Despite the fact that the UPSC CSE exam is challenging, with the right approach and preparation, anyone who wants to become an IAS can easily pass it. For the UPSC CSE, students spend many years studying, but they are unable to succeed due to a lack of proper planning and guidance. For the UPSC IAS exam, approximately 11 lakh candidates apply annually. Less than 1% of these applicants are chosen, and they join the prestigious All India Services. How to prepare for the UPSC IAS exam is a common concern among candidates.
The IAS exam must be passed with intelligence and diligence. A good IAS preparation strategy is helpful in covering the IAS Syllabus 2022 in a constrained amount of time because it is very extensive. In order to cover the wide range of subjects and topics covered in the exam, preparation for the UPSC IAS 2022 takes at least a year. Additionally, candidates frequently seek advice on what to study, where to study, and how to get ready for the UPSC IAS 2022 exam. What IAS study schedule should I use? Which study materials should I use? Prelims, Mains, and Interview are the three stages of the UPSC IAS selection process. Let us know how to prepare for the IAS prelims, main, and interview exams.
Table of Contents
Preparation for UPSC IAS exam: Myths & Facts
| Myths on How to prepare for UPSC? | Facts |
| IAS Coaching is important for exam preparation. | Numerous candidates from small towns are successful in the IAS every year without any coaching. |
| It is important to stay in Delhi during the IAS preparation. | These days, it’s simple to access online study materials and coaching sessions. |
| You need to be a bookworm to clear the IAS exam. | It takes a lot more than just intelligence to pass the IAS exam. It requires a strong character, including self-control, fortitude, perseverance, and discipline. |
How to Start Preparing for IAS?
It is the most challenging question that an IAS candidate can think of. Beginnings are always difficult, and this is also true of IAS preparation. It takes time because it is a change in behaviour. The candidate needs to alter his way of thinking and daily schedule.
Ideal starting points for the candidate would be the newspaper and NCERT books. Any section of the IAS syllabus should be started with a book from the NCERT series. The NCERT books offer the subject’s basic framework and assist candidates in laying its groundwork.
It is simple to construct a building once the foundation has been laid. The candidates must comprehend that IAS preparation should involve both prelims and main exam strategy. An integrated approach calls for the candidate to study for the IAS main exam while simultaneously learning the pertinent facts about the subjects covered on the IAS prelims exam.
Covering the IAS syllabus effectively requires a newspaper. The newspaper makes a connection between recent events and their implications. Newspapers can be used to report on North, East, West, and South past and present events, but some candidates spent too much time reading them, which was ultimately very harmful. The candidates should limit their time spent on the newspaper to no more than two hours per day.
As editorials are written by current and former diplomats, as well as occasionally by subject matter experts, the newspaper’s editorial section is crucial for IAS preparation. The editorial offers an understanding of the subject, its connections, and its effects on society.
How to start planning for IAS preparation?
In order to allocate more time to their weak areas and adequate time to other areas, candidates should look at and attempt to solve IAS question papers from previous years. This will help them identify their weak areas.
The candidates should evaluate their advantages and disadvantages and develop a strategy accordingly. The candidate should strike a balance between the conventional subjects and contemporary events pertinent to that topic.
They ought to create both a short- and long-term plan. A weekly or biweekly plan can be used for the short term. In order to cover the entire IAS syllabus, the candidate should divide the entire syllabus into long-term and short-term goals, and then divide these goals into plans accordingly.
The candidates should make their plans so that they prepare the topic’s foundational elements first before moving on to the topic’s external connections with current events and its effects on society.
Preparation Strategy for IAS
The first step in preparing for the UPSC CSE is to thoroughly comprehend the exam format and course material. To comprehend the entire exam process and obtain a thorough understanding of the UPSC syllabus, students should read them.
The next thing you should do is figure out which books you need to read after understanding the syllabus. To find out everything there is to know about crucial books for the UPSC CSE, students should read UPSC CSE (IAS) 2022: Best books for Prelims, CSAT, Mains, and Interview. Students can find information about the books they should read for each topic in the linked page, as well as suggested YouTube playlists for subject preparation.
Preparing thoroughly for each exam stage (Prelims, Mains, and Interview) is one of the best ways to ace the UPSC CSE exam. The UPSC CSE exam is based on rejection. Any error at any point could cost you a year and a try.
Preparation Strategy for Prelims Exam
Students should read UPSC CSE (IAS) Prelims: Cutoffs, Subject-Wise Strategy, and Analysis for more information on the strategy for the UPSC CSE preliminary exams.
