Study Tips for UPSC Civil Services exam

Preparation for Civil Service Examination is a long journey. To make it worthwhile,  you got to "work smart" without losing steam.

Here are study tips from Saurabh Dhanuka of Panacea Bharti Institute, Chandigarh who feels, "By completely changing the weightage in favour of General Studies, the commission has made the exam more diverse and broad-based.

Latest changes in UPSC Civil Services exam pattern have more or less ensured that all the candidates are on an equal footing now. Therefore, it’s a positive change considering the challenges faced by the administration. Also, introduction of Ethics, Integrity & Aptitude under GS was much needed, hence it’s a welcome move. Elimination of one optional subject is a bold move and is welcomed as candidates got selected by scoring high marks in optionals by rote learning, and significance of optional subject itself was questionable.”

Revision tips:

The need to win or succeed in competitive exams is a must to have a successful career in developing countries like India and papers are demanding for exams like the UPSC. Some crack these papers with ease and confidence some fail after repeated attempts. Hence, emphasis towards the mindset besides hard work is required with a constructive approach and a formulated strategy. 

Lessons learnt from mistakes of aspirants:

• Just knowing the answers will not suffice in the exam, you also need to present the answers creatively in a clear, legible handwriting.
• Theoretical subjects also require you to have conceptual clarity. So understanding of our culture, heritage, history, geography in all aspects is a pre-requisite.
• Only revision is not enough, but revision with constant evaluation of your standard by solving previous questions after each revision is a must.
• Studying too many books of different authors and gathering too much study material is the biggest mistake most of the students make. They forget to study basic books recommended by NCERT and University authors. Understanding everything instead of knowing more is what is required. Emphasis should be on knowing the latest trends, understanding the country’s political and economic situation and enhancing general awareness through newspapers, magazines, and news channel etc.

Approach to exam preparation:

• There is a definite shift in UPSC approach where questions are being asked even from traditional areas but with focus on contemporary developments. For effective preparation, divide the syllabus into areas where traditional knowledge is at work and areas which are dynamic in nature.
• General Studies (GS) is not easy to handle as many students don’t understand the way papers are framed. Now it is all about back to basics, the knowledge gained over the years, general awareness and life experiences with some conceptual, analytical and application-based questions. One can start with basic books: NCERT books which help in laying the foundation in making basic concepts clear. After this first step of learning, one has to raise himself to the next level through focusing on contemporary issues and developments.
• The most important factor while preparing for GS is adopting integrated constituents like Indian Economy, Polity, Geography, Modern Indian history and current affairs – these figure in both prelims and mains. So any preparation aimed at main examination would automatically cover the preliminary examination requirements and will help you perform better.
• Develop thorough understanding of what you are reading, and develop clarity of their significance and application.

•   “Public Administration, History, Sociology, Political Science & Management are the most popular optionals.”  
  There is no specific time frame to be devoted for each subject and it’s not the number of hours that matter. What matters is even if you are studying for 10 hours a day, do that 10 hours study in 15 hours, i.e. always take short breaks between studies, it will not only help your brain to memorise better, but it will also help in better understanding of the topics. Studying for longs hours is strictly prohibited.