UPSC conducts the examination every year in the month of June. The official notification of the examination date is released by the commission in the month of February. This competitive exam is very tough and in a common scenario, an aspirant spends years preparing for it.  But is it really required?

Well, UPSC is the only examination that requires a person to have both smart study and hard work. With the right strategies in hand and complete dedication, one can clear the examination in just 6 month preparation.

We have mapped down a few points for you to use as a strategy for UPSC preparation.

• Prepare a BASE– UPSC requires an aspirant to study the NCERT books which were once a part of your very curriculum. Go through the syllabus thoroughly and segregate the topics on priority basis. Make a schedule to cover these topics before the month of January ends. Do not miss the NCERT books as few questions asked by UPSC are directly picked from here. Along with this you will surely have to cover the current affairs you have missed up until December. There are many online sources and publications which release monthly and yearly current affairs compilation which you can use for preparation.

• Combine with your pre knowledge– UPSC syllabus covers everything and anything under the sun. This means that your graduation syllabus is also included in it. Combine both your existing knowledge and the portion that you have studied in the last months. Revise these on a day to day basis (Subject wise). Along with this, enrol in the preliminary mock quizzes to test your knowledge and preparation. If you are able to successfully do this, you are probably 50% closer to your target.

• No time for extra- In the 6 month preparation course you cannot spend time on learning new things every day. Do not feel overwhelmed by seeing other aspirant’s preparation styles. Focus on the content you have covered and keep revising it. UPSC also asks questions from the previous papers, so circle back in time and practice all the past papers.

• Analyse – The month of April is all about analysing your mistakes and building on it. One can easily do this by giving mock tests. The scores are not your permanent scores but they do give a rough idea of how your actual results would be. Do not take these scores lightly, analyse your weaknesses and strengths from here. Make a strategy on how can you use your strengths and overcome the weakness. Remember, UPSC has a negative marking pattern, so not answering the question would be more favourable than marking the wrong ones.

• CSAT– CSAT is the Part B of the UPSC’s preliminary examination. Many aspirants take CSAT lightly, however, they often fail this as well. Even though the examination is just qualifying in nature, it does require preparation. Go through the past papers and give at least one hour for it. (Study for it during the break between two General studies subject). By the time you reach May end, all you have to focus is on the positives. Do not sit in last minute comparison, focus on your wits.

Final Getaway!

Many aspirants believe that UPSC is the toughest examination and cannot be cleared in 6 months preparation. Nonetheless, this is not the reality, if one is determined and is good at smart study.

They can easily clear the UPSC Civil Services preliminary exam within 6 months. But this would be just the beginning there is a lot more in the store that the UPSC aspirant has to cover for the Mains preparation, so buckle up aspirants, let’s get set study!

Stay connected with fellow students on PaGaLGuY for UPSC CSE Exam 2019