UPSC Toppers Strategy - Listen to their IAS Preparation tips and Journey

Aspirants preparing for UPSC Civil Services exam need some motivation and preparation tips to boost their exam preparation. UPSC Toppers, who cracked civil services exam are the right person to find the good strategy for IAS exam preparation.

In this post, we have provided our online toppers and toppers of our partner institutes. IAS toppers have shared their preparation journey, struggles they faced and important preparation tips for UPSC Civil Services aspirants. Check the links provided below.

NeoStencil’s Online Students who cracked IAS: Read their UPSC Civil Services Preparation Strategy

UPSC topper's strategy and the approach towards the main examination

1. Self-Confidence

It is important that you maintain self-confidence. You have cleared the prelims, which mean you have it in you to appear for the Mains. You should not fluctuate on the amount of work you put in. Stay healthy and work your way towards the exam.

2. Aware of UPSC Syllabus

If you are saturated with the studies, take a good look at the UPSC syllabus and self-assess your ability to write an answer for the various topics in the syllabus. Try to do this without the use of books of any study material.

3. Current Affairs Update

Majority of the topics are current affairs oriented, hence this is where your attention should be. Refer to the latest events and newspapers so that you are aware of the current issues and how they are being dealt with.

4. Note Making

You cannot write your opinion in the examination without a strong backing of the facts. If you can prove that your opinion is logical and rational, do it with the help of information that is relevant. A smart tip for note making is to keep a small diary with you at all times and write data and facts, which will help you with the questions.

5. Self-Evaluation

Apart from spending time on the books, spend time reading and framing questions about the latest issues. Ask one question to yourself every day and try to find out an answer for the same before the day ends. This will help you prepare with one question each day.

6. Answer Writing Practice

If you have completed half the syllabus, shift your answer writing practice to a full paper mode. Writing a couple of answers will not help, you need to practice writing under pressure in order to assess your speed and content. With consistent answer writing, your content will improve. You can enhance your speed with the use of diagrams, flow charts and maps. If you practice it enough, it will come naturally to you during the exams. Solving the previous year exam papers is a must at this stage.

7. Time Management

Content or time management is crucial. You need to build a strategy based on your strength and experience. But it is advisable to practice answer writing a few times and see how you handle it under pressure.

8. Answer to the demand of Question

Always keep one thing in mind-relevance. Every answer you write should have relevance to the question, never compromise on the content you write on your answer sheet. Check UPSC Mains Answer Writing Strategy here

Important Links of UPSC CSE Toppers Strategy

About UPSC CSE and Exam Process

Considered to be one of the toughest exams in the world, Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has many aspirants who have a dream to become a part of the Government service. The examination is conducted to recruit officers for three types of services namely, All India Services, Central Services and State Services. It's a norm for the exam preparation and duration to extend to over one year given the depth of syllabus as well as the competition involved.

With each passing year, there has been a steady increase in the number of candidates who appear for the examination. The exam is considered to be one of the most prestigious competitive exams in India with success rate of just 0.1%. Every year only around 1000 candidates are selected for all the 24 services combined. The UPSC Civil Services Exam is divided into three categories, namely Preliminary, Mains and Interview. The number of candidates who applied for UPSC Civil Service Exam was about 9 lakh in 2016, out of which around 4.5 lakh candidates appeared on the exam day. Only a small percentage of the aspirants are called for the final interview and an even smaller percentage can clear the same.

The syllabus for the exam is vast and every subject needs to be prepared in depth. Firstly, it is important to get your hands on the latest updated syllabus. A good coaching institute will provide you with the best study material and books. The examination consists of current affairs as well as conventional subjects. In addition to providing you with the study material, the coaching institute will provide insights and ensure that you know the facts well. Keeping updated with the latest news is of significant importance. The UPSC exams will also assess your personality apart from gauging knowledge and intelligence. In order to tackle this aspect, a successful aspirant needs to develop a personality of an effective civil servant encompassing confidence, leadership qualities and an ease of public speaking.

There are various coaching institutions across the nation that offer study material and guidance to the aspirants of UPSC. Every institute strives to help the aspirants succeed and to pursue their dreams. A candidate's IAS preparation plan need not to be monumental but should be cogent enough to set him apart from the other aspirants. Experts believe that aggressive preparation for 10 to 12 months is a must. Four out of every 10 Indians (21-32 years) aspire to become an IAS officer and competition is so intense that only 5 percent of that massive number gets through. An aspirant must map out an effective strategy and decide the ideal number of hours required to implement that strategy. In addition to passion, the aspirant should be hardworking and dedicated towards the goal. An aspirant should also understand that preparation for civil services examination calls for qualitative and not quantitative preparation. It is about the completion of your short-term target. Ideally, you should target two subjects every day. Most of the top rankers have started preparing for the exams right from their school days, as most of the questions are asked mostly from Class 6 to 12 standard books. So preparing notes and devoting 10 to 12 hours before a year of the exam is believed to be sufficient.