Civil Services Exam: While many candidates seek advice on what to do and how to do when studying for UPSC, my modest advice to many of them is to learn what not to do while aiming for the top rankings in UPSC CSE. These are some suggestions on what not to do based on my personal experience and systemic observation. There is no doubt that all students who aim to be IAS or IPS leave no doubt about the importance of UPSC test preparation, however most students make mistakes unwittingly or due to a lack of adequate understanding or guidance, and these mistakes may cause them to fall short of their goal. Known for addressing UPSC hopefuls’ pain concerns, the following are the most prevalent blunders that candidates make: –
Things not to do while preparing for UPSC Civil Services Exam
1. Read everything : Only six books in the areas of politics, economics, geography, modern history, the environment, and current events will help you answer 50 or more questions. However, lot of individuals try to read everything but fail to memorise even these six books.
2. Study for entire day: You may easily crack this strange exam if you study for 8–10 hours a day (4 slots of 2–2.5 hours) after a good night’s sleep, excellent food, and 20 minutes of physical exercise.
3. Not reading the syllabus: Reading the syllabus incorrectly and attempting to read complete volumes from beginning to end. It leads to over-exertion in certain areas and total ignorance in others. It is a huge blunder.
4. Not Having A Study Plan: The IAS test is a lengthy and demanding process.
Civil Services Exam: This type of conflict necessitates a well-thought-out strategy. Aspirants should map up a study plan for themselves before commencing the preparation process, in addition to any IAS coaching they may be receiving. Only careful planning will allow you to finish the IAS syllabus on time, with plenty of time for review and sample examinations. Having daily, weekly, and monthly goals that they can check off as they are completed will further raise their morale.
5. Comparing Yourself to Others: Never compare your pattern to anyone else’s. If a person’s polity or communication skills are strong. You might excel in history or writing essays. Everyone makes their own strong points obvious.
6. Being pessimist : Maintain a good attitude at all times. Negative thoughts will strive to invade your mind from every angle. It’s possible that UPSC is tainted. Others may argue that this optional subject will be useful this year. And there will be plenty more rumours to keep you awake at night. Victory will be yours if you are consistent in your preparation.
7. NCERTs are really not taken seriously: The NCERTs are the most basic books for IAS preparation accessible on the market. The books present subjects in a straightforward and straightforward manner, allowing applicants to grasp the fundamental principles first. Advanced texts can then be read after that.
8. Reading the interviews of all UPSC successful candidates –
Civil Services Exam: Your attempt to follow each of them is an indication that you will become confused every other day and so waste a lot of time trying to stay on track. One expert, for example, recommends keeping track of two newspapers, while another proposes reading only the HINDU. The solution lies in the fact that you should forge your own route and avoid reading too many interviews, unless for the goal of doing a targeted search or for pleasure. In the end, each boat navigates its unique path to the LBSNAA, and no two boats are alike.
9. Investing time in reviewing decisions that have already been made:
While waiting to enter the mains examination centre, aspirants keep debating which option is the best. This indicates that you either did not conduct sufficient research prior to selecting medium, optional, techniques or that you did not back up your decision with hard work.
10. Buying every piece of material or book accessible on a subject:
This propensity stems from a fear of missing something if one does not read from that particular book. My recommendation is to pick one book, update it, and augment it with online searches and current events.
11. Choosing the Incorrect Option: The marks earned in both optional examinations play a big role in determining where you land on the final merit list. The most common blunder made by applicants is selecting the incorrect optional subject. When selecting an optional subject, significant caution must be exercised. It must be ensured that UPSC optional selection is based on interest in the subject as well as other variables such as the availability of study materials, tutoring, and so on. It would be much better if candidates may choose their graduation subject as an optional course. But, then again, this is a subjective matter that should be left to the individual.
12. Not to Practise Mocktests: Almost everyone believes that rehearsing questions and taking mock exams enhances results, but many people ignore this advice, believing that once they have enough information, they will write mains mock and prelims mock tests. My advice is to start doing it right away, no matter how ill-prepared you are. Taking mock tests and practise answer writing will undoubtedly set your mental dial in the right direction.
13: Keeping the biases in mind: Many times, aspirants bring baggage from previous competitive exam experiences, such as state public service commissions or other UPSC exams. However, the UPSC Civil Services exam is unique, and tactics that worked in other exams may not work in this one.
14. Revision Avoidance: Because the Civil Services Exam syllabus is so extensive, there’s a good risk the student may forget what they learned in the beginning. Making (or getting) small notes and revising them on a regular basis is the only method to recall everything. An aspirant’s study schedule should be planned in such a way that there is enough time for several revisions before the exam.
15. Creating large study groups : Civil Services Exam benefits greatly from group study, but the group must be small, and most importantly, it must include people who are willing to give you honest feedback rather than simply support your beliefs in order to be in agreement with you.
16. Attempting to implement ‘Toppers Strategies’: Trying to follow the ‘Toppers Strategies’ from every angle – how much sleep they get, what they eat, what movies they watch, what software they use to take notes, and so on. This is a bad policy. Being ‘unique’ is the only way to make the final merit list. If you try to ‘copy’ successful people, you will almost certainly lose the race. Simply take cues from their tactics and plan your own.
17. Spending too much time on the Internet: – Aspirants attempt to become a scholar on some topics/subjects without focusing on the entire curriculum. This leads to havoc and waste their valuable time.
18. Developing a lack of self-assurance: The exam puts you to the test in every way, and you’ll be on the receiving end of it a lot of the time, but remember that “it’s better to lose in battle than to lose the war.”
