Pub: May 14, 2021
The Civil Services Examination conducted by UPSC is written by lakhs of candidates every year aspiring to be a civil servant. The examination is conducted in three stages – Preliminary, Mains, and Personality Test. The Preliminary examination consists of two objective papers, clearing which will take the candidate to the Mains Examination which consists of written examinations. The final stage is the Personality Test conducted by the UPSC Board. Here you can see How to Clear UPSC Prelims in the Very First Attempt.
A smart and efficient strategy is required to clear the UPSC examination in the first attempt itself. It is not hard work alone that takes you to the objective, it is smart work as well. So to find the answer to the question – “How to clear UPSC in the first attempt?” or “How to clear IAS in the first attempt?”, then read ahead. The following is a set of rules that you need to strictly adhere to, to make sure that you clear UPSC Prelims in the first attempt itself.
As per the latest pattern of Civil Services Prelims examination, there are two papers – General Studies (GS) Paper I and CSAT (Civil Services Aptitude Test) Paper II.
UPSC has made the CSAT paper as a qualifying paper which means you need to a score a minimum of 66 marks out of 200 alone. The mark you score in the first paper, General Studies, determines whether you have cleared Prelims or not.
Once you understand the pattern, you need to understand the syllabus inside out. You need to identify standard books for each of the topics in the syllabus. There are plenty of books and materials available in the market. It is not the multiplicity of books but your depth in the subject that helps to score marks.
You should read and understand NCERTs of basic topics before you venture into standard books. An analysis of Previous Year UPSC questions will reveal that many of the questions can be solved with a proper understanding of NCERT textbooks. Dust off your old NCERT books and start brushing up on the topics.
Revision is the most important weapon that helps you clear UPSC on the first attempt. It is not how much you study that matters, but how much you retain. So you should have a proper revision plan. Ideally, you should assign one day of the week to revise what you have studied that week.
UPSC places much emphasis on Current Affairs in both the Prelims and Mains examinations. Questions based on current affairs can be of two types. The first type is directly from current affairs – dynamic questions. For example, last year’s prelims had a question on the Inter-Creditor Agreement signed by Indian banks recently. Second is the static questions based on current affairs. For example, if there is a lot of buzz around the role of the speaker or money bill, there can be a static question in that area.
Solving prelims is an art. An art that could be mastered through practice. A good prelims test series can take you a long way in ensuring that you clear prelims on the first attempt. A good test series also helps you identify areas to focus on while studying. A test series also helps to study through questions.
Moreover, there is a pattern in solving the prelims paper. You are supposed to attempt the paper in three rounds. In the first round, you attempt only those questions which you are very sure of. Second round, you attempt those, for which you have shortlisted your choices down to two. In the last round, you attempt the difficult ones – the ones in which you can only eliminate one out of the four choices. But this cannot be done overnight. You need to practice this through a proper test series.
Whether you are preparing full-time or part-time, you should have a study plan to help you cover the syllabus. Joining institutes like iLearn IAS- the best IAS Academy in South India can help you prepare a plan and keep you focused on your studies. Happy Learning.
All the best!