Tips on IAS Preparation

Time Management
We see many people around us who spend their time in a frenzy of activity but ac
hieve very little because they are not concentrating on the right things. They a
re perpetually busy but it does not necessarily mean that they make optimum util
ization of their time. So there is a great need for effective Time Management in
our lives today.
We keep hearing the word "Busy" a lot. There are two kinds of busy, chaotic, dis
organized busy and calm effective busy. It goes without saying that being the la
tter helps to pack in more productivity in your work. Improving our "effectivene
ss Quotient" calls for mastery of basic time management skills.
We constantly hear the refrain that we do not know where the time goes. Whether
you are an executive, a student or a homemaker, you need to achieve more in ever
y minute of the day and to enjoy each task that you take up. We will be well on
our way to the top if we know how to squeeze the most out of even a minute.
The first thing to bear in mind is to question whether you have a personal sense
of time or a time log. This helps you to keep track of how you spend each hour.
There is a way to do this. Divide each day for a period of two weeks into one h
our intervals and jot down what you do in them. You can sub divide the activitie
s under such headings as business meetings, writing, making phone calls, reading
, time spent with the family etc. At the end of the week, examine your time log.

What you may find is that very little time goes into top priority activities and
more into activities such as phone calls, coffee breaks, chatting with friends
etc. Now is the time to analyze what activities are a waste of time and what nee
d more time. Try to cut down time spent on useless activities or stop doing them
altogether. Once you have prioritized your time, you will find your efficiency
level rising and the end result is that you will be an achiever!
How to choose a subject?
Normally one should select optional, which one is familiar with, or has at least
studied till the graduate level. If you are not comfortable with the subject, y
ou should not select the subject as an optional. But the choice should not only
be as per your interests but also be based on the study material available. Even
science and engineering students take up subjects like history, sociology, anth
ropology, geography, political science, psychology and public administration bec
ause there is a huge amount of study material available in these subjects. Also
keep in mind that you may have been proficient in a subject, but lack of touch m
ay make it tougher to crack technical subject where freshers may do better. The
competition is among the people who have opted for the same subject. One should
top in his/her subject to succeed in the examination. The Point is, if you are a
n electrical engineer with 2 years of experience go for a new subject like publi
c administration or sociology.
Analyse the syllabus of previous years and the question papers, and analyse past
trends. Get some feedback/advice from seniors and fellow students who are well
versed in the subject. Remember no subject is bad. History is good if you can sp
end more than 4-5 hours everyday. Geography is a good option if you can spend at
least 4 hrs every day. Pub Ad, more than 3 hours. Sociology, more than 2 hours
and so on.... So, it all depends on how much time you can spend a day and your l
iking of the subject. You have a very good memory then a technical subject may h
elp else a social subject would be better. Lastly look for overlap in subjects l
ike, sociology and public administration; history and political science etc.
Prepare Well
Before initiating the preparations, a few things must be noted by the candidates
. The choice of optional subject for Paper-II has to be done very carefully. The
candidates must plan ahead of time with eyes on the main examination and choose
the optional which he/she intends taking up in the Mains. The preparations done
for the preliminaries would assist the candidates in getting good grasp of the
subject and the effort put in would not go waste after the prelims. Secondly, op
tional subject carries more number of maximum marks as compared to the General S
tudies Paper. Hence, its importance cannot be undermined. A candidate doing well
in the optional paper is expected to fare well in the examination. Moreover, th
e optional subject for Paper-II should usually be the subject in which the candi
date has either attained proficiency/higher academic qualification or in which t
he candidate feels at home. Another consideration is the performance of candidat
es in the said subject in the recent past. There are several20subjects like Hist
ory, Psychology, Sociology, Public Administration etc in which even the candidat
es not having special or additional educational qualifications have been doing r
easonably well, while the subjects like Mathematics, Physics, and Engineering ar
e considered to offer tougher questions and the candidates with exceptionally go
od preparation only may expect to do well. But this observation may not be taken
as the universal truth. Moreover, the aptitude and proficiency of a particular
candidate in a given subject also plays an important role in arriving at a decis
ion.
Availability and access to good and prescribed books is yet another consideratio
n and often the candidates are also guided by this factor, particularly in small
er towns. Books for preliminary examination are available in plenty in common su
bjects but in case of specialised optional like Mathematics, Engineering, Agricu
lture etc, one has to look carefully for good books which cover all parts of the
syllabus.
