Tips to crack Civil Services in the first attempt in 2020

Sherry A Singh

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Civil Services (CS) examination is India’s toughest and probably most sought-after exam. Most of the aspirants spend years to prepare for this examination where they spend their all energy, money to reach their goal of becoming a civil servant. But cracking CS in first attempt is not an impossible idea. In the past many aspirants have already proven that with accurate strategy, exact goals and right approach, clearing this examination in first attempt is not a mission-impossible.

The point to reflect upon is, ‘Is this exam so challenging to qualify?’ or it is the mismanagement of time and resources which leads to excessive confusion, frustration and sense of loss. With decreasing number of attempts and increasing age, immense pressure to qualify the paper affects an aspirant’s performance in the paper.

Instead of focusing on which study material to read or which sources to refer, we will work on how to act with an approach to maximise results with smart work. Here are some tips to clear Civil Services in first attempt:

Go through the syllabus This is the most significant part of the preparation, not just at the beginning stage but throughout one must be clear of what is being explicitly mentioned in the syllabus. This will sharpen an aspirant’s acumen to skim what is relevant for exam and how to grab it with respect to the topic.

Previous years’ papers

Now solving previous years’ question papers at the beginning stage only brings an insight about the type of questions which are being asked in CS. When we know about the type of questions and how we can approach these, it serves as an advantage to handle the humongous syllabus and sub-consciously prepares a candidate for the real time questions.

Books versus videos

In this ever-growing web life where knowing a topic is just a click away, UPSC aspirants are also relying on videos, online content to accumulate their study material. But while doing this, an aspirant should remember, hoping from one video to another will not help much till the time, the real and authentic content which are books are not covered. Qualifying Mains is all about expressing the knowledge through beautifully woven words in non-controversial terms. Videos or other online resources can help the preparation but relying solely on them can be detrimental.

Keep on practicing

Go for test series and keep on testing yourself. See why some questions went wrong even when you had read about them. Here comes the process of backtracking. Read and revise! Try to test towards the end of every topic which you cover.

Be sincere not serious Stick to your own plans and have your own strategy to break/create the notions of UPSC preparation. Overthinking about the outcome, listening to futile stuff will make you serious not sincere. Be yourself by being your best competitor!

Make achievable goals Work on those plans which can be achieved, and you can folow your daily schedule. Minimum eight hours of sincere study every day is enough to cover the syllabus with a strong hold on Prelims and Main examination.

Practice writing

Studying and reading is one aspect of this arduous cycle where one must also focus on writing. Writing skills are going to decide the overall outcome. Choose some essay topic to write or any previous years’ Main exam questions to know where you stand. Keep on writing, the more you will practice, there will be more co-ordination between head and hand.

Choose optional wisely

Many candidates tend to get trapped in bandwagon effect while choosing optional. Some choose ‘popular optionals’, others go for someone else’s advice and all. But one should choose optional subject based on one’s own areas of interest and bent of mind. This can be a non-popular subject but if you have hold on it then go for it and be a winner.

It is the passion, hard-work and sincerity which pays in the end. Just be yourself by knowing your own weaknesses and strength. Focus on them! Be sincere to yourself and stay motivated through your inner power and keep on reminding yourself the purpose behind your dream.

Begin from NCERTs

Anyone who decides to go for CS should begin from basic books, almost all know which are NCERTs. Avoid making notes of those concepts topics which you know well but create small snippets for some topics where one may falter. So, keep notes making process simple and easy. NCERTs should be covered thoroughly from sixth to twelfth standard for all the CS relevant subjects at first reading. In second reading, shift gears on those areas where more work needs to be done.

Follow newspapers Religiously

Since the examination is demanding thought-provoking answers from the candidates, it becomes significant for an aspirant to not just to know the news, but also be aware of the views associated with that news part. That is opinion or ideas on how to solve a crisis emerging in society. As this exam wants bureaucrats to be responsive, so reading newspapers not provide current affairs content, it also enhances the reading, writing and critical ability to scan any news through the lenses of governance.

— The writer is Senior Editor- Test Prep, Pearson