always good to discuss preparation with your peers. Be surrounded by positive and optimistic people instead of pessimists who will make you feel like you are not doing enough.
11. Revision planning
Aspirants go on reading till the exam without any revision plan. It is one of the biggest mistakes made by UPSC aspirants. Before appearing for UPSC Exam, candidates should at least revise their material and notes twice or more.
12. Optional Subject
Source: Byju's
Not giving importance to the optional subject and focusing only on GS syllabus is another common mistake made by UPSC aspirants. Students should give equal importance to both GS subjects and Optional Subjects.
13. Essay writing
Many aspirants don t practice essay writing for their mains examination and are not aware of the importance of Essay writing in Mains. The Essay paper plays a crucial role in mains examination and it also determines candidate s chances of qualifying further not. Students are advised to write one essay topic weekly to improve their essay writing.
14. Online traps
Aspirants spend too much time on online websites and forget to focus on their study plans and strategy. Students can refer to online websites but should avoid spending too much time on online resources.
15. Keeping heavier stuff for the end of the day
Your mind is fresh in the beginning of the day. Thus, you should start your day’s preparation with the heavier stuff which requires more concentration and practice. You can study the lighter parts by the end of the day.
16. Becoming Overconfident
Many aspirants become overconfident if they get good scores in mock tests or have a good academic record. Remember the UPSC exam is a not a piece of cake. Be confident but avoid being arrogant about your preparation.
Friends, if you are following any such mistake then improve your strategy because these mistake are taking you away from clearing Civil Services Examination.
. Equal importance to all topics
Most aspirants don t give equal importance to the all the topics provided in the syllabus, rather they read more on selected topics or so called important topics prescribed by experts or read more on topics which he/she is interested to read.
start from class 11 ncert also.
Dont make notes of laxmikant but adjust topic by making flow chart , tree chart or column information that is useful for you to revise this .
For eg the topic constitution bodies in the book
jotted down all important keywords chapterwise.
The book contains redundant information too. So, one must avoid reading such information again and again to save time. This compilation helps me time my revision well. I could finish the whole book in a day comfortably.
I take the book and skim through the chapter giving special focus on the keywords I've made note of. This helps me channelise my energy on important stuffs.
Questions like –
‘ I was never a topper.Can i clear this exam?’
‘I come from a rural background. Can i still become IAS?’
‘ I have been a backbencher all my life. Can I prove myself in this exam?’
‘ I am a normal person from a small college in a town. Never dreamt of IITs also. Can i make IAS my dream?’
And most of the times, these questions were imported into their mind through the media or the peer group.
Hence, I choose to shed some light on two things here.
- Why do more IITians clear the exam?
- Can an average student clear UPSC?
For those who want to know why many IITians appear in the final list, the reason is simple and clear. Because more number of IITians write the exam.
Here is an example
Percentage wise, it is similar to any other college of India.
And if you are thinking about the prospects of an average student become IAS, here is my story-
My desire to join the civil services started when I was around 20 years old. My parents sowed the seed and they wanted me to join the Indian Administrative Service (IAS). I was neither a topper in the school nor a gold medallist in my college. In fact, I had arrears while doing graduation
But my parents taught me to dream big. The seed sown by parents kept growing. I was not successful in any of the campus interviews and so,I joined as a faculty at an engineering college. I started my preparation in the library there. I learnt about the dos and don’ts from successful civil servants. And finally , I cracked the exam with AIR 59.
This covers the entire static area of Environment.
For the last unit, which is about acts, conventions, international organisations etc., I have made separate notes as they need to be updated constantly.
But, the biggest headache has been done away with. I think that comprehensive note-making for Environment for the static portion (Part I, few chapters of Part II, III, IV) would be a futile task for these reasons-
- The book has been compiled in a notes form with explicitly mentioning the sub-topics in the index page of every chapter which one can make use of to highlight what's important.
- Much of these aren't too important as far as actual exam is concerned but cover the bulk of the book and we end up wasting our time revising them and spend less of the time on the important ones like Part III on Climate Change and Part V on acts, policies, and current schemes.
jotted down all important keywords chapterwise.
The book contains redundant information too. So, one must avoid reading such information again and again to save time. This compilation helps me time my revision well. I could finish the whole book in a day comfortably.
I take the book and skim through the chapter giving special focus on the keywords I've made note of. This helps me channelise my energy on important stuffs.
This covers the entire static area of Environment.
For the last unit, which is about acts, conventions, international organisations etc., I have made separate notes as they need to be updated constantly.
But, the biggest headache has been done away with. I think that comprehensive note-making for Environment for the static portion (Part I, few chapters of Part II, III, IV) would be a futile task for these reasons-
- The book has been compiled in a notes form with explicitly mentioning the sub-topics in the index page of every chapter which one can make use of to highlight what's important.
- Much of these aren't too important as far as actual exam is concerned but cover the bulk of the book and we end up wasting our time revising them and spend less of the time on the important ones like Part III on Climate Change and Part V on acts, policies, and current schemes.
Despite of hard work people do not succeed in UPSC. Its due to a number of factors:
- Success ratio: Almost 5 lakhs students appear in the exam. Out of which 30,000 are serious aspirants. Among whom only 800 or 1000 are selected. Only 1 out of 30 are selected. This ratio is very harsh. I believe most of the guys who qualify Mains have the same level of knowledge and aptitude. A luck factor along with how you perform on that day matters.
- What hard work means: Many aspirants deviate from the goal while working hard. It does not give any result. Remember this is a competitive exam. Prepare what is needed in the exam. People buy books, materials one after another. It does not yield anything. Rather read few books and revise it again and again. People waste a lot of time in newspaper reading whereas they miss the gist of the current affairs often. First know how to read the newspaper from the exam point of view.
- Luck factor: In Mains and interview it matters a lot. Mains evaluation is pretty subjective, luck matters a lot.
- Motivation may start your game but discipline will help you continue.
We all know how we mindlessly search for motivation every now and then. But wait if you know why you started the journey just go back to the same why and your motivation part is done.
