Importance of Mentorship in Cracking IAS

Cracking the prestigious Civil Services Examination (CSE) is arguably one of the toughest tests of endurance; it assesses an aspirant’s mental resolve, grit, determination and hard work over a period of 12-15 months spanning over each of the three stages of the IAS exam – the prelims, the mains, and the interview. Read on to know how an experienced mentor can help an aspirant crack the UPSC civil services exam.

Just as much as an athlete on a running track needs a coach to train with – setting measurable targets each day and training hard together, with the intent of improving performance on the field, both in terms of speed and technique, aspirants desirous of acing the UPSC exam can greatly benefit from having a mentor who takes a personal interest in their progress, giving them their undivided attention and focus.

Why you need a mentor for your UPSC Preparation?

There is indeed no substitute for hard work. However, to outshine your competition, you need to steer your work and effort in the right direction, and squeeze the maximum benefit out of your labour. A mentor can help in the following ways.

#1 Charting a plan to cover the syllabus on time

This involves the following:

1. The process of preparing notes for the topics from the syllabus.
2. Going through current affairs on a daily basis.
3. Allocating time to cover each area of the syllabus.

There is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach towards charting a syllabus completion plan. Each student has his/her own constraints in terms of time and availability which need to be catered to. A mentor takes these factors into account and connects with aspirants, evolving a plan that works for them.

#2 Help making sense of it all

Information on subjects and topics for the IAS exam abounds; unfortunately the extent of sources available and the fact that new data keeps getting added on a day-to-day basis makes it difficult for aspirants to make sense of all the information. However, when he/she receives guidance from a mentor, this task becomes much easier.

Check out the UPSC syllabus here.

#3 Understanding the philosophy of the IAS exam

• There are certain aspects to this examination that are only revealed to those who have studied its pattern meticulously over many years.
  • For example: Did you know that the civil services examination essentially speaks the language of NCERT books? Certain questions are handpicked directly from NCERT books and often even while writing answers, students are advised to mirror the same level of language complexity as present in the NCERT books.
  • Click here to get a list of NCERT books to read for the UPSC exam.
• An aspirant who understands these aspects is better placed than most others in so far as securing higher marks is concerned.

#4 Guidance for the correct sources

• There are texts which when covered add a certain degree of clarity and edge to topics. For example, referring to NCERT books for general studies topics, government press releases, government publications (such as Economic Survey, India Year Book) and reports, etc. Mentors can help aspirants evolve strategies to cover these sources with ease.

Check out the best UPSC Books in the link provided.

#5 Knowing the weightage of each of the topics

A mentor can help students in knowing the weightage that each topic in the civil services syllabus has from an examination point of view. For example, did you know that roughly 8-9 questions feature from ‘Modern History’ alone in the prelims?

For a complete analysis of the UPSC Prelims question paper analysis, check the linked page.

#5 Preparing an action plan for revision

When students inch towards the date of the examination, mentors can help guide them towards preparing an action plan for revising the important sources and topics.

#6 Help in choosing an optional subject

A mentor can help narrow down the decision making towards choosing an optional subject. For general information on how to select an optional subject for IAS Mains, check the page link provided.

Thus, as outlined above, a mentor helps aspirants get ‘exam-ready’ from the first day of preparation – giving aspirants a competitive advantage over those who don’t have access to quality mentorship and who largely adopt a ‘trial and error’ model towards preparation with little if any results.

To book your own personal mentor for UPSC Preparation, call +91 92435 00460.

Related Links: