- Focus on what you know instead of what you don’t– Do not ponder over how to study, think over what have you already studied. The major issue one face during the preparation is the endlessness of the syllabus and a never ending tension of how to cover the syllabus. Be assured, no one could ever complete the entire syllabus of this exam. Instead of mulling over the issue, think about the topics you have studied recently and try to interconnect the various technicalities of the subject. It will deepen your understanding and above all will provide you the much needed confidence for the exam.
- Daily goals along with the long term goals– Long term goals are useful, but becomes farce in the absence of daily goals. Keep in mind what you have to study today and try to complete it with a sense of urgency.
- Follow standard Books and Material– Before beginning a new topic or subject identify the standard book/material needed to cover it. There is no dearth of books available in the market and reading one sub-standard book will not only waste your precious time and energy but will also harm your fundamentals forever.
- Pick the topics on how you feel about them– The most frequent doubt comes to mind during the preparation is, which topic to study now? Rely on your instincts. Open the syllabus and have a look at the topics. The topic which makes you most uncomfortable should be the next one to study.
- Study Group– You should have a group of Co aspirants, obviously to discuss the subject matter, but also to keep you feel motivated about the preparation, especially if you are preparing at home without pursuing any degree or job. UPSC preparation is a long and dour affair and one should be in contact with like minded people.
- Quality entertainment– The most neglected part of the preparation regime is the lack of quality entertainment. Mild exercise, outdoor sports activity, watching movies, family outings, etc must be the part of the daily routine and one should take them as seriously as his studies, sometimes even more.
- Revision– One should not read the book or material one cannot revise. The enormity of the syllabus makes it impossible for a student to remember even a tenth of what he had studied. In theory all students agree to it, however, in practice very few follow it regularly and unsurprisingly, the majority of successful candidates comes from the latter category.
- Answer writing– The main examination is not about the knowledge. The knowledge level of top 15000 students is more or less same, given they all had qualified the preliminary examination. The problem is not of Potential but to convert it into Performance. The regular practice of answer writing is the best methodology one could adopt. One can take test series for the purpose or can write answers of previous years question papers at home. Do not worry, with time, the quality of answers is bound to increase.