[Written by Rohit Kumar – IRS officer 2016 Batch. Alumnus: IIT, Delhi (B.Tech)]
This is one of the most pertinent questions when it comes to IAS Exam Preparation what is considered to be the mother of all examinations. It is for a reason that aspirants find it difficult to chalk out a strategy which leads them to desired success. The very vastness of the IAS Exam Syllabus has led it to frighten the young minds when it comes to preparation. There are all sorts of discussions in the preparation circle. Some are realistic but mostly based on the perceived fear and perceptions.
Even the expert of best IAS coaching in Delhi can’t answer it in toto. And believe me, this has been quite a difficult question to answer, no less than answering the most difficult question of mains examination. Because there lies no straightforward answer to this. Selected candidates are caught in a dilemma by the aspirants with this question. Whether to tell them any specified number of hours or give no numbers at all is the dilemma faced.
This is really one of the toughest practical problem faced in this journey of preparation. Because there have always been some notions of fear attached to this examination which forces the aspirants to raise this question. Once having decided to start the Civil Services Exam Preparation, the next phase hangs around the duration of preparation.
It’s natural to think about our goals and how to go about it. How do we approach it? How many efforts are required to succeed? Will I be able to crack it with this much number of hours being put on a daily basis? Oh wait, I am in college, I cannot put more than 5-6 hours unlike 10-15 hours being put by candidates involved with full-time preparation. I am at disadvantage compared to others.
How will I compete then in an examination known for the neck to neck competition? Then there are people working so cannot afford to take out more than 6-7 hours on a daily basis. They too have their own fear due to less duration of preparation. I mean that there are all sorts of aspirants giving a fight to this examination.
This is one of the rare exams where people from any background are allowed to appear. That makes this exam diverse and heavily competitive. This makes it indispensable to prepare a right strategy for success. The very foundation of success depends on the quality of efforts being put. This does not depend on the number of hours. Let me put it very bluntly, quantity and quality are two quite different things. The question raised above must be answered with the aspects of quality.
Read More: Top 10 Tips for Students to Prepare for IAS Exam while in College
Numbers don’t matter
Success in life does not depend on the number of hours being put into any activity but the quality of efforts being put with sincerity and dedication. The number of hours or days or for that matter months is not quite a tool to measure the quality of efforts. It is more individualistic in nature. It varies from person to person. There cannot be standard criteria to define any quantity of time to succeed in any particular activity. There are students who study a few hours a day for a few months and they eventually taste success in civil services examination. And there are many who despite having put untiring efforts for years fall short of the target. I have seen several aspirants in my preparation circle putting beyond 12-14 hours but still could not cross the line.
So, based on my experience in this journey, I want to say that success in this examination should be delinked from the number of hours of study. Strictly speaking, hours don’t matter. Quality of study in those hours matter. How serious you are with your preparation will decide your fate in this journey. One may be sitting at study table for a long time but have not made the best use would slowly start realizing themselves that hours does not matter at all. We all experience this in life sooner or later.
Change of time
Gone are the days when preparation for UPSC exam used to be seen as a five-year plan strategy. Those were different times when the level of competition expected quite deeper knowledge and given the vastness of syllabus though required a lengthier duration for a good attempt. But now we have the luxury of a change of time.
The entire examination process has undergone a tectonic shift in terms of patterns, UPSC syllabus, and nature of competition in just last few years. The three levels of examination expect different skills at each level. Prelims test your awareness and coverage of syllabus in detail along with the grip over factual contents and ability to memorize things.
Mains being the real hurdle poses tremendous challenges for any aspirant to test knowledge, writing skills, speed, creativity, and perseverance to say the least. Personality test to go by the name analyses your suitability for the challenge called civil services. It’s not everyone cup of tea to master all these skills in a short period of time.
Again, it does not matter how long you study unless you know how to study and what to study along with knowing well what not to study. Eventually, it all comes down to time management of which efficiency is an important aspect.
Read More: How many hours of study is Required for IAS Exam Preparation
Put quality into hours rather just hours into preparation
At the outset, it needs to be clarified that hours are important in any act of life. But what we do in those hours define our fate in life. Civil services preparation is no different. The prevalent misconception in the market that it requires more than 12-15 hours of preparation needs to be denounced. Once an aspirant jumps into preparation, he gets plenty of free advice from people around not having deep insights of the examination per se.
There are many to misguide one, rarely one to show the light of the day. In the very beginning, the perception about success in this examination reduced to the number of hours sinks deep in the mind of aspirants. This is the disaster waiting to happen which needs prior management.
