Top Tips for Students to Prepare for IAS Exam while in College

1
Top Tips for Students to Prepare for IAS Exam
while in College
www.o2iasacademy.in
2
INTRODUCTION

• Becoming a civil servant, one of the most
  prestigious job profiles in India, is the dream
  of many parents and students alike. With the
  increasing competition in past few years many
  aspirant are starting their UPSC journey vary
  early. Every year more and more dedicated and
  hard working aspirants in college are the
  starting IAS exam preparation by joining UPSC
  coaching institutes in Chandigarh.
• We at O2 IAS Academy believe that it never too
  soon to start preparing for IAS exam. Since it is
  a well known that an early start is always good
  for any journey. College going students have more
  energy due to their young age and have the
  sharpness of the students mind. Thus they can
  utilise this to clear the UPSC exam. But students
  have to ensure that their preparation is focused.
  For this they require right guidance and
  strategies. Since lack of proper guidance or
  erroneous strategy may lead to the loss of
  precious attempts. Thus, aspirants should never
  let this happen. In this blog we will discuss
  tips which will help aspirants looking for right
  guidance to prepare for UPSC exam while in
  college after their 12th.

3
INTRODUCTION

• If you are in college and you want to become
  IFS? IAS/IPS, you should know that UPSC involves
  three rounds of selection
• PRELIMS. ( Factual knowledge )
• MAINS. ( Content writing and Analysis )
• INTERVIEWS. ( attitude and Character )
• So, all aspirants have to plan according to it.
  During graduation while starting your preparation
  for UPSC following tips will aid you in your
  journey

4
Take full advantage of early preparation

• The eligibility criteria for UPSC Civil Service
  Exam (CSE) as per their guidelines are 21 years
  and a graduation in any subject. In addition
  final year students can apply for IAS Prelims.
  But due to lack of awareness, many candidates
  miss out on this early opportunity. Since, they
  start UPSC Civil Service Exam preparation very
  late. This is reflected in the data which shows
  that the average age of candidates who make it
  into the final UPSC CSE rank list is 28 years.
• If you start your civil service exam preparation
  early then you will reap many advantages.
  Undoubtedly aspirants who start their preparation
  early can clear IAS exam without losing out the
  joy and happiness of college life. And start
  their career as a young bureaucrat after clearing
  UPSC exam. However you need proper guidance to
  make your UP journey smooth and easy.

5
Realise the time constraints and prioritize
tasks

• While preparing for UPSC examinations as a
  student you cannot prepare for this exam full
  time like many other aspirants who can dedicate a
  full year for UPSC preparation. Since the
  students who are preparing for both UPSC CSE and
  their graduation exams will have time
  constraints. Thus it is very crucial for you to
  learn the art of time management and to
  prioritize tasks. You should do only what is
  important and relevant to your UPSC journey and
  not waste time n frivolous things.

6
Look at the previous year Question papers and
UPSC syllabus

• Next step should be to read the question papers
  and to understand the pattern. You should try to
  analyse how UPSC pre and mains questions are is
  different from your college/university question
  papers.
• You should read the UPSC syllabus multiple times
  and be familiar with the topics and sub topics.
  Going through the previous year UPSC CSE question
  papers of pre and mains and the syllabus. This
  will give your preparation right direction and
  keep it focussed.

7
Read basic standard books

• Then next step in your preparation should be
  reading basic books like NCERTs. When you read
  them for the first time, you should just try to
  understand what is being said and make yourself
  familiar with different subjects. Do not mark and
  underline or try to learn the lines word to word.
  Just read them once fully page to page without
  stressing about learning them.
• For your convenience we are listing below a few
  books you should start with
• Indias struggle for Independence by Bipan
  Chandra
• India since Independence by Bipan Chandra
• NCERTs of Geography from 6 to 12th
• NCERTs of Economy 11th and 12th standard
• NCERTs of Science 6th to 8th standard
• Fine arts NCERTS11th

8
Read basic standard books

• Then next step in your preparation should be
  reading basic books like NCERTs. When you read
  them for the first time, you should just try to
  understand what is being said and make yourself
  familiar with different subjects. Do not mark and
  underline or try to learn the lines word to word.
  Just read them once fully page to page without
  stressing about learning them.
• For your convenience we are listing below a few
  books you should start with
• Indias struggle for Independence by Bipan
  Chandra
• India since Independence by Bipan Chandra
• NCERTs of Geography from 6 to 12th
• NCERTs of Economy 11th and 12th standard
• NCERTs of Science 6th to 8th standard
• Fine arts NCERTS11th

9
Enroll for mock test series

• You can appear for UPSC Preliminary Exam only
  after 1-2 years, but enrolling in a mock test
  series early will benefit you. Attempting mocks
  regularly will aid in learning difficult concepts
  and long term retention. Mock tests will also
  help you in understanding the UPSC pattern of
  questions. In addition, you need not to worry
  about the marks you score. They should be taken
  regularly and religiously as an opportunity for
  learning. You may or may not get direct/ indirect
  questions from test series in UPSC exams. But
  their main purpose is to help you in revision and
  retention.

