The answer is yes. One year is sufficient to crack the IAS exam no matter how difficult the UPSC exam is, only if it is prepared with complete devotion. The IAS exam, also known as the civil services exam, is a government exam conducted annually by the UPSC. One year is enough for the IAS preparation if an individual focuses on studying with a total concentration. A dedicated soul should have a single goal of cracking the IAS exam for at least a year. Preparing for an examination is itself a full-time job. An aspirant should study for an average of 6-8 hours to crack the exam. Being an IAS officer is itself a prestigious position. Those who all clear the stages of examination become an officer in IAS, IPS, or IFS, and other services. It is considered to be one of the hardest examinations. However, the right approach and a strategized study plan will always help cross the hurdle. It can help an individual crack the exam on the first attempt easily. The first and foremost step involves self-evaluation to proceed with the plan. Knowing your current position and your stand by will help an individual to devise an exact and appropriate timetable for the same.
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IAS PLANNER
An aspirant must be aware of all details and important dates related to the exam. One can crack the IAS exam in one year by planning their preparation through an IAS planner. Try to form an accurate timetable that covers all the syllabus and leaves a scope of revision. A candidate can take up to six attempts, and clearing the exam in a go is a step towards a brighter future. One needs to plan every detail according to the weightage of questions and a time limit. One should also keep in mind the syllabus to help create a successful study plan.
SYLLABUS FOR IAS PREPARATION
It is possible to crack the UPSC exam in one year by proceeding with the very first step in the plan. Analyze the content that one is going to learn in the whole process. The exam contains a wide variety of subjects of every type. To get through with the syllabus, one needs to divide several subjects into months. There is a totality of nine subjects that covers the whole IAS preparation syllabus:
- Economics
- Environment
- History
- Politics
- Geography
- International relations
- Internal security
- Ethics
- S and T
Apart from the bookish knowledge, one should make the news reading a daily routine. Now the syllabus can break into various months. General knowledge is something that is the key element for success. One can learn GK by watching the news, reading newspapers, and keeping track of current affairs.
FIRST MONTH
The first month is the most crucial month for IAS preparation. One gains interest in the subject and focuses on cracking the exam. From the very first day of the schedule, one should read the newspaper to keep up with the current affairs. One should spend the first month reading about the pattern of the exam and the stages of the exam. One needs to buy the required study material and start absorbing it. Get a copy of the latest syllabus for IAS preparation, stay updated about the exam notices. An aspirant should visit different online portals to gain knowledge. An aspirant can also guide by talking to experienced people to glimpse what is there in the store. No matter how tough UPSC is, studying with a pattern will always help an individual study time. A random way of studying has higher chances of students going astray.
SECOND TO FIFTH MONTH
You spend the upcoming months reading general studies papers and other NCERT books. During this phase, one should start their preparation from general studies papers. Try to focus on many subjects to avoid the monotonous job of studying. Take up one subject you are completely new to and the other one you are comfortable with. The main idea is to generate interest and a comfortable studying environment. Resume this process of taking up two subjects and working on them. One should also prepare for prelims and mains together for at least one to two months. The target for these two months should be to complete tough subject areas. Making notes of whatever is studied is a good habit. It will help one revisit the notes and help in the periodic revision of the whole syllabus. GK and current affairs are important in every stage of the preparation. A separate file will work for it. Going through the whole procedure helps one realize that one year is enough for IAS preparation.
SIXTH TO THE EIGHTH MONTH
Now, this is the time to concentrate on your prelims. An aspirant should revise the entire syllabus for prelims at least three times. Solving question papers is mandatory for GS and CSAT to clear the exam. A least of 100 – 120 papers is compulsory to get result-oriented answers. One should refer to the previous year’s question papers from various resources. One should condition their brain for any surprises in the exam. Also, you should not take CSAT lightly as it can backfire in the exam. An aspirant should also decide about their optional papers carefully. The optional subject should be the strongest area of the aspirant. One should choose this subject depending upon their aptitude, interest, and experience. Also, one should go for that subject to reward them with high marks and give them an edge. The optional subject secures an aspirant’s position. After deciding on the optional paper, one should start preparing for it and continue preparing for the GS paper. This is also an ideal time to get into a preliminary test series. Hence, one year is sufficient for IAS preparation. One should have taken their prelims exam successfully by the end of this phase.
NINTH TO TWELFTH MONTH
These are the most vital as well as crucial months for the aspirants. One must start writing practices for the main paper. Post prelims tenure focuses on the completion of the leftover syllabus. Here an individual must be working for at least 10 hours at full speed to get away with the mains. There are almost three months left for the mains paper. The first month should focus on getting through with the syllabus. The other two months should completely focus on revision. One should also keep studying general knowledge and current affairs. An aspirant should get into the mains test series to get result-oriented marks. Try to keep handy notes on general subjects such as environment and politics. This provides easy access to the students at the time of crisis. It is a notion that UPSC is generally a writer’s exam. So don’t miss out on writing skills in these three months. A majority o the aspirants fail to understand the importance of writing. Close attention should be given to writing answers for both GS and the optional papers. This phase marks an end to all kinds of IAS preparation. Also, by the end of this phase, an aspirant would have taken their mains exams.
POST MAINS EXAMS
After giving an attempt for the UPSC exam, an aspirant has an average of two months until the results are out. Candidates who can clear the mains stage can appear for the third and last stage of the whole process. This is the personality test or the UPSC interview. During these two months, an aspirant can hone their skills for the personality test. It involves honing communication skills and updating oneself with the ongoing affairs. One should also improve their fitness and mental strength. It would be best if you also practised various mock interviews. Physical as well as mental health should remain positive in the whole process. The personality test is all about dedication, behaviour, and conduct. You should also take the interview seriously. Even a minor mistake can lead to failure and jeopardize all the hard work you have undergone for over a year.
TIPS FOR SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF THE IAS EXAM IN A YEAR
Is it possible to crack UPSC in one year? Yes, following some basic tips can guide an aspirant on achieving the task.
- CURRENT AFFAIRS: Candidates are advised to read the newspaper religiously every day to keep himself/themselves updated regarding the issues going on. This practice can be done through visiting several websites, reading current affairs magazines and stuff, downloading mobile applications to get daily updates, etc. are some of the ways to keep oneself abreast of the country’s contemporary issues and situations.
- MOCK TESTS: Previous year’s questions papers and sample papers are the most reliable and authenticated source to get an idea of what the paper is all about. Solving different kinds of papers teaches a candidate to manage their time efficiently in an examination hall by giving a glimpse of the paper’s pattern and difficulty level. These mock tests act as a benchmark to test one’s understanding and preparation.
- KEEPING HANDY NOTES: Making notes and writing down important points are some of the good habits that will help the candidate crack the examination and help in consolidation, memorization, and easy revision before the conduction of the examination. These notes are the summarized form of the syllabus that acts as a last-minute saviour for a candidate. They can have a look at them anytime before the examination. It is a good revision tactic.
- REVISION- Revision is not an activity that a candidate is advised to do before the examination. It is something that is expected the whole year from the aspirant. From the first day of the preparation, an individual should get into this practice and make it a habit. Whatever is memorized, whatever studied should be reviewed before getting in bed, and even the following days to keep track of whatever is absorbed.
- PROPER SLEEP– Apart from studies and a rigorous timetable, candidates should take care of their sleeping schedule. Also, one should note that sleeping deprivation takes a person nowhere. Sleeping is a must to boost energy and concentration.