How to prepare for UPSC Prelims 2020?

Candidates often find UPSC Civil Services Examination a hard nut to crack. This is not due to lack of hard work or potential, but lack of right strategy and smart work which makes the difference. Through this blog we try to give you a simplified yet effective strategy which will supplement your preparation for forthcoming 2020 preliminary examination.

Exam of elimination

Exam of elimination
UPSC Civil Services exam is more of a filtration process. Approximately 10,00,000 aspirants apply for the various elite services but only ~1000 get into the coveted list.

Mathematically success % =~0.007%

With changing nature of the exam, question pattern, difficulty level, this exam requires more than the traditional hard work way out to clear. Through the series of blog we shall discuss about basic approach for preparation, strategy of what to read, what not to, how to read, do’s and don’ts which all evolved from our personal experiences both during the preparation period and on the examination day.

First thing first, keep a positive mindset and practical strategy. You don’t need to know everything under the roof. Keep your sources limited and trust them.
You need to know the nature of the UPSC exam. Why a particular question is being asked? What to focus on and what not to. For instance, Modern India, Environment, Polity has constituted 35-40% of the GS question paper in 2017 and 2018 Prelims. Thus, focus on these parts of syllabus has to upright.
Charts2018

The nature of the exam has become more dynamic but the syllabus remains the same. Therefore, it is advisable to be through with the basics i.e. fundamental NCERTS and standard books.
Current Affaris2017

Smart work will complement your preparation. Newspaper is the most essential part of your preparation and not to be missed (even on the day of the exam). But mere reading won’t help. Aspirant should workout intellectually by connecting news with syllabus and frame question relevant to it. UPSC does this in the same way by linking static part with dynamic news. For example, look at the following question
Regarding Money Bill, which of the following statements is not correct?

A. A bill shall be deemed to be a Money Bill if it contains only provisions relating to imposition, abolition, remission, alteration or regulation of any tax.
B. A Money Bill has provisions for the custody of the Consolidated Fund of India or the Contingency Fund of India.
C. A Money Bill is concerned with the appropriation of money out of the Contingency Fund of India.
D. A Money Bill deals with the regulation of borrowing of money or giving of any guarantee by the Government of India.

Money bill was a trending topic thus a question was on expected lines. Many more examples like question Champaran satyagraha, Tyagaraja were based on dynamic trends.

There are no prelims only, mains only preparation. It is an integrated process from preliminary right till the interview. Thus, an integrated approach is mandatory. Also changing nature of the questions requires candidates to be more analytical which is only possible through a comprehensive reading.
A comprehensive UPSC Prelims 2019 Test Series are an inseparable part of the examination process. A well-structured test series helps the candidates to
Know their level of preparation
It helps to structure your preparation routine
Acquaints one with UPSC way of questioning
Cover the syllabus holistically
Cover miscellaneous topics, current affairs and get to know trending topics
Gives detailed analysis of your performance, your strengths and weaknesses.

In short it is the net practice which prepares you to hit a century for the d-day.

One has to solve last 10 years prelims paper for good reasons
- One has to solve last 10 years prelims paper for good reasons
- To help you analyze your approach to answer a question, reduce anxiety, controlling nerves and pressure.
Final and the most open secret mantra to clear this prestigious examination is revision. Keep your notes and resources consolidated such that it becomes easier to revise 4-5 times before the exam.

The journey to the coveted list is tough and driver needs to be tougher. Approximately 6 months down the line on 2nd June 2019 hundred thousand of you will write down your destiny. We shall ensure that it is beautiful one.

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