Here are details of how to crack upsc prelims in the first attempt. Almost 80% of UPSC toppers give the highest priority to UPSC Prelims because the UPSC pre-exam is the most competitive. Because out of 13 14 lakh students, only a few thousand students qualify for the prelims exam. The nature and pattern of the UPSC prelims exam are dynamic and static. Sometimes a more current affairs base question is asked in the exam and sometimes a static base question is asked in the paper. No previous year’s question is repeated in the prelims examination. Even if a question is repeated, another question is framed within it. Many students ask us whether it is possible to clear the UPSC prelims exam in the first attempt. So the answer is yes. However, there are some important things and factors that need to be taken into consideration to clear the UPSC prelims exam in the first attempt.
You need a unique strategy to clear the UPSC prelims exam in the first attempt. You don’t need to depend on any classes to clear UPSC Prelims in the first attempt but you have to do self-study. Every year many students pass the UPSC prelims exam and have done self-study. Some students prepare for upsc optional subjects and upsc mains for a whole year. And only prepare for the prelims exam a month before the exam, such students get confused in the prelims exam. Although the syllabus of prelims and mains seems to be the same, it should be noted that the pattern and marking system are different. 80% Syllabus of Prelims is the same as the mains exam syllabus.
Patience is very important for prelim exams along with dedication and hard work. The very important thing is that if you want to crack prelims in the first attempt then you should reserve at least three to four months for prelims. You don’t need to study for mains at all while preparing for prelims. Only you can start mains answer writing for the mains exam. And you can start the preparation of optional subjects after passing the preliminary exam. For both the prelims papers you need to study in a balanced manner and similarly, you need to plan for both papers. Keep one thing in mind for the prelim exam nearly 14 to 15 lakh students from India are going to give the exam. The preliminary test is called the patience test. Some successful upsc toppers study for five to six months for the prelims examination. You need to devote maximum time to studying for this prelim exam. For the prelim exam, you need to make a schedule and more importantly, follow it. If you are dedicated to prelims then only after clearing prelims, start preparing for the optional subjects, essay writing, and answer writing. By studying for the prelim exam your general study for the Main Exam will cover around 80 %.
If you want to crack the UPSC prelims in the first attempt then most importantly all your focus should be on the UPSC prelims because after prelims you get at least three to four months for mains during that time, you can prepare for UPSC mains. The syllabus of the UPSC Mains Exam and UPSC Prelims are almost 80 to 90 percent similar. So you have to focus only on the optional subjects and answer writing for the main exam. Some students prepare for the UPSC Mains exam throughout the year and prepare for the Prelims only a month in advance. It is a wrong decision to give only one month for UPSC prelims. That being said, you should reserve at least two to three months for UPSC prelims. During the two to three-month period, you should focus exclusively on the UPSC pre-exam. If a student is weak in Maths, English, and reasoning then he should practice and prepare for upsc csat paper as much as possible.
First of all, you have to read the UPSC Syllabus properly and analyze it. You need to get basic information about each topic in each subject in the syllabus. Every UPSC topper knows every topic of the prelims syllabus. They know about every topic. You have to make handwritten notes on the topic of as many topics as there are in the UPSC syllabus. For example, for polity subjects, there is a topic on the constitution so write down what you know and what you don’t know about the constitution on a piece of paper and add new information to it. You must know the complete syllabus of prelims and mains and it is necessary to memorize it. If you are serious about the UPSC prelims exam you should neglect a little the mains exam. You have to forget the optional subject preparation. But for mains exam, you can write answers for two to three questions daily.
And choose an optional subject that should benefit you in the general Studies paper of prelims and mains exam. The subjects that are asked in the General Studies paper are History, Geography, Politics, and Economics. Selecting optional subjects like History, Geography, Politics, and Economics also has the advantage. You have an advantage for the prelims and mains exams while preparing for the optional subjects. Choosing easy optional subjects also saves you time. Prelims in the upsc exam are considered to be the toughest stage. You should know the syllabus of the exam by heart and also you should review the quality and reliable books for each subject.
