Preparation for IAS mains examination must commence from day one as without a doubt it is one of the toughest examination to crack. Frame a study plan for yourself to streamline your preparation strategy in the right direction. Civil Service is a notable occupation that accords an individual with a chance to bring a change in the society. So if you aspire to be one of them, follow the below-mentioned strategies for cracking the civil service main examination.
Choosing Optional Subject
Choice of Optional subject is one of the most important aspects to consider while preparing for IAS main examination. Choose the optional subject according to your interest and also on the availability of the IAS exam study material. Generally, the students of Science and Engineering backgrounds tend to take up subjects like geography; sociology, anthropology, political science and public administration as a lot of study material are available pertaining to the subject. Choose a subject that helps in your G.S preparation as well. Once you have decided about the subjects, chalk out a study plan and collect study materials to implement an effective examination strategy.
Core Subject Knowledge
In order to crack the civil service mains examination, the in-depth knowledge of the different subjects in general studies and optional papers are very crucial. Get your study plan streamlined according to the different subjects in G.S and implement it successfully. Understand the syllabus well and approach the subjects accordingly. The most important strategy is to understand the basic concepts well for all the subjects. Spend quality to develop good clarity in the subject to further add to the knowledge from the current events.
Optional Subjects
Optional subjects demand thorough study of the subjects in the civil service examination. Cover the entire syllabus as there is no scope of selective study. Equal emphasis needs to be given to each subject as aspirants tend to focus on a particular subject and leave out the others. The questions asked are of a relatively high level and test the conceptual clarity of the candidates. Start reading the basic level books if you do not have ground knowledge of the subject chosen. Students can join UPSC mains test series of reputed institutes like Vajiram and Ravi as it makes your preparation streamlined. The best strategy is when the aspirants get into the habit of writing answers of at least 3 to 4 questions a day. You can take up previous years question papers and practice answer writing.
Prepare Micro Notes
Preparing micro notes is a crucial strategy for the preparation of IAS mains examination. Candidates must focus on preparing easy notes which they can go through before the IAS mains examination. Such notes focus on revision rather than preparing the complete topic once again. Record the major points of the concerned subject which will aid you in last minute revision of the entire topic.
Work Hard and Smart Study
For cracking one of the toughest examinations a perfect amalgamation of the hard and smart study is required to come out with flying colors. Nowadays you need to study smart to crack the IAS mains examination. Smart studies incorporate basic knowledge of each subject, making notes of the important points, adhering to the current question paper pattern, taking test series for civil services, maintaining a track of the national and international current affairs and practicing answer writing for essay type answers. Candidates need to be aware that the syllabus of IAS mains is very vast and therefore a streamlined study plan is required to qualify the examination.
Preparation of Current Affairs
In the recent times, a lot of questions are framed from current affairs in Civil Service Main Examination. Questions pertaining to the major happenings across the nation have been asked in the paper. Candidates need to keep themselves updated with developments in the fields of politics, economics, geography, social issues, literature, environment, historical events and culture. The aspirants who are well aware of what is going around have a better chance of qualifying the examination.
Follow these tips to qualify IAS mains examination.
