The preparation for the UPSC civil services examination can be an overwhelming experience for candidates. This is true not just because of the sheer amount of syllabus that an aspirant has to cover, but also because of the high magnitude of competition involved.
In this process, hence, a candidate is bound to make mistakes, if he/she does not have anyone to guide him/her through this quagmire.
But throw away all your worries out of the window as we have got your back. Here, we are listing down some of the common mistakes made by a UPSC aspirant, which we do not want you to repeat.
#Mistake 1: Studying without a plan.
This is a very common mistake. Most of the students lack any plan or strategy. They just go with the flow with a very common but flawed thinking — ‘ho jaega’. But it doesn’t happen like that. A scientific approach to studying gives you better returns than studying in an ad hoc manner. Do not waste your time in developing the ‘best strategy’. There is no such thing as the ‘best strategy’. Develop proper targets and adhere to them. Do not make your strategy too rigid. It should be agile. You may be required to make changes in it as and when required.
#Mistake 2: Buying every book available in the market related to the subject.
There may be some misguided candidates who would think that piling up books would help them in clearing the exam. They would get inspired by some random ‘source-tracing’ videos, which will show them how UPSC is asking questions from XYZ… book. This leads them to nowhere. Sticking to standard books, limiting your resources and giving them multiple readings is the best approach.
#Mistake 3: Procrastination or lack of consistency.
There is another category of candidates who are heavy procrastinators. They may be making meticulous daily time-table only to be remade the next day. They are the ones who fall for instant gratification and get easily distracted. Or, there may be candidates who will study for 15-18 hours in a day but then will not turn up for studying for the next two-three days. This lack of consistency has a high cost. Always remember, consistency is the key in this exam. You may not be able to put in 14-15 hours daily. But that is fine. Six-eight hours of consistent and quality study is enough to crack this exam.
#Mistake 4: Ignoring NCERTs.
This is a very silly mistake. The allure of reading advanced books can make some candidates skip NCERTs. But, UPSC has time and again asked easy but analytical questions from NCERTs. Hence, skipping NCERTs would not be advisable, especially when your basic concepts are not clear.
#Mistake 5: Not giving enough mock tests for prelims.
In recent years, the level of difficulty in prelims has increased considerably, and falling cut-offs reflect this. Hence, there is a need to develop MCQs-solving aptitude. This can only be developed when you solve more questions.
#Mistake 6: Ignoring CSAT.
Many candidates have faltered at the prelims stage just because they could not score 66 marks in the CSAT paper. One simple reason behind this is that aspirants simply ignore this subject. Assess your preparation for CSAT by attempting previous year papers. If you are comfortably scoring above 66 marks, then it is fine. Otherwise, you need to pull up your socks and give this paper some extra attention.
#Mistake 7: Lack of answer-writing practice.
There are several reasons for this. First, this happens when a candidate follows a segregated approach for prelims and mains, while what we require is an integrated approach. Second, when an aspirant thinks of attempting tests only after finishing the entire syllabus. Third, when a candidate focuses just on prelims and thinks of writing tests only when he/she clears the prelims so that his/her efforts are not wasted. In all the three scenarios, the result would not turn out to be desirable. Answer writing practice is one of the major determinants of your success. Ignoring it would make you stuck in the vicious cycle of giving attempt after attempt.
#Mistake 8: Giving up on writing tests on scoring low marks in mock tests.
This is true for many students. It is natural that initially a candidate would not be scoring very good marks. But a usual response by the candidates is to give up on answer writing practice. While the best approach is to know your mistakes and keep improving on them.
#Mistake 9: Not revising enough.
Because of the colossal syllabus, multiple revision becomes very important. Revision enhances the recalling power of the mind. Make short, hand-written or digital notes, depending on your convenience, and revise them frequently.
#Mistake 10: Underestimating or overestimating your potential.
UPSC exam is a great equalizer. Whether a candidate underestimates or overestimates his/her potential, both are equally harmful scenarios. While preparing, always be grounded and have a company of those people who can motivate you in your difficult times, while also giving you a reality check.
It is very easy to fall for traps, but a candidate needs to develop a level-headed mind in order to successfully navigate through this journey.
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