Tips for Civil Services Examination : Though many students go for graduation in various disciplines to become engineers, or degree holders or something else, many of them aspire to work with the government of India as civil servants. As you all must know, it is not an easy task at all. It needs sincere hard work and determination to achieve success in the exam. The Civil Services Examination is most important competitive exam conducted by UPSC every year to recruit young and talented candidates for various posts in different departments like IPS, IAS, IRS and IFS. The Civil services exam also called as CSAT or Civil Services Aptitude Test is conducted in two stages – written exam and personality test.
The exam will be conducted in August every year and the results will be out in October. You can check out in detail UPSC Civil Services Prelims Exam Notification 2017. Each paper is held for two hundred marks for two hours duration. If you want to know the effective tips that will help you crack the exam easily in the first attempt itself then you need to read this article.
Tips to prepare for civil services preliminary examination
Time management
The time management is the first step to achieve your goal of succeeding in the civil services exam. If you are good at managing time, you are half done with your preparation. Time plays a vital role in exam preparation. You need to prepare a timetable in such a way that you can cover entire syllabus without leaving any behind. Aspirants need to start their preparation at least a year before the exam. At the very least, make sure that you have 10 months of time for preparation.
Get aware of Syllabus
It is very important to know the syllabus of CSAT exam. Without knowing the syllabus, it is impossible to start the preparation. Go through the entire syllabus and the topics under the syllabus that you are going to study for the next one year. Go through the syllabus of both the papers i.e., General Studies and General Aptitude. Keep the syllabus sheet handy so that you can refer it easily whenever there is a need.
The Paper I of the CSAT exam covers General Studies that includes topics like:
- Basic concepts of Economics
- Geography
- Indian Polity
- Indian National Movement
- General Knowledge
- Current Affairs
- Environmental Ecology and Climate change
- General Science
The Paper 2 of CSAT exam covers topics like:
The paper 2 mainly tests the intelligence and presence of mind of the candidate. The paper is for 200 marks and each question carries 2.5 marks. There is a negative marking of 0.83 for every wrong answer.
- Interpersonal skills
- Analytical expertise
- Reasoning
- Mathematics
- Problem-solving and Decision-making
- Comprehension skills in the English language based on Class-10 level
- Basic numerical abilities
- General mental ability
Follow the news daily without miss
Watching or reading news is yet another effective way to learn. Civil service is all about knowing what is happening in and around the world. Candidates need to make sure to go through everyday news either through newspaper or through internet. At least refer the headlines. Every day you can find new news, which means that you have something new to learn about. So, even after completing your preparation, don’t give up on following the news. You can score good marks in current affairs if you follow the news daily. Allot at least half an hour time for reading news.
Prepare an effective timetable
Timetable can also help a great deal in making an effective preparation for civil service exams. Instead of studying entire syllabus as a whole divide it and study. Don’t overload your mind with excess study. Depending on your capability draft a timetable and make sure to cover all the topics by the end of the time. Don’t skip today’s work for the other day. It will become a burden for you.
Take regular tests
By taking regular mock tests, you can gain a lot. You can test yourself as to how much you are prepared to face the exam and work on the things you are lacking. Solve old papers and take mock exams online. You can know the type of exam pattern the board is following by solving practice and old question papers. The best way to implement this tip is to take a mock test whenever you complete a topic. You can also find the topics that you feel difficult and work on them even better.
Group studies
Sometimes, it feels easy and exciting to study in a group rather than studying single. Make group studies with others who are preparing for Civils. Take suggestions, clarify your doubts and ask them for tips if you find anyone who is better than you at preparing. Don’t just sit on one subject. Make certain to allot time for other subjects as well. If you feel difficulty with any topic just leave it at that and read something else. Read it with fresh mind next morning and you won’t notice the same difficulty again.
These are the best and effective tips to prepare for Civil Services Preliminary Examination. It is one of the toughest exams in the country and the competition is no joke. So, make sure to give your 100% without fail. We are sure you will gain success in the first attempt itself.
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