Powerful Tips to Crack IAS Prelims Exam

There are many useful tips that can help an aspiring candidate to clear the exam. The tips are wide varied ranging from study habits to personal habits. Some of the tips are mentioned below. If one does not have a positive attitude clubbed with hard work then no tips are going to help a person to successfully scale the massive task of clearing the IAS Prelims Exam.

Aspirants would find this topic very helpful while preparing for the IAS Exam.

Simultaneous Preparation for Prelims and Mains

Although the pattern of prelims and mains are different, it is important to start your preparation with an eye to clear the Mains exam rather than just concentrating on the prelims exam. Even if a person manages to clear the prelims exam with a sole focus on it and ignoring the mains, then it is not possible to clear the next level since the time gap between prelims and mains is too less to cover the massive syllabus.

Notes

Always make notes while preparing for the exam. It is important to note down all the important points concerning a topic. Although it is a multiple-choice question format in the prelims, the options given for the question would be very confusing. Hence without making notes with all the pertinent information for a topic, one cannot answer questions.

Revision

Without revising from the notes made during the preparation stages no one can accurately remember the points in the examination hall. Regular revisions will easily boost your confidence levels and increase the possibility of recollecting every vital information to answer a question thereby eliminating any kind of confusions that may arise due to the confusing nature of options provided for preliminary questions.

Study Materials

Never overburden yourself with too many study materials. Just stick to a few sources that are known for their reliability. One can go through websites of few think-tanks, few magazines like Yojana, Kurukshetra, Science Reporter and one newspaper like The Hindu. Always refer NCERT books for ancient history, art, culture and geography. Make notes from these sources and it should more than help you to comfortably sail through the general studies section in the prelims and mains exams. For optional subjects just stick to 1 or 2 most popular books.

Adequate Sleep

It is true that one has to cover through an ocean of subjects and topics. One would have heard that people hardly sleep while preparing for the exams. Sleep is the most important part of your preparation. Without adequate sleep you will not have the requisite energy to carry out your preparations effectively, it will lead to reduced productivity and frustrations. Hence, focus on studying sincerely during the study hours by referring to the few study materials but the right study materials. Never go against your body clock, because this examination is not a sprint but a very long marathon, hence save your energy and recharge yourself for the succeeding day.

Do not sit for long hours at a stretch. Take frequent breaks during revision to avoid information overload. Excessive studying during the last few days can stress you out and lead to confusion. It’s best to always take a 5 to 10 minutes-break every hour to start afresh for your next set of preparation. This also helps in improving your retention power.

Right Food Habits

Without having the right food habits, it is not possible to have the necessary energy to carry out your preparations. Hence maintain a healthy food habit, eat more vegetables and fruits, reduce your intake of junk food and most importantly avoid eating food at the odd hours. 

Studying hard is important, but not at the cost of your health. Candidates must ensure that they eat food high in nutrition on exam days or days before exams; this will assist in improving their energy levels regularly, as opposed to junk and packaged meals, which provide a quick burst of energy and then makes you sick. Maintaining a healthy diet allows aspirants to focus more successfully on their preparation, assisting them in reaching the required objectives.

Be confident with your preparation, and never feel low by comparing yourself with others. Trust your preparation and attempt the exam with confidence. Low self-esteem can devastate your efforts of preparation. Do not get discouraged by the low score on practice tests or having a different strategy for fellow aspirants. Stay positive and believe in yourself.

The above details would help candidates prepare for UPSC 2023.

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