Toppers' Strategy: Strategy For Prelims Exam
Cracking the UPSC exam is difficult but is not impossible. Every year lakhs of students appear in this competitive exam. Some are selected while many fail to do so. The secret of success is hard work, of course, but there are ...
Toppers' Strategy: Strategy For Prelims Exam
Cracking the UPSC exam is difficult but is not impossible. Every year lakhs of students appear in this competitive exam. Some are selected while many fail to do so. The secret of success is hard work, of course, but there are many other factors involved that contribute to success in IAS exams prelims in a single attempt. Our team spoke to many toppers of IAS exams and tried to understand what strategy the topper’s followed. On our platform, we aim to provide the right guidance to UPSC aspirants to get a competitive edge. Here in this article, we compile the best strategies of UPSC exam toppers that for sure will motivate you and assist you in moving closer towards your goal.
Learn Limited
You might be thinking how limited learning helps in achieving a rank in the UPSC exam but this is really a trump card. By advising to learn limited we mean considering only the relevant information, knowledge, and study material. Reading from too many books and sources might confuse you. So, according to many toppers of UPSC exams, they refer limited study materials and focus on revising them repetitively at least 3 to 4 times. Many of the coaching institutes claim to refer their magic modules and magazines but some toppers believe that civil service exams can be cleared even without touching them. Keep it simple and do not complicate things. Avoid being trapped in the bundle of books and a lot of study materials around you.
Always Refer to Previous Exam’s Question Papers
For cracking UPSC prelims, it is very important to solve previous years’ question papers. This helps the students to understand the mindset of the examiner. Also, try to find out the source of questions asked. You can also make a list of those questions that are repeatedly asked in the exam. Solving previous years’ question papers give you the right insight on what is expected in the next examination.
Take Part in Test Series
Testing your knowledge and knowing how well you are prepared for the exam is the best thing you can do. Toppers of UPSC exams always suggest taking a test series. Most of the students think that test series are just like solving the previous year's exam papers but that's not correct. Test series are completely like the demo of the actual exam where you need to fill the OMR answer sheet and solve the test in the given time period. You will also get marks and rank to know where you stand in the competition. Students should analyze their preparation and find out the Loopholes.
Consolidate Current Affairs.
Students should study the current affairs from at least a year ago. Say if your exam is in the month of June 2020, you should study current affairs from at least June 2019. The best source of current affairs is a daily newspaper that comes to your door every morning. Scan the newspaper each day and mark them as 'Star'. You may also note down the news separately in a notebook to collect all of them at one place. This could be handy as well. You may also refer to other sources but remember that so many sources may bring confusion and stress.
Revise Daily
Revision is usually considered as the last-minute activity but toppers say that students should revise daily. Most of the toppers give common advice to revise daily instead of dedicating a weekend or month-end for it. Learning a lot may only be fruitful if you revise it regularly. The daily revision brings a kind of self-confidence in you.
Don't Be Confined in the Four Walls
Usually, it is the habit of the students to get confined to the four walls of their room and think that going out is a sin. Well, it is the basic human nature that we get depressed in isolation. This is the reason that many toppers suggest that reading in libraries, parks, and cafeteria helps. This refreshes your mind and motivates you to do better in life. Studying outside often gives better results than confined studies at home. However, too much of group activity should also be avoided as that kills time. A balance needs to be maintained here.
Plus, it is very necessary that you should be happy. With an upset mind, you can never focus on your studies. Do things that help you to reduce physical and mental stress say you can listen to music, read motivational stories, or watch inspirational movies. You may take the time to say half an hour daily to talk to your friends or draw or dance or do anything that you like to do.
H2 –Stay away from Negative Thoughts.
One of the UPSC toppers has suggested that a negative mind may spoil all your preparation. So never think about what will happen if you do not clear the exam. Always think that you have to crack the UPSC exam and you can do it.