For your discipline, 66 days minimum leads to automaticity point as per Robin Sharma’s 5 AM club. - Don’t fake your preparation - either you are into it or not. There is nothing in between.
You know the syllabus. Set your targets for the day and get going. For me, to follow InsightsonIndia timetable of prelims test series has always been easier than my over the top plans! - An unhappy individual can not be a happy aspirant. Make a fine balance between you as an individual and you as an aspirant. An Stay happy in the process. And if your happiness is connected to something, pursue it.
For me, they were my people and bollywood movies.
Deshal Dan
Deshal Dan cracked the CSE examination in 2017 at an age of 24 securing an All India Rank (AIR) of 82 in his 1st attempt. He attempted the Civil Services Exam after completing his BTech from the Indian Institute of Information Technology(IIIT), Design and Manufacturing, Jabalpur.
He managed to clear the Civil Services Exam without attending any coaching Institute. For Deshal Dan, the need to become an IAS officer stemmed from a personal loss. He lost his older brother in an accident that occurred on-board in a submarine.
His brother used to say,“He spoke so highly of being in service & would often tell me to follow suit; either join the armed forces or the administrative service.”
I followed a very simple rule – study with the intention of clearing the examination.
Deshal Dan
For Deshal Dan, a resident of Sumaliyai village of Jaisalmer, attending a coaching class was out of the question given the lack of accessibility. Being the son of a tea-stall owner, his family’s financial condition never allowed him to enroll himself in a coaching center.
Since coaching classes and first-hand books are expensive, he believes that aspirants should buy second-hand books & turn to the internet to find resource materials. He used the internet extensively to look for notes & books. When we talk about the books he used, he once said , “Online portals are a popular option, but the cost [of books] can be quite high.”
There was a time when access to material was only available to those in big cities. However, with the advent of the internet everything has changed. Deshal Dan suggests investing in second-hand books, which are more reasonable. The Jawahar Book Depot near JNU in Delhi, according to him, is useful as it stocks second-hand books.
This was Deshal Dan. But wait! there is annother story for you.
2. Sheerat Fatima
Sheerat Fatima juggled who was working as a full time teaching job while preparing for the CSE in 2017. And she managed to clear the exams with a rank of 810 without attending any coaching classes at the age of 26.
Sheerat would be a teacher by day & a student by night. While she did not taste success in her 1st attempt, it was a great learning experience for her.
Talking about her study schedule , she said in an interview,
My mother always sent food up to my room, I would finish that and just go to sleep. After two hours of sleep, I would wake up feeling energised and ready to study. I would then stay up until 1 AM each morning, studying and completing the syllabus I had set out for the day.
Sheerat Fatima
In 2017, the year when she cleared the Civil Services Exam, she utilised the summer break to prepare for the exams. Her supportive family & in-laws made the journey less stressful for Sheerat Fatima.
While there are aspirants who believe that attending coaching classes is the only way to crack the Civil Services Exam, there are many who have proved it otherwise.
My timetable.
This is my timetable and my routine. It change according to the seasons, demands and exams.
Give it a Pause....
Because of the following reasons one should read books...
1)It improves Focus and Concentration.
When you read a book, all of your attention is focused on the story—the rest of the world just falls away, and you can immerse yourself in every fine detail you’re absorbing.
2)Improves Analytical thinking capacity.
Reading books help you think deep down to any situation and analyze fine details of situation.
3)Most important you gain Knowledge.
You fill your mind with new piece of information and that may come handy in tackling various situations.
4)You get a more active Brain.
Whenever you read your brain remains active which further help in solving puzzle, quiz, playing chess or other mental games more faster and accurately.
5)Expansion of Vocabulary.
Whenever you read you encounter various new words, sentences and you add it to your knowledge which can be further used in conversations and answering questions effectively.
6)Improves Writing Skills.
Exposure to published , well-written work + improved vocabulary has a noted effect on one’s own writing, as observing the cadence, fluidity, and writing styles .
7)Memory Improvement.
Once you read you always try to remember what you have read earlier, thus it improves holding capacity of your brain.Whatever you memorize it becomes faster and long lasting.
8)Stress Reduction.
No matter how much stress you have related to daily-life issues it slips away in a great story.
9)Improves Imagination power.
Imagination makes it possible to experience a whole world inside the mind. It gives the ability to look at any situation from a different point of view, and to mentally explore the past and the future.
10)It keeps you entertained. :D
Now my strategy
- Yet I had not join any classroom coaching. I am preparing for UPSC myself
1:- Firstly I read The Hindu (newspaper) and The Indian Express (Publication) newspaper word to word. My focus is more on newspaper than on reading books. Newspaper play a very important role in my communication skills and vocabulary and making notes from it takes around 2 hours. I prepare my own notes as well, apart from CSR magazines.
2:- Secondly I focus on current affairs: For current affairs online from youtube channel Study IQ and as well as Insights on India (coaching) and Vision IAS
I stick a large India and a world map on the room wall. Whenever I read about some place, I try to find it on the map.
MY BOOK LIST which is essential for prelims and GS1 GS2 GS3 & GS4.
I focus on NCERT Books. I just read the NCERTs and other basic books with complete understanding and I give priority to History Geography Economics and Polity
Apart from NCERT, other highly recommended book and components for prelims.
*Newspaper + insightsonindia and vision ias monthly magazines.
*Environment related topics from current affairs.
Indian Polity Laxmikanth
Geography of India and World Geography by Majid Hussian Certificate Physical and Human Geography (G C Leong book)
Anicent History by RS Sharma
Medieval India by satish chandra
Modern History Spectrum by rajiv ahir
Economics Economic survey, budget and Mrunal.videos and etc
Analytical reasoning by MK pandey and verbal and non verbal reasoning by S. Aggarwal for CSAT paper 2.
*history of the world by norwan lowie
Agriculture & related topics : Mrunal + Vision Ias + Current Affairs
*The Wonder That Was India - AL Bhasham
*Indian Art and Culture - Nitin Singhania
*Oxford School Atlas - Oxford
*Ethics and aptitude by lexon
*Security – TMH book on security + Current Affairs
*Environment & Science : Mainly current affair
*Disaster Management : Current Affairs
I read almost famous books related to prelims and general studies which are essential for UPSC exam plus online website material and monthly magazines etc.