Preparations for Paper-II also need specific planning. It would be wrong to conf
ine the studies only to the multiple choice objective type questions. Unless a d
etailed study of the subject is carried out, it would be difficult to answer the
questions on the subject properly. The aim, must, therefore, be to clearly unde
rstand the basics of the subject by covering each and every aspect of the syllab
us. This provides a candidate with adequate self-confidence and knowledge to ans
wer the questions correctly. It is better to consult various books on different
aspects, as it is very rare that one single book covers the entire syllabus with
total efficiency. After going through all parts of the syllabus in detail and g
etting hold of the basic concepts, it is desirable to have sufficient practice i
n solving multiple choice objective type questions. A good book on objective typ
e multiple choice questions or a good question bank on the subject concerned may
assist the candidates a great deal. Such practice, on the one hand, would perfe
ct the art of answering the questions correctly and rapidly, and on the other wo
uld enable the candidates in understanding the questions asked in various forms.
It is normally observed that at times even simple questions are asked in such a
complex manner that it becomes difficult to understand the question correctly.
It is not difficult to find out a candidate who had, during the past couple of y
ears, appeared in the prelims with the same subject. It is always better to disc
uss the subject, its intricacies, pattern of questions and the books to be studi
ed. In addition, it is also not difficult to identify the candidate offering the
same optional subject for Paper-II within the same town/city. It is always frui
tful to have detailed discussions on various parts of the syllabus, books to be
consulted for the basics, multiple choice question books or question banks and o
ther related issues. Finally, the practice of correctly marking the answer sheet
by using minimum possible time will go a long way in helping you succeed
How To Prepare For Prelims
The civil services examination is basically a test to choose suitable administra
tors. It tests the candidate right from the stage when one starts the preparatio
n. One common misconception about the prelims is that it is a test of facts and
figures. This is not so. A candidate should have the right frame of mind and the
will power to succeed in the exam. A proper action plan is needed for the prepa
ration itself since he /she will be tested for some essential qualities like pow
er of retention, clarity of concepts, ability to identify the correct alternativ
es with efficiency and accuracy. All this requires a quick decision making power
. Since the preliminary exam in particular is a test of endurance the candidate
needs to prepare himself on the physical as well as mental level. The main const
raint is the time one gets to answer questions. On an average one gets around 40
seconds for each general Studies question and around 50 seconds for each option
al question. Added to this time constraint is the fact that the exam is conducte
d in the month of May which is usually the hottest month all over the country. M
ost of the centres for the exam do not have proper facilities which adds to the
stress. One sure way of dealing with this stress is to count numbers or to take
a few deep breaths. Meditation and Yoga also help in dealing with stress to a gr
eat extent.
Now we come to the actual preparation for the prelims exam. Since it is a multip
le choice question paper, it needs a different preparation and a proper strategy
. The first thing a candidate needs to bear in mind is that the examination is d
esigned to evaluate certain qualities like a sharp memory and basic retention po
wer. There are ways to increase one's memory like preparing charts. One gets con
fused when faced with mind boggling facts and figures. Important facts and figur
es can be simplified and represented on charts and they can arranged in the form
of tables or graphs. Another thing to remember is to make short and brief notes
on each topic so that the entire syllabus can be revised a day before the exam.
It is better to use diagrams and link words which make it easier to understand
difficult concepts. One more technique to help in retaining information is the u
se of abbreviations. Since the syllabus involves exhaustive information abbrevia
tions help you to remember it better. It is a good method to remember dates, fac
ts and figures in a picture format and to break up complex names and places into
smaller and simpler words. The last and the most important technique is doing r
egular revision. This helps in retaining the maximum information. A separate tim
e slot should be given to doing not only regular but multiple revisions like dai
ly, weekly, monthly etc.
Many candidates make a mistake of overloading themselves with lots of informatio
n and end up remembering nothing. One should be able to differentiate between re
levant and irrelevant information. Since the preliminary exam is an elimination
round the candidate should also learn to focus only on the information needed an
d filter out the rest. It helps to discuss with friends and teachers but the mos
t reliable way is to past years question papers for the optional subject whereas
for the general studies paper, one should keep abreast with current events and
information related to them.
An important thing to remember is that for this exam it is just enough to rememb
er information but to understand the concepts well instead of memorizing facts a
nd figures. The questions asked in the General Studies paper are of 10+2 level w
hereas for the optional subject it is graduation level. Therefore emphasis has t
o be on conceptual clarity. Any concept has to be understood with its origin, me
rits and de-merits, then it needs to be analysed with other relevant topics and
lastly it has to be correlated with the events that have taken place during the
year.
