With less than a month to go for the UPSC civil services preliminary examination 2024, aspirants are cracking down like never before. Notes are being revised and books are being re-read ahead of the highly competitive exam which comprises the first stage in the process to recruit a handful of successful candidates to prestigious government services.
The UPSC civil services exam is conducted in three stages – prelims, mains and interview. Nearly a million aspirants appear for the first stage – the preliminary exam or the prelims. Of these, only a few thousands make it to the next stage – the mains, which consists of nine papers. The candidates who clear mains finally move on to the last stage of the exam – the interview or personality test. At the end of the gruelling process, only a handful of successful candidates are recommended for appointment to high civil services, like the Indian Administrative Service, Indian Foreign Service and Indian Police Service.
This year, the UPSC prelims will take place on June 16. Ahead of the exam, Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer Ramesh Bishnoi has shared some tips for candidates.
As someone who cleared the prelims five times, Bishnoi says he is well placed to dispense advice. “Having cleared the UPSC CSE Prelims five times in a row, and the IFS cutoff four times, I've learned a thing or two about navigating this exam and tackle mammoth syllabus. With just a month left, here's a quick guide,” he wrote while sharing his list of do’s and don’ts for the last month of preparation.
First, the IFS officer warned UPSC aspirants to stick to the study material they already have instead of buying new notes and books. Instead of acquiring new study material, he asked them to revise what they have already studied.
“Resist the temptation buying of new study materials coming into market. Multiple revisions of what you've already covered will be far more effective. Read, Revise, Test is the ultimate mantra,” he wrote.
Next, Bishnoi asked aspirants to take as many mock tests as possible. This will allow them to identify areas of weaknesses and mistakes and allow them to correct these before the actual exam.
“Analyze test solutions sincerely. Make online/offline notes of new useful information, key concepts, and especially your mistakes. This will be invaluable resource for last-minute revision and boost your confidence,” he advised.
The bureaucrat, in his third tip to UPSC aspirants, asked candidates to choose quality over quantity and analyse which topics have a higher chance of appearing in the prelims. “Based on past papers, prioritize questions, information, and concepts that have a higher chance of appearing. Avoid wasting time on irrelevant details,” he advised.
Bishnoi placed great importance on Previous Year Questions or PYQs, pointing out that questions and concepts are often repeated.
Lastly, he warned aspirants that “UPSC loves surprises.” To be well prepared and get exposure to different question patterns, he advised them to take All India mock tests from various coaching centers – “This will help you stay calm and composed on exam day, even if the format throws a surprise,” he concluded.
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