The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) conducts Civil Services Exam (CSE) every year and lakhs of people aspire to join the services. The dream of any person who starts to prepare for this exam is to crack this exam on the first attempt. Even though lakhs of people apply and compete for this exam, only a few hundred get into the services. To be in the few hundreds of candidates, and to clear the UPSC Prelims 2021, one has to prepare effectively to gain a competitive edge over others.
Given the vast nature of topics that could be asked in the UPSC Exam, the first step to prepare effectively is to go through the Syllabus of UPSC and gain knowledge about it. Knowing the syllabus will help the student prepare effectively for the exam, as it will be a guideline while preparing.
Here are the tips to the aspirants which will help in effective preparation for the upcoming UPSC Prelims 2021.
Tips to prepare effectively for UPSC Prelims 2021
The UPSC Prelims is postponed to October 10, 2021, due to the COVID-19 situation. The aspirants have got almost extra bonus months to prepare and revise for the exam. On the other hand, few aspirants also fear the extra time. Therefore, here is the list of tips to ace the UPSC exam in the very same attempt.
Align preparation to the Syllabus –
The first and most important step is to download the UPSC Notification and align the preparation according to the syllabus. This step will save time for the aspirant and also will prevent them from spending on non-beneficial topics.
Practice Previous Year Papers –
The candidates are advised to practice at least the previous 10-year question papers of prelims, to get an understanding of the type of questions asked in the exam. This will mentally and psychologically prepare the aspirants to align their learning patterns in the context required by the UPSC Exam.
Practice Mock Tests –
Not only the previous year question papers are important but it is also necessary to solve as many mock papers from various sources as possible to develop the analytical and logical skills required in the exam. This will also help the aspirants in time management during the actual day of the exam.
Analysis of Previous Year Papers –
The question pattern asked by the UPSC has to be grasped by the aspirants, to get an idea of the number of questions asked in each subject in subsequent years. The aspirants should analyse which subject has been constant and how many questions are at least from that particular subject and what are the twists and tricks hidden in the questions, and similar analysis has to be done by the aspirants to know the mindset of the examiner well.
Time and benefit ratio –
The aspirants always have to keep in mind that if he/she is spending a particular amount of time preparing a particular topic, that should be directly proportional to the benefits in the exam. If the particular topic is irrelevant and does not have an importance in the point of the UPSC Exam, then the aspirants needn’t waste much time preparing that topic or can ignore it. For example, it is a pattern that any question related to sports is not asked in the UPSC Exam, so reading the sports column in The Hindu for hours will not translate into meaningful preparation and will not add any value to the preparation. This way, one can calculate the time and benefit ratio to effectively prepare for this exam.
Importance to CSAT –
Even though CSAT is just a qualifying paper, at least two months of practice is needed to get the flow in the exam hall. Therefore, importance to CSAT should be given along with Paper 1 of the Prelims Exam.
Realise the importance of current affairs –
The aspirants should never undervalue the importance of current affairs to this exam. Especially in the previous five years, the relevance of current affairs has increased significantly. Along with NCERTs, standard books and other different sources, current affairs also holds a significant role in clearing the exam.
Revision –
Revision is the key to crack this exam. It should be the mantra of the aspirants when the exam is around the corner. Learning properly, learning from the best sources, will not benefit unless the proper revision is done.
To crack the prelims level of the UPSC Exam, and to get the best scores possible, follow the above tips and think of your own strategy that best suits you. The aspirants have to always work towards finding their own strategy. And always learn from previous mistakes and never ever do it again. The aspirants can read more about UPSC Prelims Syllabus, from the linked article and formulate their own strategies keeping these tips in mind.
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