“Crack Civil Services IAS Exam”
Civil Services Exam (CSE), conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), is believed to be the most stringent exam in the country. Every individual who is interested in IAS Exam knows that preparing for Civil Services is the most challenging task. And that it requires a lot of dedication, strategies and hard work to stay on track.
When the aspirants feel that it’s time, many enthusiasts ask for any possible way to crack the preliminary exam in one month. Cracking the UPSC IAS preliminary exam in one month is very hard and somewhat impossible for average students. However, one can make it if they are ready to make the commitment such as -devoting all the time for the preparations.
Note- For a more detailed overview of UPSC CSE IAS, click on the link- IAS Exam.
UPSC has finally released the notification/dates for the Civil Services Exam (CSE) Prelims 2021 after so many constraints. The UPSC exam was postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak all over the country. All aspirants who were preparing for the exam to be held on June 27, 2021, have now got more months to prepare. As the date for the prelims exam is approaching, aspirants should focus only on this screening round this month.
Listed below is the proven strategy a candidate must follow to qualify for the IAS Prelims Exam 2021:
Here’s the best way to Crack Civil Services IAS Exam
Identify Your Strengths
Endeavouring the toughest exam in the country is a big deal. It requires the aspirants to understand their strengths and weaknesses to make the most out of this one month. Everyone will have a talent, like some can memorize facts in less time, etc.
Try to identify them with a personal SWOT Analysis. This will give you an in-depth understanding about where you are standing today. It will also show you the steps you will need to reach towards your target goal.
Note- SWOT Analysis is an analysis of Strengths, Weaknesses. Opportunities and Threats.
Familiarize yourself with everything
Having a strong base with the facts and theoretical concepts alone will not help you when it comes to Civil Services. Candidates have to change their entire approach depending on the situation and question. To do this, they should know every aspect of the exam, including the format, nature and syllabus (regarding their desired post).
Due to time constraint, never ignore the basics because it will cost you a lot in the exam. To know the facts in the long term, you need to have a strong understanding of basic concepts.
We suggest you familiarize yourself with the Civil Services exam pattern, approach towards CSAT and general awareness questions.
Plan your studies to crack Civil Services IAS Exam
Once you have decided to prepare for the Civil Services prelims exam in one month, the first thing to do is to organize/plan your studies accordingly. It’s always a great idea to start the preparation with the most comfortable exam or something you are familiar with. One is paper-II Civil Services Aptitude Test (CSAT) because you are already familiar with some of the basics. It will hardly take three to four days to cover the theoretical concepts, which will also boost your confidence to start with.
The syllabus for IAS Civil Services is like an ocean, and they’re always a better book or a well-detailed course, and just like that, there is no end to the preparations.
Therefore, aspirants should work on perfection rather than merely covering the topics for the sake of preparing them. Give at least three days to each subject in the general awareness paper.
Note- For detailed UPSC Syllabus, click on- UPSC CSE Syllabus
Focus extensively on Prelims
We need to understand that clearing the IAS prelims will not make you an IAS Officer. You need to prepare for the mains exam, which will be followed by an interview.
Note- Understanding the main examination concepts parallels with the prelims is okay but do not waste so much time at this stage due to the time constraints.
Many aspirants complain that they are not able to answer the questions because of vagueness. We suggest you concentrate only on the preliminary exam.
Give Importance to General Studies Paper-I
You all are aware that the general awareness paper is only considered for shortlisting the aspirants for the next stage of the selection process, i.e., the mains exam.
So the primary focus at the moment should be on general studies only. The CSAT paper is also a qualifying paper and four to five days of preparation is more than enough besides regular practice.
Note- Avoid reading books, as they will take more time- so instead focus on the notes and mock tests.
- Development Plan for tackling GS Paper-I – Aspirants are required to start their preparation for the current affairs section. Afterwards, they can focus on history or politics depending upon their interest.
- Put geography and economics in the middle of the preparation days because they require a lot of preparation, to begin with. So while practicing the CSAT questions, always try to cover all the basic concepts to save time. Always give importance to science and the technology and the events in environmental studies. However, never compromise and take mock tests.
Note- No one method/strategy fits the requirements of all the aspirants. It will vary depending on one’s strengths and weaknesses. So, take ideas and create your plan as per your needs and as per the subject that requires more of your attention.
Your 1-Month Preparation Strategy to Crack Civil Services IAS Exam
Hereby mentioned are a few tips to make sure you have everything covered in your 1-month preparation strategy:
- Revision: The candidates now have, enough time to revise the subjects they were not fully satisfied with. If at all you have missed reviewing any topic, you can with that particular subject now to start preparing for it. The candidates must revise the subjects such as- History and Geography, etc.
- Current Affairs: The candidates must have known by now that the exams have been postponed for more time and they should go through the current affairs in these months.
- Subjects to focus: The candidates should also focus on essential topics such as Polity, related to current affairs, Geography, Economics. The candidates must primarily focus on Environment studies as it has been a crucial part from the past few years.
Note- Candidates shouldn’t ignore subjects like ancient history. Because the best approach is to revise the current affairs. Such as, students this year must study all about the epidemics and plague related activities from history.
- CSAT Preparation: Now that you have more time- use this time to go through the subjects that are tough for you. Say, like passages and logical reasoning fundamentals. Candidates should not compromise or avoid preparation for the CSAT exam.
- Time Management: Candidates needs to manage their time more efficiently than ever before. They should not waste their time on books or reading element other than current affairs. They must go through their NCERTs again as they have enough time.
- Plan it every week: One week per subject of NCERT should be a candidate’s target. Divide your time accordingly between morning and nights to solve theory and CSAT questions both.
Note- One plan could be to focus on at least two test areas daily. On Day -1, One can study History & Polity. On Day-2, one can concentrate on Indian Economy & Geography and so on. The idea is to go through all the test areas every week. With this strategy, one will be in touch with all the fields every week.
- Solve Question papers: The aspirants must not stop solving question papers of previous years or the series that are available online, and he/she shouldn’t only concentrate on theory.
Summary/Overview
Civil Services, conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), is believed to be the most stringent examination in the country. Every individual knows that preparing for Civil Services is a challenging task and requires a lot of strategies and hard work.
When the aspirants feel that it’s high time, many enthusiasts ask for any possible way to crack the preliminary exam in one month. Cracking the UPSC initial exam in one month is hard. However, one can make it when they can devote all the time for the preparations.
Areas covered in this article
- How to prepare a one-month strategy to crack the IAS Exam?
- Strategies
- SWOT Analysis
- Useful Tips
Note- For more updated notification on UPSC 2021, visit- https://www.upsc.gov.in/examinations/Civil%20Services%20%28Preliminary%29%20Examination%2C%202020.