UPSC Preparation: The dates of UPSC prelims and mains have been declared. Contenders have started gearing up with their plan of action already. Usually, the date is announced a year before the prelims, but this year it’s different because of the pandemic. Not to worry because you can crack the exam with ease if you follow a proper routine.
UPSC Preparation: Few Things that are to be ingrained in your mind
- Eight months are sufficient for preparing for UPSC if you are determined.
- It would help if you were consistent. Sometimes you may not feel like studying, but try to invest 8 hours a day.
- Focus on both the main topics as well as the optional ones. Prepare their notes beforehand.
- Remember to trace your eyes on the questions from previous year papers.
- Revise! Split your revision periods into three phases.
Phase I- Revise within a day.
Phase II- Revise at the weekend.
Phase III- Revise at the month-end.
- Read the newspaper daily.
UPSC Preparation: Basic Goals
- Score the required marks in prelims to be eligible for the Mains.
- Score the required marks in the Mains to be selected for the preferable office/department.
UPSC Prepration: If this is your first attempt, then phase-wise practice will help fulfill your primary goals. We will divide the preparation time into phases. This gives the entire strategy an organized attitude and prevents confusion.
Day-Wise Subject Allotment
- History- 30 days
- Ancient and Medieval History- 10 days
- Modern History- 20 days
- Polity and Governance- 30 days
- Geography- 30 days
- Economy- 30 days
- Environment- 20 days
- Art and culture- 10 days
- General Science- 7 days
Along with this, put on some time to the Mains as well as the Optional subjects.
| Subjects | References |
| History | NCERT World History by Arjun DevNCERT Indian Ancient History by R S SharmaNCERT Indian Medieval History by Satish ChandraBipin Chandra’s India’s struggle for Independence India’s struggle after Independence |
| Geography | 11th NCERT Fundamentals of Physical Geography11th NCERT Physical Environment of India12th NCERT Human GeographyCertificate Geography by G.C. LeongMap book |
| Environment | Last four chapters of the 12th NCERT Biology bookICSE BooksNewspapers and magazines |
| Economy | 11th NCERT Indian Economic Development12th NCERT MacroeconomicsEconomic SurveyBudget |
| Art & culture | Art and culture chapters of:NCERT Indian Ancient History by R S SharmaNCERT Indian Medieval History by Satish Chandra11th NCERT An Introduction to Indian Art |
| Polity | M.Laxmikanth D.D. Basu |
| IR | V. N. KhannaNewspapers |
| Current Affairs | Newspapers and magazines |
| Ethics | For case studies refer to Subba RaoARC- Ethics in Governance |
| General Science | NCERT books of classes 9th and 10thNewspapers and magazines |
| Other topics | 12th NCERT Indian Society12th NCERT Social Change and DevelopmentSecurity- Challenges to Internal Security of India by Ashok KumarDisaster Management- ARC Report Government- ARC report, Unacademy videosSocial Issues- ARC reports, Newspaper, PIB, PRS. |
Let’s now look at the phases of your plan.
Phase I- In this phase, you’ll get 90 days of preparation. Know how you will prepare yourself in Phase I.
- Go through the NCERT books to build a strong base and get a clear idea about the syllabus.
- Select optional subjects. Prepare their notes. Finish at least 80% of them.
- Invest 45 minutes of your study hour in reading newspapers. Make sure you read newspapers daily.
- Keep yourself updated about current affairs. UPSC 2021 aspirants are expected to keep themselves updated about all recent happenings from Jan 2020.
Phase II- In this phase as well, you will get 90 to prepare. But topics of concern and plans change here. Here’s what you should do.
- Centralize NCERT books.
- In the previous phase, you were suggested to finish at least 80% optional subjects. But here, you need to complete all of them.
- Try writing answers and essays within a fixed time.
Phase III- Here, you have approximately four months. This phase expects you to revise and only revise. You have built a strong base and have completed your syllabus. You have started practicing writing answers and essays. Now all you need is revision.
- Revise!
- Work on previous year’s papers.
- Take tests regularly.
And your Prelims are over! Ready for the Mains?
Phase IV- Now comes the time for your Mains preparation. The center of your attention should be scoring more points out of 1750 in the Mains. So, practice writing answers and essays within a fixed time.
Here’s a systematic study plan for candidates who are taking UPSC for the first time.
| Period | Hours to invest | Topic |
| 1st Period | 3 hours | Subject 1 |
| 2nd Period | Not more than 2 hours | Any one optional subject |
| 3rd Period | 1-2 hours | Newspapers and magazines |
| 4th Period | 2-3 hours | Subject 2 |
Experience Candidates
- Finish your optional subjects within 120 days and start taking moc tests on optional subjects.
- Invest at least one month in each main subject.
- Keep your notes prepared so that you have go-to study materials for the Mains.
- Practice writing at least three answers or essays daily.
This a chart for experienced UPSC aspirants.
| Periods | Hours to invest | Topic |
| 1st Period | 2 hours | Subject 1 |
| 2nd Period | 1-2 hours | Newspapers and magazines |
| 3rd Period | Not more than 3 hours | Optional |
| 4th Period | 2 hours | Subject 2 |
If you are a working candidate, We have you sorted as well.
Some tips for you to follow:
- Study for optional daily. It is suggested to complete them within 4-5 months.
- For Economy, Polity, History, Geography, Environment- Complete them within 5-6 months. And then in the last month, all you need is to revise.
Here’s a systematic plan that you can follow.
| Period | Hours to invest | Subject |
| 1st Period | 1.5 hours | Subject 1 |
| 2nd Period | 1 hour | Optional |
| 3rd Period | 45 minutes to 1 hour | Newspapers and magazines |
| 4th Period | 1.5 hours | Subject 2 |
UPSC Preparation: Given below is a fascinating statistical report of the success rate in UPSC in the last five years.
| Year | No. Of Candidates applied for Prelims | No. Of Candidates who cleared Prelims | No. Of Candidates selected for an interview | No. Of Candidates selected for jobs |
| 2019 | Eight lacs | 11,845 | 2034 | 829 |
| 2018 | 17 lacs | 10,246 | 1992 | 1056 |
| 2017 | Ten lacs | 13,366 | 2568 | 990 |
| 2016 | 11.3 lacs | 15,452 | 2961 | 1099 |
| 2015 | 9.5 lacs | 15,008 | 2797 | 1078 |
So, now that you have all the information, tips, and tricks, what are you waiting for? Let’s crack UPSC together.
