The UPSC Civil Services Prelims exam is scheduled to be conducted on May 26, 2024. Most applicants look upto those who have successfully cleared the CS exam. Here are a few practical tips from the civil servants on their preparation strategy as well as on dealing with failures.
Face your failures
UPSC Civil Services is one of the toughest exams of the world, and while only a few candidates are selected every year, one should not lose hope.
“Overcome the pain of change. You have to face uncertainty. You have to be ready to face failures. It is never too late.
Change->Fail-> Progress. If you don’t change, then society will change you to become a puppet. The choice is yours,” says Himanshu Tyagi, an IFS officer who has cracked UPSC CSE/ IFS/ GATE.
There are several candidates who fail to crack their prelims of Mains in first or even third attempt. The key to success, however, is to keep trying and stay confident about your dreams.
Current Affairs preparation
Current Affairs is a very important part of the Civil Services exam preparation as some of the main themes around the questions are derived from the current affairs of the country and world. This is also a part of your preparation that will carry on even after one clears the exam.
“You must closely analyse the type, format and category of questions asked in the paper. Take out half an hour everyday to go through previous years questions. This will give you an idea on what lines UPSC will put questions before you. Especially in Prelims, this pattern is highly dynamic and hence a thorough analysis of past 7 years papers must be done. Mark out the topics and areas that are asked more than once and note them separately,” advises Srushti Deshmukh Gowda, IAS 2019, in her blog post.
CSAT is important
Himanshu Tyagi advises aspirants to pay more attention to CSAT these days. He believes that “CSAT is new havoc now. Even IITians are failing in this paper. So, take it seriously. Solve all CSAT PYQs twice. Go for the CSAT test series only if you are done with PYQs.”
Previous year question papers are the key
Be it UPSC Civil Services, JEE, NEET or any other entrance exam, experts always suggest aspirants to study previous year question papers thoroughly to understand the pattern, marking scheme and the difficulty level, among other benefits.
Previous years’ question papers also help you understand the areas where you may be lacking. “While solving previous year’s papers, understand what works for you, and what does not. Make your own strategy,” Himanshu Tyagi suggests.
Some experts such as Srushti Deshmukh Gowda also suggest that past 5 year papers must be scrutinised well before appearing for UPSC Mains exam at least. “No matter what coaching institutes tell you to refer or try to ‘predict’ the pattern of paper, your preparation will be full proof only when you yourself are trailing through the previous papers,” she adds.
Even Himanshu Tyagi believes that mock tests help in determining what works and what doesn’t work for a candidates. “How many questions should you attempt? Start solving mock tests and determine your own optimum no. Solve as many mock tests as possible. See what works for you, and what does not. Make your own strategy. No spoonfeeding,” he explains.
Courtesy : The Indian Express