A small mistake may take away your dream of becoming an IAS officer. Everyone knows the level of competition in the UPSC exams, it is way too difficult. It has been seen that most of the students after failure play the blame game but clearing the UPSC exam is not all about to be lucky. There is no doubt that all the students who aspire to become an IAS or IPS, leaves no question for the preparation of UPSC exams but unknowingly or in lack of proper awareness or guidance most of the students do some mistakes and these mistakes may take them a step back towards their goal. Here’s the list of things to avoid for the IAS exam.
Things To Avoid For IAS Exam
If peep into the statistics of the UPSC exams, on an average 4-5 Lakh students appears every year in the exam but hardly 11000 candidates clear the prelims exam. If we talk about the remaining candidates, the question arises about what mistakes they may have done so that they fail to clear the UPSC exam. Let’s talk about such things to avoid for IAS exam.
Taking Mock Test Series For Granted
One of the many common mistakes is taking a mock test for granted. No matter how well you prepare for the final examination and how many books you’ve read. It’s all your efforts go in vain unless you don’t take the mock test. By taking the mock test, students are able to find their strengths and weaknesses. After knowing the weak areas, UPSC students then can work on the weak areas to improve their preparation before appearing in the actual exam. Solving questions in the mock test also gives an idea about time management. Plus, it raises the level of confidence to face the exams. The mock test should not be left pending for the last moment. It is good to have some time in hand to correct the mistakes committed in the mock exam.
Not studying Question From Previous Years’ Exams
To understand the trend, pattern, and idea of the examination paper, it is a must to read and solve question papers from previous years’ papers. Doing this will save you from surprises in the actual exam. The nature of the UPSC exam is very uncertain. You never know what will happen. So, taking ideas from past exam papers really helps to get ready for facing the actual exams. Completing the whole syllabus and then solving past exam papers is the best strategy to enhance the chances to break into the UPSC mains exam.
Preparing Without Time Table
To crack the UPSC exams, preparing a timetable is very important. Shooting in the darkness is not at all a good idea. Experts suggest for preparing a proper and detailed timetable. The timetable should contain the proper break up of 24 hours that what and when you do, including time taken for lunch, hobbies, dinner, and proper sleep. In lack of systematic timetable, you will not be able to assess your preparation. Along with a daily timetable, you should also get ready with your weekly and monthly timetable. A sense of discipline also generates if you follow a pre-planned schedule.
Missing Short & Handy Notes
Preparing short notes is of utmost importance. These short notes have to be prepared while studying the details syllabus. Short notes prove not less than the blessing for revising the complete syllabus in a short period. Suppose if a book contains 300 pages, you can’t revise them in a few hours before exams. In such a creepy situation, these handpicked notes come to your rescue. UPSC toppers suggest that studying through short notes a day before the exam is an effective strategy. This is one of the important things to avoid for the IAS exam.
You Think Studying 15 Hours is Must
It is the biggest myth about the UPSC exams that studying 15 hours is compulsory. You just have heard from your fellow UPSC aspirants, friends, or family that you can’t clear the UPSC prelims exam if you study less than at least 14 -15 hours a day. Each and every individual and their physical and mental stamina level are different. So, you can’t put all of them in the same line. There are different study strategies for each student. The maximum study hours should be 10 hours. If you try to study all day and night, your energy will be exhausted soon and you won’t be able to perform well in the exam. Don’t experiment with your learning abilities. Do what you can do!
Continuous Sitting & Studying
You can’t be a robot who can learn and read for hours without taking a single break. If you are among those who think that taking breaks is a waste of time, you are absolutely wrong. Studying long hours without any break is next to impossible. We human beings definitely need certain breaks while performing any task for a long. For UPSC aspirants also, breaks are important for refreshing your mind and body. However, one thing has to be noted that students should take breaks but of reasonable time like 15 – 20 minutes and not more than that. Studies have shown that taking short breaks increase retention power and efficiency.
Only Reading & Not Writing
It has been observed among most of the students that they only focus on reading and believe that writing is a waste of time. In subjective exams like UPSC mains, this mindset could prove very problematic. Writing is equally important and deserves time to practice. Practice your knowledge in the written format as well.
Reading and Learning Till The Eleventh Hour Instead of Doing Revision
In the ocean-like syllabus of the UPSC exams, it is hard to difficult each and every point by heart. So, revision is a very crucial part of your strategy. Many of the students believe that revision is useless and they should rather invest time in learning new things and information. That’s a very detrimental policy. This is one of the things to avoid for the IAS exam. Don’t always rush to read new things instead it is better to revise what is already learned. Revision can regain all your past information collection