Clearing the UPSC CSE exam requires a well-read and rounded personality, general awareness of the day to day happenings around you, analytical skills and a solid grasp of fundamentals. The UPSC CSE is a generalist exam par excellence which means that it requires one to be well versed in “almost everything under the sun” but not in-depth knowledge. For starters, it is difficult to get a useful UPSC Beginners Preparation Strategy that helps in clearing this tough exam!
But one thing that is of utmost importance in this exam at all three levels (i.e. Prelims, Mains & Interview) is crystal clear concepts and solid fundamentals and hence anyone aspiring for this exam should aspire to build solid ground of all the subjects at least initially. So here are a few tips to put your preparation on a solid footing.
Focus on building a general understanding of the day to day happenings around you. For this start reading a good quality newspaper at the earliest. Choose from either The Hindu or Indian Express. To know in detail about an issue one must use the internet effectively. By effectively I mean just google the keywords and read the first 2-3 top links about that issue. UPSC doesn’t require more in-depth study than that. The focus should be on understanding the concepts and not mugging up.
One also must have a basic understanding of a no of subjects to clear prelims as well Mains. The subjects which one should have a decent grip on are: Geography, Polity, History, Basic Sciences, Economics etc. For this the best sources are NCERTs. They are concise, to the point and conceptually sound. One should start with class 6-10 NCERTs first and then move on to reading class 11-12 NCERTs of Geography, Polity, Economics, and History. There is no need to read 11-12 NCERTs of science as that level of understanding is not required for UPSC preparation.
“Know Your Enemy”: It means that one should do thorough research about the exam, its requirements, the skill sets being tested and how your skills and strengths are aligned to it etc. There are a no of websites offering a ton of useful information about this exam and one should have a thorough understanding of all the levels.
After one is well versed with information about this exam one should read a few topper’s blogs, their strategies, Interview Transcripts, Quora Answers etc to have an idea about how to go about the preparation. Isaac Newton said, “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.” So, one should learn from the wealth of information offered by previous toppers and people who have been selected as well as those who have a decent understanding of this exam. But remember one thing about this exam: There is no universal/one way to prepare. So, use these blogs as a guiding light and use what suits you and discard the rest.
The exam has changed so much today as in it tests skills now whereas in the past it used to test knowledge. So, understand thoroughly what skills are required at different levels of this exam and ask yourself the most pertinent question: “Do I have the requisite skills?” If the answer is yes, then move on to developing other skills. If the answer is no, then work to build that skill. For example, the Mains exam demands excellent writing skills.
So, if you feel you lack in that somehow then immediately start writing answers on any of the websites and get them checked by seniors and peers. No one has all the skills and no one is completely devoid of skills.
Start to form a balanced opinion about issues. Don’t take extreme views. Be a centrist in your political views. UPSC doesn’t want someone who is bereft of ideology, rather it wants people who have centrist ideology so that being part of the permanent executive they can serve any political dispensation of the day is it right or left-wing. So always look at both sides of the coin. Be appreciative of the views of others. Take part in debates online or otherwise.
Try to form a well-rounded personality. Find out your areas of strengths and work to make them stronger while simultaneously trying to improve your weak areas.
Last but not the least, Read. Apart from your syllabus and what is required. Because that will always help you in the preparation as well life in general.
These things take time. Learn at your own pace. Build Skills. Become a better person. Build a strong foundation.
Standard Reference Books:
Instead of reading many books once try to read a single book multiple times. You need to read standard reference books for different subjects. Some of them are:
- M Laxmikanth for Polity
- India’s Struggle for Independence: Bipan Chandra for Modern History
- India After Gandhi: Ramchandra Guha for Post-Independence History
- Ramesh Singh for Economy etc.
Websites & Internet:
One needs to utilise the internet effectively for UPSC Exam preparation online. And that means not wasting time on countless useless WhatsApp/Facebook groups in which no worthwhile information is shared, and only time-wasting discussions on cut off take place.
Use the internet effectively to search for information not easily available in exam preparation books or to understand a particular concept you find difficult. The Internet can also be utilised for general reading about different topics of the UPSC syllabus to build a well-balanced outlook towards current affairs. Some of the useful websites are:
- Editorial pages of Indian and Global Newspapers like The Hindu, Indian Express, Economic Times, Mint, Business Line, NY Times, Guardian etc.
- Websites dealing with specific topics of the Syllabus like Down To Earth (For Environment), IDSA (For Defence & Internal Security), Council on Foreign Relations (For International Relations; their backgrounders are unmatched in describing the background details behind issues), The Diplomat (For understanding Asia-Pacific Affairs), The Economist (For a global perspective about issues)
- YouTube for videos related to the syllabus (For Example: Michael Sandel Videos for Ethics)
General Reading:
General reading is very important to build a holistic perspective about the issues happening around oneself. And it’s very important to have a well-rounded and balanced personality not from the point of view of Interviews but in general too. So, one should read a lot from varied sources like Novels, Magazines, Books etc.
How To Study:
The focus should be on building fundamentals and conceptual clarity and not on mugging up information. UPSC tests knowledge and understanding and not factual information. So, focus more on building concepts and less on collecting information.
Integrated Preparation:
One of the very common mistakes people who have just started their preparation make is to think of Civil Services Exam as three different and discrete steps. This whole exam is one integrated exam having different levels testing different skills. So, any UPSC beginners preparation strategy should be holistic and integrated too. Yes, when a step approaches focus should be on that step, but that should not mean the preparation becomes discrete.
Current Affairs:
Another mistake students make is of neglecting Current Affairs and trying to cover them through compilations as a last-ditch effort. This can be disastrous. UPSC asks CA questions that are rooted in concepts and require deep analysis. And these questions cannot be covered at the last minute, least of all through compilations. So, the best way to do CA is through regular reading of newspapers and from the sources mentioned before.
Skill Building:
The three different levels of this exam test different skills. So, to ace this exam, one needs to develop those skills. For example, Mains demands excellent writing skills as well as an ability to analyse issues. So, to develop these skills, it is imperative that one do adequate writing practice to be able to express one’s views effectively.
Timeline:
Although everyone learns and reads at a different pace and hence the timelines vary per individual preferences and tastes, a general timeline can be prescribed which one can modify according to one’s requirements.
Monthwise UPSC Beginners Preparation Strategy
Dec: Start Preparation: Cover Basic NCERTs
Jan-March: Finish Optional Papers along with Static Portion of GS
Apr-May: Focus Exclusively on Prelims: Take Mock Tests and Revise CA
June: Prelims Exams
July- Oct: Prepare for Mains: Do writing Practice, Revise GS and Optional
Oct: Mains Exam
Nov: Relax and do General Reading
Dec Onwards: Start Preparing for Interview