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  • Preparing For IAS Examination While Working – Doing Job – Strategy for IAS Exam.
    Posted on November 27th, 2020 in Exam Details (QP Included)|Strategy, Strategy
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    Preparing For IAS Examination While Working – Doing Job – Strategy for IAS Exam.

    The ideal time to start preparing is at the least 9-10 months prior to Prelims. During this time, the focus should be on building a strong foundation, especially in core subjects such as history, economics, polity etc. and the optional subject. For the first six months, the studies should be done keeping in mind both Prelims and Mains. Preparing for mains simultaneously covers a major chunk of UPSC syllabus.Continue Reading Preparing For IAS Examination While Working – Doing Job – Strategy for IAS Exam.

    Keeping this in mind, a candidate has to devote at least 5-6 hours on a regular basis for studies. An IAS aspirant needs to prepare for General Studies, Current Affairs and the optional subject. A working aspirant should not compromise on any of these core areas due to the paucity of time. They have to plan in such a way that even on busy days, the continuity of preparation is not broken. An ideal workaround would be to split the study hours into prior to work, during work, post-work and revision schedules.

    1. Make every second count

    For an IAS aspirant, time is the most precious and scarce resource available in their arsenal. This statement becomes even more true for working professionals who are trying to take on the most competitive recruitment exam in the world. Therefore, as a personal working a full-time job, it is vital for you to maximize the time available to you. Taking 8-hour shift as standard working hours, you will not be able to dedicate more than 3-4 hours as dedicated time for IAS preparation.

    2. Study in minutes not hours

    We have already discussed that as a working professional preparing for the IAS exam, you will not be able to devote dedicated time for IAS preparation. Therefore, you will have to plan your study sessions very carefully. Limited time availability also means that you will have to make every second count and thus it would be better if you make a study plan that is based in minutes rather than hours. For instance, if you have to cover Modern Indian History; you can break it down into smaller topics like

    • 1857 Revolts & Reforms undertaken
    • Formation of Indian National Congress
    • India After Gandhi
    • Indian National Movement
    • Government of India Act 1935

    Now, these topics can be further classified into smaller sub-topics which can be studied and covered in a few minutes. Breaking large topics into smaller chunks will not only help you manage your time well, but it will also help you study and retain more information over a period of time.

    3. Stay near your office

    Although not really a revolutionary advice, but it surely serves the practical purpose of opening up more time for IAS preparation. Staying near to your office of place of work will help you reduce your travel time which you can then devote to studying for IAS Exam. Another advantage of staying near your office would be less exertion and fatigue. If you reach home fresh you will be able to focus on your IAS studies which will ultimately help your performance in the UPSC Civil Services Exam.

    4. Avoid studying while travelling

    In their quest to maximize their study time for IAS preparation, aspirants often tend to use the travel time to and fro from office for studying. This is a very common mistake that almost all working IAS aspirants commit. At first, this looks like a very optimal use of the limited time available to you, but trying to study while travelling in a bus or a train put a lot of strain on your eyes. With constant movement, jerks, noise and crowd all around you; it is not only difficult to concentrate, but it makes your eyes and brain work overtime in order to read a sentence.

    Reading while in a vehicle will tire your eyes out by the time you reach home and you will not be able to do justice to the dedicated time you have set apart for IAS preparation. Instead, it’s better to rest your eyes and brain during travel by listening to some soothing music or just taking a nap, so that when you reach home you are fresh and ready to take on your books.

    5. Don’t completely depend on the Internet

    Internet is surely your ally when it comes to preparing for IAS examination. But, it can also be your worst enemy if you don’t show due diligence. In most cases, ‘the world at your fingertips’ format of Internet might be an advantage for most, but IAS preparation requires a focused approach to all the topics covered within your syllabus. This also includes current affairs and GK. Thus, reading a news story or an editorial on your smartphone might sound like a great idea; it might not be the best for your IAS preparation. With the Internet, there is always a risk of straying away from the core focus that you are trying to study. Be it the latest meme, a viral video or a hilarious tweet; it may look they are consuming only a few seconds, but ultimately they will all add up and hurt you later.

    On the other end, newspapers and magazines undergo a thorough editorial process and only articles and stories that are worth it are included in them. In fact, newspapers like Hindu and magazines like Yojna or EPW have earned a cult status among IAS aspirants due to this very reason.

    6. Opt for selective study

    We have already stressed on the limited availability of time which will make IAS preparation process a very tough process for all working professionals. One way in which you can use this to your advantage is by opting for selective study. Without an iota of doubt, the UPSC Civil Services Exam syllabus is quite lengthy and IAS aspirants who are devoted to the cause full-time also find it difficult to cover everything.

    Therefore, it would be wise of you to choose selective study. Selective study essentially means, performing SWOT analysis on the entire IAS syllabus. This way you can shortlist topics according to their difficulty level and devote time only to those that are going to help you crack the IAS exam. There will be a few topics that will be difficult to comprehend even if you devote maximum time to them.  Instead of wasting your time on such topics, it would be wise of you to use that time to strengthen the topics that you are good at.

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