UPSC Civil Service prelims exam is due in a month and it’s time aspirants pull up their socks to complete the final revision on time. Utilising most of the revision time can make a big difference as aspirants gear up to appear for the UPSC prelims. The objective of a revision plan is to ensure that you put your best foot forward on the day of the exam day.
At this point in time, a candidate should switch the focus of their preparation from learning to revising. A proper revision plan helps consolidate all the knowledge, improves memory of facts, and develops examination temperament, ensuring you get the most out of the hard work you have already put in. Here are a few tips that may help analyse if your revision is on track
Make a plan
If you do not have a properly written revision plan yet, you certainly need one. It will help you review your progress. Hence, you need a crystal clear schedule that prioritises attempting MCQs and mock tests. Starting a completely new subject is counterproductive as it takes up a lot of precious time, and you might not be able to develop the competency.
Assess your strengths and weaknesses
Now just attempting MCQs and mock tests is not enough. Post-test assessment is the key – as it helps you understand if you are on the right track. It further allows you to define your focus areas. You can create a broad framework that you can follow. That would be:
— Keep track of how many questions you get correct because you were sure of the answer or how many get right through intelligent/elimination techniques. It will help you assess your accuracy levels through different answering methods and suggest where you stand. Your sure-shot answers should be at least 50 (correct answers). At the same time, your intelligent guessing should have an accuracy of over 50 per cent.
— Second, you need to have a bare minimum of incorrect questions. If you consistently get over 25 questions wrong, then that’s a red flag. It means you require thorough introspection and need to make strategic changes. Try not to over attempt but revise thoroughly. You could argue that if you are attempting 90 questions, getting 25 wrong still gets you in. Yes, your Math indeed is correct, but those who get 25 incorrect may not stop at 25. There is a possibility to get even more questions incorrect.
— Third, assess your mistakes. So, are you making mistakes in current affairs – the same subjects, repetitively? Then it would help if you work on those specific subjects. So shift your focus and spend more time on these areas.
Compiling last-minute revision points
Make sure you compile your notes so that your quick revision in the last couple of days is solid. Try making notes using bullet points or draw diagrams/charts or create revision cards. Such learning styles enhance recall.
Most importantly, it’s not just the amount of time you spend studying that counts. It’s how you use it. So being organised helps you to use your time effectively and consequently reduces exam stress.
