How to Prepare for UPSC Exam 2022 from Scratch?

UPSC examination is one of the most prestigious examinations in India. Millions of candidates appear for the exam every year, but only a fraction of them finally clear this examination.

How to Prepare for UPSC Exam 2022 from Scratch?

UPSC examination is one of the most prestigious examinations in India. Millions of candidates appear for the exam every year, but only a fraction of them finally clear this examination. 

It is necessary to give your best to make your IAS Dream true. But candidates often find it challenging to make a proper plan without a mentor's support. Therefore, through this article, we will help you make a proper plan from scratch to excel in the examination. 

• Before you go for any study plan, understand the Syllabus. The Syllabus is the road map that will help you to reach your IAS Destination. Knowing every bit of it is important since that would help you know what is important with respect to the exam and the structure of the study plan. 
• The next task is to go through the previous year's question papers to understand the demand of the UPSC and plan your study accordingly.
• You need to understand that there is no separate preparation for the Prelims and the Mains Exam. The topics of the Prelims Syllabus are included in the Mains Syllabus. Hence, a candidate needs to prepare for all the stages simultaneously.
• In the first month of the preparation, you need to go through the syllabus and previous years' question papers to understand the pattern and the demand of the exam. It will give you clarity about the exam.
• Then, start reading one newspaper, either the Hindu or the Indian Express. Keep the Syllabus with you while reading the newspaper in the beginning and cover only the news relevant to the UPSC Syllabus. You can supplement the newspaper with a monthly current affairs magazine after 2-3 months once you have adequate knowledge of basic concepts. KSG's Current connect is one such magazine (https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/current-connect.html).
• Start reading NCERTs from 6th to 12th Class in the first month itself. The NCERTs make your base strong to cover the standard books. Make short notes of all the important topics in the NCERTs and make sure you are reading the NCERTs for both the prelims and Mains. It can be a little challenging to cover all the NCERTs on your own. KSG India has a dedicated NEEV program to cover all NCERTs through online classes (https://www.ksgindia.com/neev). So, you can either enrol in this program or complete the NCERTs on your own through self-study.
• After two or three months, start covering other fundamental General Studies Books such as M. Lakshmikanth, GC Leong, etc. This can be a daunting task as you need to look for resources, understand concepts then memorise them. So you can enrol in a foundation course to make the job easier. And study under the guidance of experts who will adopt a hand holding approach to guide you through your preparation journey.
• It would be best if you prepared for Optional subject as well. Choose the optional carefully as it consists of 500 marks in the Mains Exam. Plus, do answer writing practice for the same. Choosing the optional subject is a really big deal since candidates get confused while picking up the subjects. So, while you are selecting your optional ones, try to keep these things in mind: 
• Your interest regarding the subject
• Does the subject overlap with other General Studies syllabus? If yes, it's a huge advantage since you can prepare for both mains and prelims while studying one subject at a time.
• Prior knowledge in the particular subject
• The availability of study material and coaching
• This is the time to start answer writing practice too. Do not try to solve full-length papers at this stage. But in the beginning, do 2-3 questions daily for the Mains and 20-30 MCQs for the Prelims.
• Then, gradually you can increase the number of questions for both the Prelims and the Mains. And, start revising all the books and notes which you have covered.
• Before three months of the Prelims Exam, I recommend focusing only on the Prelims Exam. You can start giving full-length Prelims Mock tests. Revise notes with a particular focus on memorising the facts.
• After the Prelims exam, do not wait for the result. But start preparing for the Mains Exam. Start with revising the Optional Subject and the GS papers. Practice essay writing as well.
• And, you can write one essay every week to have a habit of writing essays for the exam. And start giving full-length tests for the Mains Examination.
• Keep revising other General Studies Subjects for the Mains Exam.
• Post Mains, again, do not wait for the result. But start preparing for the personality test. You can join any good coaching mock interview, such as KSG India provides free mock interviews for those who qualify for the Mains Examination. Prepare questions on all aspects of your DAF and leave no part of your DAF uncovered.
• Revision is the key to get success in any examination. Therefore, keep revising as much as possible to better retain and understand the concepts. Comprehensive revisions even make the most challenging thing easier to understand. 

Give your best and trust your hard work.