Do’s and Don’ts for UPSC Aspirants: Follow these Tips to Prosper in your UPSC Exams

The Civil Services Examination is one of the most renowned competitive exams conducted by UPSC in India. The popular exams of Indian Civil Services are a shining dream for lakhs of young minds. The vision of clearing the IAS and UPSC examination is ignited in the minds of students right since their school and college days.

It is often believed that the UPSC journey is challenging and difficult. False! The UPSC road might come with some mind-bending turns, but with the right attitude and preparation, it becomes the source of every student’s mental and academic development.

If you are an aspirant who wishes to crack this exam with flying colours then along with studying, you need to have the right approach to learning. To make the process easier for you, here is a detailed yet smart list of Do’s and Don’ts for UPSC aspirants you need to keep in mind before you start your UPSC journey.

DO’S

Know Your Study Material

Before studying, you must first understand the do’s and don’ts during self study for UPSC civil services. List down the syllabus in your personal study book and order them according to their priority or weightage.

Complete the essential chapters first and keep ticking every topic you finish. By this, you will additionally attain a sense of accomplishment in your study journey. On the contrary, if you fail to do so, then chances are that you might miss out on a few topics.

Plan Your Study

Before you get into the crux of your study, it is important that you prepare a well-strategized timetable and plan your study schedule. Based on your daily routine, you must draft a study schedule that is optimised, dedicated, and realistic. Keeping an aim and planning helps you achieve a clear vision of preparation rather than just going haywire with your studies.

• Do it Again and Again!

If you think you have prepared enough for your examination, then it is time to test yourself! Keep solving previous years’ UPSC papers as well as the mock papers. You can get easy access to all these papers online and through various test series.

Practising the questions, again and again, will give you a clear idea of the type of questions that can appear in your paper. Many times previous year’s questions are even repeated in the next year’s paper.

• Strengthen Concepts

It is advised that aspirants must focus more on understanding concepts rather than merely mugging up answers. The prime reason is obviously that the motive is to acquire knowledge and not pass examinations. Moreover, the portion is quite vast and byhearting all the answers can be taxing and stressful.

Also Read : What if I Don’t Read Newspapers for UPSC?

DON’T’S

• Stick to the Examination Pattern!

Avoid writing any sort of sacred mantras, chants, or numbers on your answer sheet or booklet. You might be having religious or pious intentions, but such acts are not encouraged in the UPSC examinations as it opens a gate to malicious cheating activities. Hence it is informed that students must not include any irrelevant words, sentences, or symbols in their answer sheets.

• Do Not Reveal Yourself!

Appearing candidates are strictly advised to not disclose their identity in the answer sheets in any way possible. Identity can be disclosed in the form of writing your name, your initials, home address, favourite or characteristic details with respect to you, your family name, etc. Such practices are strictly prohibited and are considered to be means of cheating.

• Stick to the Same Language!

Make sure that your answers are written in a single language and the one on which the exam paper is based on. Students must refrain from switching answers into different or mixed languages.

• Do Not Try to Communicate with the Examiner in Any Way!

There are strict rules for candidates trying to communicate or pass on any kind of message to the examiner who will check your paper. Sentences like “Madam, please pass me”, “This is my last attempt”, etc. are not encouraged under any circumstances. No matter how profound your statements are, strict action is taken for such messages.

• Mark Your Numbers Properly!

Make sure your question and answer numbering on the answer sheet is correct and not misleading. Many a time it so happens, that the candidates write the right answer but in a wrong section or with the incorrect numbering.

The examiners do not have the time to go back and check what question does your answer belong to and simply give you a wrong mark on that answer. This should be kept in mind, and formatting should be taken care of by the students. 

Final Words

In Conclusion, it is well established that the UPSC journey is beautiful and challenging at the same time. More than your knowledge, it tests your focus and smart work. Hence, we recommend you follow the Do’s and Don’ts mentioned above and dedicatedly prepare for your UPSC goals in the smart and right way.

Also, keep yourself posted with the essential tips and tricks for UPSC, we post regularly in our Blogs.

Also Read : Why UPSC is not Asking Current Affairs that Much?