The prelims exam syllabus looks small but the scope of that prelims syllabus is very big which means you should know that topics have sub-topics, additional topics, and supplementary topics. You should start preparing for the exam only after understanding and reciting the entire syllabus of the prelim exam. Those who are most afraid of the prelims exam should start preparing at least four months in advance. In a sense, it is also a sign of wisdom to give the highest priority to pre-examination. Because if you clear the prelims only then you qualify for the mains. Although the syllabus of the main exam is vast, it can be covered in less time. Many UPSC toppers had given at least 100 mock tests of General Studies and similarly 10 to 15 of the cast before the prelims. For prelims neither reading a lot of books nor doing a lot of revision will work but more than that you need to practice mock tests.
When you decide that you need to clear the preliminary exam in the first attempt, your strategy should be different and unique. Your self-made book list should be ready. Mains can be predicted which means you get time for mains and you can prepare well in two to three months but prelims can’t be predicted easily because there is no weightage of fixed marks for any subject in prelims. Suppose last year’s maximum number of questions were asked in the Polity subject then this year less number of questions may be asked in Polity. The highest scoring subjects in upsc prelims are – Polity, Environment, Current Affairs, and Economics. A subject like history is scoring but sometimes the weightage is less for this subject and sometimes more.
You must listen to the success stories of the previous year’s upsc toppers to crack the prelims in the first attempt. You should study how the upsc toppers studied, what was their strategy, how they faced the exam, and what books they read. Along with this, you should know how many practice tests they have given and how much time they have reserved for the mock test. Many freshers pass upsc prelims in the first attempt. Because they have complete knowledge of the prelims exam. It is very important to understand the pattern of prelims, the marking pattern, and the syllabus. In the prelims exam, you have to study with a balanced approach i.e. you have to study both general study paper 1 and the civil services aptitude test (csat) paper together. Just like you give time for the General Studies paper, you have to give this time for the csat paper. Ignoring the CSAT paper will not or should not be done.
During paper paper-checking process, your cast paper is checked first if you pass the cast paper then your General Studies paper is checked. Even if your maths, reasoning, and English are good you should practice csat paper. You should not take csat papers lightly because as many well-educated, IIT pass-out and IIM pass-out students have failed the csat papers. Because they ignored the CSAT paper or were overconfident.
There are three important factors to pass the upsc prelims in the first attempt:
1. Revision – Revision is most important in UPSC preparation. Many successful students have told you to give time to revision. No matter how many test series you have solved, no matter how many good books you have read, if you do not revise, the study you have done is nothing. By revising you will easily understand many concepts that you did not understand. You can make your handwritten short notes for revision. These notes will be very useful for you in prelims and mains. Preferably you should not depend on any book for revision. You have to write down the important concepts and topics of the book in your handwritten notes.
You must reserve at least one hour a day for revision. The most important thing is that you should have a daily, weekly, and monthly timetable for the revision. And you have to follow the revision schedule. Many successful UPSC students had such a strategy that they set aside 15 minutes for revision three times a day. That is 15 minutes in the morning, 15 minutes in the afternoon, and 15 minutes in the evening.
2. Practice Tests – The most important part of UPSC Prelims and Mains are practice tests. Practicing mock tests will help you notice your mistakes and you will understand where you fall short in your studies. Just reading a book does not make you study. You should solve at least 10 practice tests and analyze them before appearing for the prelim exam. The best option for practice tests is the last 10 to 15 years of upsc question papers. Practicing the practice test will help you understand how and in what manner the questions may appear in the exam. Any difficult question from any subject can be solved easily if you practice the practice tests properly.
It is very important to analyze the answers to the questions you got wrong while solving the test. If you practice ten or more than ten question papers, your confidence will increase. At one time you may study less or revise less but practice tests should give you knowledge. Solve general studies question paper and cast paper also. By solving practice tests, you get rid of your fear related to the exam, you get a new confidence and you can solve a maximum number of questions in the exam. Practicing the question papers also increases your speed and accuracy.
3. Booklist – The first thing you need to do is plan for the book list. Your book list should be unique. Your book list should consist of limited but reliable and quality books. While preparing the book list you need to keep in mind what important books UPSC toppers have read in the last two to three years. You may also need to study what books are commonly read by upsc toppers. Priority should be for basic books and then you can read reference books. Before you include a book in a book list, it is important to get a book review. Like which UPSC toppers have read that book. Making a proper book list is part of smart study. You should try to create a booklist that is helpful for upsc prelims and mains exams.