The UPSC Civil Services Exam is one of the most prestigious exams in India. It is attempted by lakhs of aspirants across the country every year. However, only few of them are able to ace this examination. The Civil Service Exam is not only challenging in terms of the length of its syllabus, but it is also daunting because of its highly unpredictable nature.
In this article, we will discuss how you should start your UPSC CSE preparation from the scratch.
Step 1 : Prepare Yourself
Download the syllabus of UPSC CSE from the Official website of UPSC.
Go through the syllabus and understand what you are going to study.
See the various stages of examination.
Step 2 : Watch the videos of toppers
Misguidance can cost any aspirant a lot of time and money. So before you enter into your preparation mode, watch the videos of toppers on YouTube and take a note of their strategies and how they aced this examination.
Step 3 : Get the Right Books
Choosing the right books for different stages of the UPSC exam is quite important. We have given the list of recommended books (NCERTs and Standard Books) as PDF. You can download them and use it to purchase the books online.
At the same time, keep your resources limited. Read the books multiple times, take notes, and revise them frequently.
If you have any doubt about how to read NCERTs, click here to read our article "How to Read NCERTs for UPSC Civil Service Exam"
Step 4 : Read Newspaper
Newspaper is an important part for the preparation of civil services exam(CSE). Newspaper can be useful in two ways during CSE.
First, it will provide the data which is useful in prelims and mains.
Secondly, it is also helpful in forming reasoned opinion which will help in ESSAY as well as questions in mains exam. Reading newspaper daily is a habit but reading it for the preparation point of view is an art.
Having established the importance of newspapers, few logical question follow after that like which newspaper to follow and what to read in the newspaper.
The Hindu is most prescribed newspaper for civil service aspirants. Depending on time and optional paper one more newspaper can be followed like Indian express, Economic times etc.
Click here to read our article "How To Read The Hindu For UPSC Civil Service Examination?"
Step 5 : Choose your optional subject
There are many important aspects to be kept in mind while choosing an Optional Subject.
Your interest in that subject
Books availability
Contribution of the Optional Subject towards General Studies syllabus
Time Availability to complete the optional subject syllabus
Click here to read "How To Choose Optional for UPSC Civil Service Exam Preparation?"
Step 6 : Start studying
If you are in your college, it is recommended to read NCERTs during the weekends.
If you are in full time preparation, NCERTs are undoubtedly the best books to begin your preparation with. After getting a clear picture of the subject/topic move to the standard books. In previous years UPSC has asked questions directly from NCERT textbooks.
Step 7 : Make notes
After second or third reading, take notes. It is really helpful to make short notes during UPSC preparation. Since the UPSC syllabus is very vast, it helps to keep track of the portions covered and also serves as a ready-reckoner for revision.
Step 8 : Answer writing practice
Don't think that you will practice answer writing after clearing prelims. You will have only limited time between Prelims and Mains. The main exam papers are descriptive in nature. It is mainly about testing your analytical, critical, and communicative abilities. It demands you to think with conceptual clarity and organize your views, perceptions, and thoughts in a flawless manner.
Another thing to be kept in mind is the time and space constraints in the answer booklet. Therefore, candidates have to answer the questions quickly and effectively and in minimum words. This is not possible without adequate answer writing practice.
Click here to read "Approach to Mains Answer Writing"
Step 9 : Solve Previous Year Question Papers
Previous question papers are the most reliable sources to know the UPSC pattern, difficulty level and question type. You can judge the trends in the UPSC exam paper easily. It will also help you understand which areas are the most important in a particular subject. Lastly, it is a good source of self-assessment in your IAS preparation.
Step 10 : Attend Mock tests
Self-assessment is an essential part of UPSC preparation. It can help you in realizing and learning from mistakes, shaping what approach you need to follow in continuing the preparation and identifying strengths and weaknesses. You can take mock tests from any institute or use online resources.
Step 11 : Do not forget to study Current Affairs
Use any monthly current affairs magazine (Vision IAS or Insights). You can download them from their website. Also, don't postpone it to study when the prelims is approaching. Try to read them regularly like you read your NCERT and standard books.
Step 12 : Practice CSAT
The full form of CSAT is the Civil Services Aptitude Test. It was introduced in the year 2011 as a part of the UPSC Civil Services Exam (Preliminary) to test the analytical skills, reasoning ability and aptitude of the aspirants. It is a qualifying paper in Prelims. So, give equal weightage to CSAT also.
You can watch our CSAT Classes. It's absolutely FREE for everyone.
Step 13 : Revision
The revision gap should not go beyond 9-15 days to avoid loss of memory level. Since the syllabus is vast, one should revise topics at frequent intervals so as not get overwhelmed.
You should have a meticulously designed study plan as well as a revision plan. Make sure that their revision plan corresponds with your study plan. It means that when you sit to study one topic, you should not forget the revision of previous topics. For example, if an aspirant spends 1 hour for a specific subject, they should assign 10-15 minutes for revision.
Step 14 : Read relevant magazines
Magazines like Yojana, Kurukshetra, Economic & Political Weekly, etc. are very important for the IAS exam. They contain important information on topics like polity, governance, agriculture, economy, etc. You can get monthly gist of Yojana, Kurukshetra and EPW magazines from any institutes' website.
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