IAS Exam: The IAS aspirants are often left wondering concerning how long they should be studying everyday to prepare effectively for the IAS Exam. And the confusion is caused by the genuine reasons. UPSC prescribes a Syllabus for the Civil Services Exam that is too long to be studied in its entirety without putting in enough of the time.
Besides, the competition that the candidates are required to face to finally join the Indian Administrative Services is hard enough to make the aspirants consider and re-consider their preparation for the CSE quite a number of times. However, a competent IAS Coaching Institution in Delhi may help you take care of your confusion with genuine guidance and the pre-scheduled coaching sessions.
So, How Long Is Long Enough To Prepare For the IAS Exam?
Well, it depends from a candidate to another. Each of the IAS aspirants is a unique individual in himself just like everybody else who inhabits this world. The syllabus and the competition are of course too demanding to leave time for any other activity in the daily routine of an IAS aspirant. However, some of the candidates do clear the Exam successfully only after studying 6-7 hours every day. But, there are many who study for even 15-16 hours and hardly get any time to relax or sleep well.
The truth is that the number of the total hours you should be studying is far from being generalized as the total study time varies from one individual to another depending upon their own unique requirements and of course, the learning skills. Thus, it’s the IAS aspirant himself who can decide for sure that how many hours would actually be sufficient every day to prepare for the CSE.
What Should You Consider Before Fixing The Total Study Time?
It should always be kept in mind that the entire process of the Civil Services Exam is a long one. It’s almost one year by the time the CSE beginning from Stage I i.e., the Prelims is completed finally after the Stage III i.e., the Interview. Besides, the candidates usually begin to study at least an year before the Prelims. Thus, they are busy studying for 2 years at least. And that does require a lot of patience.
Most of the candidates usually begin with the preparation studying for 10-12 hours every day. And in their enthusiasm to clear the Exam in a single attempt, they do continue with the schedule for say a week, ten day, or a fortnight. Eventually, the hard schedule proves tiring.
No wonder, as the great passion for studying for the Exam begins to cool off due to fatigue, many of the aspirants begin to lose their interest studying for so long. Besides, they get bored!
A Few Tips To Think Of A Viable Span Of Study Time
Here are a few tips to help the IAS aspirants preserve their energy and stamina and fix a suitable study time to safeguard them against boredom:
1. Be Realistic
It is better to be realistic and make an honest assessment of your own strengths and weaknesses before you plan for how long you should be studying every day. It will help you sustain your stamina and energy till your preparation lasts covering the moment you begin with it to the last stage of the CSE. That is to say, if you qualify the Prelims and successfully clear the Mains so that UPSC calls you for the Interview.
2. Quality vs. Quantity
As a general rule, it’s quality that always scores an edge over quantity. If you take care of the following considerations, you are bound to study qualitatively even if you study for a fewer number of hours rather than the entire day:
- Study smart rather than hard
- Keep all the concepts crystal clear
- Keep all the changing requirements of the CSE in mind
- Take little breaks so that you keep all the fatigue at bay
- Concentrate well leaving no scope for any distractions at all
3. Myth vs. Truth:
With the greatly advanced technology, most of the information is usually available across the Web with a few clicks of the mouse. Thus, it is no longer a tedious process to get the information required. As a result, nowadays it seems to be myth that a candidate would have to study for 14-15 hours every day to crack the IAS Exam.
The truth is that if you plan your day effectively, you may get the required information from the Internet, study well, apart from getting the time to sleep well, exercise and enjoy your meals on time.
4. Do not Be Too Hard Upon Yourself:
It is not going to serve any purpose at all! If you think that by neglecting you meals or not relaxing on time or whenever required, you would manage to get more of the time for study, then you are in for highly unpleasant results. Neglecting the meals and rest is only going to result in a fatigued mind and tired body. Besides, it will ruin your health. And how can anybody study well in this manner even if he manages longer hours to do so?
Finally, last, but not the least, do not compete with others even if they have been studying for 15 hours a day! Any individual who studies for so long will not be able to maintain the same schedule for more than a few days. It is simply going to play havoc with his health. It is good to remember that it is not for how long you study that counts, but for how competently you study. It is studying smart that’s going to take you far giving you an edge over the entire competition.
Stay healthy, fit and fine, and you would discover, to your great delight that you can prepare well in a highly qualitative manner in quite a brief time span. And exactly how many hours will it be, again, as already said earlier depends on the unique strengths of an individual. So, it would only be suitable if you consider your capability for how long you can study well before you chart out the final schedule sparing the total number of hours to prepare well for the IAS exam.
Relevant Articles to Read:
How to Select the Best IAS Coaching in Delhi?
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Beginning From The Scratch, How To Prepare For The IAS Exam?
How to Choose the Best Prelims Test Series?
The Easier Way to Prepare for the Current Affairs for the IAS Exam?
Why Do You Need to Refer to Previous Years’ UPSC Question Papers?
Old vs. New NCERT Books: Read on to find What Should You Read to Prepare for the IAS Exam?
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