Internet and computer
4:- Fourthly I focus on internet: No longer library, classroom coaching or teachers to clarify doubts. Books might not be updated as often as websites, and hence they may not be a reliable source always. But, the internet will play a greater role…i Make online as well as written notes from internet
Practice for essay writing
5:- Essay writing is the most taken for granted area in civil services preparation. I have started to improving my essay writing skills. I think essay writing is one of the good strategies in order to enhance the English writing skill and knowledge of about any topic.
6:- december 2017 i hope i will started going through my optional as PSIR. the syllabus of PSIR is linked with GS 2. I am planning to complete whole PSIR syllabus within five months, from dec. 2017 to april 2018.
7:— after September 2017 i attempted More than 15 online tests series of vision IAS and online tyari insight mock test and previous years test series but unfortunately in every test I didn't scored more than 73 marks and even In my first test i got only 46 marks due to lack of revision and some personal cries.
But I’m continuously looking for ways to self-improve. always set goals to improve my study habits. I focused on planning, different study strategies and techniques. After trial-and-error, I found the perfect balance.
8:- now i revise all the books for prelims and interlinking of the concepts through the previous year question paper, model test papers/mock papers. And solve pratice type question.
That's my entire story of UPSC preparation. I’ve failed countless times over. In fact, at one point, you could have called me a professional failure. I was failing at everything, study, relationship .,Life in general. And I felt a sense of total and absolute defeat.
But through those failures I learned some important lessons. the way I had defined it, wasn’t everything. This forced me to take a deeper look, and do a deeper diver into who I am and why I do the things that I do. I learn to never give up, no matter what the situation. I focus on my goal and improve myself. I just chase my passion vision and my dreams may be not today may be not tomorrow but someday.
HOPING THIS WRITE UP BENEFITS SOME OF YOU AND WISHING YOU ALL THE VERY BEST!!!
I started my UPSC journey on July 2016,the mistake I've Made was I joined in coaching (vajiram and ravi)
Mistake in the sense that really I didn't have minimum time to prepare for the exam,as i am in coaching ie time management is like:
general studies class—3 hours
Optional class—3 hours
CSAT class-3 hours
Sleep—7 hours
Food break—2 hours
Journey to my room and institute-1 hour
Total=19 hours
The only time I had was 5 hours (talking to parents, bathing etc and in the remaining time I've to study!!)
I started NCERT books
And this is my procedure and books I've Read:
1.started books(Basic):
I mean picked one Subject and took all the years subject books of that subject from 6–12th standard-tried to finish one book in one week with basic understanding of what you are reading.
I can find questions based only on NCERT books so after reading a book do these questions
2.Then advance level; Bought most reputable standard books for that subject and read that in 20 days (that's based on your capacity).
MUST READ BOOKS
1) Introduction to the Constitution of India 20 Edition
2) India Since Independence - Bipan Chandra
3) India's Struggle For Independence – Bipan Chandra
4) Indian Economy : For Civil Services Examinations 6th Edition (2014) - Ramesh Singh
5) Indian Polity for Civil Services Examinations 4th Edition - Laxmikanth
6)Geography of India- Majid Hussain - 5th Edition
8)India After Gandhi: The History Of The World's Largest Democracy
9) Mastering Modern World History -5th Edition, Norman Lowe
10) Select Constitutions: 16th Edition - S Chand
11) Environment by Shankar IAS
12) Certificate Physical and Human Geography - Goh Cheng Leong
13) India’s National Security – A Reader
14) Indian Social System - Ram Ahuja
After reading these books,all the static part of syllabus will get covered and revise these books as much times as possible!
3.Now I tested myself by doing McQ's on that subject-i don’t get panicked after getting very less score coz that's just the beginning
Now evaluated what happened wrong I mean in which topics I'm lagging then go through that again.
This is subject wise approach and general approach is also the same.
The most important thing is making a habit of reading newspaper (you have to master the newspaper to complete in an hour-i didn't do that).
Took notes of important articles.Read monthly magazines for current affairs of vision IAS and did test series of vision IAS and insights on India
Finally my coaching completed in April 2017 and I've only 2 months so I thought I don't give this attempt and i didn't (I'm satisfied with my decision coz this year paper was very tough)
Now I'm preparing hard to get ready for next year 2018
Finally
Accept your conditions but never surrender to them: I have talked to many people and not just IAS/IPS/IFS/IRS who have beaten all odds to become successful. Accept your reality and as lord Tyrion of house Lannister says, wear it like an armor.
Never make it as an excuse. Acceptance of your conditions is the first step in surmounting it but never make yourself believe it cannot be done. Make yourself worthy of your goal. If you want to become a civil servant, change your value orientations to becoming sincere, disciplined and committed. The aim of the exam is to mold you, the testing is done to ensure you did what is required. See exam as a journey and your conditions as obstacles.
Do not overthink and feel helpless, rather believe everything can be done. Think less work more! If some friends keep talking about how difficult the exam is, stay away from them! Talk to friends to discuss more
Contents
UPSC is not an easy nut to crack, speaking of which, you must be thoroughly
prepared, for it spares no disregard or negligence in your preparation. Here the most common question arises- How long does it take to crack UPSC? What is One Year Study Plan For UPSC?
According to most of the toppers, you need only one year of wholesome systematic preparation with perfect time management. The vital point we
must look over is time management.
With a structured pattern and a planned out routine, UPSC becomes not that touch a nut to crack. The exam pattern and syllabus should be known well enough in order to prepare for UPSC.