The bottom line is that you get to know the things irrespective of how long it takes. What matters is how well have you grasped the content. Have you got the real feel of Indian constitution? Have you understood the very need for a constitution, it’s evolution, different features, basic structure?
Be Positive and Put your 100% Efforts
Does it feel like being an aware citizen when someone talks about rights and duties? Have you started appreciating the different pillars of Indian democracy and federal structure? Does the legislative process, it’s structure, functioning, the conduct of business, powers and privileges, and it’s complexities if any whatsoever makes sense in reality? Can you relate government policies framed with different provisions of the constitution? Can you apply the learning of the constitution in a day to day life in ways possible?
If you are well versed with all these, then you have learned and understood the concepts and it’s applications. This is what is required in civil services. Just mugging up facts would lead you nowhere. At maximum, it may help one get some marks in prelims but mains would turn out to be a mountain too high to climb with such approach to preparation.
Now you decide yourself, how many hours is required to grasp the content with analysis, learn its application and internalize the essence of the subject. I am sure no one else can fix any numbers of hours for you. Everyone has a different level of aptitude and that would only decide their number of hours. Give yourself some time. You will discover yourself and accordingly build your unique strategy for success.
Read More: Eligibility for UPSC Civil Services Exam
A balanced preparation
One thing that I have found common among all toppers is their emphasis on the importance of a balanced Civil Services Exam Preparation. One should realize that study should be one of the many things to do in life. Preparing for IAS should not lead one to alienate and isolate themselves from the rest of the world. This is a mistake most common.
It is a misconception to cut off all contacts, to go for austerity, and start meditation for a piece of mind. One should keep living life on same lines, expect the fact that IAS preparation brings more of seriousness and consistency in life. One has to be more disciplined than before, for the preparation demand untiring efforts put consistently.
But it does not mean one should stop playing games, stop pursuing hobbies/interests, stop having fun and entertainment in life. We all are human, cannot train the mind to do the same thing consistently for hours, weeks, days and months. By continuously studying, the mind will not adhere to the same understanding capability throughout the day and it really becomes cumbersome to keep on concentrating with the same efficiency.
It has also resulted in excessive monotonicity leading to premature quitting of preparation. One should try to add leisure and recreational activities to the process of study so as to refreshen body and mind which goes a long way to strengthen the concentrative sitting of a student.
Read More: Common Issues faced By the IAS Aspirant while preparing for the IAS Exam.
It is always advisable to study in phases. A single sitting should not go beyond 1.5-2 hours and then a break of 20-30 minutes. Don’t engage in something which leads to complete change in focus. Such distraction if avoided enhances our efficiency and would ensure fewer hours required in preparation. The break revitalizes the zeal and energy required to go unrelenting with the preparation. One should listen to his inner self.
At times, one doesn’t feel like studying at all. It’s okay to have such feeling. Don’t be too harsh with yourself. Take a break, watch some movie, play a game, do whatever revitalizes and makes you feel relaxed. Then get back to business with a sense of freshness and killer instincts again. One needs to keep recharging the batteries to go far in this journey.
Read More: Exam pattern and the selection procedure for UPSC IAS Exam
The ideal study duration
Ideally speaking, taking all factors into consideration 8-10 hours of preparation with seriousness and consistency is enough to get through IAS examination. But one must plan well to make the best use of these hours. We are as good as our plans and their executions. Try making daily targets and monthly targets to keep track of coverage of syllabus. It will also push one to keep getting better every day.
Though no one can execute all plans with perfection. If you miss someday, add it to the next day, put some extra efforts to get back control of your IAS Exam Preparation. Try to cover up for the losses. Don’t think too much about the duration of the study. Enjoy the study process, it will only get easier from there.
Conclusion
Discipline and consistency are key to efficiency, one must chase improvement every day rather perfection in preparation for IAS exam. One should not look too much into a number of hours, the focus should be on making the best use of every minute while studying. When sitting on the study table, put all strains to rest and just concentrate on study.
One must approach preparation with a sense of Interest, confidence, and passion. Be relaxed, sincere and consistent with IAS preparation. Have that appetite for learning and be open to knowledge. Eventually, would like to sum it up in words of Steve Jobs, “Stay Hungry Stay Foolish”. Just believe in action and be patient, the result will speak for themselves.
Note: ELITE IAS provides Classroom coaching in Delhi as well as Online IAS Coaching. We are one of the Best IAS Coaching Institute with high success ratio. For detail information, you can call at 8899999931 or Email: info@eliteias.in
Relevant Articles:
