Rachit Kumar SaxenaManager-Editorial
HCS exam is a prestigious exam conducted by the Haryana Public Service Commission (HPSC). The Haryana Civil Service (HCS) is the exam conducted to recruit the candidates for the state civil services. The HPSC HCS is a three-stage exam and the exam pattern is changed recently. The new HCS prelims exam pattern is akin to the IAS exam. The negative marking was introduced in the HCS prelims exam. New HPSC notification will be issued soon because the department of personnel received the recruitment requisition from various departments.
See here: HPSC HCS exam pattern
HCS Prelims syllabus is very similar to the IAS prelims syllabus, but the main exam syllabus is poles apart. The candidates can prepare for the prelims exam in a broader way to cover the main exam. The candidates should understand all the topics of the HCS syllabus and prepare them. The candidates can prepare for the HPSC HCS exam in the following way.
Study Plan
The candidate should make a study plan for the exam. HCS exam requires a concentrated effort of more than a year. The study plan will help the candidate to consistently pursue their preparation and implement corrective measures in case of any violation. The candidates should understand that the HCS preparation requires at least 10 to 12 months of concentrated efforts and hence planning is very important.
See here: HPSC HCS Syllabus
Planning depends upon the interest and academic background of the candidate. The candidates should make the timetable of 12 hour’s study in a day. The candidates should make time for the revision as well.
Newspaper
The candidate should start reading the newspaper as and when he or she decides to prepare for the HCS exam. The newspaper will help the candidate in understanding what is happening in the national and international arena. The newspaper covers the current events of national and international importance. The newspaper is very important for the candidates as it covers the past events and provides a background of the issue. It helps in understanding the issue in a better way and forms the worldview of the candidate. The editorial of the newspaper is very important because the eminent professors, subject experts, diplomats, ministers and professionals write the articles and they provide insights into the issues.
Weekly special issues on science and technology, environment, art and culture and others are immensely helpful. The candidates should pay special attention to the state news because, in the prelims exam, direct questions can be asked from the state news.
Read here: How to read the newspaper?
NCERT Books
The candidates should start reading the NCERT books for every subject. The candidates should start preparation with the NCERT books. The NCERT books are available free for all the subjects. The NCERT books are an authentic source of factual and analytical information. The NCERT books build a broad picture of the event or an issue. The exam conducting bodies always refer to the NCERT books in case of any dispute regarding the answers. The NCERT books can easily be downloaded from the government website.
Standard Reference Books
After completing the NCERT books, the candidates should refer to the standard textbooks as suggested by IAS toppers and mentors. The HCS preparation requires the in-depth knowledge of the subject and NCERT does not fully solve this purpose because they are written as per the academic syllabus of CBSE.
See here: Best Books for the HCS exam
Current Affairs
The candidates should also start preparing the current affairs once they finish with the NCERT books. The current event of national and international importance influence the preparation and the questions asked in the HCS exam. The current affairs is the most dynamic section of the HCS syllabus and require constant preparation.
See here: Current affairs syllabus
The current affairs is the backbone of the HCS preparation because the question in the HCS Prelims and main exam is influenced by the current events. In addition to the national current affairs, the candidates should also focus on state-centric issues. The candidates should also read and learn the State government social schemes.
See here: How to prepare Current Affairs?
Answer writing practice
The candidate should start practising the HCS main answer. The candidate should write the answers to the previous year question paper in a time-bound manner. This will increase their efficiency in the actual exam. The mock answer writing will help the candidates in covering the issue from various aspects.
Solving Mock Test Papers for Prelims
The HCS prelims exam is an objective type paper and recently negative marking was introduced in the prelims exam. Solving the mock test papers will immensely help the candidate and train their mind in eliminating the wrong option. The candidates should solve as many papers as they can to cover the various aspects of the HCS syllabus. The previous year question papers can help the candidates in the best way.
See here: HCS question paper
Preparing Notes
The candidates should prepare the notes from day one. The self-prepared notes are the best source of preparation for any exam. The candidates should prepare the elaborate notes first and then gradually shift to the short notes or point-wise notes. The candidates should arrange their notes in such a way that they can search for any topic in a minimum amount of time. The notes are immensely helpful at the time of exams. Self-prepared notes are help-full in quick revision.
Revision
Revision is an essential part of the HCS preparation or any other exam. The candidates should always make the time for the revision of the notes and from books. The candidates should revise the study material once in the first 24 hours. The second revision should be done in a weeks-time and the third revision should be done within a month. After three revisions, the candidates should plan for a revision in three months.
The above-defined strategy is a way for HCS preparation. The candidates can prepare for the HCS exam in whatever way they feel fit.
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