Download: UPSC Prelims Question Paper (2014-2019)
Best Booklist For UPSC Civil Services
Booklist For Prelims
| Subject/Topic | Book/Material |
|---|---|
| NCERT Books | NCERT books (6 th -12 th standard) are to be read thoroughly. It gives shape to your foundation of your knowledge. |
| Ancient History | Ancient India by RS Sharma |
| Medieval History | Medieval India of India by Satish Chandra |
| Modern History | i) ‘World History’ by Norman Lowe, ii) Spectrum's Brief History of Modern India (Most Prefered for Modern Indian History) iii) ‘India Struggle for Independence Indepedence’ by Bipan Chandra |
| Indian Culture | i) Facets of Indian Culture by Spectrum ii) Indian Art and Culture by Nitin Singhania iii) CCRT website. |
| Geography | i)Certificate Physical and Human Geography by GC Leong ii) NCERT Geography books (Class XI-XII) |
| Economy | i) NCERT Book (Class XI-XII) ii) Ramesh Singh’s Indian Economy iii) Recent Economic Survey as well as PMFIAS Notes. |
| Polity | i) Indian Polity by Laxmikanth (Most Preferred) ii) An Introduction to the Constitution of India- D.D. Basu iii) The Constitution of India by P.M. Bakshi (Optional) iv) Old NCERT books for Indian Polity (Optional) |
| Current Affairs | i) PIB ii) Jagran Josh iii) The Hindu |
| Science and Tech | ISRO website and Newspapers are enough |
| Government schemes | Civils Daily |
| Environment and Ecology- | Shankar IAS Notes |
| Previous Papers | 20 Years Prelims Papers Book |
Download: NCERT Books
Booklist For Mains
| Subject/Topic | Books/Material |
|---|---|
| History | India's Struggle For Independence by Bipin Chandra |
| Geography | Geography of India by Majid Hussain |
| Culture | The Wonder That Was India by A.L. Bhasham |
| Constitution/Judiciary | Important Judgments that transformed India by Alex Andrews George. |
| Economy | i) Economic Survey ii) Ramesh Singh’s Indian Economy |
| Science and Technology | i) Environment Studies From Crisis to Cure- Rajagopalacharan ii) Environment for Civil Services Prelims and Mains- Dr. Khuller |
| Current Affairs | i) India Year Book ii) Manorama Yearbook |
Download: UPSC 2019 Mains Paper
Booklist For General Studies And Essay Paper
| Paper | Book |
|---|---|
| Essay Paper | Essays for Civil Services- Pulkit Khare |
| General Studies 1: History | India after Gandhi |
| General Studies 1: Indian Society | Social problems |
| IAS Mains General Studies 2 Book | Arihant Manual |
| General Studies 2: Current Issues | What’s Hot Today(ClearIAS ebook) |
| General Studies 2: Governance | Governance in India for CSE |
| General Studies 2: Foreign Policy | i) Pax Indica by Shashi Tharoor ii) India and the World by Surendra Kumar |
| IAS Mains General Studies 3 Book | Arihant Manual |
| General Studies 3: International Security | i) International Security:A Reader ii) Challenges to Internal Security of India |
| General Studies 4: Ethics | i) Lexicon for Ethics, Integrity, and Aptitude ii) IAS Mains General Studies 4- Arihant Manual |
Read: UPSC 2020 Calendar, Exam Dates, Schedule.
How to prepare for PRELIMS?
- You must remember that all the books mentioned above shouldn’t be
mindlessly read to cover the same topics which you can cover
from one book to avoid wasting time. - Your Current Affairs should be very strong. Keep yourself updated
constantly. - Practice Aptitude/ Logical Reasoning skills related CSAT Questions.
- Give as many mock tests as you can to get control over the amount of time you write.
- Facts and Figures are not to be memorized but focus more on the issue
and parties involved in the event- What and how? - Read newspaper not only in print form but also from the OTT platforms where the issues are deeply discussed.
Read: UPSC Prelims 2019 Question Paper Analysis with Detailed Explanation
How to prepare for Mains?
For Modern History
a) Go over the events and find as many links as you can while making
notes.
b) Focus more upon the ‘what’ and ‘how’ of a particular event rather
than just stating facts and figures.
c) Read Bipan Chandra thoroughly for the topics are discussed with
various perspectives.
For Art and Culture
a) Try to find out the significance of art and architecture, whether in
the lines of socio-economic, political, or religious grounds.
b) Analyse the question paper to see what kind of questions are being
asked related to Art and Culture.
Read: SNEAK PEEK INTO ANUDEEP DURISHETTY’S UPSC JOURNEY
For Other Subjects
- Cover International Relations, Governance, Social Justice, and polity using not just books but update yourself with various schemes and policies being changed or created through reliable sources on Internet
- Read a lot of Editorials, for they expose you various viewpoints that
allows you to write from any point of view without being biased. - Prepare diagrams and flowcharts to improve your answers.
- Give innovative sub-headings to your essay.
- Be thorough with various agricultural schemes too. The benefits or
disadvantages might be asked for which you need to have a well-framed answer with few quotes, statistics and facts. - Case studies are your number one priority. Use them in your answers to bring in comparisons.
Read: UPSC 2018 Topper Kanishak Kataria Preparation Strategy
Mistakes you can avoid by doing the following-
- Read few newspapers like The Hindu and The Indian Express to
avoid killing too much time. - No need of reading the entire ‘India Yearbook’. Rather go over
important recurring issues that you have come across while
reading newspaper. - You don’t have to read all the NCERT books cover to cover as most
of them have the same topics. Just find the chapters relevant to
your syllabus. - Don’t spend too much time on your Detailed Application Form.
Rather spend that precious time going over Mains preparation
Read: Artika Shukla, the girl who Cracked UPSC in Just 8 Months
One Year Study Plan For UPSC
Proper Preparation Prevents Poor Performance
Keep practicing. Avoid procrastinating. Nurture yourself. You must also keep in mind that a healthy lifestyle can help you be more focused and efficient. How you will do in UPSC might be a big question in your life, but it is never unachievable.
If you are B.tech Student first you need to clear your basics and work hard.There are simple and basic tips you can follow.
1.) Syllabus Analysis: Students, who dream to be an IAS, and going to appear for the Civil Services Preliminary Examination, must be aware about the UPSC prelims syllabus. The Preliminary Examination consist of two papers of Objective type (multiple choice questions) and carry a maximum of 400 marks.
