Preparation Strategy for UPSC Mains
Looking for the best preparation strategy for UPSC Mains, In this blog, We have included some basic strategies for UPSC aspirants to prepare well for their exams.
UPSC. The name itself has humungous prestige attached and rises a spark of excitement in many students who are aspiring to achieve IAS, IFS, and government jobs. Owing to its extreme difficulty, it is considered one of the toughest exams to crack..
But nothing is as hard as it looks when you are at the level on par with the exam and confident about what you learn. Every success is a process of continuous learning and analyzing your mistakes.
Aspirants who are willing to clear UPSC have to go through Prelims, Mains, and interviews.
Understanding of UPSC Prelims
The preliminary exam is the first screening test which is attempted by a whopping 1 million aspirants annually. Prelims is a set of two papers that are Multiple-choice in nature with a maximum of 200 marks each.
- The exam is multiple choice questioned, the questions may be trickier and deviate the exam giver. The student needs to understand and thoroughly follow the whole question before attempting it. Try to analyze the syllabus a number of times before attending the exam to make sure the options can be easily identified or while attempting the exam.
- Sometimes, the options can be decided even using common sense and facts which is why it is recommended to read the options carefully. This can be helpful to select the option even if they are unaware of the concept the question is given from.
- Be careful while marking the OMR sheet as a small mistake in the OMR sheet can cause a disaster.
UPSC Mains
Preparation Strategy for UPSC Mains – Mains is the second stage of a screening test in which approximately 10-15k aspirants attempt every year which means only 1% of the candidates have qualified prelims to attempt the mains annually.
There are a total of 9 papers which are necessary to attempt in which two of them are optional and the other two language papers (Paper – A and Paper – B, the marks in these papers doesn’t change your rank.) in which there is a cut-off of at least 1/4th of the maximum marks in order to get qualified in that respective paper. All the papers have a combined score of 1750 marks.
- Unlike the prelims, Mains have descriptive-type questions. It needs to be kept in mind that presentation plays a major role in these papers.
- Make a brief note on all the topics which are in the syllabus and make sure to cover all the topics and sub-topics briefly, included with the facts which can be collected by reading papers, listening to the news, listening to the discussions, and by case studies.
- Skill yourself up in writing the descriptive answers. Stick up to your learning strategy and try to analyze the answers written by the toppers of the previous years. This may give an idea of how to present the answers on the paper.
How to Prepare for UPSC Mains?
Some common points which are to be noted :
- Start preparing for prelims at least half a year before giving the exam. Considering the fact that UPSC exams have a vast syllabus, it is also important to maintain a healthy lifestyle and body as it can directly affect your preparation.
- Refer NCERT books and online courses for each subject for revising the respective subject.
- Attempt as many mock exams as you can to know where you can improve yourself while attempting it.
- Revise, revise, and revise. There is no short path to success other than hard work.
These are the basic preparation strategy for UPSC mains. In order to succeed in UPSC exams, you need to be more consistent with your preparation by making a detailed study plan and scheduling the time. Also by practicing regular tests and mind maps.
We hope this blog may help you with your upsc mains preparation!