The Civil Services Exam is one of the most popular exams conducted by UPSC, and also it is one of the most desired professions aspired by the young population of the country. There is a widespread myth that UPSC aspirants have to prepare about everything under the sun and anything could be asked in the IAS Exam.
It is an agreeable fact that the UPSC Syllabus is vast, but the toppers and those who have cleared the exam in the past have recorded that it is not impossible to comprehend and cover the syllabus of the UPSC Exam. With the right amount of effort and appropriate strategy, the candidates will be able to cover more syllabus in less time.
In this article, a few tips will be listed which will help the aspirants to cover UPSC Syllabus faster. Once the syllabus is covered faster, the aspirants can utilise the time left for revision. This will improve the chances of clearing the UPSC Exam by the aspirants.
Tips to Cover UPSC Syllabus in a Faster Way
One of the major issues faced by aspirants who prepare for the UPSC exam is a lack of time for preparation. A few might have started their preparation one year before the exam and still wouldn’t have completed one round of reading the syllabus in six months. The more syllabus covered in less time is an efficient method, and it can solve one of the biggest problems and fears of most of the aspirants. Here are a few tips which will help you to cover the syllabus for the Civil Services Exam in a quicker way and increase your efficiency.
- Choose the Attempt Year – Firstly, know the dates of the UPSC Exam, especially the date of the upcoming Prelims Exam. Then, depending on the time left, decide if you will be able to complete the syllabus and also do revision and attempt mock tests in the chosen time frame. If you are a beginner, one year would be needed for the exam.
- Know the Syllabus – Read the syllabus carefully. Segregate what should be covered for Prelims, Mains and Interview. Current affairs is one part of the syllabus which exists in all the stages of the exam. In the Mains exam, know the subjects in each GS paper. A few aspirants make the mistake of reading the Mains syllabus after clearing Prelims.
- Prepare Daily Tasks List – Plan your study day with a list of things to do. This should contain the preparation topics to be covered in the day. An unplanned day might not be as efficient and energetic as a planned day. Without planning, the preparation can become chaotic and inefficient. Therefore, it is important to develop the habit of planning the day in advance during the preparation phase.
- Set Priorities – After preparing the list of the daily tasks, decide and set priorities. Always give preference to subjects or topics which carry more marks.
- Track your Performance – Tracking the activities completed is as significant as planning the daily tasks and setting priorities. If the entire planned tasks are completed, try to push the limits for the next day. If there are any backlog topics that could not be covered on that day, save that for the next day or for the weekend. Plan accordingly, whichever is convenient individually.
- Know the Problematic Areas – Analyse the backlog topics and see why they are not getting covered as planned. The candidates might feel weak in some topics, so focus on managing the topics. At the same time, do not give much time to these topics.
- Choose your Comfort – Study in a place where your mind is at peace, and also choose whether to study in the early morning or late at night. This is totally an individualistic choice, and there is no conception that morning should be preferred for studies. It is always your comfort time. If you feel the time is right for studying, and you can give it your all, then that is considered the best time to study.
Covering the syllabus faster doesn’t mean compromising the quality of the study. The aspirants have to keep that in mind while focusing on the faster coverage of the UPSC Syllabus. The candidates can read about the details of the UPSC Exam and their updates from the linked article.