2.) Split and Win : Stop looking at the IAS syllabus as a whole, it is necessary to divide syllabus in different category and then make a list for IAS preparation hirerachy.
3) Time table: Planning makes thing easy and create a god vision, make a timetable to follow and divide your time subject wise.
4.) Group Discussion: GD always proves to be a hit and gain aspect, Indulge in Quality Discussions for more knowledge and aspects which might be left.
5.)Practice: Explore online available test series and solve mock papers regularly. ...
6) Answer Writing Skill: Join Webinar, seminar or another skill development courses available for improvement and development of answer writing skills. ...
7.Revision: Revision makes concept more stronger or creates confidence,Two Time Revision Rule should always be followed.
8) Newspaper Analysis: Read newspaper daily and explore more about quiz and contest online.
Himanshu Kaushik
He secured AIR 77 in UPSC civil servive examination in 2017. His academic performance is too dull till last but he made it to IAS.
He got 87% in class Xth ,60% in class 11th and passed by grace marks and got 74 % in class 12th .
He attend for most of the engineering entrance exam also but he was unable to qualify them.
IIT-JEE :- Not qualified
AIEEE :- Very low rank(1 lakh+)
IP UNIVERSITY:- not qualified.
DCE :- Not qualified.
VIT & MANIPAL:- Not qualified
After failing in every entrance exam he toom admission in private tier 3 college in Ghaziabad.After college he got job in CSC noida and work there for 3 years.
It was year 2016 , he started preparing for UPSC and appeared in 2017 and cleared in his first attempt.
Every one born with a uniqu e features .Average is just a tag given by non sense society(who don’t want to see you successful).
UPSC is fair exam if student like him can do it then any one can do it.
Ten Habits UPSC Aspirant should have:
- Waking up early in the morning. Take early lead for the day. You will feel great.
- Avoid procrastination. It's better to have small targets but completing them on time is more important.
- Solving MCQs for Prelims at least in the last two months just before Prelims.
- Answer writing practice is most important for Mains preparation.
- Reading one book for one subject multiple times rather than multiple books for one topic.
- Most of us like one subject more than others. But CSE is about studying so many subjects. So develop liking for all the subjects.
- Spend around an hour on health and fitness. Go for morning/evening jogging or Yoga/ meditation etc.
- Make it a habit of keeping yourself away from social media.
- Make an effective study schedule and follow it strictly.
- Take frequent breaks and drink lots of water. It would be great if you study 1 hour and then take 5–10 minutes break thereafter.
UPSC now asks to write two essays in about 1000-1200 words each. One topic is related to reality or government policy or action. The second essay is more often a quote or philosophy based.
Eg. Take this year 2017 Essay question paper.
Section A had topics like,
Farming has lost the ability to be a source of substance for majority of farmers in India.
Section B had topics like,
Joy is simplest form of gratitude.
This is certainly better than the one essay that was there till 2013.
Strategy to prepare and write an essay.
1. Choice of topic
Choose a topic you know well and feel confident in. You should have enough content on it.
2. Time for preparation of framework.
Highly important. This time I gave 30 minutes for framework making and 1 hour for writing, for each essay, thus giving equal time to both. Sometimes it took only 20 min for framework, giving more time for writing. I would conclude my essay in 10-12 pages. Due to time management, my essay paper finished 10 min before time and I could even read them again.
3. How to make a framework. Let's take the example of this year essay
"Farming has lost to be the source of subsistence for majority of farmers in India"
See the image.
Keep jotting down whatever points come to your mind.
4. Start your essay with a quote.
Give an introduction 100 words, then main content 800 words and then a conclusion 100 words.
5. A flow should very well be seen.
Do not just jump start any point in between e.g. First give an introduction about farming, history of farming, some data about percentage contribution to GDP, and no. of people employed. Then why do you think that farmers are getting disinterested in farming and farmers and their children are moving away from farming.
Then for content, start with present scenario, problems, loopholes, lacunae. Here, you have to give problems from all angles. Whether irrigation, land reforms, technology, education, poverty, weak manufacturing, disguised labour, agricultural losses, efforts not proportional to profits, unpredictability of Indian monsoon and so agriculture, transport, storage, agricultural insurance, agriculture extension, climate change, unsustainable agriculture, pollution, international trade.
Then you can move towards what government is doing at present. Mention some important schemes, initiatives and give their benefits and limitations side by side. Then move to giving your own innovative solutions to make farming profitable. Try to include more points here. You should give comprehensive solutions like land reforms, use of IT, insurance, lab to land, remote sensing, trade policies, market linkage, food processing, better incentives for farmers, a fair market linkage, contract farming, an effective agriculture extension system.
Once content is over, move towards conclusion and end on a positive note.
6. Do not be highly critical of government. Do not target any person or political party. Do not name any such person or party.
7. Stick to the word limit and save time and energy and write better.
8. Give practical solutions.
9. Use quotes in between.
Make a list of quotes for every possible topic before sitting for exam.
10. Use paragraph style effectively. Write in small paragraphs.
11. Do not deviate from topic. The framework ensures that you donot miss any point and stay right on the track.
12. Practicing writing is the only way to learn the art. No matter how many such strategies you read, you need to practice to develop your own style. I won't ask you to a join test series for essays, but I would advise you to make a list of topics asked in past 5 years and practice essay writing on weekly basis. Write atleast one essay per week. Involve your friends and check each other essays.
13. Read your newspaper, current affairs, Yojana to have fodder material for essays.
14. Read topper's essays that are avaialble online or offline.
so have to start ncert reading from class 6 onwards. it helps you to make a base and clear all confusion you face while reading +12.
thoroughly read ncert thrice and make concise notes. revise that notes as much as possible.
Socialism in Europe and Russian Revolution
from the above link you get an idea how to make notes from ncert
Hi There!
First let's have a glance at the numbers:
Almost 10 Lakh candidates fill up the form for appearing at Prelims.
Only approx 50% or 4–5 lakh candidates appear in Prelims.
Approximately 3–3.5% or 12–15k candidates clear Prelims and are selected to appear for Mains.
Only 14–15% or 2000–2100 candidates are selected to face personal interview round.
