Do you plan to take Civil Services Examination in the near future? If so, this article will help you make a good strategic plan to prepare for your exam. The exam draws attention of thousands of candidates every year so adopting coherent and organic approach to preparation becomes indispensable. There is always a fair amount of luck involved in a mass examination, but there is also always a plenty of preparation you can do.
1 Make Sure This Test Is for You
Before embarking on preparation for an examination, decide whether the work is worth it. It’s prudent to study the exam announcements and make sure that you meet requirements like:
· Percentage of marks, or grade point average
· Educational level or experience needed to qualify to take the exam
· Any maximum or minimum age limit that applies to your exam
2 Go back to Your Fundamentals
Once you know you qualify for your exam, you next step should be to decide how to brush up on fundamentals you have not practiced latterly. Dig out your old textbooks and put them where you can see them.
3 Get Up to Date
For civil services aspirants, it’s necessary to work on general knowledge and keep it updated. Good grasp of general knowledge will enable you to discuss the current events that affect the bureaucracy or government you aim to join. Daily look at news media on current events will help you stay updated.
4 Consider Paying for Coaching (“Joint Coaching Institutes”)
However, it is not essentially required to enroll in a coaching institute to crack Civil Services Examination and you can do remarkably well without joining any coaching centre also but a good coaching institute can map out right preparation strategy for you, consequently you do not waste time boning up on irrelevant study material. A good coaching institute can extend you:
· Study materials with which to structure your time
· Counseling
· Reassurance
5 Set Realistic Goals
Consider how much time you are left with until the test date and what are the other activities, you will be involved in – including fun things. Take in consideration the resources you have and your level of ability and then set modest, realistic and achievable goals and deadlines for accomplishing different steps of your preparation. Manage your time so that your preparation embraces each section of the test, with more time allotted to sections which are your Achilles heel.
6. Create a Support Group
Make a circle of friends who are interested in preparing for the same or similar examination. It will be extremely helpful in keeping up your morale. It will make you realize that you are not struggling alone – many other people long for success, just like you do. Studying in a group helps you to effortlessly identify your areas of weaknesses and strong suit.
7. Be Positive
Those who stay positive in spite of facing thousands hurdles emerge as winner at last. There is no guarantee that you will pass the examination in the first attempt but it’s also illogical to assume that you will not notch up success. Be patient and support yourself over the long haul.
8. Take Mock Tests
It may not be difficult to answer all the questions in a test but some aspirants find themselves in a tight spot when it comes to answering all the questions in the allotted time. Solving previous year questions will help you understand whether it’s to your own advantage to guess at answers you are not sure of, or whether you should skip these questions. While writing the test, you will make out, how fast you have to work to answer every question that has a chance of increasing your score.
9. Go Easy on Yourself
It’s important to stay healthy while you prepare. Regular yoga and exercise boost your mental as well as physical strength. Aspirants tend to stave off fun activities during their training period assuming that it will bugger up their time. In truth, indulging in fun activities stamp out scores of psychological blockades, consequently you give optimal performance.
The writer of the above article is A.K Mishra, Director and Founder of Chankaya IAS Academy