How to start preparing for UPSC?

Indian Administrative Services (IAS) is the most prestigious exam in India, conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). Clearing such an exam is a great thing, and it requires dedication, hard work, regularity, and most importantly the revision.

You might be thinking about what’s the best time to start the preparation?

In general, it is never late until you are eligible, as per the UPSC guidelines. The only thing that matters is hard work, consistency, and willingness. Also, it is not like being a bookworm and studying all the time; you should be social as well, talking with family, giving some time for physical fitness, and many more of such stuff.

With only reading things and books, you may clear the first two rounds, but for the last interview round, you have to be good at speaking, and hence all-around skills are required to crack such a high-ranked exam.

Now, the most important question comes,

How to Start Preparing for UPSC?

One of the most significant dilemmas that an aspirant has, and he doesn’t get an excellent solution to this problem anywhere.
Not to worry, I will give the best tips that will surely answer your question.
Let’s begin.

1. Prepare Yourself

● It is one of the best tips, as you have to be prepared well before starting your UPSC journey and making up your mind accordingly.
● Also, you should be well aware that you have to devote a lot of time to studies and work according to the timetable.
● It would help if you began preparing with the knowledge of the syllabus, the paper pattern and start your preparation accordingly as per your speed.
● You can even start your preparation along with a job, but for that, you need to put great efforts.

2. Choosing a Proper Coaching

There are many UPSC coaching for preparation in the market, and many of them are just for earning from their students. Hence, it is crucial to find the best coaching for yourself.

A good coaching institute has some features like well-experienced teachers, polite staff, mentorship for each student, live-interactive sessions, doubt solving classes, etc. It would be best if you look for such features in the coaching institute before enrolling.

3. Make a Timetable

After you are confident enough to begin your journey, you should make a proper timetable for yourself and, most importantly, follow it.

Making a timetable is not the solution unless you are disciplined and following it with regularity.

Remember, never follow anybody’s suggestions in making your timetable as everyone has a different set of skills and has a different routine. Hence, make a timetable in which you are comfortable and can implement it regularly.

4. Syllabus Knowledge

The first step in starting your preparation is getting familiar with the syllabus.

This is considered the key step as this helps you save time in learning things that are not a part of your syllabus. Most students prepare as per books, and to be honest, the books are not designed as per UPSC. Hence, the role of the syllabus comes into play to save your valuable time and use it for new things to learn.

The UPSC syllabus is wide, and it is impossible to remember every topic from it, so it is advised to either make a good note of it or get a printout of the same. But noting down helps as when you write something, you remember some of the things permanently.

5. Importance of Current Affairs and Newspaper

This is the most neglected section of the UPSC syllabus, and because of it, many students suffer every year.
Newspapers and current affairs solve the IAS exam’s major section.

The basic key is to read the newspaper daily; without daily reading, it is impossible to crack the exam. Many students think of learning the current affairs at the last moment, but it is never the last moment as you would never know when the exam date comes closer and closer. Also, it is impossible to remember dates, facts, and figures in just some days; it requires daily revision and reading to set them in your mind completely.

Also, read the things from the newspaper that are important from the UPSC point of view and not waste time reading entertainment or Bollywood news.

6. Making Notes

Note making of everything you are reading is important whether it is the newspaper or theoretical things.
Notes are beneficial during revision as they are quite a time saver at the endpoint.

Making notes is not easy as many students copy down what they read, but the actual notes contain a summarized form of all the important things you read. Hence notes play a significant role in UPSC preparation.

7. Mocks

The importance of mocks has always been on the higher side. This is because mocks are generally a preparatory exam and help give an exam feeling to a student before sitting in the UPSC exam.

Also, mocks help to analyze a student’s performance, ranks, and the strong and weak sections of the syllabus.

There are many test series by various institutes in the market. They follow the same UPSC pattern and include unexpected questions that UPSC nowadays has started to put in the paper.

8. Physical Health

It is the point that no one talks about whenever they talk about the UPSC exams.

“A healthy mind resides in a healthy body”, this satisfies the need of staying healthy.

Also, when you are unhealthy, your mind won’t work 100%, and you will not like studying.

When you are fit, it helps you to get a better and longer understanding of the things you read.

Hence, it would help if you took a proper diet including green vegetables, fruits, dry fruits, daily morning walks, and spending some time with family and friends.

This keeps you healthy and induces positive energy and refreshes your mood, required for better preparation.

Conclusion

The above-discussed tips are only worth it if you are serious and follow them. Till the time you make decisions and take things for granted, the results are accordingly.

Always have faith in yourself, be calm and composed, and always follow the timetable.

Never listen to anybody’s suggestions until they feel good and important to you. Unfortunately, there are many myths in society that stop many aspirants with skills to end their journey.

I hope the article was helpful for you and it will solve your many doubts.

All the best for your preparations ahead!