Of this, almost 33–35% or 800–900 candidates make it to the final list.
So, even less than 1% of the total number of candidates make it to the final list.
Well there are various reasons for this but this exam being the toughest one is not the reason.
So, why only less than 1% make it to the final list?
The number of candidates:-
- Maximum students just fill up the form for fun
- Non serious candidates
- Candidates who fill up form for examination tourism
- Candidates who fill up the form but don't appear because they think that their preparation is not upto mark
- And at last, the serious candidates
What is different in those 1% who clear the examination?
- Confidence : lack of confidence led to many candidates give up the hope for selection. Those who have confidence do clear the exam, earlier or later.
- Hard work : It is one of the most important factor. A person can be very much brilliant but this does not mean he can escape hard work. Its the one and only sure shot way to succeed in UPSC. This is the sole reason that average candidates also succeed in this exam. “करत करत अभ्यास के जड़मति होत सुजान रसरी आवत जात ते, सिल पर पड़त निसान। “
- Smart work : It also plays a crucial role in selection. Just studying and studying without the keeping in mind the syllabus and what is more important and what is less important only leads to waste of time. So, smart work is very necessary.
- Discipline : Very very important factor. You should be disciplined if you want to succeed in any Field and it becomes more important for UPSC aspirants. Discipline like studying for Min 8–9 hours Daily without distracted, excercising daily, dicisplined food regime to keep yourself healthy etc.
- Consistency : It's not like you study for 10–12 hours for 10 days and after that you left it. You have to be consistent, you have to study regularly, take mocks regularly to check yourself. Consistency is also an important factor that plays role in selection.
- Dedication : Dedication to your studies and not getting distracted.
- Devotion
- Patience : Many candidates left the preparation after 2–3 attempts because they think it's not their cup of tea but we can see the examples of many candidates who crack it even in 5–6th attempt. So, you have to be patient. Big things take some time to take place.
- Persistence : Have faith on oneself and be firm one's decision. “ Ambition is the path to success. Persistence is the vehicle you arrive in. “
- Perseverance : “ Perseverance is stubbornness with a purpose “. You will have to be stubborn with yourself and with other during the Preparation. Like you set a target that you will finish today, you will have to be stubborn that you will not do anything without finishing that target.
- Activeness : Laziness is an enemy. You have to be active. An active person's brain is open and whatever they study gets into their mind.
- Curious mind : Its also an important factor. You should have a curious mind. You should not limit yourself with the information given in a book or newspaper or current affairs, you should dig in about that and try to gain deeper insight into that topic.
- Brilliance : Its important but not that much. It only help in shortening the time period of preparation. If you are brilliant and have these qualities, may be you will crack the exam in first attempt itself. This doesn't mean that average students don't crack it.
- Focussed : You should study with focussed mind.
- Concentrated : Concentration on your studies. Concentration leads to quality of study. If you are concentrated, you study for only 2 hours that will be equal to 5–6 hours of studies without concentration.
- One goal : Don't run after different things. You should have a backup but you should be clear in your mind that your goal is UPSC, backup is just in case.
- Hope : Never lose hope.
- Never give up attitude
- Handle pressure of failure
- Sacrifice : You will have to sacrifice a lot of things like spending time with friends, family, visiting relatives, going to parties, eating non healthy foods etc. And those who succeed have the courage to sacrifice these things.
- Luck : Luck do play a minor role in selection. 1% luck is necessary. You can't deny it.
The Dirty Secrets of UPSC CSE Exam:
- Whether you are an IIT topper or any other graduate, you have to work hard to get your name in the list.
- Good memory power helps crack this exam.
- Mains exam is a test of speed.
- Filling pages matters in GS.
- Writing in point format matters.
- Writing in simple language matters.
- Attempting all questions matters.
- Drawing maps and diagrams would fetch you better marks.
- Optional subject still carries largest weight in the exam.
- Whether you accept it or not but luck matters in this exam.
- Its a relative exam. You just have to be better than others to crack this exam.
- Poor marks in interview can ruin your chances.
- Every single mark counts. In the the end, 1 mark may cost you your name in the list, service, cadre alloted.
Soumya Ranjan Rout secured AIR 118 in CSE 2018, in his first attempt Itself.
He got Indian Foreign Services. He sought help from IAS.NETWORK mainly for GS answers evaluation,
One of his copy :
- Firstly, fix your daily targets. Make a daily target and try to achieve it. If you have decided to complete 5 chapters of Spectrum, so give your best to achieve it.
- Divide your time according to the book / subjects which you have to cover. For example - If you have 30 days and you have to cover history, geography, polity, economics. Then , decide how much days you are going to allot to these subjects. Like 8 days for polity, 8 days for history and 7 days each for both economics and geography.
- Always prefer to make topic wise timetable rather than hour wise timetable. Because when you will make hour wise timetable you will end up wasting your time by just looking at the clock and thinking.
- Your focus should be to complete the course within the specified time. I would recommend you to achieve your targets one days before. It allows you to revise all the stuff you have read.
- Remember, the examiner doesn't know you. The examiner doesn't know how much you have studied. They will mark you based on your answers. So, complete the syllabus and prepare as hard as you can to complete your target on time.
I believe that if you want to enhance your productivity then you should follow topic wise timetable as it you won’t be pressurized by time. And your focus would be more on completing the topic, rather then just dreaming. Also, don’t try to set very high targets which make you dog-tired.
anything can possible anywhere if you dedicate your mind, body and soul to achieve that particular thing only.
1.so first do one thing make a separate area or a small just for your study because in villages usually you live in joint family so make an arrangement for a silent a place is very important
2.then make a detailed analysis of UPSC syllabus which you easily get on UPSC official website upsc.gov.in
3.then make a book list first start with basic ncerts and it is really not important to study 6–12 all ncert depending on your understanding and educational background if you study humanities then 9–12 is more than enough.
4.then plzz make short notes of ncerts, people thing it is waste of time but it is really important you have to revise ncerts at least thrice before moving to standard books note making will help you to revise in short time span
5.Rights of the Indian Constitution you can get an idea of note making by this given link. plzz check it is really helpful
5.then most important decision is to choose an optinal subject for mains. it may be your graduation subject or any other but make sure you are interested in that subject.
