The NCERT (National Council of Education Research and Training) books aim to provide qualitative education to the students. The books cover the curriculum from class 6^th to 12^th.

NCERT books are a must study while preparing for UPSC. Often aspirants face difficulty in reading the NCERT books. This may happen as earlier you were not exposed to all the topics in depth. It is natural to take some time before you get handy with these books.

The real question for the aspirants is that do they have enough time to cover every NCERT book? Well, time management has always been challenging for every UPSC aspirant. But if you have started your UPSC preparation substantial time ago then yes you can cover all the NCERT books in your leisure time.  But if not, then you are advised to skip a few topics and opt for smart studying.

Here are a few tips one can follow to cover NCERT books in just 3 month span.

• Segregation: There are many NCERT books to be covered. One has to segregate the books on two basis, i.e. Class wise and Subject wise. You can now start covering the books class wise or subject wise. We suggest you to go through the NCERT books subject wise to understand a synchronized data of the subject, over the years.

• Prioritize: One has to prioritize subjects amongst the course of study. NCERT books cover subjects like history, geography, sociology, and science. Pick a subject that you are weak at and prepare for it in the first month itself. This will help give you a lot of extra time to revise the toughest subject before the actual examination.

• Make a timetable: NCERT books are very important, one has to spend significant amount of time for its preparation. Make a timetable for yourself that allows good enough time to cover at least the important NCERT topics. Your utmost attention is required in the first two months of your NCERT preparation. You can brush the remaining topics in the last month.

• Make small notes: The last minute revision from NCERT books will be very difficult. During the preparation time itself maintain a separate note book covering small revision notes. Remember, even a single word changes the context. So make comprehensive notes very carefully.

• Do not delay: Procrastination is a very dangerous disease. If you are a procrastinator you may never be able to cover the entire syllabus in 3 months span. Set a realistic target of a day, week and a month and stick to it. This will give you enough time for revision and you may not panic with last minute preparation.

• Effective revision: At the end of the every day you can revise the content you have covered. Just give 15-20 minutes of your time to ensure effective daily revision. Working on revision timetables give an aspirant a better picture for the next day’s task.

• Mock test: Keep giving mock tests that specifically cover the questions from NCERT books. There are many online coaching websites as well as physical coaching institutes who conduct NCERT mock tests. Other than giving the weekly test, try and give at least one mock test daily. This will help you testify your knowledge and find pitfalls in your preparation.

• Do not rely: Often aspirants prepare only a few topics from different websites or from coaching classes. Nonetheless, this strategy is not reliable. UPSC does not have a set pattern of asking questions. Every year UPSC throws a different challenge at the aspirants. One cannot predict the UPSC questions. At least go through all the NCERT books once before the examination.

Final getaway!

NCERT books are designed by experts after an in-depth analysis of the intellectual level of students. The language is simple and easy to understand even in a small duration of preparation time.

Do not quit on NCERT books as these books will lay a foundation for your UPSC preparation. Follow all the points mentioned above in a synchronized manner, this will surely help you reap good results.

As a UPSC aspirant, you may face many challenges including time management. It is the most important one, you have to learn to tackle it.

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