10
Invest your spare time wisely

• During your college years if you get free time
  then you should utilize the time in a
  constructive way. For example, you can read
  e-newspaper online, watch Rajya sabha or Lok
  sabha news and discussions online on youtube etc.
  Thus you should use the free time wisely by
  taking advantage of the free resources provided
  on online platforms whether you are sitting in
  the library or waiting for a bus.

11
Read newspapers and magazines

• During your graduation years one of the most
  important skills and habits that you should
  cultivate is newspaper reading. If you have not
  been a regular follower of current affairs before
  this then there is no need to panic. You need not
  start with THE HINDU newspaper from day 1 if you
  are you are not yet comfortable with it.
• Starting with a newspaper you cannot understand
  will make you feel demotivated. Thus instead you
  can take the baby steps first. You may start from
  The Times of India or The Indian express or any
  local newspaper. The main goal should be on
  understanding, getting a broader idea of an
  issue, whether in English or in your mother
  tongue.
• Instead of watching sensationalised news on TV
  you should shift your focus to Rajya Sabha TV(The
  Big Picture Debate), AIR(9pm news), Doordarshan
  news . Start by watching any one debate from
  these channels and watch it regularly. This will
  aid your understanding of complex issues.
• In addition start with issues you are
  comfortable with and later give importance to
  editorials and op-ed articles. Start with issues
  like gender equality or any social issue,
  elections in states or country, governance etc.
   Regularly reading news articles of your choice
  will build up your interest to learn further.
  Then you can slowly expand your reading horizons
  to other areas like political, international
  relations, economic , etc

12
Answer writing

• In UPSC CSE, the art of writing is very
  important.  As pre marks are not counted while
  making the final list. Only mains exams and
  interview marks are considered while declaration
  of results. College going students have ample
  amount of time to practise answer writing and to
  hone their analytical skills. Regularly writing
  essays and answers will slowly build up your
  acumen and analytical skills.
• Thus during your preparation you must focus on
  this aspect of UPSC examination if you wish to
  score a rank in top 200.

13
Discuss current issues of importance with your
friends

• While preparing for UPSC CSE along with
  graduation you need not stop all chit-chat. We
  recognize that long conversations, debates and at
  times healthy gossip are all part of college
  life. But at the same time you should avoid
  wasting too much time on frivolous gossip.  It is
  advisable to develop a small friends circle of
  like minded individuals. What we mean by like
  minded is people who are as dedicated, focussed
  and hard working as you are and, with whom you
  can discuss current issues and have an
  informative discussion
• We believe that peer learning is one of the most
  essential aspects that aid many aspirants in IAS
  exam. Thus it is important to build groups right
  from the college.

14
Utilise semester break

• We strongly recommend finishing the optional
  subject during semester breaks during college.
  Then after wrapping up your optional paper you
  can concentrate whole heartedly on General
  Studies (GS) and current affairs after graduation.

15
Get in touch with a mentor/institute.

• The role of a mentor is a pivotal one during any
  journey. This stands true for UPSC journey as
  well. During your UPSC CSE preparation at various
  stages you will require a source of
  inspiration/guidance. During you preparation find
  out if there are any IAS officers whom you can
  approach (your college alumni or your family
  friend/relative) or any teacher who can guide you
  through. List out various potential coaching
  institutes in your area and after scrutiny join
  the institute that you find the best. Joining a
  UPSC coaching institute in Chandigarh will
  provide you with best quality study material,
  guidance and mentorship for all stages of your
  UPSC journey.
• We hope that these tips will help you. These were
  our views and opinions on Top Tips for Students
  to Prepare for IAS Exam while in College. What
  are your thoughts and inputs or queries on this
  topic? Comment below and share your views with
  us. We would be happy to assist you in your UPSC
  preparation battles and answer your queries.