6.then first try to complete ncerts , it usually take 3–4 months to do thorough eading of ncert
7.then start preparing for your optional first
8. then choose only one standard book for a particular subject like for history-
spectrum, for economy ramesh singh. go for the second one if you have enough time to revise
9.try to solve past year question paper after ncert reading and analyse it properly
10.you can give online mock on insightonindia or any other institute their is no need to travel . time is very precious
Great question for UPSC CSE aspirants! No one can ever for sure know what the examiner is looking for. However, it can be understood to some extent from many topper copies available out there, and the known fact that UPSC invites top professors to evaluate answer sheets. I got over 460 marks in GS and almost 160 in Essay. I feel I had figured out answer writing (both long format — essay and short format — GS) to some extent. Here are my two cents on what UPSC examiner is looking for:
- First, Depth & breadth of Content
- Content of the answer must address the main points that have been asked in the question. The content must touch upon all the broader aspects as well as go deep enough so as to satisfy the examiner that you are well aware and have presented that awareness on the paper.
- For example, as you can see in the below answer, substantial points of the Section 124 have been covered, with keywords such as ‘self-censorship’, Article 19, Kedarnath Case etc. to provide significant substance to the answer. Don’t present your personal views!
- Second, UPSC asks two types of questions: (1) simple straight forward ones where you need to provide points directly (2) convoluted ones with long statements that are often just misleading you in some other direction.
- Your job is to identify the main keywords and what is actually been asked in the question to answer it comprehensively.
- I will provide examples of both type of questions here: First is a simple question with straight forward info required (MAINS 2018 question).. Second is a convoluted one.
- This is a more complex question. Note here that the statement provided by UPSC has nothing to do with the actual question. The actual question is simply asking the role of SHGs and measures taken by government to promote SHGs. Just answer these two points! Ignore the rest!
- Third, Presentation of Content
- Presentation must be done in such a way so as to improve the overall ‘readability of the answer’. As you can see below, I have used a table to answer the question asked in MAINS 2017 question.
- Like the above, use Relevant diagrams/charts etc. to answer the question.
- Fourth, Relevant keywords and data points to support your points
- These include constitutional articles, points from Economic survey and other reports, data such as GDP/employment/share of various sectors etc., remember name of reports and quote them where necessary, commission report.
- Fifth, Don’t provide personal opinion. Build your argument on solid data points and reports and provide well-accepted views only. You will stand out not because you have written something different but because you have written WHAT IS EXPECTED.
- What gets you those extra 1–3 marks in a question
- Clarity of language and precision. If you dilly dally around a question, the examiner will understand you don’t know the answer or you don’t know how to express. Therefore, get straight to the point and answer the MAIN QUESTION/questions asked. Note the points provided by me above.
- You DON’T NEED TO WRITE CATCHY INTROs and CONCLUSIONS. They don’t get marks. What get marks is if it is relevant, to the point and simple. See the above answers for introductions. Again, keep it to the point and what is being asked. My book 110+ in GS 2 also has 2017 and 2018 GS 2 paper solved where you can refer to some questions.
- Many questions don’t even need an intro and conclusion. For example, a question such as (Mains 2018 question): “The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has a very vital role to play.” Explain how this is reflected in the method and terms of his appointment as well as in the range of powers he can exercise. (10)
- Here, you don’t need to provide an introduction if you can’t come up with one. Just provide points of his term and appointment method and range of powers. You will get good marks.
- Finally, Re-read the question and make sure you understand it. Read it again while answering the question so that you don’t miss vital parts. Also, use keywords from the question as headings or sub-headings to make it easier for examiner to follow your answer.
Apart from the basic books and test series, there are some ‘secret tips’ that might vary with each topper. Considering Prelims to be shortly held,
Here I am sharing some prelims centric ‘ secret tips’ which I gathered in in the course of years .
I have cleared prelims five times, managing a decent score well above the cut off each time.
So, may be something I followed did work for me!
I thought I could share what I did, so that it might benefit a few, especially those who are in self preparation and those, even though working very hard, and after trying everything possible feel lost and demotivated!
I have posted the prelims mark sheet of the 2017 exam.
Image Source: Phone Gallery
Apart from the books, all the resources I am mentioning below are free of cost. So, Even if your financial situation is not conducive for joining coaching classes, you can very well manage with right strategy and smart work.
So now coming to the point: The write up is in four parts
I. Basic Books (If you already have done your basics you can skip this part)
II. What next after Basic books
III. Few secret tips
IIII. What to be done during the Exam
BASIC BOOKS
Subject wise compilation of previous years questions with answers is available in the market. Before starting to read, thoroughly examine the question papers of previous years. Whenever you read a subject focus on two aspect
i. A clarity and broad understanding of the topic
ii. How the questions are asked from the particular topic. Read the questions before and after reading a topic.
I read the basic books thoroughly with multiple revisions- at least more than thrice.
a. Always have the questions at the back of your mind while reading.
b. Remember, you need not become an expert in the subject. Your objective should be to clear the exam!
c. So don’t read anything and everything, just for the satisfaction of learning more and deep (I have seen many people reading loads and loads but fail to clear. Always work smart rather than hard)
d. Once you get a hold of the pattern and subject of questions, you will be able to differentiate what to read and what not to!
Basic books I followed are:-
POLITY
i. ‘ Indian Polity’ by Lakshmikant.
(For confusing parts like constitutional and non-constitutional bodies, make a tabular column)
HISTORY- MODERN INDIA
i. History of Modern India by Bipin Chandra.
I read it in my first attempt and made short
notes. For the subsequent attempts did not read the book. This book is
important for mains than for prelims)
ii. Spectrum modern India (I think this will suffice for prelims)
iii. NCERT for modern India.