The preliminary exam requires candidates who have the acumen and the ability to
choose the right option of many given options. This needs a proper method of eli
mination. It is a good idea to go through previous years and model question pape
rs and solve as many as possible. Taking a mock test of a certain number of G.S.
questions and optional questions would be a good practice and help to pick out
the most appropriate option.
Each prelims paper is for two hours but a lot of time is wasted in signing atten
dance sheets etc, therefore there is a lot of need for effective Time Management
not only for the exam but in the preparation as well. It is not enough to know
the right answer but it has to be marked correctly on the answer sheet. Speed an
d Accuracy are important, so solving model question papers on a regular basis wo
uld be a great help.
A good presence of mind is needed to eliminate the least appropriate options and
arrive at the right one. Tick out the least correct answer first and go on to t
he next option. Even when faced with a question for which you do not have a read
y answer, with basic common sense and a good presence of mind, it is possible to
make your guess a smart and a correct one.
Throughout the preparation for the prelims exam, it is important to remember tha
t any topic or concept should not be studied in isolation. It is better to under
stand and establish a correlation between related concepts from other subjects a
nd current events and happenings.
Even with all this preparation, it is necessary to have a positive attitude and
a great amount of will power to succeed to achieve your goal, that of getting th
rough the civil services examination with flying colors!
How to Prepare Notes
Appearing for any competitive exam requires a lot of preparation. Students shoul
d be ready to face this challenge in the best possible way. Though there is no o
ne way of studying, there are ways to study more effectively and with less stres
s and more enjoyment. It is important to know how to make use of the sources ava
ilable to you in the best possible way. It is wise to take a three pronged appro
ach to preparation, reading to learn, making effective notes and able to write a
nswers to various kinds of questions.
Students are often faced with the daunting task of making voluminous notes. Now
the question arises as to why make notes at all. There are several good reasons,
one is that you cannot make notes without understanding the given topic, since
you have to pick out the important points and try to summarise them. Next is tha
t writing down any information helps you to remember it better. Thirdly, it make
s a good practice for thinking and writing out essays. Fourth, it will prompt yo
u to revise your work since it does not take a long time to go through a set of
well made notes. Lastly, it helps you in your final revision by reminding you of
the most important points of each topic.
The next question is when should one make notes? One should make notes from the
very beginning as soon as you have done your studying when the material is fresh
in mind. This helps to fix it in your memory. It is better to make notes from a
ll possible sources, from what you read, what you hear and from what you do. Aft
er making the first brief notes, it can be expanded and organised properly. You
can then keep adding information to it from time to time. One important thing to
remember is to never treat a set of notes as the final version.
There are different methods of making notes and one should decide which method s
uits you the best. There are two types of making notes, one is the LINEAR NOTES
and the other PATTERN NOTES.
Let us start with Linear notes first, it is a method in which you condense the m
aterial you have read using headings and sub headings and jotting down the most
important points. This method works best when making notes from a book where the
material is already properly organised. But one disadvantage of this method is
that you end up copying a lot of material from the book which defeats the very p
urpose of condensing.
The right way to use this method is to use loose sheets of paper instead of an e
xercise book since it is easier to keep adding information. It is a good idea to
leave space on each sheet of paper for additional information. Another way to m
ake your notes more interesting is to use colors, block letters, making boxes an
d highlighting as and when necessary. All this will immediately draw our attenti
on to the actual contents of our notes and make it more clear and comprehensible
.
We now come to Pattern Notes. For this we have to begin the topic at the centre
of the page. Each line radiating from it represents a branch of the main idea. E
ach point is written as briefly as possible using a key word or a phrase. It is
a better method to adopt because it is more flexible than making Linear notes. O
ne can add extra information to it at any point without any problem. Second adva
ntage is that we can see the whole pattern at one go without actually turning th
e pages. Thirdly we can indicate the links between different topics more easily
than we can do in a linear method. Another advantage of pattern notes is that it
is exceptionally useful when making notes from memory for revision as you keep
jotting down points as and when they occur to you. This makes it easier to revis
e for exams and writing out essays as only brief key words are used. Lastly, it
is easier to remember as notes is made in a shape format.
But this method has some disadvantages as well. If there are too many facts and
too much of information, your pattern becomes messy and over crowded. Using key
words can remind you of basic ideas but when it comes to remembering details, th
is method cannot be sufficient. Therefore the most effective way of making good
notes from the sources available is to use a combination of these two methods. O
ne important thing to remember is that for many subjects your notes will have to
include diagrams and sketch maps. They must be accurate and labeled very clearl
y.
