IAS preparation is considered to be one of the toughest preparations in the world. People spend years preparing to crack the IAS exam with good marks. No doubt, given how tough this exam is, there is a certain sense of pride that is associated with cracking IAS exam with good marks.
Furthermore, if you want power, good pay and purpose to be associated with your job then cracking the UPSC exam and becoming a civil services officer is the career path you should choose. Also, given the
cut offs in the private sector, the appeal for government jobs is more than ever. And not to forget, your parents also feel proud when you get a government job.
The benefits of cracking IAS exam might be well known to all of us but the question is how to exactly crack these exams. If you are looking for IAS exam tips that guarantee success, you have come to the right place.
IAS Preparation tips
Don’t be overconfident
Often many students who have performed brilliantly in other academic domains feel overconfident about their chances of selection. These students fail to realize the factor that the competition in the case of IAS exam is huge. Many people prepare for years and no matter how brilliant you are, without preparation, you won’t succeed.
Have a great strategy and revision plan
There is a reason why most of the people go to an institute when it comes to preparing for IAS exam. You might be very hard working, but cracking the IAS exam is just not just about hard work but smart work as well. Great coaching institutes teach you strategies as well, which you need to implement whole-heartedly to succeed. Furthermore, you need to have a solid
revision plan. Make sure your revision is on point and you are able to cover up most of the topics before you actually sit for the exam.
Practice mock tests and follow the UPSC syllabus
One very basic thing that might reduce your chances of succeeding in terms of cracking the IAS exam is not following the syllabus. Many students start focusing on areas not mentioned in the syllabus and get distracted. Follow the syllabus provided religiously.
Also, don’t underestimate the power the solving mock tests. Do as many of them as you can. Internet, apps, different coaching centers, get mock tests from as many places as possible and solve them. These test are a true indicator of how well you have prepared and what all your weak points are. As people say, practice makes a man perfect, so do as much of it as you can.
Manage your time during and before your exam
Time management can make or break you. You need to be very smart about how you spend your time between studying and other activities. Also , when it comes to studying, you need to be efficient regarding the various subjects you need to cover. Make sure you devote good amount of time to all the subjects.
Nonetheless, managing your time during exam is very important as well. You must know how much time you should be spending on each question, each section etc. Time management during the exam can make or break you. Practice can help you make sure that you don’t lag behind others while completing the IAS exam.
Don’t be afraid and/or anxious before and during your exam
If you have ever joined a coaching institute, you might have seen many students who dropout or aren’t serious about IAS exam preparation anymore. Fear engulfs these people and inhibits their growth. Sure, the syllabus is enormous and competition is huge but being afraid will only do you harm. Just get started and give your best shot. Genuine efforts along with smart work almost always lead to good results. Your attitude matters. If you are willing to give your all to the exam without over worrying about the results, you already are ahead of many others. Sure this is easier said than done, but if it was indeed so easy to do, IAS Preparation would have been a piece of cake.
You also need to mentally prepare yourself for giving the exam. Many people overestimate the value of the exam and start feeling anxious about it. This anxiety stays even when you are giving the exam further hampering your performance. Work with a relaxed mind. Think about answers rather than 100 things that would happen if you are not able to crack IAS exam. Build this thinking during your IAS Preparation.
Avoid these stupid mistakes
There are some mistakes that people do that are stupid and easily avoidable. One of them is hoarding content from too many sources. The problem is, you start hoarding content and suddenly aggregating content looks like a productive effort to you when in reality it simply isn’t. In the end, you just have a lot of clutter that you will need to sort through to actually start studying. This, honestly, is a very stupid mistake to make.
To understand the another stupid mistake imagine a scenario where you ask someone about the flavor of a fruit and they start talking about its pricing. You would feel annoyed right? Even though the person speaking to you might be delivering correct information but this is not the information you want. Similarly, many students don’t answer what exactly is expected and end up getting less marks.
Another mistake to avoid is choosing the optional subject which is not the right fit for you. You need to be really smart about choosing your optional subject and tune it according to your strengths.
Last but not the least, you need to study well for things beyond the written exam. Many people don’t put in enough efforts in that department and end up failing despite scoring good marks.
Hopefully, these tips will help you get an edge over others and do IAS Preparation easily. At the end of the day, what you need to remember is that your life goes beyond a certain exam, while you need to be serious about it, don’t stress yourself unnecessarily. This unnecessary stress never helps anyone and you most likely belong to the same category. So go on prepare with a calm head, good heart and an unshakeable determination.