GEOGRAPHY
i. NCERT Geography books (Most important. Many questions are asked directly from these books)
ii. Certificate physical and Human Geography by Goh Cheng Leong ( selectively, if you have time and need more clarity)
ECONOMICS
i. ‘Indian Economy key concept’ by Shankar Ganesh(concise)
ii. NCERT Books (11th and 12th)
iii. Indian Economy by Ramesh Singh (selectively)
CULTURE, ANCIENT AND MEDIEVAL INDIA
I attended a free coaching at an academy. So had notes of basics of ancient India and culture. That was my base which gave a good broad understanding. Apart from that, the books I referred were
i. ‘Indian Art and culture’ by Nitin Singhania
ii. Tamilnadu board (11th and 12th)
iii. ‘An introduction to Indian Art’- NCERT CLASS 11th (few times,questions are directly asked from this book)
iiii. I just glanced through NCERT books for medieval and modernlooking for the facts which might be asked (mostly questions from ancient and medieval India are fact based)
v. Do not focus on the ancient and medieval part much. The input-Output ratio is quite low.
ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY
As prelims is common for IFoS as well, this section carries more weightage. I read this part quite extensively.
i. NCERT books (selective chapters)
ii. Environment and Ecology by R.Rajagopalan
iii. Environment and Ecology by Arihant publication
iiii. PMFIAS Environment Notes
This is a good compilation of NCERT and also previous years
questions asked from each section. It is very comprehensive.
v. Most of them read Environment by Shankar IAS. You can read that,if you find it good.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
i. NCERT Books
(Not necessary to study in detail. Just read it to have a basic understanding. Questions are based on day to day science and technology
rather than theoretical Science)
ii. Science and tech current affairs is more important
CURRENT AFFAIRS
i. I followed vision PT 365 and supplemented it with Insights PT(To check whether all the topics are covered. Just covered the topics which were not covered in Vision. You can also read any other such Prelims Current affairs capsule and supplement with the other)
ii. News Paper, Magazines, Rajya Sabha Videos are more Useful For mains
iii. Apart from this most of my learnings were from question Papers.
Now coming to WHAT NEXT AFTER BASIC BOOKS:
1. Write as many tests as possible. Select test series which is in UPSC standards (not too high or too low)
2. Spend two-three hours after each test to analyse the mistakes you are making. Make sure you do not repeat the same mistakes in the next tests. Be careful not to make silly mistakes.
3. Learn the relevant information you gain from those 100 questions. If needed make a note of them subject wise for future revision.
4. The importance of tests cannot be over emphasised.
Even though you get low score, just focus on improving yourself and be a constant learner.
5. But if you feel some questions are irrelevant and too factual, and not according to the standards of UPSC CSE exam, ignore it.
Apart from the basic books and test, I did a few lesser known UNCONVENTIONAL THINGS- THE SECRET TIPS
i. For economy, just before prelims, I used to refer Erudition IAS - Economy questions (releases few days before prelims). It covers both static and current affairs pertaining to Economy. I used to solve the questions and revise it.
ii. I religiously followed IAS BABA 60 days prelims questions. Attempting 25 questions everyday,You will get around 1500 questions. It is equal to a test series. Revise those questions before exams. Many questions come direcly or indirectly from this. It definitely boosts up the confidence.
iii. For Environment and Ecology - IAS4SURE releases a short material before prelims with current affairs relating to environment, the basic conventions and legislations. It is very concise and very useful.
iiii. I have a collection of maps like the following image. Whenever I am outside or whenever I am free,I used to see these.
Image Source: maps of India
v. Few days before prelims, role of Atlas becomes sine quo non. Every day spend at least half an hour. Make your plan accordingly- you can observe one continent/one physical feature of India/one physical feature of the world per day. As questions are asked from the map, this will help you.
vi. A video is released before prelims –‘Geography through Maps’ by La Excellence covering map based current affairs. It is extremely helpful. Already released for 2020 Prelims.
vii. If you find a subject like culture, ancient india, medieval India etc boring you can watch videos related to it. Eg:Buddhism and Jainism, Indus Valley civilisation etc. You can always find ways to make learning enjoyable.
viii. You can also use mnemonics to remember facts.
ix. ‘Telegram’ is a gold mine of free resources and material. You can join in some useful groups which will be extremely helpful for question papers and other materials.
x.For current affairs, you can see Rajya sabha TV Bigpicture or its summary in insights or IAS BABA( But it’s more helpful for mains)
Now, what should you do DURING THE EXAM
1) For the first iteration mark those questions which you are 90-100% sure. If you had prepared well, and lucky enough, you can do around 50 questions in first iteration (From my experience).
2) That means, keeping 85-90 as a decent attempt, remaining nearly 35-40 questions must be done with intelligent guessing and elimination techniques. In the second iteration go for such questions.
For Intelligent Guessing
➢ There are many videos available in the youtube, teaching a lot of tricks that will help you to deduce the correct option, with the examples of previous year UPSC questions.
➢ Believe me, unless you do intelligent guess or use elimination technique in Prelims, no matter how much hard you study, it will be impossible to clear prelims
Here is one such video series
Image Source:Screen Shot from Civilsdaily UPSC IAS Channel
3) In the third iteration, try your hard to recollect whatever you have studied… somewhere something might help, to atleast eliminate twooptions. Take risk for those questions,you are left with two options.
Thus out of 90 questions you attempt
➢ If 70 is right and 20 is wrong,you end up with a score of 134.
➢ With 65:25, the score will be 122.
Your score will be well above the cut off and you can confidently prepare for mains without having to be in the situation of ‘ Cat on the wall’.
Even with full preparation, even after clearing Prelims before, it is natural to have anxiety and stress before the D-Day.
I was so stressed during the night before 2017 prelims that I hardly slept for 2 hours, even though I tried so hard to sleep. Accept it as a part of the process.
Though many tell UPSC exam requires luck, I can vouch for the fact that prelims is not only about luck, it's about the mix of smart work and sincerity. If you prepare well in the right direction , definitely you will clear!
As Prelims approaches obviously you will be gripped by negativity and self doubt! Try to maintain your cool and calm. It will definitely improve efficiency. Always maintain your positivity!
That's it! You can demolish Prelims!
Do your Best and leave the rest!
All the Best!
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