For example while making notes for Science, the general lay out has to follow th
e one given by your teacher with as little variation as possible. There are four
basic stages which should always be there, Purpose, Method, Result and Conclusi
on If there is a description it will have to include a diagram and if it is reco
rded data, it will require a table or a graph.
Whatever method you decide to follow, one thing to remember is to keep your note
s handy at all times and in a proper file. It is a good idea to use colored flag
s to demarcate different topics. With such systematic preparation, a student can
face the challenge of any competitive exam with confidence.
How to Write Answers
The civil services main exam consists of descriptive type of questions. It focus
es on testing the candidate on various levels. The time limit for the essay pape
r is 3 hrs without a word limit, but for the optional paper, there are questions
with specific word limit like 250 words in optional subjects and 250 words, 150
words and 20 words in general studies. The candidate then has to prepare himsel
f to answer all types of questions. The most important thing to be kept in mind
is the time constraint. Therefore it becomes necessary to answer these questions
quickly and effectively and in minimum words.
One common doubt that students have is with regard to the style of answering que
stions, whether to adopt the paragraph or the point style of answering questions
. Though there is no set rule, it is wise to adopt a style depending on the ques
tion asked. If the question says to discuss, analyse or critically examine, it w
ould be better to answer the question the paragraph format. On the other hand, i
f the question asks you to list the advantages or give reasons for/ against etc.
, it is better to go in for the point format of answering.
STYLE OF ANSWERING QUESTIONS:
For this it is very important to understand the question first. Depending on wha
t the question is, whether one is asked to "discuss", "elucidate", "explain"," c
ritically Appreciate" or "give reasons for and against", the answer should be wr
itten Accordingly because it is only through the examinee's style of answering q
uestions that one can assess his or her originality of thought and analytical ab
ilities. The question should be read properly, in fact the question paper should
be read thoroughly in the first five or ten minutes of the exam and then one sh
ould decide on the questions which are to be answered first. Time should also be
given to frame the answer so that there is no confusion later on.
A good way to write effective and precise answers is to pracise writing out answ
ers. our answers should present the facts and concepts in an interesting way and
should never read like a passage from a book. It is best to use simple English
and avoid flowy and decorative language which takes our attention away from the
original facts and our opinions about a given topic. Making a practice of writin
g out answers is especially useful in managing the time limit set for the exam a
nd to write the best possible answer in the allotted time It not only improves o
ne's style of expression, but also one gets used to the time and word limits.
HOW TO WRITE A GOOD ANSWER:
It is just not enough to know all the facts and information but the most importa
nt thing to be kept in mind is to write an answer which has a clear and a logica
l frame, which presents information in a clear and concise manner, which does no
t contain any irrelevant or piling up of information, which is interesting and a
ble to hold one's attention.
So the next logical step is to know how to write a good answer. The first step i
s to prepare the framework where one can list all ideas, thoughts and facts and
write them down. It is important to adopt an answering style which is natural, o
riginal and to the point. Emphasis should be given to the kind of language used,
one which is simple and clear without unnecessary use of nouns and verbs. Use o
f archaic and fancy words or language should be avoided at all costs. Care shoul
d be taken to avoid grammatical mistakes which will give a negative opinion howe
ver good the answer may be. Last but not the least, it is very important to have
a good and a legible handwriting.
How to Read Effectively
Students are often at a loss when faced with the extensive syllabus of Mains exa
m. One should be objective and try to focus on about 70% of the syllabus instead
of being over ambitious and trying to cover the whole syllabus. The next thing
to be kept in mind is the choice of study material. It is a wise option to just
refer to few standard books to get an deep understanding of the subject. Reading
from too many books will do more harm than good.
Lastly it is good to be selective while preparing for a given topic, to list out
all the important points and the relevant information in a logical framework. I
t is important to remember that studying for the exam involves Purposeful readin
g which is basically reading with a certain focus on the given topic and prepari
ng for the possible questions accordingly. Before starting on any topic, it is a
wise move to go through the questions asked in the past about the given topic a
nd jot down the probable questions for the current year. It gives an idea to the
king of material one needs to study to be able to answer such questions effecti
vely. After this mentally analyse all that you have read and try to logically li
nk all the points and see if you have understood everything. Such a kind of peri
odical revision will help in the long run as it will ensure that it increases yo
ur understanding, improves and enhances your memory, and makes you more confiden
t so that you give your best performance.