The plan of action for the UPSC CSE Prelims is as follows:
- Develop a solid knowledge base. Factual and analytical prelims questions can be separated into two groups. Students can quickly resolve the problems if they have a solid knowledge base.
- You should try the Test Series. To improve your problem-solving abilities for Prelims, it is best to practise at least 10–20,000 questions in advance of the test.
- Keep CSAT in mind. Even though the CSAT’s difficulty level is rising annually, students frequently fall into the trap of ignoring it.
- Be well-versed in current events, both static and dynamic prelims questions are common categories. Only current affairs can be helpful for the dynamic part. The most effective way to study for the current affairs section is to use a current affairs magazine.
Preparation Strategy for Mains Exam
The UPSC CSE Mains is the next significant test after passing the Prelims. Nine written papers are required for the UPSC CSE Mains; some are qualifying, while others add points to your overall score. To fully comprehend the UPSC Mains syllabus, students should first read through the UPSC CSE (IAS) Mains Syllabus: GS, Language, and Optional Syllabus.
The following are some broad strategy ideas for the UPSC CSE Mains:
- Improve the presentation. While a poor presentation may even result in penalty marks, a strong one can help you easily earn good marks in the Mains. Work on refining your diagram presentation, structuring, and handwriting.
- Speed up your writing. You have to write about 4000 words in 3 hours for the GS papers in Mains. It’s not easy to write that many words in a structured manner with all the necessary points in a short amount of time. Therefore, try to prepare as many of my questions as you can.
- Consider a problem from a variety of angles. Examining a subject from a variety of angles, such as social, economic, political, and environmental, is one of the best ways to raise your UPSC CSE Mains score.
- Specify the optionals. One of the best papers to raise your overall grade is an optional paper. It’s often said that your mains can succeed or fail based on your optionals.
Preparation Strategy for Interview
The interview stage is a significant accomplishment, and passing it will ensure your final selection. Students should read UPSC CSE (IAS) Interview: Syllabus, DAF, Questions & Strategy in order to comprehend the UPSC Interview.
The following are some of the most effective strategy points for the UPSC CSE Interview:
- Improve your communication and conversational skills. You only have a short window of opportunity to make the best impression possible during the interview. It is best to have effective communication skills when expressing your opinions.
- Prepare strong arguments for each topic. You will be asked questions about a variety of topics during the interview, and the interviewing panel will evaluate your deductive and logical thinking abilities.
Important Topics for IAS Exam
All of the topics listed in the IAS syllabus should be studied by candidates because they are all significant. The IAS syllabus can be divided into two categories of topics by the candidates.
- Fundamental Topics
- Current Issues Connected to Fundamental Issues
The fundamental subjects are the fundamental ideas that won’t alter in the future, and some of them transcend time. The fundamentals of science, astronomy, geography, the Indian Constitution (to a certain extent), the Indian Economy, and other such topics are some examples of fundamental subjects. There are numerous other topics that could be added to this list, making it far from comprehensive. The candidates should first prepare the fundamental subjects before attempting to relate those subjects to the current events taking place in other parts of the world.
- Impact of contraction of GDP on Industries
- Women Empowerment
- Child labour issues
- Social Issues in Indian Society
- Monsoon and Agriculture
- The economic slowdown and its revival
- Contraction of GDP in India and its significance
- Basic tenets of India’s Foreign Policy
- Unemployment in India
- Poverty in India and GDP contraction
- Poverty in India
- Governance in India
- India’s Freedom Struggle
- Ancient History of India
- Consumer rights
- Fundamental Rights and Duties
- Indian Economy and Economic Development of India
These are some of the subjects that are crucial for IAS preparation, and the government’s initiative to address the issues surrounding these subjects is crucial for IAS preparation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Ans. Students should dedicate the first nine months of their one-year preparation period to Mains preparation and the final three months to Prelims preparation. They practise writing answers more diligently during the four-month period between Prelims and Mains. In such a case, three months might not be enough time to adequately prepare for the nine papers of the UPSC CSE Mains.
Ans. NCERTs are adequate for laying the groundwork for the UPSC CSE, so that is the answer. To succeed, though, you must read additional standard works and current affairs magazines. To ensure selection in UPSC CSE, you must also work on two things: analysis and information.
Ans. The candidate’s grasping and retention abilities determine the ideal age to start IAS preparation. Candidates who began their application process during their final year of graduation are also selected with good rankings; some candidates are chosen on their sixth attempt, while others are chosen on their first. A single standard reference is therefore impossible.
