All of us are willing to work hard, but we also need to work smart to tackle the UPSC exam. In this series of Learn Smart Strategies, we will explore various ways you can convert your hard work into smart work. You spend hours reading new things and collecting new information, but if you ask any veteran exam-taker they will tell you the really tough part is to recollect and organize all that information in the exam hall. How can you improve your recollection skills? All you need to do is trick your mind into thinking that what you are learning is important. But, how to do that? It is simple:

• The mind should be forced to recollect it a few times before so that it gets used to retrieving that particular bit of information

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• New information should be put in context of things you already consider important. Sounds complicated? No! It is very simple

Here are Four Strategies to get you started:

1. Force yourself to Remember the details:

And while reading, you might always feel most of the information is easy. But turn away from the book and try to recall, if you can – then move on, and only then. 🙂

In addition, you can also make flash-cards to remember important details like inflation figures, important articles, etc. Check our site for a lot of downloadable flash-cards soon on important topics.

2. Don’t fool yourself!

When you’re reading something in History, Geography or Economy, if it is well explained, then it will feel easy. Don’t become over-confident then – it will only get you in trouble later. As we always tell our students, if you “think” you have understood, you have not! 🙂 Test your understanding immediately before you move on to other concepts. Frame questions and ask yourself. Try to answer related questions. Same principle applies to current affairs prep as well, which is why our News Analysis comes with questions to test yourself on.  

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