Union Public Service Commission exams are one of the toughest exams that a person can ever give. Diversity of the topics often demand a lot of effort and extremely long study hours. Students can and often do end up studying the wrong things or spend too much time on topics that have little to no value UPSC-wise. In an exam as difficult as this one, it is imperative that you not only study hard but actually study smart. Such a method of studying could turn out to be a lifesaver for you.
Studying smarter will not only help you be less tired and burnt out but also ensure that you get the maximum score. In order to do this, you need to know what to focus your energy on and what to ignore.
Do’s
- Knowing the exam is actually the first step in conquering it. Read up on the exam and all that is included in it. Make sure you understand all the rules and regulations so that you know what you can do and what you cannot. Also, go through the previous year’s papers so that you can have a clear understanding of the exam.
- Before attempting bigger and more complex topics, make sure that you have your foundations solid. If your foundations are solid then whatever you prepare ahead will likely be solid too.
- Refer to books that are preferred by your seniors. Take their guidance and advice as well. Make sure that you also read national news and world news every day so that you do not miss out on anything that is relevant.
- Practice, practice, and practice. Practice all the topics by answering questions. Answering papers is the only that you can be confident about a certain topic.
- Keep revising. There is no point in reading new things every day if you do not remember any of the said new things! Make a point to revise during the weekend all that you have learned during the week. This will help keep topics fresh in your mind and also help in retaining that information for a longer period of time.
- Try to give mock tests strictly adhering to the rules of the UPSC exam. This will enable you to get a feel of the actual exam and also help reduce nerves on the day of the actual exam.
Don’ts
- Do not spend time mugging up all the state leaders of the world. This will take up too much time of your time and will also ultimately prove fruitless. Instead, only memorize those leaders that are frequent in the news as well as relevant to current news.
- Media and entertainment new (Bollywood) have no UPSC value. Spending time on such topics would be tantamount to wasting your time. Time is your most important friend in the UPSC exams so do not waste it.
- Local or regional news is not relevant to these exams. The national news is what is important. So do read up on national news but give your local news a miss.
- There is no need to memorize the number of sixes hit by Sachin or Dravid or centuries by Williamson. Sports news such as this is irrelevant.
- In arts, do not mug up anything and everything in sight. Only the topics that have been in the news or have become relevant recently should be memorized.
- The rule as above goes for science as well. Only remember the facts that are relevant to recent times.
- Refer to microeconomics only if you want a better understanding of topics. Other than that, one’s focus should be on macroeconomics.
- Do not get overconfident over any topic. It would be better if you focus on your strengths but alongside that, keep working on your weak areas. Getting overconfident would be like you digging your own grave.
Conclusion
A success story to help inspire you to work harder – Kanishak Kataria, IIT alumni, was taken aback by the UPSC 2018 results, where he received first place on his first attempt! Despite his confidence in his preparation, he did not expect to place first. What stands out in his tale is that he left a job abroad with a salary of nearly one crore to become an IAS officer and work for the betterment of the country and its people. He accomplished this goal via sheer hard work and a lack of concern about the outcome. Kanishka studied for over 14 hours a day and avoided all social media. He went to Delhi for coaching, although his preparation method was a mix of self-study and tutoring.
UPSC might seem like a big hurdle to cross but if you put in consistent effort and consistent work, then you will pass over the hurdle in no time. Remember to work smarter, not harder!