How to go about IAS preparation in 2020?

UPSC exams are considered to be the toughest exams in India and so is it’s preparation. Every years, lakhs of Indian students sign up for them with a hope to serve the nation with their knowledge, determination and passion. From detailed study notes to expert guidance, a UPSC aspirant must have everything in their preparator kit. But do you know what works the best for such exams? It is having a unique study plan or strategy. In this blog, we have discussed some effective IAS preparation tips along with a bonus section including do’s and don’ts from top rank UPSC qualifiers. 

UPSC Exams: Quick Overview 

Civil Services Examinations are conducted by the Union Public Service Commission. There are three levels in this exam that one must qualify to live up to their dream of being an administrative services officer, that is, Prelims, Mains and Personal Interview. Prelims and mains examinations are written and consist of subjective as well as objective questions.  

IAS Preparation Tips 

Here are some advantages tips that will help you in your IAS preparation- 

Hardwork and Determination 

A UPSC aspirant must be determined towards their goal and put in all the efforts it requires. If you have courageously decided to attempt CSEs, we believe that you possess the capabilities to cross over any hurdle that may fall in the path of becoming an IAS officer. 

Also Read: Hard Work vs Smart Work

Familiarise Yourself with Syllabus 

Before you go on with your preparation, go through the entire syllabus of all the subjects. Understand each and every new update in the syllabus and keep either soft or hard copy ready for frequent use. You can jot down the major part of the syllabus of both Prelims and Mains and paste it on your study table. 

Draft a Time Table 

Working in a predetermined schedule is a long term benefit. You should begin by making your own timetable and devote ample time so that you can cover multiple topics in a day. But do not be too harsh on yourself, try to incorporate time for physical and rejuvenating activities. 

Importance of Time Management for Students

Solidify the Fundamental Concepts 

To ace the advanced level concepts, it is necessary for you to strengthen your basic concepts through NCERT books for UPSC. Having a sound base will help you in formulating a detailed study of the subject as it is necessary for cracking UPSC exams. 

Make Quick Notes and Placards 

During your IAS preparation, you will be covering plenty of topics, while learning new ones, it is also important to retain the old ones. Handwritten notes of topics will leave a lasting impression and you will be able to retain it for a longer period of time. To break the monotony studies schedule, you can make interesting placards of quick-questions that you can answer as a questionnaire with your friend.

Keep up with World

As a potential IAS officer, you must keep up with all the latest happenings across the globe. Current affairs is an important section in both the exams. Whereas for the personal interview, candidates must thoroughly prepare the political, historical, social and economic movements of their native states/ town along with trending global issues. You can refer to the esteemed news channels and follow up their debates or you can use an application for the same. 

Newspaper Reading 

Newspaper reading is going to be a vital part of your IAS preparation as it will not only help you to stay updated with the current global situation but will also be the right source to get equipped with decent vocabulary and formal sentence structuring. Daily invest at least one hour in newspaper reading and maintain a journal of new word-meanings that you have learnt. 

Mock Test and Previous Years’ Papers 

Once you have widened your horizon by covering the intricacies of UPSC syllabus, it is now the time to take as many mock tests as you can. As both the tests are time-bound, it will be beneficial for you to be habitual with the specific time that is allotted. After completing stage one of the step, next will be practising previous years’ UPSC question papers. At least go back till 5- 6 years and solve them in a scheduled time. Solving mock tests and question papers will help you develop a sentence for what type of questions are put up in the UPSC exams. 

2019 Rank Holders on IAS Preparation

Now, let us take a sneak-peek into the life of UPSC rank holders 2019 and get a hold of some pro-tips that will help us brush up our skills for UPSC exams. 

Pratibha Verma (All India Rank 3) 

 “Mock interviews stood out in quality and helped me gain new perspectives. This help me work on my area of weakness across many dimensions of the personality”

“I would say that continuous practice is a must when it comes to prelims preparation. I did around 30 to 40 more practice tests before attempting the prelims. Understanding the kind of questions is crucial and mock tests are the easiest way to get a hold of that.” 

Abhishek Saraf (All India Rank 8) 

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“Every discipline has a role to play in the world. That is when I started learning about other disciplines.”

“There has to be a balance in the time devoted to each paper and each topic. I vigorously practised writing answers for a period of seven to eight months consistently during my first attempt. While attempting the exam itself, I followed a set of rules and time frame to make sure I cleared the exam with ease.”

Sanjita Mohapatra (All India Rank 10) 

“My Life goal is to have positively impacted the life of at least 100 people through the course of my career and to have them walk up to me and say that I improve their!” 

Sanjita used to work 5 hours a day along with managing the IAS preparation. Her major focus was on quality studying rather than emphasising on the number of hours put into it. She says,” I need a schedule for every Sunday for the syllabus I am planning to complete next week. I can say with certainty that weekly and monthly schedules work for me. ” 

Hopefully, after our tips on IAS preparation, you are now all set to crack this prestigious examination. It is necessary to prove your efficiency in one of the optional subjects in UPSC and pursuing a Master’s course in a chosen one would be a dual benefit. Get in touch with our experts at Leverage Edu and they will assist you in choosing the right course and university for your subject.