When it comes to competitive exams, civil services are one of the most grueling exams in the world! With a mere 0.3% success rate, civil services are undoubtedly amongst the most challenging competitions for a government position. However, this does not mitigate the fact that diligent preparation and targeted focus can enable anyone to ace this exam. If you look at the facts, over 10 lakh candidates apply for the exam and only a few thousand write it, before a thousand off are selected. The numbers show that serious aspirants do have a fighting chance, contrary to popular belief.
But how do you focus when you are required to study for several hours at a stretch? Does getting IAS Coaching help? Read on to find out.
The right mindset
Many people have the incorrect mindset that their chances are too bleak even to consider appearing. In 2017’s exams, almost 10 lakh candidates applied for the civil services exams while around 4.5 lakh sat for it and a meager 13,000 qualified for the mains level. If you consider these numbers, the competition does not seem so stiff. You need to have the right mindset that can provide you with the confidence you require.
The right preparation
Civil services exams require a diligent regimen of practice with the right tools. This should be a no-brainer. What you need is the right set of study material and a set schedule to go through it. Youth Destination can help you streamline all of these into one rigorous but the proven formula for success.
According to most toppers, test series help put time management which is another crucial element of the success-mix, into your muscle memory. Going through enough mock test series is another area where IAS Coaching can work wonders for you!
- Current affairs – Consulting books like the Manorama year book, reading multiple newspapers and staying in touch with the global news is one of the most basic ways to prepare for current affairs.
- Last papers – go through the previous papers from UPSC to have a fair idea of how the questions appear – the format, length and options.
- Right books – Every subject included in the subjects for UPSC exams have recommended books that are more than enough to prepare for the exams. NCERT books for classes VI to XII are highly recommended by toppers. Sometimes this can be too overwhelming because your peers and random videos on YouTube would suggest so many different books. You can seek civil service online coaching to deal with this issue.
- Websites – Government websites for departments and ministries on culture, space and external affairs should be referred to if you need quality, updated content on these topics.
Also Read : How to Beat Negative Marking in UPSC Civil Services (Prelims) Examination
Avoid procrastination
While you can retrieve many things in life, time is certainly not one of them. Make sure you create a schedule which is both realistic and required and then stick to it. There would be no use of crying over wasted time once it is gone – so use it wisely. Set daily, weekly and monthly goals for yourself and make sure you achieve them. This way, you can confirm if you are on the right track or not.
A very interesting hack you can use is to avoid ‘easy pleasures’ in daily life to boost your focus. This includes watching television or randomly surfing the internet. This way, your brain learns to work harder for the rewards and hence, tends to focus more.
The competition
Do not make the native mistake of falling into the negative thought pattern that your competition is better or worse off than you are. Your own self is your only true competition, no one else. If you stick to your schedule and do not put things off for tomorrow, you would undoubtedly keep improving and this alone would realistically place you in a better category than most people.
If you make sure you improve 1% each day or week, you would be better than what you were when you started. This is the key to success in any competitive exam.
Work smarter
The time-bound nature of competitive exams like civil services makes it important to know some short-cuts and hacks to solve problems easier and faster than the others. Getting IAS Coaching, especially if it is your first time, would certainly help. This becomes even more important for the CSAT exam.
This does not only mean that your speed of solving problems should increase but also refers to the speed reading and comprehending the problems at hand. Also, answers that you are not sure of must be avoided to reduce the chances of negative marking. A good institute that provides civil service coaching would enable you to know all these tricks and short-cuts for problem-solving.
Heath matters
Sitting down and studying for hours at a stretch can ruin your body and cause a lot of health issues. If your physical body is not fit, mental concentration becomes an even more difficult task than it already is. It is important that you follow a good health regimen to de-stress your body and reap the benefits of good hormones. Pick a habit like gymming, running, swimming or anything that you prefer to keep you healthy while your brain works overtime.
Be easy on yourself. This may sound counterintuitive, but this is a necessary step towards greatness. If you keep stressing over your preparations and the doubt that you might not be able to clear it, it will only act as a hurdle to progress. This is even more important for candidates who have failed the attempts earlier.
If you are serious about your exam preparations, look no further. Youth Destination provides the Best IAS Coaching and its reputation is backed up by hundreds of success stories. Our expert teachers have many years of experience in the field and are well -versed with the right tips, tricks and tactics of the trade.
