What are the things to be followed and not to be followed during the UPSC Exams Preparation?

To answer your question in brief, in examinations such as the UPSC, you should follow everything that takes you nearer your goal, and you must avoid everything that drifts you farther away from your goal. This in short is the fundamental rule that you must follow during your entire journey of the Civil Services preparation. To elaborate further, the preparation of the Civil Services examination needs to be done in three different domains: 1) psychological; 2) physical; and 3) intellectual. It is observed that many students normally pay attention to only the third domain, completely overlooking the other two. In the Civil Services examination, the competition becomes very stiff because of the appearance of a very large number of aspirants. This, in turn, is due to the prestigious nature of job that is offered to those who succeed in this examination. Such a stiff competition gives this examination the exclusivity that needs to be appreciated at all the three levels.

Therefore, you must first psychologically brace yourself to face the competition. Thereafter, you should look into creating conducive physical atmosphere to begin your preparation. After having attended to these two requirements, you should get into the intellectual domain and focus on your study. Under all these three domains, you must be equipped to identify those elements which are helpful in taking you nearer your goal. And similarly you must also be able to identify those elements which may cause you to drift away from your chosen goal. If you manage to have a firm grip over these factors, then I am sure that you will surely succeed in your endeavour of clearing the Civil Services examination. Now, let us dive deeper into these domains of preparation to differentiate between those things that should be followed, from those that need to be avoided.

Psychological domain

In the psychological domain, it is of utmost importance to have the clarity of your goal in your mind. For instance, in our case of the UPSC Civil Services preparation, you must be very clear as to why you want to be a Civil Servant. This is the primary driving force that will keep you motivated to put in the hard work that is required for success in this examination. On the other hand, you must avoid any ambiguity in the determination of your target or goal. This psychological preparation helps you remain focused while pursuing your goal. Painting a clear picture of your goal in your mind automatically gears you to prepare your physical surrounding in a manner that is conducive to the Civil Services preparation.

Physical Surrounding

As far as the second domain or your physical surrounding is concerned, it is imperative to customise it in such a way that it is full of positivity. In this regard, you should try to ensure that only positive people enter your physical surrounding throughout the preparation of the Civil Services examination. It may happen that you meet such people who might discourage you from competing in this examination. Due to the negativity of such people, that may induce low self-esteem in you. You should never listen to the naysayers and if possible avoid meeting them. During your Civil Services journey, it is best to be surrounded by those people who have full faith in your ability and who can encourage you to hold the ground.

Intellectual Domain

The third, or the intellectual domain, is essentially the academic activities that you need to carry out for the Civil Services examination. Like the other two domains, in this domain too, there is a list of do’s and don’ts. The first thing that you must do in this realm is to develop a clear understanding of the syllabus of the examination. This should be clubbed with an overview of the previous years’ question papers. In order to have a clear idea of the other deliverables attached with this examination, you may also go through the UPSC Notification for the Civil Services examination that is published in the Government Gazette each year. This will help you in having a proper understanding of the three different stages of the examination: Preliminary, Mains and Interview. An awareness of the three different stages would help you in devising suitable approaches fitting them.

It is only through a clear understanding of the syllabus and the previous years’ question papers that you will be able to know what needs to be delivered and only that way you would be able to decide what exactly you need to study and what types of study materials you need to avoid. Also, when you sit for study, you must keep a track on the output level. You should not merely be concerned about the number of hours that you invest in your studies; rather you should also be mindful of the output that you are able to produce through that input. This is what I call the ‘transactional study’ which is a method to help you optimise the time invested in your study.

The other factors in the intellectual domain which come under the must-do list include preparation of crisp notes, their regular revision and appearing in mock tests. Also, while choosing the study material you must not make yourself burdened by numerous sources on the same topic. You should read the chosen source on a topic multiple times instead of referring to the multiple sources single time.

All the above insight on what you should follow and what you should avoid will be useful in your preparation for the Civil Services examination. You should match the above guidance with due sincerity and hard work. Remember, there is no substitute for hard work. If you do meticulous study on a regular basis and keep yourself motivated then you will defiantly reach your goal very soon and be successful in the UPSC examination.