last 30 days strategy for upsc prelims
Sharing some words of advice from Kanishak (Rank 1) below
#30 days to Prelims#
Hi,
We have entered the last month before prelims. It is important to remain calm and composed and not panic. The moment you start fearing elimination, your efficiency will drop sharply. Some important tips:
1. Now is the time to become mechanical in your paper solving strategy. Simulate as much as you can.
Some examples:
A) Increasing tolerance to heat given exam is in June.
B) If you are attempting in your room with attached toilet, you might have a tendency to have a quick toilet break. Remember it won’t be the case in your examination hall!
C) I wasn’t allowed a watch in the exam hall but my home simulations had prepared my mind and I could predict the amount of time that had elapsed. Be ready for any such eventuality.
2. Revision is the key now. Don’t pick up new sources (unless it is some scheme compilation which you might have postponed till the last month).
Prelims revision is very strategic. You need to cram facts and figures for “some important/flagship” schemes. On the other hand, you need to merely glance over other topics. Best thing about prelims is that the answer is right in front of you. You only need to identify it. So even a vague idea might help you in eliminating few options.
3. Your revision time should reduce with each iteration. Revise the things you had marked in previous iteration, attempt a test and then identify the lacunaes in your preparation.
You can maintain a note of information which you feel would help in LMR.
4. You should be happy to commit mistakes in this month. Each mistake shows some flaw in your preparation. Start correcting them. More mistakes you make now means better prepared you are for 2nd June provided you are smart enough to identify and correct them and not lose confidence.
5. If you perform badly in test series, think that the world is conspiring against you to pull you down this month. On the D-Day everything will work out fine. UPSC is easier than some random institute’s test paper. The Endgame is all about psychology.
6. You have sufficient information to crack prelims. Prelims is meant for elimination of those who are not serious for UPSC. If you have prepared with full diligence and hard work, you’ll get your due.
7. Repeating what I said earlier: Improve accuracy first before increasing your number of attempts. You’ll get false sense of security if you get guesses right in an easy paper and score high.
Speaking in statistical terms, your mean should be high while the variance is low!
Thanks.
PS: I’m travelling at the moment. Whenever I get time I’ll share some more tips. Keep on mugging till then!
MUG STRONG! 💪
Best of luck! 👍
Written by Pranav Kanitkar IRS
Sharing with you his words of advice for the last few days of your prelims prep.
1. Prelims is a mind game and not a test of knowledge.
2. How you carry yourself in last week and during the two hours is very important.
3. Adequate confidence is the key.
4. Reduce the pace of your study. Relax a bit. A fresh mind is very essential.
5. Don’t touch any new material.
6. If at all you want to, just read the solutions of full mock tests.
7. Revise every section and both static and dynamic from the sources you have already read.
8. The idea is to keep every sub part of your brain activated , so that you recollect stuff in the exam.
9. If you feel you are not recollecting anything, believe me it’s normal. I always had the same feeling.
10. Don’t try to become calm. It’s impossible. But feed it to your mind that being a bit nervous at this moment is essential to clear prelims.
11. Now is the time to plan what exactly you are gonna read in the last day and stick to it.
12. Believe in your intuition. Most of the times we get the answer correct in first reading, but overthink and make it wrong.
13. Making silly mistakes is unforgivable. Make codes, how you are going to mark on paper. For exam a cross means the statement is right or wrong.
14. Read question properly, have they asked which are correct or incorrect?
15. Don’t wait for last 30 minutes to fill the bubbles.
16. If you cannot sleep on the last night, train your mind to lie on the bed with closed eyes. It’s okay and it helps.
17. Read the last five years questions. That will make your intuition aligned to the way UPSC thinks.
Wish you all the best. Be like Arjun. Just concentrate on your target which is attempting maximum correct answers. Don’t think of or dream of becoming IAS or fulfilling your parents dream, that is just a corollary.
The main stuff is the exam. Love it and it will love you back.
Antidote to Fear and Anxiety
———————————————-
In these last few days, you must be feeling anxiety and fear. It is pretty normal . Everyone goes through it.
Rather than suppressing that chain of thought and behind hard on yourself, I suggest an antidote which I use during times of fear and anxiety.
That antidote is GRATITUDE.
Gratitude is the idea of being thankful to all living and non-living being who were there for us till now in this journey of life.
It is time to be thankful for the opportunity we have in front of us. For the time, resouces, support, ability, skills and love we have received from almighty/nature and people around us.
This exam is a chance, an opportunity given to us. Rather than fear, It is time to thank all beings who supported us through thick and thin. May their support and wishes bring fruit.
Try it whenever you feel intense fear or anxiety in the coming days. Practice it few times a day and you will feel better. Thank you!
“Thank you all for whatever way you have contributed in my life. It has helped me grow into a better, wiser and abler person. I will make the most of the opportunity life serves me, and this is one such instance. I am thankful for it. Let me give my best with all my abilities.”
Give your best, leave for god/nature to do the rest.
